Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp/2

Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp

Exegetical Approaches

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Plan Implemented

Yaakov's original plan to split his camp was still in place when he encountered Esav.  This position subdivides in how it understands how this initial division relates to the  rearrangement of Yaakov's family in Bereshit 33:1-2.

One and the Same

Bereshit 32 and Bereshit 33 refer to the same division.

Sources:R. BachyaBereshit 32:9About R. Bachya b. Asher,

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" – Who was to be in each camp? Since R. Bachya understands Yaakov's divisions of his camp in Bereshit 32 and Bereshit 33 to be one and the same, he synchronizes between them and posits that what is explicit in Bereshit 33 applies also to the division of Bereshit 32.  I.e., the maidservants and children were in one camp with some of the possessions and hired hands, while Leah and Rachel and the rest of the property were in the other.

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – According to R. Bachya, the word "לִפְלֵיטָה" means a remnant that will survive.  Yaakov divided his household somewhat evenly because he did not want to risk losing all his loved ones.¹ Nonetheless, he still placed those most precious to him in the second camp, assuming that they would be safer there."²

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – R. Bachya maintains that the man with whom Yaakov struggled was Esav's guardian angel who affirmed that the blessings of Yitzchak rightfully belonged to Yaakov.

Rearrangement of wives and family –  According to R. Bachya, this is not a rearrangement, but a description of the original division, with the maidservants in one camp and real wives in the other. Presumably, the rest of the camp is not mentioned since they are unimportant in comparison.

Why send to Seir?

• Reconciliation – According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, Yaakov had decided on his own to visit Esav in Seir to make up.  He sent messengers to let Esav know that he was coming in good faith and to see if he could expect his forgiveness.
• Send word, not confront – It is also possible that Yaakov had sent word to Edom (to either test his feelings or appease him), but without any intention of meeting Esav face to face at this point on his journey.³ Only when he heard that Esav was approaching, did he start preparing for a confrontation.

Esav's intentions – According to these commentators, despite Yaakov's message of peace, Esav approached as an enemy, intent on doing battle.

Unanswered prayers

Two Stages

The rearrangement of Yaakov's family in Bereshit 33 represents a further subdivision of his camp.

Sources:R. Eliezer AshkenaziMa'asei Hashem, Ma'asei Avot 33About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ma'asei Hashem), some modern scholars⁴

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" – Who was to be in each camp?

• Family and servants – According to R"E Ashkenazi, Yaakov and his family were included in the first camp.  He does not specify who or what else joined them.
• Only servants – H. Seri asserts that Yaakov's family was not included in the division at all; he only divided "הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ", his household servants and hired hands.  These men formed his fighting force.

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – According to this approach, the division was for military purposes,⁵ but the sources differ in the details:

• Ambush – R" E Ashkenazi suggests that if the first camp was attacked, the second was to come to its rescue and thereby save both. The verse does not mean that the camp left over after the attack would escape, but that the camp that "remained behind" (הַנִּשְׁאָר) would act to save the first (לִפְלֵיטָה = לפליטת האחר).‎⁶
• Military formation – H. Seri suggests that the two camps were not one behind the other, but rather in side by side military formation.  Whichever was not attacked first (הַנִּשְׁאָר) was to come to the salvation (לִפְלֵיטָה) of the other.

Rearrangement of wives and children – According to this approach, the verse assumes the original split into two camps and only comes to describe a further division of Yaakov's family:

• Line formation – According to R"E Ashkenazi, Yaakov rearranged his family so as to best watch over all.  He feared most for Leah and the maidservants' safety, not being sure if Hashem's promise of providence⁷ included them.⁸  He therefore placed them in the middle, sandwiched between Yaakov in the front and Rachel in the back.⁹  The second non-family camp is not mentioned in the verses at all since in the end there was no need for their intervention and they played no role.
• Parallel formation – H. Seri, in contrast, asserts that Yaakov set his family behind the two military camps, in similar parallel formation.  Leah and children were to one side, behind Zilpah, and Rachel and Yosef stood to the other side, behind Bilhah.¹⁰  The verse might not mention the military camps (even though they were present) as they are simply assumed, and in the end did not need to fight. 

