Difference between revisions of "Wrestling With Angels and Men/2"
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<p>Hashem sent an angel to punish Yaakov for doubting His promise to protect him and to prevent Yaakov from running away.</p> | <p>Hashem sent an angel to punish Yaakov for doubting His promise to protect him and to prevent Yaakov from running away.</p> | ||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
| − | <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 32:21-29</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink> | + | <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Rashbam<fn><multilink data-aht="<a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary4-14" data-aht="source">Shemot Second Commentary 4:14</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitThirdCommentary32-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit Third Commentary 32:22</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a>"></multilink></fn></a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitThirdCommentary32-22" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a> rejects a position similar to that of Rashbam, questioning why Yaakov would notify Esav of his impending arrival if he intended to flee.  However, the position cited by Ibn Ezra maintains that Yaakov planned to flee and abandon his wives and children, while from Rashbam it appears that Yaakov attempted to flee with his family (and that Yaakov was trying to ford the Yabbok after them).<a class="ahtNonEditable" href="#fn22">22</a><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 32:21-29</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink> |
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>"וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ"</b> – Rashbam suggests that Yaakov was attempting to run away from Esav, as he did not sufficiently trust that Hashem would protect him. Yaakov, thus, had his family cross the river to escape under the cover of darkness. However, before he himself managed to cross, he found himself attacked by the angel.<fn>It is not clear, though, how Yaakov could have thought that he and his family would be able to elude Esav and his army for any extended period of time.</fn></point> | <point><b>"וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ"</b> – Rashbam suggests that Yaakov was attempting to run away from Esav, as he did not sufficiently trust that Hashem would protect him. Yaakov, thus, had his family cross the river to escape under the cover of darkness. However, before he himself managed to cross, he found himself attacked by the angel.<fn>It is not clear, though, how Yaakov could have thought that he and his family would be able to elude Esav and his army for any extended period of time.</fn></point> | ||
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<ul> | <ul> | ||
<li>During Avshalom's uprising, David crossed a river in the middle of the night in order to escape.<fn>See <a href="ShemuelII17-22" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 17:22</a>. Rashbam notes that David's route took him through the same region through which Yaakov had traveled.</fn></li> | <li>During Avshalom's uprising, David crossed a river in the middle of the night in order to escape.<fn>See <a href="ShemuelII17-22" data-aht="source">Shemuel II 17:22</a>. Rashbam notes that David's route took him through the same region through which Yaakov had traveled.</fn></li> | ||
| − | <li>Rashbam points to Moshe,<fn>Moshe procrastinates in going to Egypt to confront Paroh and save the nation and finds himself attacked by Hashem at the lodging place (Shemot 4:24). Zipporah saves him by touching the foreskin to Moshe's leg ("וַתַּגַּע לְרַגְלָיו"), language similar to that used here. According to R. Yehuda b. Bizna in Bavli Nedarim 31b, Moshe was actually attacked specifically at the site of his circumcision, perhaps the meaning of "ירך" here. For elaboration see <a href="Mystery at the Malon" data-aht="page">Mystery at the Malon</a>.</fn> Bilam,<fn>Bilam attempts to curse rather than bless the nation and as a result is confronted by a sword-brandishing angel. He emerges lame. See <a href="Bemidbar22-25" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 22:25</a> and <a href="Bemidbar23-3" data-aht="source">23:3</a> and <a href="Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam" data-aht="page">Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam</a>.</fn> and Yonah<fn>See Yonah 1–2.</fn> as examples of others who tried to avoid fulfilling the mission assigned to them by Hashem, and who were similarly punished. Each is put into a potentially fatal situation, and Bilam also becomes lame.<fn>The choice to injure the leg specifically might be related to the fact that in each case it is the leg which disobeyed Hashem in not going where it was meant to.</fn></li> | + | <li>Rashbam points to Moshe,<fn>Moshe procrastinates in going to Egypt to confront Paroh and save the nation and finds himself attacked by Hashem at the lodging place (Shemot 4:24). Zipporah saves him by touching the foreskin to Moshe's leg ("וַתַּגַּע לְרַגְלָיו"), language similar to that used here. According to R. Yehuda b. Bizna in Bavli Nedarim 31b, Moshe was actually attacked specifically at the site of his circumcision, perhaps the meaning of "ירך" here. For elaboration see <a href="Mystery at the Malon" data-aht="page">Mystery at the Malon</a>.</fn> Bilam,<fn>Bilam attempts to curse rather than bless the nation and as a result is confronted by a sword-brandishing angel. He emerges lame. See <a href="Bemidbar22-25" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 22:25</a> and <a href="Bemidbar23-3" data-aht="source">23:3</a> and <a href="Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam" data-aht="page">Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam</a>.</fn> and Yonah<fn>See Yonah 1–2.</fn> as examples of others who tried to avoid fulfilling the mission assigned to them by Hashem, and who were similarly punished.<fn><multilink><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary4-14" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary4-14" data-aht="source">Shemot Second Commentary 4:14</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitThirdCommentary32-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit Third Commentary 32:22</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> rejects both Rashbam's theory and his analogy to other stories.</fn> Each is put into a potentially fatal situation, and Bilam also becomes lame.<fn>The choice to injure the leg specifically might be related to the fact that in each case it is the leg which disobeyed Hashem in not going where it was meant to.</fn></li> |
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
<point><b>Second camp as decoy</b> – According to this approach, it is possible that Yaakov had prepared for his family's escape by previously dividing his people into two camps (Bereshit 32:8). The first camp with the servants and hired hands stayed put awaiting Esav, and this afforded the second camp consisting of Yaakov's wives and children an opportunity to escape from danger.<fn>The encounter with the angel, though, foiled the implementation of this plan by detaining Yaakov, and Yaakov's family was then forced to reunite with the other camp. The advantage of this option is that it accounts for why Yaakov split his camp in two in 32:8, while there is no indication of this division in two when Esav arrived.  See <a href="Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp" data-aht="page">Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp</a> for elaboration.</fn></point> | <point><b>Second camp as decoy</b> – According to this approach, it is possible that Yaakov had prepared for his family's escape by previously dividing his people into two camps (Bereshit 32:8). The first camp with the servants and hired hands stayed put awaiting Esav, and this afforded the second camp consisting of Yaakov's wives and children an opportunity to escape from danger.<fn>The encounter with the angel, though, foiled the implementation of this plan by detaining Yaakov, and Yaakov's family was then forced to reunite with the other camp. The advantage of this option is that it accounts for why Yaakov split his camp in two in 32:8, while there is no indication of this division in two when Esav arrived.  See <a href="Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp" data-aht="page">Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp</a> for elaboration.</fn></point> | ||
Version as of 04:43, 15 July 2019
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51: <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Rashbam<fn><multilink data-aht="<a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary4-14" data-aht="source">Shemot Second Commentary 4:14</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitThirdCommentary32-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit Third Commentary 32:22</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a>"></multilink></fn></a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitThirdCommentary32-22" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a> rejects a position similar to that of Rashbam, questioning why Yaakov would notify Esav of his impending arrival if he intended to flee.  However, the position cited by Ibn Ezra maintains that Yaakov planned to flee and abandon his wives and children, while from Rashbam it appears that Yaakov attempted to flee with his family (and that Yaakov was trying to ford the Yabbok after them).<a class="ahtNonEditable" href="#fn22">22</a><a href="RashbamBereshit32-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 32:21-29</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink>