Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"And I have ox and donkey" (Genesis 32:6). Rabbi Yehudah says: from one ox came forth many oxen, and from one donkey came forth many donkeys. Rabbi Nehemiah says: it is the manner of people to speak of donkeys and camels in the plural. The Rabbis say: "ox" refers to the one anointed for war, as it is said, "His firstling ox, majesty is his" (Deuteronomy 33:17); "donkey" refers to the King Messiah, as it is said, "humble and riding upon a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9); "flock" refers to Israel, as it is said, "And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Ezekiel 34:31); and "servant and maidservant," as it is said, "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God until He is gracious to us" (Psalms 123:2).

Another interpretation: "And I have ox and donkey" (Genesis 32:6). "Ox" is Joseph, as it is written, "His firstling ox, majesty is his" (Deuteronomy 33:17). "Donkey" is Issachar, as it is written, "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14). And the grandson of Joseph stands to destroy Amalek, as it is written, "And Joshua weakened" Amalek and his people (Exodus 17:13). And the sons of Issachar know what the Holy One, blessed be He, does in His world, as it is said, "And of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (I Chronicles 12:33). "And flock" refers to Israel, as it is said, "And you are My flock" (Ezekiel 34:31). "And servant" is David, as it is said, "I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant" (Psalms 116:16). "And maidservant" is Abigail, as it is said, "Behold, your maidservant is a servant" (I Samuel 25:41). In that hour those messengers went and saw Esau, that armed warriors were with him. "And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother, to Esau" (Genesis 32:7): you treat him as a brother, but he treats you like Esau. "And he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him": Resh Lakish said, "with him" means like him; just as he is set over four hundred men, so each of them is set over four hundred men. "With him": Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said, four hundred crown-binders were with him. And some say, four hundred officers were with him. Rabbi Yannai says, four hundred troop-commanders were with him. (Genesis 32:8-10) Rabbi Levi said: he went and took a tax-document from Egypt. He said, if I can prevail over him, well and good; and if not, I will say to him, "Bring the toll," and from within that I will rise against him and kill him. When they told Jacob all that grandeur, he was afraid of him, and he was dividing his children and his wives into two camps, as it is said, "And Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (Genesis 32:8). In that hour Jacob stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He. He said before Him: Master of the universe, You wrote in Your Torah, "And whether it be an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter it and its young in one day" (Leviticus 22:28). And if this wicked one comes and destroys my children and their mother together, the scroll of Torah that You are destined to give at Mount Sinai, who will read it? I beg of You, deliver me from his hand, that he not come and strike me, mother together with children, as it is said, "Deliver me, I pray" (Genesis 32:12). What did Jacob do? Immediately he sent him a gift to blind his eyes, as it is said, "For the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise" (Deuteronomy 16:19); and "the wise" here means none other than Edom, as it is said, "And I will destroy the wise out of Edom" (Obadiah 1:8).

"And he gave them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself" (Genesis 32:17). What is the meaning of "and you shall put a space between drove and drove" (Genesis 32:17)? He said before Him: Master of the universe, if troubles are to come upon my children, do not bring them one after another, but give them relief from their troubles. In that hour Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw Esau coming from afar, and he lifted his eyes on high and wept, and the Holy One, blessed be He, heard his prayer and assured him that He would save him, as it is said, "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob set you on high" (Psalms 20:2).

"And Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (Genesis 32:8). Two men were given a promise by the Holy One, blessed be He, and yet were afraid: the chosen one among the patriarchs and the chosen one among the prophets. The chosen one among the patriarchs is Jacob, as it is said, "For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself" (Psalms 135:4), and the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to him, "Behold, I am with you" (Genesis 28:15); yet in the end he was afraid, "And Jacob was afraid." The chosen one among the prophets is Moses, as it is said, "Moses His chosen one" (Psalms 106:23), and the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to him, "For I will be with you" (Exodus 3:12); yet he was afraid, as it is said, "And the LORD said, Do not fear him" (Numbers 21:34), which implies that he had been afraid. (This is written in remez 266.) Israel were fit for destruction in the days of Haman, had they not relied their judgment upon the judgment of the elder. They said: If our father Jacob, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, had assured, was afraid, then how much more so are we. "And Jacob was afraid": from here we learn that there is no assurance for the righteous in this world. It is written, "Behold, I am with you" (Genesis 28:15), yet, "If God will be with me" (Genesis 28:20); from here, that there is no assurance for the righteous in this world. It is written, "And He said, For I will be with you" (Exodus 3:12), and no evil thing will harm you, yet it is written, "And it came to pass on the way, at the lodging-place, that the LORD met him" and sought to kill him (Exodus 4:24); from here, that there is no assurance for the righteous in this world. It is written, "And Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, Amen, so may the LORD say" (I Kings 1:36). Was it not written, "Behold, a son will be born to you, he will be a man of rest"? Rather he said: many accusers will arise from here until Gihon.

Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi posed a contradiction: it is written, "And behold, I am with you and will keep you" (Genesis 28:15), and it is written, "And Jacob was afraid." He said: perhaps sin would cause it. This is also taught in a baraita: "until Your people pass over, O LORD" (Exodus 15:16), this is the first entry; "until the people pass over whom You have acquired" (Exodus 15:16), this is the second entry. Say from now on that Israel were fit to have a miracle performed for them in the days of Ezra, just as was done for them in the days of Joshua, but that sin caused it to be otherwise.

"And Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (Genesis 32:8). The fear and the distress are not the same: he was afraid lest he be killed, and distressed lest he kill. If he overpowers me, he kills me; and if I overpower him, I kill him. He said: all these years he has been dwelling in the Land of Israel; can it be that he comes against me by the merit of dwelling in the Land of Israel? All these years he has been sitting and honoring his parents; can it be that he comes against me by the merit of honoring father and mother? For thus he said, "Let the days of mourning for my father draw near, and I will kill Jacob my brother" (Genesis 27:41); can it be that the old man has died? For thus the Holy One, blessed be He, said to me, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your birthplace, and I will be with you" (Genesis 31:3); can it be that the conditions held only up to here and no further? "And he divided the people who were with him" (Genesis 32:8): he armed them within and clothed them in garments without, and he prepared himself for three things: for a gift, "And the gift passed over before him" (Genesis 32:22); for war, "If Esau comes to the one camp" (Genesis 32:9); for prayer, "And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham" (Genesis 32:10). "And the remaining camp shall be a remnant" (Genesis 32:9): the Torah has taught you proper conduct, that a person should not place all his wealth in one corner. From whom do you learn it? From Jacob: "And he divided the people who were with him." And so it says, "And he hid them, fifty men in a cave" (I Kings 18:4). "If Esau comes to the one camp and strikes it," these are our brothers in the south; "and the remaining camp shall be a remnant," these are our brothers in the exile; even so they would fast for them on Monday and Thursday.

"And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham" (Genesis 32:10). This was not for Esau's sake; rather, it is the one who chooses their ways and acts according to their deeds upon whom I attach My name. Who was nearer to David than Ahaz? Yet He leaves Ahaz aside and says to Hezekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father" (II Kings 20:5). Rather, the one who chooses their ways and acts according to their deeds, upon him I attach My name. "I have been made small by all the kindnesses" (Genesis 32:11): Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, it means "I am not worthy": "I have been made small by all the kindnesses." Rabbi Levi said, it means "I am worthy": "I have been made small by all the kindnesses" (this is written in remez 32).

"For with my staff I crossed this Jordan" (Genesis 32:11). In the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings we find that Israel crossed the Jordan only through the merit of Jacob. In the Torah: "For with my staff I crossed this Jordan." In the Prophets: "Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground" (Joshua 4:22) - this is Israel the elder [Jacob]. In the Writings, as it is written: "The Jordan turned back... before the God of Jacob" (Psalms 114:5, 7). Rabbi Levi said: There is a place there where the Jordan rushes out at the hot springs of Tiberias. In his panic Jacob entered there, and Esau locked him in from the front. The Holy One, blessed be He, dug a passage for him from another direction. This is what is written: "When you pass through the waters, I am with you" (Isaiah 43:2).

"Deliver me, I pray" (Genesis 32:12) - deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, who comes against me with the strength of Esau. "Lest he come and strike me, mother together with children" - yet You Yourself said, "You shall not take the mother together with the young" (Deuteronomy 22:6). Another interpretation: And You Yourself said, "I will surely do good with you" (Genesis 32:13) - "do good" in your own merit, "do good" in the merit of your fathers. "Two hundred she-goats" (Genesis 32:14-16). From here is derived the conjugal duty stated in the Torah: two hundred she-goats require twenty he-goats; two hundred ewes require twenty rams; thirty nursing camels with their young, and thirty more in calf; forty cows require ten bulls; twenty she-donkeys require ten he-donkeys.

Rabbi Levi said: Even if you searched through all the tents of Kedar, you would not find thirty nursing camels with their young. See the wealth of Jacob! "And he took of what came to hand" (Genesis 32:14) - precious stones and pearls. And why does he place the camels in the middle? He said to him [to God], as it were: Picture Yourself as though seated on the tribunal judging me; I am judged before You, and You are filled with mercy toward me. "And he commanded the first, saying: When Esau my brother meets you... you shall say, To your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent" (Genesis 32:17-20). Rabbi [Judah the Prince] and Rabbi Yose bar Yehudah were walking along the road, and they saw a certain gentile coming toward them. They said: He will ask us three things - who you are, what your trade is, and where you are going. "Who are you?" Jews. "What is your trade?" Commerce. "Where are you going?" To buy wheat from the storehouse of Yavneh. Rabbi stood facing the gentile to see what he would ask, and Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Yehudah waited for him, saying: If he asks one thing, I will say another. They said to them: From where does this custom come? They said to them: From our father Jacob, "Thus shall you speak to Esau when you find him" (Genesis 32:20) - in his greatness.