Why send to Seir? The Ma'asei Hashem asserts that before coming home, Yaakov hoped to reconcile with Esav.  He therefore explained to him that he was detained by Lavan for twenty years, not because he still stored any hatred or fear of his brother, but simply to provide for his family.

Esav's intentions – The Ma'asei Hashem maintains that Yaakov's messengers returned with a positive assessment of Esav, that he was coming to greet him with an honor guard.  Yaakov, though, was unsure if this was not simply a ruse. Perhaps Esav planned to approach like a brother into the midst of his camp, only to then attack like an enemy.  It was this uncertainty which led him to divide his camp.¹¹

Unanswered prayers – These sources do not address the question.

The tribute for Esav – R" E Ashkenazi argues against the claim that the purpose of the offering was to appease Esav, suggesting that if Esav was still angered over the birthright and blessing, and intent on killing Yaakov, the gift would not sway him.¹²  As such, R" E Ashkenazi proposes instead that Yaakov sent the gift to gauge Esav's feelings.¹³

"גַּם הִנֵּה עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב אַחֲרֵינוּ" – R"E Ashkenazi asserts that Yaakov had each group of gift-bearers say this, so that Esav would lose his guard, not knowing exactly when Yaakov was to come. This way Esav would not think to put on a facade of happiness to trick Yaakov, but would allow his true feelings to show, allowing Yaakov the ability to react and attack if necessary.

Crossing the Yabbok – According to this approach, the crossing was not part of a flight, but simply the next part of the route that needed to be taken.

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – According to the Maasei Hashem, this was a failed attempt by the guardian angel of Esav to retrieve the deed of sale of the birthright.  After the struggle he conceded Yaakov's rights to it.  However, the event did not persuade Yaakov to act differently than originally planned, since his doubts concerning Esav's intentions were still in place.

The aftermath – did Yaakov ever make it to Seir? According to R"E Ashkenazi, after the two brothers made peace, it would be illogical that Yaakov would then lie about coming to Seir.  He thus asserts that Yaakov did in fact follow Esav until the region of Seir¹⁴ and only then headed to Sukkot.  He even suggests that Yaakov accepted the offer to have some of Esav's men accompany him.¹⁵

Plan Changed

Although Yaakov originally intended to divide his camp, he changed his mind before meeting Esav. Yaakov's defeat of the angel / man in the nocturnal encounter sufficiently reassured him, so that he no longer saw a need to rearrange his camp.

Sources:R. Avraham b. HaRambam #2Bereshit 32Bereshit 33:1-2, 13About R. Avraham Maimonides, Akeidat Yitzchak, NetzivBereshit 32Bereshit 33:1, 8About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" –  Who was to be in each camp?

• Split only non-family members – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Yaakov divided his possessions and larger household into two camps but that he kept his wives and children with him, distinct from both.¹⁶  He preferred that they either all survived or all perished together.
• Possessions split, children not – According to Netziv, Yaakov and his sons stayed together in one camp with some of the possessions and wives, while the rest of the property and wives were in another camp.¹⁷  He assumes that Yaakov trusted in Hashem's promise¹⁸ that he and his children would stay safe and so he felt no need to split them.¹⁹

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – Yaakov hoped that if one camp was attacked, the other would be able to escape. The word "פְלֵיטָה" is understood as "refugee" or "remnant".

Why send to Seir? According to both these sources, Esav had not yet permanently moved to Seir, but rather lived there part time.  As such, it was a very real possibility that Esav might come to attack Yaakov upon his return, leading Yaakov to send messengers to test out Esav's feelings towards him.²⁰

Esav's intentions – Both these sources assume that Esav's entourage was intent on battling with Yaakov.

