Parshat Vayishlach4 min read

Judah Took the South of the Tower and Left No Man Standing

Esau came with four thousand men. Judah went out in front with fifty servants. The south side of the tower went quiet.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Judah Took the South
  2. The Other Three Sides
  3. Esau Fell at Aduram
  4. Simeon Spent His Anger on the West

Esau came with four thousand men. Jacob's sons did not wait on the walls. They went out.

Judah Took the South of the Tower and Left No Man Standing Click for full size

The tower sat over the household, cattle packed in the shadow of it, women and children behind the stone. Esau's host came in sight with the sun on their weapons. Waiting to be swallowed was one choice. The twelve men who had grown up watching their father prepare for conflict as if it were a prayer took the other.

Judah Took the South

Judah went first. Naphtali and Gad with him, and fifty servants. They took the south side of the tower. Dust rose. The south became a lane of bodies. They slew everyone they found in front of them, and not one man facing that side escaped.

Judah did not send other men through the first door. He put his own body on the south and emptied it.

The Other Three Sides

Levi, Dan, and Asher went east with fifty men and killed the fighting men of Moab and Ammon who had joined Esau's coalition. Those nations had no quarrel of their own with Jacob's house. They had come for Esau's war and died in it.

Reuben, Issachar, and Zebulon went north with fifty and met the Philistines. The north side of the tower took the same count as the others: fifty men, named commanders, no speech from the wall.

Simeon, Benjamin, and Enoch son of Reuben went west with fifty. They killed four hundred of Edom and of the Horites, stout warriors. Six hundred more ran rather than stand. Four of Esau's sons ran with them and left their father lying where he had fallen.

Esau Fell at Aduram

Esau died on the hill at Aduram. The text of the fight is short about the blow and exact about the map that produced it. Four sides. Named brothers. Fifty on each. The work was done the way a harvest is done when the field has been divided in the morning.

Jacob buried his brother on that hill and went back to his house. The sons who had fled into Seir were still running. The pursuit went as far as the mountains and then stopped. There was a grave to dig, and it was Jacob who dug it.

Simeon Spent His Anger on the West

Simeon had led the killing at Shechem. His jealousy of Joseph had nearly ended in a pit and a lie. Jacob would curse that anger on his deathbed, fierce and undivided.

The anger had not gone. On the west side of the tower it had a new target, and it worked with the same totality. Four hundred trained men down. Six hundred in flight. The curse was still true. The west wall was clear.

Judah's south had been the first door of the battle. The men who were going to carry a scepter did not let other men take the first contact. He led. The south of the tower went quiet after he passed, and the hill at Aduram held a brother who had come with four thousand and gone into the ground.

JudahWarEsauTowerTribesBattleProphecy
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From the tradition

Sources

2 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Book of Jubilees 38:8Book of Jubilees

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

Forget the sanitized Sunday school version for a moment. to a raw, unfiltered account from the Book of Jubilees.

The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis, offers a detailed retelling of the stories in Genesis from a particular theological perspective. It's considered scripture by some, and a fascinating historical and religious document by many others. And in its pages, we find some truly vivid scenes.

Chapter 38 gives us a glimpse of the brothers enacting vengeance. It’s a brutal, almost clinical description of coordinated attacks. No flowery language here, just action.

"And Judah went forth in front, and Naphtali and Gad with him and fifty servants with him on the south side of the tower, and they slew all they found before them, and not one individual of them escaped."

Imagine the scene: Judah, known for his strength and leadership, leading the charge with Naphtali and Gad at his side. Fifty servants, loyal and battle-ready, follow close behind. They approach the south side of the tower, and… well, the text doesn't mince words. The men they find are slain, “and not one individual… escaped.” Grim. But it doesn't stop there. The narrative quickly shifts to another flank.

"And Levi and Dan and Asher went forth on the east side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them, and they slew the fighting men of Moab and Ammon."

Levi, often associated with the priesthood, alongside Dan and Asher, take the east side. Fifty more men at their backs. Their targets? The fighting men of Moab and Ammon. Again, the outcome is stark: they are slain.

Finally, the last group:

"And Reuben and Issachar and Zebulon went forth on the north side of the tower, and fifty men with them, and they slew the fighting men of the Philistines."

Reuben, Issachar, and Zebulun, leading yet another contingent of fifty, attack from the north. Their enemies? The Philistines. And just like the others, they too are slain.

What are we to make of such a passage?

The Book of Jubilees isn't shy about depicting violence, especially when it comes to defending the honor of the family and upholding what they believe to be God's law. Some scholars interpret these passages as evidence of the text's sectarian origins, perhaps reflecting the values of a community living in a turbulent time.

While the Book of Jubilees is not part of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), it provides insight into the beliefs and values of certain Jewish communities during the Second Temple period. It invites us to consider the complexities of power, justice, and revenge in the ancient world. It’s a reminder that the stories we think we know so well often have deeper, darker, and far more complicated layers waiting to be explored.

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Book of Jubilees 38:11Book of Jubilees

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sefaria Community Translation · CC-BY

The birthright, the trickery, the stolen blessing... But what about the aftermath, the settling of scores, the final chapter of their fraught relationship?

Well, the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that expands on the stories in Genesis, gives us a glimpse into a pretty intense conclusion. It’s a wild ride, so buckle up.

The story picks up with Jacob's sons – Simeon, Benjamin, and Enoch (Reuben's son, just to be clear) – leading a group of fifty men on the west side of... well, a tower. The text doesn’t specify which tower. But what they DO find is a confrontation brewing with the descendants of Esau – the Edomites and the Horites.

It gets bloody.

According to Jubilees, our heroes and their small band manage to slay four hundred of these "stout warriors." A pretty impressive feat, wouldn't you say? And not only that, but six hundred more flee in terror!

But here’s where it gets really interesting, and maybe even a little tragic. Among those fleeing are four of Esau’s own sons. And they leave their father behind. Esau is left lying dead, fallen on a hill in a place called ’Adûrâm. Esau, the powerful hunter, the firstborn who lost his birthright, now lying dead, abandoned by his own sons. It's a stark end for a man who once held so much promise.

The sons of Jacob, not content to let things lie, pursue the fleeing Edomites all the way to the mountains of Seir. This is serious. This isn’t just about settling a score; it feels like a complete rout.

And what of Jacob himself? The Book of Jubilees tells us that Jacob returns to the spot where his brother fell. There, on that hill in ’Adûrâm, Jacob buries Esau.

Can you imagine the emotions swirling within him at that moment? Grief? Remorse? Perhaps even a sense of closure after all those years of conflict and separation? The text doesn't tell us explicitly, but the act of burying his brother, of laying him to rest, feels significant. It's a final act of respect, of brotherly love, however belated.

After this somber duty is fulfilled, Jacob returns to his house. The story ends there, leaving us to ponder the weight of the events that have transpired.

The Book of Jubilees, though not part of the canonical Hebrew Bible, offers a fascinating perspective on these biblical figures. It fills in the gaps, adds details, and gives us a glimpse into the possible motivations and consequences of their actions. It’s a reminder that even the most famous stories have untold chapters, and that the relationships between people, especially family, are often complex and fraught with emotion. What does this ancient story of conflict and resolution tell us about our own relationships, and the importance of seeking peace, even after years of strife?

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