"And he gave them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself" (Genesis 32:17). Why did he not bring them in all mixed together? In order to astonish him [Esau] at the size of his gift. And why did he not bring them all in at once? In order to fill the eyes of that wicked man: one drove comes to an end, and Jacob's man says, "Accept it"; another comes to an end, and he says, "Accept it." "And the gift passed over before him" (Genesis 32:22) - he too was in distress. "And he rose up that night and took his two wives" (Genesis 32:23). And where was Dinah? He placed her in a chest and locked it before her. He said: That wicked man's eye is haughty; perhaps he will lift his eyes and see her and take her from me. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "To one in despair, kindness is due from his friend" (Job 6:14) - you withheld your kindness from your brother. You would not give her to him as a wife and bring him under the wings of the Divine Presence. Since you would not let her be married in a permitted way, she will be taken by way of transgression. This is what is written: "And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out" (Genesis 34:1).

"And he took them and sent them over the stream" (Genesis 32:24) - he made himself like a bridge, taking from here and setting down there. "And Jacob was left alone" (Genesis 32:25). "There is none like God, O Yeshurun, who rides the heavens to your help" (Deuteronomy 33:26). "There is none like God" - and who is like God? Yeshurun, the fairest and most praised among you. You find that whatever the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to do in the future, He has done beforehand through the righteous in this world. The Holy One revives the dead, and Elijah revives the dead; the Holy One holds back the rains, and Elijah holds back the rains; the Holy One blesses the little, and Elijah blesses the little. The Holy One revives the dead, and Elisha revives the dead; the Holy One remembers the barren, and Elisha remembers the barren; the Holy One sweetens the bitter, and Elisha sweetens the bitter. "There is none like God, O Yeshurun" - who is like God? Yeshurun the elder [Jacob]. As of the Holy One it is written, "The LORD alone shall be exalted" (Isaiah 2:11), so here, "And Jacob was left alone." Rav Huna said: He [the assailant] appeared to him in the form of a shepherd. This one had flocks and that one had flocks, this one had camels and that one had camels. He said to him: Take mine across and I will take yours across. Jacob our father took his across, then went back and looked, in case he had forgotten anything. At once, "And a man wrestled with him." Rabbi Chiyya bar Rabbah, Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi, and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel were dealing in silk in Tyre. When they finished, they said: Let us take up the trade of our fathers. They said: Let us go back and see whether we have forgotten anything. They went back and found a bale of their silk. They were asked, From where does this custom come? They said: From our father Jacob, who went back - "And Jacob was left alone." The Rabbis said: He appeared to him as a brigand. This one had flocks and that one had flocks, this one had camels and that one had camels. He said: Take mine across and I will take yours across. The angel crossed in the blink of an eye, while Jacob our father was carrying across and returning and finding things forgotten. He said to him: Sorcerer! He took a halter and put it around his neck. He said: Sorcerer, sorcerer, witchcraft does not succeed at night! In the end the angel said: I will make him know with whom he is dealing. What did he do? He took his finger and placed it on the ground, and [the earth began to seethe with fire]. He said to him: With this you frighten me? I am wholly of it! This is what is written, "And the house of Jacob shall be fire" (Obadiah 1:18). Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: It was the guardian angel of Esau. This is what he said to him, "For I have seen your face as one sees the face of God, and you have accepted me" (Genesis 33:10). "And he saw..." - like an athlete wrestling with the son of the king. He lifted his eyes and saw that the king was standing over him, and he let himself go limp before him. Rabbi Berekhiah said: We do not know who prevailed, whether the angel or Jacob. But from what is written, "And a man wrestled with him" [literally, got covered in dust with him], who was covered in dust? The man who was with him.

"And a man wrestled with him." Some say it was Michael. Michael said to him: I am one of the foremost princes, and you have done this to me - yet you are afraid of Esau? Rabbi Tarfon said: Michael had no permission to move from his place until Jacob gave him leave, as it is said, "Let me go, for the dawn has broken." He said to him: Are you a thief or a gambler, that you fear the dawn? Companies upon companies of ministering angels came and said to him: Michael, ascend, for the time of song has arrived; if you do not begin the song, the song will be nullified. He began to plead with Jacob. He said: Please, send me away, lest the ministering angels in the heights burn me for delaying the song. He said to him: I will not send you unless you bless me. He said: Which is more beloved, the servant or the son? I am the servant and you are the son, and should you need my blessing? He said: Even so. At once he said to him, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel." He said: Happy are you, born of woman, that you entered the palace on high and were delivered. A rabbi said: While they were wrestling, the company of Michael wished to endanger him, but the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to them; and when he saw the Holy One, his strength failed, as it is said, "And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Michael: You have done well to make My priest blemished! He said: Master of the universe, am I not Your priest? He said: You are My priest in the firmament, and he is My priest on earth. At once Michael called to Raphael and said: My friend, please, stand by me in my trouble, for you are appointed over healings. He came down and healed him. Some say: The sun that is destined to shine upon the righteous and heal them of their sickness, the Holy One, blessed be He, caused it to shine upon him and heal him, as it is written, "And the sun rose for him" (Genesis 32:32), and it is written, "The sun of righteousness shall rise for you who fear My name" (Malachi 3:20). As Scripture says, "And the sun rose for him, and he was limping" - a parable: when a certain physician comes to a city, one need not ask why he came, but to heal the sick. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Michael: Why did you do this to My firstborn son? He said before Him: For Your honor I did it. He said to him: From now on you shall be appointed over him and over his seed until the end of all generations. This is what is written, "But Michael your prince" (Daniel 10:21); "And at that time Michael the great prince shall stand up" (Daniel 12:1). And it is written, "For what great nation is there" (Deuteronomy 4:7) - let the great one come and stand over the great. You are fire, and it is written, "The house of Jacob shall be fire" - let fire come and stand over fire. You are head of the ministering angels, and he is head of all the nations - let head stand over head. You are highest among the ministering angels, and he is highest, "The LORD your God will set you on high" (Deuteronomy 28:1) - let the high one stand over the high, and seek mercy from the Most High for them, as it is written, "For one higher than the high watches" (Ecclesiastes 5:7). "And he blessed him there" - he said: May it be the will that your children be righteous as you are.

"And Jacob was left alone." Rabbi Eleazar said: This teaches that he stayed behind for some small jars. From here we learn that the possessions of the righteous are more precious to them than their own bodies. And why so much? Because they do not stretch out their hands to robbery. "And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn." Rabbi Yitzchak said: From here we learn that a disciple of the wise should not go out alone at night. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: We learn it from here - "Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight" (Ruth 3:2). Rabbi Abbahu said: We learn it from here - "And Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey" (Genesis 22:3). And the Rabbis say: We learn it from here - "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock" (Genesis 37:14). (Chullin 91b)

"And he saw that he could not prevail against him." Rabbi Chanina bar Yitzchak said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: He comes to you with five amulets hanging upon him - his own merit, the merit of his father, the merit of his mother, the merit of his grandfather, and the merit of his grandmother. Measure yourself: can you stand even against his own merit alone? A parable of a king who had a fierce hunting dog and a tame lion. The king would take his son and incite him against the lion, so that if the dog came to attack the son, the king could say: The lion could not stand against him, and you seek to attack my son? So too, if the nations of the world come to attack Israel, He says to them: Your prince could not stand against him, and you seek to attack his children? "And he touched the hollow of his thigh" - he touched the righteous ones destined to come forth from him. And who is this? This is the generation of the religious persecution. "And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained." Rabbi Berekhiah and Rabbi Eliezer: Rabbi Berekhiah says he smoothed it flat; Rabbi Eliezer in the name of Rabbi Yose says he split it like a fish; Rav Nachman bar Yaakov said it was dislodged from its place, as you say, "My soul was dislodged from her" (Ezekiel 23:18). Rabbi Chanina bar Yitzchak said: All that night the two of them were striking against one another, this one's shield against that one's shield, until the dawn rose. What is written? "Let me go, for the dawn has broken."

"And a man wrestled with him" (Genesis 32:25). The angel said to him: Did you not say (Genesis 28:22), "I will surely tithe to You"? Immediately Jacob took all his livestock and tithed from them five hundred and fifty. From here you learn that all his livestock numbered five thousand five hundred. The angel said to him: Behold, you have sons, and you did not tithe them. What did Jacob do? He set aside the four firstborn of the four mothers, and eight remained. He began with Simeon and finished with Benjamin, who was still in his mother's womb, and then he began again from Simeon, and Levi came up as the holy tithe, as it is said, "the tenth shall be holy" (Leviticus 27:32).

Rabbi Ishmael says: All firstborn animals, while they are still being watched by the eye, are obligated to be tithed. And Jacob tithed only in reverse order; he began with Benjamin, who was in his mother's womb, and Levi came up as holy to the LORD. Michael the angel descended and took Levi and brought him up before the Throne of Glory. He said before Him: Master of the worlds, this one is Your lot and the portion of Your tithe. And He stretched out His right hand and blessed him, that his sons should minister before Him on earth like the ministering angels in heaven. Michael said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the world, one who serves the king, does the king not provide their food? Therefore it is said (Deuteronomy 18:1), "The fire-offerings of the LORD and His inheritance they shall eat." Jacob took all the tithe of his livestock and sent it by the hand of his servants and gave it to Esau. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Jacob, you have made the holy into the profane. He said before Him: Master of the world, I am flattering the wicked one so that he will not kill me. From here they said that one may flatter the wicked in this world for the sake of the ways of peace. "And Esau said, I have plenty" (Genesis 33:9): because he showed honor to Jacob with that expression, Israel showed honor to the children of Esau with the same expression, "You have circled this mountain long enough" (Deuteronomy 2:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Jacob, is it not enough that you have made the holy profane, but that, whereas I said "the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23), you said "thus says your servant Jacob" (Genesis 32:5)? By your life, as you have spoken: he shall rule over you in this world, and you shall rule over him in the world to come.