"וְהִכַּנִי אֵם עַל בָּנִים" – According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam, these words reflect Yaakov's fear that Esav would have no mercy and attempt to kill not just him but his entire family. The Netziv, in contrast, understands that Yaakov was concerned specifically about the mothers, that Esav might harm them as they protected their children.²¹ Due to Hashem's promise, though, he did not fear that the children themselves would perish.²²

Unanswered prayers – Neither of these sources addresses the issue explicitly, but according to R. Avraham b. HaRambam, it is possible that Yaakov's "being left alone" was an attempt to attain prophecy in solitude,²³ and the ensuing vision²⁴ of the struggle with the angel/man was Hashem's answer to his prayer.²⁵

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – Both R. Avraham b. HaRambam and the Netziv assert that the "איש" came to bolster Yaakov's confidence that he would be able to defeat Esav.²⁶

Rearrangement of wives and children – After being encouraged by the struggle with the angel/man, Yaakov no longer felt it necessary to split his camp, but he did rearrange his family. 

• According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam, the assembly line was a show of honor; Yaakov lined the family up according to their importance much the way dignitaries might be ordered in front of a king.
• Netziv, in contrast, suggests that this was a sign of submission.  Furthermore, since Yaakov had been hurt in the thigh by the angel, he was concerned that this might mean that Esav could still harm him a little, even if he would not be victorious. As such, he placed those less dear to him first that they should absorb whatever blow might be hit.

Plan Foiled

While Yaakov split his camp in an attempt to enable his family to run away, his plan was thwarted, and Yaakov and his family were nonetheless forced to confront Esav.  This position subdivides regarding the reason for the plan's failure:

Nocturnal Struggle Prevented Escape

The struggle with the angel / man prevented Yaakov from being able to implement his plan and escape with his family. This forced him to recombine his camps.

Sources:Perhaps RashbamBereshit 32: 5, 7-9, 21, 23, 25-29About R. Shemuel b. Meir²⁷

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" – Who was placed in each camp? According to this approach, Yaakov put his servants and hired hands in one camp and his wives and children in another.

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – The first camp was to act as a decoy and stay put to detain Esav, thereby affording Yaakov's immediate family an opportunity to escape from danger.²⁸

Esav's intentions – According to Rashbam, Esav had no evil intent and the 400 men accompanying him were an honor guard coming out of respect to Yaakov, rather than an army planning to attack. Yaakov, though, did not trust his messenger's report and feared that Esav must mean harm.

"וְהִכַּנִי אֵם עַל בָּנִים" – These words highlight that Yaakov's main concern was that Esav would unleash his vengeance specifically on Yaakov's immediate family (the mothers and sons). It is for this reason that it is they whom he attempts to bring to safety.

Unanswered prayers – According to this approach, Hashem might not have immediately reassured Yaakov because Yaakov had misinterpreted Esav's intentions and he was not really in harm's way. Moreover, according to Rashbam, Yaakov's whole plan to flee was misguided and he was punished for his lack of trust in Hashem. Hashem relayed this message to him through the confrontation with the angel/man (see below)

"וְהִנֵּה גַם הוּא אַחֲרֵינוּ" – Rashbam asserts that when Yaakov sends the gift to Esav and has his servants say that Yaakov is following shortly, this a ruse intended to deceive Esav while he in fact ran away.

Crossing the Yabbok – Yaakov's original plan was to have his personal family camp flee to safety across the river, leaving his other camp to remain and do battle with Esav.²⁹

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – According to Rashbam, the confrontation was both punitive (for his lack of belief in Hashem's providence)³⁰ and preventative. The angel detained Yaakov overnight, preventing his flight and leaving him no choice but to encounter Esav.

Rearrangement of wives and family – When Yaakov realized that he no longer had the opportunity bring his family to a safe distance, he was forced to recombine the camps, but tried to at least order his loved ones so that the most precious would be furthest from danger.

Miscalculated Esav's Route

Yaakov split his camp and fled with his family, but he miscalculated on which side of the Yabbok Esav would arrive.  As a result, it was specifically the family camp which found itself face to face with Esav.

