<b>And Jacob sent messengers (Gen. 32:4).</b> Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: <i>And the Lord uttereth His voice before His army; for his camp is very great, for He is mighty that executeth His word; for great is the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who can abide it?</i> (Joel 2:11). This verse alludes to the giving of the Torah. When the Holy One, blessed be He, descended to give the Torah to Israel, myriads of chariots accompanied Him, as it is said: <i>The chariots of God are myriads, even thousands upon thousands</i> (Ps. 68:18).
R. Abdimi maintained: Twenty-two thousand chariots descended with Him to Sinai. What is meant by <i>uttereth His voice</i>? It indicates that first <i>there were thunders and lightnings</i> (Exod. 19:16). After he sent forth the thunder, He gave the Torah. Hence it is said: <i>And the Lord uttereth His voice before His army</i> (Joel 2:11).
Another comment on <i>And the Lord uttereth His voice before His army</i>. This refers to the thunderous sounds that precede the host of the Holy One, blessed be He. For example, when the thunder goes forth it roars, and mankind know that rain will fall; and when thunder resounds, lightning will follow.<sup class="footnote-marker">3</sup><i class="footnote">The <i>Etz Joseph</i> commentary corrects the text, noting that lightning precedes the thunder.</i> Another comment on <i>And the Lord uttereth His voice</i>. This refers to Rosh Hashanah, the day on which the shofar is sounded. <i>Before His army</i> refers to the Israelites, who tremble and quake at the sound of the shofar and then repent in order to be judged meritoriously on Yom Kippur.
<i>For great is the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who can abide it?</i> (Joel 2:11). This is Yom Kippur, when the books of life and death are sealed. Whence do we know that this verse also refers to the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Isaiah reminded (the people) that this was so, when he said: <i>Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek justice</i> (Isa. 1:16–17). That is, one must repent during those days. Then he added: <i>Come now, and let us reason together</i> (ibid., v. 18), that is, on the tenth day, the day of admonition, during which the Holy One, blessed be He, cleanses away (lit. whitens) the sins of Israel, as is said: <i>Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow</i> (ibid.). <i>For His camp is very great</i>. This refers to the angels who plead in behalf of or against the Israelites. <i>For He is mighty who fulfilleth His word</i> (Joel 2:11). Who is the mighty one amongst them (the angels)? He who fulfilleth His word.
R. Huna said in the name of R. Hiyya: The <i>mighty</i> ones are the Israelites, who placed doing before hearing, by declaring: <i>All that the Lord hath spoken will we do and obey</i> (Exod. 24:7). This verse teaches us that the righteous are superior to the ministering angels. You know this as well from the following incident: At the moment Isaiah exclaimed: <i>Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips</i> (Isa. 6:5), the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked him, saying: You may say of yourself <i>A man of unclean lips am I</i>, but you may not say of Israel, <i>In the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell</i>. They placed doing before hearing, and they declare the Unity of My Name twice daily, yet you would call them <i>a people of unclean lips</i>? What is written there? <i>Then flew unto me one of the seraphim, with a glowing stone in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar</i> (Isa. 6:6). What is meant by <i>ritzpah</i> (“a glowing stone”)? It means “smash the mouth” (<i>rutz peh</i>) of anyone who speaks ill of My people. <i>With tongs</i>. What does this signify? It teaches us that there were two tongs (because the text uses the dual form of the noun). At first the angel attempted to take the glowing stone with his fingers, but he burned himself. Then he took a tong to lift the stone but was burned again. Finally, he took a second tong, which he attached to the first, and with them he took from the altar the glowing stone and touched it to the lips of Isaiah, as is said: <i>He touched my mouth with it, and said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin expiated</i> (ibid., v. 7). All this occurred because Isaiah had said: <i>In the midst of a people of unclean lips</i>. The Seraph was forced to remove the glowing stone with the tongs because he could not lift it with his hand. Indeed, he was compelled to use two tongs, yet when he touched Isaiah’s lips with it, Isaiah was not burned. Hence, Scripture states: <i>His camp is very great, for he is mighty who executeth his word</i> (Joel 2:11). Who are they <i>who executeth His word</i>? The righteous men.
Similarly, you find that Moses remained unscathed by the fire that descended upon those who complained against him, as is said: <i>And the fire of the Lord burnt them and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp</i> (Num. 11:1).
R. Isaac stated; Our master, Moses, stood beside the flames and dropped bundles of wool into them, thus causing the flames to sink into the earth, as is said: <i>And the fire abated</i> (ibid., v. 15). This also teaches us that the righteous are superior to the ministering angels. Furthermore, Jacob seized the mighty angel and vanquished him, as it is said: <i>And there wrestled a man with him</i>, etc. (Gen. 32:25). And when it was necessary, he sent two camps of angels as his emissaries to Esau, as is stated: <i>And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau</i>.