"And he said, Let me go, for the dawn has risen" (Genesis 32:27). "They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Every single day the Holy One, blessed be He, creates a band of new angels, and they say a new song and then depart. Rabbi Berechiah said: I answered Rabbi Chelbo, but is it not written, "Let me go, for the dawn has risen"? He said to him: Choked one, do you intend to choke me? Michael and Gabriel, they are the princes on high, and all the others are replaced, but these two are not replaced. Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah. He said to him: You say that there is no band above that praises and repeats, but each day the Holy One, blessed be He, creates new angels who say a song and depart. He said to him: And where do they go? He said to him: To where they were created. He said to him: From where were they created? He said to him: From the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur). He said to him: What is the nature of this River of Fire? He said to him: Like the Jordan, which does not cease by day or by night. He said to him: From where does it come? He said to him: From the sweat of the living creatures, who sweat from bearing the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He. He said to him, in his refutation: But this Jordan flows by day and does not flow by night. He said to him: I kept watch at Beit Peor; just as it flows by day, so it flows by night. Rabbi Meir says: Who is greater, the one who guards or the one who is guarded? From what is written, "For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways" (Psalms 91:11), you must say that the one who is guarded is greater than the one who guards. Rabbi Yehudah says: Who is greater, the one who carries or the one who is carried? From what is written, "Upon their hands they shall carry you" (Psalms 91:12), you must say the one who is carried is greater. Rabbi Shimon says: Who is greater, the one who sends or the one who is sent? From what is written, "And he said, Let me go," you must say the one who sends is greater than the one who is sent. "And he said, Let me go": for the time of my praise has arrived, to give praise. He said to him: Let your fellows praise. He said to him: I cannot; tomorrow when I come to praise, my fellows will say to me, just as you did not praise yesterday, so you shall not praise today. He said to him: I will not let you go unless you bless me. He said to him: The angels who came to Abraham did not depart from him except with a blessing. He said to him: Those were sent for that purpose; I was not sent for that. He said to him: The ministering angels, because they revealed the secrets of the Holy One, blessed be He, were banished from their precinct for a hundred and thirty-eight years; shall I listen to you and be banished from my precinct? In the end he said: I will reveal it, and if the Holy One, blessed be He, says to me, why did you reveal it, I will say to Him, Your children make decrees and You do not annul their decree, yet I was able to annul it. He said to him: He is destined to be revealed to you at Bethel and to change your name, and I will be standing there, as it is written, "At Bethel He will find him, and there He will speak with us" (Hosea 12:5); it is not written "with you" here, but "with us." "And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob" (Genesis 32:29) (written at remez 81).

"For you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed" (Genesis 32:29). You wrestled with the higher beings and overcame them, and with the lower beings and overcame them. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: It was the guardian angel of Esau, for that is why Jacob said to Esau (Genesis 33:10), "for I have seen your face as one sees the face of a divine being." Just as the face of the divine being means judgment, so too your face is judgment; just as concerning the face of the divine being it says (Exodus 23:15), "and none shall appear before Me empty-handed," so too you, none shall appear before you empty-handed. "With the lower beings": this is Esau and his chiefs.

Another interpretation: "For you have striven with God" means: You are the one whose likeness is engraved on high. "And Jacob asked and said, Tell me, I pray, your name" (Genesis 32:30). One verse says, "He counts the number of the stars" (Psalms 147:4), and another verse says, "He brings out their host by number" (Isaiah 40:26). Rather, this teaches that there is a change there: an angel is not called now by the name by which it will be called later, as it is said (Judges 13:18), "And the angel of the LORD said to him, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wondrous?" meaning, I do not know into which name I will be changed. (Genesis 32:32) (written at remez 105 and at remez 119).

"And the sun rose for him" (Genesis 32:32). Rabbi Berechiah said: And for whom did it not rise? Rather, for him, for his healing, but for others, light. Rabbi Acha said: The sun heals Jacob our father and scorches Esau and his chiefs. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You are a sign for your children. Just as the sun heals you and scorches Esau and his chiefs, so for your children the sun heals them and scorches the nations of the world. It heals them, as it is written (Malachi 3:20), "And for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings," and it scorches the nations of the world, as it is written, "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and all evildoers shall be stubble, and the coming day shall set them ablaze" (Malachi 3:19). "And he was limping on his thigh" (Genesis 32:32). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi went up to Rome, and when he came to Akko, Rav Chanina went out to meet him and found him limping on his foot. He said to him: You resemble your grandfather, "and he was limping on his thigh."

(Genesis 32:33) "Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh-vein." Rabbi Chanania said: Why is its name called gid hanasheh? Because it slipped (nashah) from its place. Rav Huna said: This twisted strand of the sinew is itself permitted, but Israel are holy and forbade it upon themselves. Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yose: Rabbi Yehudah says: He touched one of them, and one of them became forbidden. Rabbi Yose says: He touched one of them, and both became forbidden. There is a teacher who taught that reason decides it is the right one, in accordance with Rabbi Yehudah, and there is a teacher who taught that it is the left one, in accordance with Rabbi Yose. The one who says reason decides it is the right one [cites] (Genesis 32:26), "and he touched the hollow of his thigh"; and the one who says reason decides it is the left one [cites], "when he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh."

"Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh-vein" (Genesis 32:33). We learned: A person may send to a gentile a thigh that has the sinew of the thigh-vein within it. Rabbi Abbahu said: Wherever it says "they shall not eat," both a prohibition of eating and a prohibition of benefit are implied, until Scripture spells it out for you as it spelled out for you concerning carrion. Rabbi Abbahu holds that when carrion was permitted [for benefit], its fat and its sinew were permitted. According to Rabbi Yehudah, who holds that there is a flavor-imparting quality in the sinews, [the sinew is forbidden to eat]; and according to Rabbi Shimon, who holds there is not, he is of the opinion that the sinew of the thigh-vein is forbidden in benefit.

There we learned: the sinew of the thigh applies in the Land and outside the Land, while the Temple stands and while it does not stand, with non-sacred animals and with consecrated ones, and it applies to domestic beasts and to wild beasts, in the right thigh and in the left thigh. Rabbi Judah says: it applies only to one, and reason determines that it is the right one. And what is the reason? Rava said: because Scripture says "the thigh" (Genesis 32:33), meaning the more favored of the thigh. And the Rabbis hold that this "the thigh" extends the prohibition through the whole thigh, to exclude the outer one, which is not forbidden, as Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel: there are two sinews, the inner one adjacent to the bone is forbidden and one is liable for it, the outer one adjacent to the flesh is forbidden but one is not liable for it. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: the reason of Rabbi Judah is derived from here, "in his wrestling with him" (Genesis 32:25), like a man who embraces his fellow and his hand reaches to his fellow's right side. And Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman said: he appeared to him like a heathen, for the Master said, when a heathen joins an Israelite on the road, the Israelite places him on his right. Rav Samuel bar Acha, before Rav Pappa in the name of Rava bar Ulla, said: he appeared to him like a Torah scholar, for the Master said, one who walks at the right of his teacher is an ignoramus. And the Rabbis say: the angel came at him from behind and grasped him at both. And the Rabbis, what do they expound from "in his wrestling with him"? They require it for the other teaching of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: it teaches that they raised dust with their feet until it reached the Throne of Glory. It is written here "in his wrestling with him," and it is written elsewhere "and the clouds are the dust of His feet" (Nahum 1:3). Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: why is it called the sinew of nashe? Because it slipped [nashah] from its place and rose. And so it says "their might has failed [nashetah], they have become as women" (Jeremiah 51:30). Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Chanina said: what is meant by "the LORD sent a word against Jacob, and it fell upon Israel" (Isaiah 9:7)? This is the sinew of the thigh, whose prohibition spread through all Israel. "And he said: let me go, for the dawn has risen" (Genesis 32:27). Jacob said to him: are you a thief or a gambler, that you fear the dawn? He said to him: I am an angel, and from the day I was created my time to sing has not come until now. This supports Rabbi Chananel, for Rabbi Chananel said in the name of Rav: three companies of ministering angels recite song each day, one says "Holy," one says "Holy, holy," and one says "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). "He strove with an angel and prevailed; he wept and made supplication to him" (Hosea 12:5). I do not know who was made master over whom. When it says "for you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:29), this tells you Jacob was made master over the angel. "He wept and made supplication to him": I do not know who wept to whom. When it says "let me go, for the dawn has risen" (Genesis 32:27), this tells you the angel wept to Jacob. "For you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:29): Rava said, he hinted to him that two princes were destined to come from him, the Exilarch in Babylonia and the Patriarch in the Land of Israel. Samuel said: the Torah forbade only what is on the socket, as it is written "which is on the socket of the thigh." Rav Pappa said: this is like a dispute of the Tannaim. If one ate it and there is not an olive's bulk in it, he is liable; Rabbi Judah says, until there is an olive's bulk in it. What is the Rabbis' reason? It is a creature in its own right. And Rabbi Judah, "eating" is written regarding it. And the one who eats the sinew of an unclean animal, Rabbi Judah holds him liable for two, and Rabbi Simeon exempts.

The sinew of the thigh of a koy is forbidden. The Merciful One made it depend on the socket of the thigh, and this creature indeed has a socket. Its blood: from where? From "any blood you shall not eat" (Leviticus 7:26). A verse was required to forbid the doubtful case, since one holds that a koy is a creature in its own right. Its forbidden fat: from where? From "any fat" (Leviticus 7:23). Its carrion status: from where? From "any carcass" (Leviticus 7:24, or Leviticus 17:15).

"And Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming" (Genesis 33:1). Rabbi Levi said: the lion was angry at the domestic and wild beasts. They said: who will go and appease him? They said: let this fox go, for he knows three hundred fables and he will appease him. They said to him: go. He went a little way and stopped. They said to him: why are you standing? He said to them: I have forgotten a hundred. They said to him: you still have two hundred fables. He went a little way and stopped. They said to him: why are you standing? He said to them: I have forgotten two hundred. They said to him: you still have a hundred. When he reached there he said to them: I have forgotten them all, so let each one appease for his own self. So Jacob said: I have strength in me to arrange prayer, I have strength in me to wage war. And when he came to "and he divided the children" (Genesis 33:1), he said to them: let each one's own merit stand for him. "And he put the maidservants and their children first" (Genesis 33:2). This says: the last is the most beloved. "And he himself passed over before them" (Genesis 33:3). This is what is written, "as a father has compassion on his children" (Psalms 103:13), like the most compassionate of the fathers, this is Jacob, "and he himself passed over before them." Better that the trouble reach me and not them. "And he bowed to the ground seven times": why seven? Because of "for a righteous man falls seven times and rises" (Proverbs 24:16).

