: Jacob sent messengers ahead, bearing gifts, with instructions to address Esau as "my lord... from his slave Jacob." It sounds deferential, doesn’t it? But according to the legends, specifically as recounted in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, God wasn't exactly thrilled with this approach. The Divine voice, so to speak, reprimanded Jacob: "Thou profanest what is holy when thou callest Esau lord." Jacob, ever quick on his feet, defended himself, explaining he was merely flattering a wicked man to avoid a potentially deadly confrontation. A white lie, perhaps, but with incredibly high stakes.
But the story doesn't end there. This whole encounter with Esau is filled with symbolic moments. Jacob sent his servants ahead with the gifts, and followed with his wives and children. As he approached the ford of Jabbok, a shallow part of the river (the Yabbok), something strange happened.
He saw a shepherd.
This wasn't just any shepherd. This stranger proposed they cross the river together, helping each other move their flocks. Jacob agreed, but wisely insisted his animals go first. And here's where it gets interesting. In the blink of an eye, Ginzberg tells us, the shepherd magically transported Jacob's sheep to the other side! Now it was Jacob's turn. He began ferrying the shepherd's flocks across the Yabbok. But no matter how many animals he moved, there always seemed to be more left behind. The night wore on, and Jacob toiled tirelessly, yet the task remained endless.
Imagine his frustration!
Finally, patience exhausted, Jacob snapped. He grabbed the shepherd by the throat, shouting, "O thou wizard, thou wizard, at night no enchantment succeeds!" According to Legends of the Jews, the "angel" then decided to reveal himself. He touched the earth, and fire burst forth. But Jacob, remember, is a figure of immense spiritual power. He retorted, "What! Thou thinkest thus to affright me, who am made wholly of fire?"
What are we to make of this nighttime wrestling match? The Zohar, the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, often interprets such encounters as tests of faith and strength. Was this shepherd truly an angel in disguise, testing Jacob's resolve? Was it a battle against his own inner demons, the anxieties and fears that plagued him as he faced the looming encounter with Esau? And what about the wizardry accusation? Was Jacob implying that deception and manipulation were the only tools the shepherd used?
Perhaps this whole episode, as we find in Midrash Rabbah, is a metaphor for the struggles we all face. The endless task of moving the "flocks" across the river represents the unending challenges of life. The "wizard" represents the forces that seek to hinder our progress. And Jacob's ultimate defiance, his refusal to be intimidated, symbolizes the strength we can find within ourselves to overcome any obstacle.
In the end, the encounter at the ford of Jabbok reminds us that even in moments of vulnerability and fear, we possess an inner fire, a resilience that can help us face whatever lies ahead. What "wizard" are you wrestling with tonight?