Remember the story? Jacob, with a little help from his mother, tricked his aging, blind father Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau, the elder twin. Esau was furious, vowing revenge. Jacob fled, and years passed. Now, after two decades of working for his less-than-honest uncle Laban, Jacob was returning home.
But the past wasn't so easily left behind.
The Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg tells us that news of Laban's ill will toward Jacob stirred up Esau's old hatred with increased fury. He assembled a household of sixty men, along with three hundred and forty inhabitants of Seir, ready for battle. Imagine the fear that must have gripped Jacob.
Meanwhile, Laban's messengers reach Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mother. They tell her that Esau and four hundred men are about to make war upon Jacob, planning to kill him and seize everything he owns. Rebekah, anxious, sends seventy-two of Isaac's retainers to aid Jacob.
Jacob, camped by the Jabbok (a brook whose name means "to wrestle," foreshadowing events to come), rejoices at the sight of these men. He greets them with, "This is God's helping host," and names the place Mahanaim (מַחֲנַיִם), meaning "Two Camps" or "Hosts" (Genesis 32:3). According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this name reflects both the camp of Jacob and the camp of angels that accompanied him.
After hearing about his parents' well-being, the messengers deliver Rebekah's plea: be humble, offer gifts, and conceal nothing from Esau. "Perhaps he may turn from his anger against thee," she urges, "and thou wilt thereby save thy soul."
As Midrash Rabbah recounts, Jacob, upon hearing his mother’s words, wept bitterly and followed her instructions.
He sent messengers ahead with a carefully crafted message for Esau: "Thus speaks thy servant Jacob: My lord, think not that the blessing which my father bestowed upon me profited me… God saw my affliction… and through God's great mercy and kindness, I acquired oxen and asses and cattle and men-servants and maid servants." In other words, Jacob tried to reassure Esau that he wasn’t a threat, that his success was due to God's favor, not Isaac's blessing.
The messengers continued, cleverly turning Esau’s potential envy on its head. "Why dost thou envy me in respect to the blessing wherewith my father blessed me? Is it that the sun shineth in my land, and not in thine?"
According to Legends of the Jews, Jacob even offered a covenant to share equally in any future vexations.
But Esau, swayed by his friends, refused. His reply was arrogant and accusatory, reminding Jacob that he had twice supplanted him and that he intended to act on his desires.
The messengers return to Jacob, reporting that Esau was advancing with an army, each leader commanding four hundred men! "It is true, thou art his brother, and thou treatest him as a brother should," they said to Jacob, "but he is an Esau, thou must be made aware of his villainy."
Jacob was understandably alarmed. Even with God's promise to bring him back in peace, he feared he might have sinned and forfeited that promise. He even worried that Esau might be more favored by God, having lived in the Holy Land and cared for their parents while Jacob was away. As we find in Legends of the Jews, Jacob feared not only defeat, but also the possibility of victory, fearing the consequences of harming his brother.
In desperation, Jacob turned to the three things he could do: prayer, appeasement, and preparation for war.
He prayed to the God of Abraham and Isaac, acknowledging his unworthiness and pleading for protection from Esau's wrath. Legends of the Jews highlights the poignancy of Jacob's prayer, as he sought not only his own deliverance but also the salvation of his descendants.
The Lord, hearing Jacob's prayer and seeing his tears, sent three angels disguised as a formidable army to terrify Esau and his men.
Following his prayer, Jacob divided his people into two companies. Of his cattle he sent a part to Esau as a present, first dividing it into three droves in order to impress his brother more. Jacob knew his brother's avarice only too well. The men who were the bearers of Jacob's present to Esau were charged with the following message, "This is an offering to my lord Esau from his slave Jacob."
But, as Legends of the Jews points out, God took offense at Jacob calling Esau "lord." Jacob's excuse? He was merely flattering the wicked to save himself from death.
So, what does all this mean for us? Jacob's story is a reminder that the past often catches up with us. It shows us the power of prayer, the importance of humility, and the complex dance of reconciliation. It’s a story of fear, hope, and the enduring bonds of family, however strained they may be. And perhaps, most importantly, it reminds us that even when facing our greatest fears, we are not alone.
What would you do? Would you grovel? Would you fight? Would you pray? Jacob did all three. And his story continues, with a dramatic, unexpected meeting... but that, as they say, is a story for another time.