Another interpretation: why seven? He said to him: see yourself as if you were placed within seven enclosures, sitting and judging, and I am being judged before you, and you are filled with compassion toward me. "And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him" (Genesis 33:4). There are dots above it. Rabbi Simeon ben Elazar said: wherever you find the writing exceeding the dots, you expound the writing; the dots exceeding the writing, you expound the dots. And here neither the writing exceeds the dots nor the dots exceed the writing, which teaches that he did not kiss him with his whole heart. Rabbi Yannai says: it teaches that he did not seek to kiss him but to bite him, and Jacob's neck became like marble, and the teeth of that wicked man were blunted. And what does the text mean by "and they wept"? This one wept over his neck and that one wept over his teeth.

The wicked Esau said: I will not kill Jacob with bow and arrows, but with my mouth and my teeth I will kill him and suck his blood, as it is said "and Esau ran to meet him" (Genesis 33:4). Do not read "and he kissed him" [vayishakehu] but "and he bit him" [vayishakhehu]. And Jacob's neck became like marble, and concerning him Scripture says "your neck is like the tower of ivory" (Song of Songs 7:5). And the teeth of Esau were blunted, and he began to be angry and to grind his teeth, as it is said "the wicked will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away" (Psalms 112:10).

"And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children" (Genesis 33:5). Since we find favor [chaninah] mentioned with eleven tribes but with the tribe of Benjamin we do not find it, where do we find it? Further on, "God be gracious to you [yochnecha], my son" (Genesis 43:29). "And the maidservants drew near, they and their children... and Leah also drew near with her children" (Genesis 33:6-7), but of Joseph it is written "and afterward Joseph drew near, and Rachel." Rather, Joseph said: this wicked man has a haughty eye; perhaps he will raise his eyes and gaze at my mother. So he grew tall in stature and covered her. This is what is said "a fruitful son is Joseph" (Genesis 49:22), you grew, Joseph; "a fruitful son over the eye" [alei ayin], it falls to me to cover over that eye. "And he said: what is all this company that I met?" (Genesis 33:8). All that night the ministering angels became companies upon companies, bands upon bands, and they would reach those of Esau and say to them: whose are you? They would say: of Esau's. They would say: strike them! And they struck them. They would say: we are of the son of Isaac. They would say: strike them. They would say: of the grandson of Abraham. They would say: strike them. They would say: of the brother of Jacob. They would say: leave them, for they are of our own. In the morning Esau said to him: "what is all this company?" He said to him: did they say anything to you? He said to him: I have been knocked about among them. "And he said: to find favor in the eyes of my lord" (Genesis 33:8).

"And Esau said: I have plenty, my brother; let what you have remain yours" (Genesis 33:9). Rabbi Eibo said: because the blessings had been held in doubt in Jacob's hand, where were they made firm? Here, when Esau said to him "my brother, let what you have remain yours." "And Jacob said... for I have seen your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably" (Genesis 33:10). Rabbi Simeon said: it is permitted to flatter the wicked in this world, as it is said "the vile person shall no longer be called noble, nor the churl said to be generous" (Isaiah 32:5), which implies that in this world it is permitted. Resh Lakish said: from here, "as one sees the face of God, and you received me favorably." And this differs from Rabbi Levi, for Rabbi Levi said: to what may Jacob and Esau be compared? To a man who invited his fellow and discerned that he sought to kill him. He said to him: the taste of this dish that I am tasting is like a dish I tasted in the king's house. He said: the king knows him, so he was afraid and did not kill him.

"Take, please, my blessing that is brought to you" (Genesis 33:11). He said to him: I had so much toil and so much trouble until it would come to me, but now it comes to you of itself, as it is said "that is brought" [huvat]. It is not written here "that I brought" [heveti], but rather "that is brought to you." "And he urged him, and he took it" (Genesis 33:11). Resh Lakish went to ask after the welfare of our teacher. He said to him: pray for me, for this wicked kingdom oppresses much. He said to him: do not take anything from any man and you will not have to give anything. As he was sitting, a certain woman came bearing him a tray, and in it was a knife. He rose, took the knife, and returned the tray to her. A royal courier came, saw the knife, coveted it, and took it. In the evening twilight Resh Lakish came up to ask after his welfare and found him sitting and laughing. He said to him: that knife you coveted, a courier came and coveted it and took it. He said to him: did I not say to you, do not take anything from any man and do not give anything? All twelve months that he was with him, Esau honored him every day. Jacob said: "for the bribe blinds the clear-sighted" (Exodus 23:8), all the more so the wicked.

Another interpretation: property outside the Land has no blessing in it, and that is why he was squandering it there. A certain unlearned man said to Rabbi Oshaya: If they tell you one fine thing, will you say it in my name in public? He said to him: What is it? He said to him: All those gifts that Jacob gave to Esau, the nations of the world are destined to return them to the King Messiah. What is the reason? "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall return tribute" (Psalms 72:10). It is not written here "shall bring," but "shall return." He said to him: By your life, you have said a fine thing, and I will say it in your name in public.