Sources:AbarbanelBereshit 32:8:18Bereshit 33:1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" – Who was placed in each camp? Yaakov placed his family in one camp and his possessions in the other,

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – Yaakov separated the camps, hoping that Esav would attack the camp with his property, allowing his immediate family to escape.  Due to the distance between the camps, he thought that Esav would not even be aware of the second camp's existence and assume that he had conquered all and depart.

Crossing the Yabbok – Yaakov crossed to the safety of the other side of the Yabbok, assuming that Esav would arrive at the original bank where the second camp remained to do battle.

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – According to Abarbanel, although the nighttime encounter bolstered Yaakov, he still feared his brother and preferred to flee rather than confront him.

Plan fails – Yaakov miscalculated and Esav approached from the very side of the Yabbok to which Yaakov had crossed with his family.  Thus, in direct contrast to Yaakov's original plan, it was exclusively his family who now remained (by themselves) to encounter Esav.  It is thus only they who are mentioned in the opening verses of Chapter 33.

Rearrangement of wives and family – Realizing he had no choice but to face his brother, Yaakov hastily arranged his family to greet Esav, placing his most beloved Rachel and Yosef in the back.

Why send to Seir? According to Abarbanel, when Yaakov met the angels in Machanayyim (32:2-3), it was revealed to him that Esav was en route and fast approaching. He, therefore, sent messengers to test his brother's feelings.³¹

Esav's intentions – Abarbanel asserts that Esav approached with intent to harm.

Unanswered prayers – Abarbanel follows Akeidat Yitzchak in suggesting that Yaakov "slept in the camp" hoping for Hashem to answer him via a prophetic vision. Hashem did not provide immediate reassurance because He was angry at Yaakov's decision to split his household in two, as if Yaakov thought that Hashem would not be able to save both groups.³²

"וְהִנֵּה גַם הוּא אַחֲרֵינוּ" – Since Abarbanel assumes that Yaakov was not planning on confronting Esav, this verse is difficult.³³ He explains that this was a further test of Esav's feelings.  Would the knowledge that Yaakov was looking forward to meeting him deter Esav?

The tribute – Abarbanel ³⁴maintains that Yaakov's gift was intended to appease Esav and serve as a more proper payment for the birthright which he had previously purchased for merely a bowl of lentils.

¹ He points to the advice given in Bavli Bava Metzia, that one should never "put all of one's eggs in one basket" but rather diversify one's investments.  See also Bereshit Rabbah76:3About Bereshit Rabbah.

² According to him the word "" means a remnant that will survive.

³ Cf. Hoil Moshe.  He suggests that when Yaakov heard that Esav moved to and conquered Seir, he took that as a sign that perhaps his brother's anger had abated, leading him to send word and return home.  He originally planned to actually visit him, though, only later.

⁴ See H. Seri, "ועתה הייתי לשתי מחנות", Megadim 40 (2004): 17-25.

⁵ Cf. TanchumaVayishlach 6About the Tanchuma and RashiBereshit 32:1-9About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki who also speak of Yaakov preparing for war and point to the division of his camp as evidence.

⁶ See HaKetav VeHaKabbalahBereshit 32About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg who explains the same.

⁷ See Hashem's words to Yaakov in Bereshit 28: "וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ"

⁸ Since Leah was given to him as a wife against his will and the others did not have full marital status, they might not have been included in the promise.

⁹ See Bereshit 33:3, that Yaakov passed all to get to the front.

¹⁰ Thus, contrary to R"E Ashkenazi (and the common reading) the family did not stand in one long line, subdivided into three groups: maidservants, Leah, and Rachel, but rather in two parallel groups, each subdivided into maidservant and real wife.  This explanation accounts for the double language in the verse, where it describes both Rachel and Leah as being last (וְאֶת לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ אַחֲרֹנִים וְאֶת רָחֵל וְאֶת יוֹסֵף אַחֲרֹנִים). 

¹¹ Esav's intentions would become obvious at some point, and if they were evil, the second camp could come to the rescue.  R"E Ashkenazi claims that had it been clear that Eav was to wage war, Yaakov would not have feared and would have simply readied himself for battle.

¹² Since Esav planned to annihilate Yaakov's camp, all Yaakov's property would be his in any case.

¹³ As evidence of this understanding, he points to the words: אֲכַפְּרָה פָנָיו בַּמִּנְחָה הַהֹלֶכֶת לְפָנָי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶרְאֶה פָנָיו אוּלַי יִשָּׂא פָנָי.  Yaakov planned to look at Esav's face from afar after receiving the gift, to determine whether or not he was appeased.  If not, Yaakov planned to attack immediately before Esav had a chance to enter his camp.

¹⁴ He assumes that Esav was not asking that Yaakov come and stay for a visit, but simply suggesting that the two travel together, much the way a king might appoint a servant to accompany a departing dignitary part of the way home.
Cf. Hoil Moshe who suggests instead that Yaakov came to visit his brother at some later point, and might have even made multiple trips as he shepherded in the area.

¹⁵ He reads Yaakov's words, "לָמָּה זֶּה אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי אֲדֹנִי" as a polite refusal, but not a real one and claims that the verse mentions only that Esav returned to Seir, because he left some of the 400 to accompany Yaakov.

¹⁶ Accordng to him, the word "עָם" refers to the masses of people and cattle who were with Yaakov, but not to his close relatives.

¹⁷ Like R. Avraham b. HaRambam, he too reads "הָעָם" to refer to the larger household rather than Yaakov's immediate family.

¹⁸ See Hashem's words to Yaakov in Bereshit 28: "וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ"

¹⁹ He did, nonetheless, worry about his wives, since they were not of his blood, and thus, perhaps not included in the promise "to watch over you".

²⁰ Netziv explains that he sent the messengers to Seir specifically because he thought that in Canaan, out of deference to his father, Esav would not act on his hatred even if he was still angry.  This would have left Yaakov in doubt whether he was still in danger or not; only by sending to Seir, could know where he stood.

²¹ He reads the phrase, "אֵם עַל בָּנִים" literally to refer to the mothers as they stand atop their children guarding them.

²² See above that he thought that Hashem' promise of protection included his sons, who were part of him, but not necessarily his wives.

²³ R. Avraham b. HaRambam does say that in the solitude Yaakov achieved prophecy, but not assert that he was actively seeking it.

²⁴ He maintains that the entire struggle with the angel/ish took place in a prophetic dream rather than reality.

²⁵ Cf. RadakBereshit 32:4-8, 14, 22-31 on verse 14, that Yaakov waited at night for Hashem's response, and that it finally came through the interaction with the angel.

²⁶ For further discussion of this read of the story see Wrestling With Angels and Men.

²⁷ Rashbam does not explicitly address the discrepancy between the description of the plan to divide the camp and the final meeting where no such division is mentioned, but his overall understanding of the chapter suggests this approach.

²⁸ Yaakov might not have been worried about the safety of the first camp itself, assuming that Esav was looking to attack him personally.

²⁹ Rashbam finds a parallel to a nighttime escape over a river in David's flight from Avshalom (Shemuel II 17:22).

³⁰ This is the reason that he is hurt in the thigh. Rashbam compares Yaakov to Moshe, Bilam, and Yonah who also 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 is also hurt in the leg.

³¹ Abarbanel further asserts that Yaakov wanted Esav to know that he was not coming as a poor brother in need of alms, but as an equal. He also raises the possibility that Yaakov sent word to appease his brother by showing him honor and letting him know that he did not benefit from the blessings, but rather had to work long, hard years by Lavan to earn his wealth. Thus his emphasis on "עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וָאֵחַר עַד עָתָּה".

³² He also raises the possibility, like Akeidat Yitzchak above, that Hashem expected Yaakov to do more on his own before looking to Divine intervention.

³³ He could have easily explained, as does Rashbam above, that this was merely a ruse to deceive Esav.

³⁴ In this he follows Akeidat Yitzchak.