(Genesis 33:12) Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah was standing in Caesar's house. A certain heretic gestured to him: a people whose Master has turned His face away from them. He gestured back to him: His hand is stretched out over us. Caesar said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah: What did he gesture to you, and what did you gesture to him? He said to him: He gestured to me, a people whose Master has turned His face away from them, and I gestured back to him, His hand is stretched out over us. Caesar said to the heretic: What did you gesture to him? He said to him: A people whose Master has turned His face away from them. And what did he gesture to you? He said to him: I do not know. He said: A man who does not know what was gestured to him gestures with gestures before the king! They took that heretic out and killed him. When Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah was dying, the sages said to him: What will become of us regarding the heretics? He said to them: "Counsel is perished from the children, their wisdom is gone stale" (Jeremiah 49:7) — "counsel is perished" from Israel, "their wisdom is gone stale" of the nations of the world. And if you should say it is from here: "And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you" (Genesis 33:12).

(Genesis 33:13) "And he said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender" — this is Moses and Aaron; "and the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me" — these are Israel, "And you are My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Ezekiel 34:31). Were it not for the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, all the flock would already have died in the days of Hadrian. Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Levi said: "My lord knows that the children are tender" — this is David and Solomon; "and the flocks and herds" — these are Israel; were it not for the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, all the flock would already have died in the days of Haman. (Genesis 33:14) "Let my lord, I pray, pass over before his servant" — he said to him: Do you ask that I be a partner with you in your world? He said to him: "Let my lord, I pray, pass over before his servant." He said to him: And are you afraid of governors and commanders? He said to him: "And I will lead on softly" — gently, gently I walk, as you say, "the waters of Shiloah that go softly" (Isaiah 8:6).

Another interpretation: With wrapped face I walk, as you say, "behold, it is wrapped in a cloth" (1 Samuel 21:10).

Another interpretation: "Let my lord, I pray, pass over" — he said to him: until now I still have before me the work of the Tabernacle and the work of the Temple, for the sake of the children. He said to him: until now I still have to raise up Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, of whom it is said, "children in whom was no blemish" (Daniel 1:4).

Another interpretation: until now I still have to raise up the King Messiah, of whom it is written, "For unto us a child is born" (Isaiah 9:5).

"My lord knows that the children are tender." Jacob said to him: I see that sufferings are destined to come upon my children from your children; rather, you exercise your authority and use your crown until a Messiah arises from my loins and receives the kingdom from you, as it is said, "Let my lord, I pray, pass over before his servant." "Until I come to my lord to Seir" — this is Beit Guvrin. Rabbi Aha expounded: All the nations of the world are destined to betray the fourth kingdom and to clear it out from among them, and they will leave it neither walled city nor province, and they will push it from nation to nation until it reaches Beit Guvrin, and there it will find the King Messiah and surrender the kingdom to him. From there he flees to Botzrah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is revealed to him to slay him. And he says, "But You did not command" — "that he should flee to one of these cities and live" (Deuteronomy 4:42). And the Holy One, blessed be He, answers him: Did you not read what is written alongside it, "the avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death" (Numbers 35:19)? And it is written, "Israel is My son, My firstborn" (Exodus 4:22), and it is written, "My brothers and my companions," and it is written, "for the children of Israel, a people near to Him" (Psalms 148:14), and it is written, "My beloved is white and ruddy," and it is written, "either his uncle or his uncle's son shall redeem him" (Leviticus 25:49). Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, seizes his prince by the lock of his head, and Elijah slaughters him, and his blood spatters on His garments. On His return from there He says, "Who is this that comes from Edom" (Isaiah 63:1) and so forth.

"Until I come to my lord to Seir" — Rabbi Abbahu said: We went over the whole of Scripture and we did not find that Jacob ever went to Esau at Mount Seir in his days. Is it possible that Jacob, who was a man of truth, would deceive him? Rather, when does he come to him? In the time to come, as it is written, "And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau" (Obadiah 1:21).

Our Rabbis taught: An Israelite who chances upon a Samaritan on the road should keep him at his right hand. Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka, says: if the man carries a sword, keep him at the right hand; if a staff, at the left. When going uphill or downhill, let it not be that the Israelite is below and the Samaritan above; rather the Israelite above and the Samaritan below, and let him not bend down before him, lest the other crush his skull. If he asks, Where are you going?, widen the road for him in his answer, just as Jacob widened the road for Esau, as it is written, "until I come to my lord, to Seir" (Genesis 33:14), while it is written (below, verse 17), "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth." And there is the case of Rabbi Akiva's students who were walking to Keziv, and bandits met them and asked, Where are you going? They said, To Acco. When they reached Keziv, they turned aside. The bandits asked, Whose students are you? They said, Students of Rabbi Akiva. The bandits said, Happy is Rabbi Akiva and his students, for no evil person has ever met them. Rabbi Menashya was going to Bei Torta, and thieves met him and asked, Where are you headed? He said, To Pumbedita. When he reached Bei Torta, he turned aside. They said to him, You are the student of Judah the swindler! He said, You know him? May those men be under a ban. They went and practiced thievery twenty-two years and did not succeed. They all sought release from their ban; one weaver who did not come to be released was eaten by a lion. This is what people say: A weaver who is not pliant, his ban is poorer than [worse than] his years. Come and see the difference between the thieves of Babylonia and the bandits of the Land of Israel.