Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp/2

Yaakov's Dividing of his Camp

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Plan Implemented

Yaakov's original plan to split his camp was still in place when he encountered Esav.  This position subdivides regarding the precise relationship between the initial division in Bereshit 32 and the later reorganization of Yaakov's family in Bereshit 33:1-2.

One and the Same

The verses in each of Chapters 32 and 33 refer to the exact 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 the verses in the two chapters, and posits that what is explicit in Bereshit 33 applies also to the division of Bereshit 32.  I.e., already in Chapter 32, the maidservants and children were placed 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.¹

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division – According to R. Bachya, the word "לִפְלֵיטָה" refers to the remnant which could escape.  Unsure which camp would be attacked, Yaakov divided his household somewhat evenly so as not to risk losing all his loved ones.² Nonetheless, he still placed those most precious to him in the second camp, assuming that they would be safer there.  Thus, according to R. Bachya, had Esav attacked the maidservants who were the first to approach in Chapter 33, Leah and Rachel's families would have attempted to flee.

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – R. Bachya maintains like the Midrash³ that the man with whom Yaakov struggled was Esav's guardian angel who affirmed that the blessings of Yitzchak rightfully belonged to Yaakov.  Despite the confirmation, though, Yaakov was not sufficiently confident that Esav would not attack and decided not to change his original plan.

Arrangement 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.

Size of Yaakov's camp – This approach might assume that Yaakov's household was not particularly numerous, and this led Yaakov to think that he had little chance of total victory.

Why send to Seir? R. Bachya asserts that Yaakov sent messengers to appease Esav's anger before returning home.  He therefore told him that he had amassed wealth through his own hard work, and not via his father's inheritance, and tried to find favor in Esav's eyes.⁴

Esav's intentions – Despite Yaakov's message of peace, Esav approached as an enemy, intent on doing battle.

Unanswered prayers – R. Bachya does not address this issue.

Division and Subdivision

The arrangement 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), H. Seri⁵

"וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ" – Who was placed 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 constituted his fighting force.

"וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה" – Purpose of the division in Chapter 32 – According to this approach, this division was for military purposes,⁶ but there are different possible variations regarding 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.⁷ The verse does not mean that the camp left over after the attack would escape, but that the camp which "remained behind" ("הַנִּשְׁאָר") would act to save the first.  "לִפְלֵיטָה" would thus mean "to rescue" (לפליטת האחר).‎⁸
• Military formation – H. Seri suggests that the two camps were not one behind the other, but rather side by side in military formation.  Whichever was not attacked first (הַנִּשְׁאָר) was to come to the salvation (לִפְלֵיטָה) of the other.

Arrangement of wives and children in Chapter 33 – According to this approach, the verses in Bereshit 33 are predicated on the original split into two camps and come only to describe a further division of Yaakov's family:

• Line formation – According to R"E Ashkenazi, Yaakov arranged his family in order to best watch over all.  He feared most for Leah and the maidservants' safety, not being sure if Hashem's promise of providence⁹ included them.¹⁰  He therefore placed them in the middle, sandwiched between Yaakov in the front and Rachel in the back.¹¹ 
• 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, while Rachel and Yosef stood on the other side, behind Bilhah.¹² 

Why are the two camps of Chapter 32 not mentioned in Chapter 33? Since in the end Esav did not attack, there was no need to mention the military portion of Yaakov's camp in the account of Chapter 33.

Size of Yaakov's Camp – This approach might assume that Yaakov's camp was of considerable size, and thus, a worthy opponent to Esav.  As such, Yaakov was not fearful of losing, but was simply designing the best military strategy to ensure victory.

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.¹³

Unanswered prayers – These sources do not address this 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.¹⁴  As such, R" E Ashkenazi proposes instead that Yaakov sent the gift to gauge Esav's feelings.¹⁵

"גַּם הִנֵּה עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב אַחֲרֵינוּ" – R"E Ashkenazi asserts that Yaakov had each group of gift-bearers say these words, so that Esav would let down his guard, not knowing exactly when Yaakov was arriving. Esav would thus 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 Ma'asei 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 Seir¹⁶ and only then headed to Sukkot.  He even suggests that Yaakov accepted the offer to have some of Esav's men accompany him.¹⁷

Plan Changed

Chapter 32 describes Yaakov original division of his camp, in which his family was placed in the relative safety of the second camp.  However, Chapter 33 follows Yaakov's defeat of the angel / man in the nocturnal encounter which sufficiently reassured him, so that he either no longer saw a need to split his camp or became brave enough to approach with his family as part of the first 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 placed in each camp?

• Family vs. possessions – The Akeidat Yitzchak asserts that Yaakov placed his family in one camp and his possessions in the other, but that some warriors accompanied each group.
• 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.¹⁸  He preferred that they either all survive or all perish together.
• Possessions split but 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.¹⁹  He assumes that Yaakov trusted in Hashem's promise²⁰ that he and his children would stay safe and so he felt no need to split them.²¹

"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 "remnant to be saved".

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – Both R. Avraham b. HaRambam and the Netziv assert that the "אִישׁ" came to bolster Yaakov's confidence that he would be able to defeat Esav.²²

Arrangement of wives and children in Chapter 33

• According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam and Netziv, after being encouraged by the struggle with the angel/man, Yaakov no longer felt it necessary to split his camp.  R. Avraham b. HaRambam maintains that 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.²³
• In contrast, the Akeidat Yitzchak maintains that while Yaakov's morale was bolstered, he did not undo the original split or let down his guard entirely.  He asserts that although originally Yaakov had intended to place his own camp second, after being encouraged by the vision of the "אִישׁ", he switched the order so that his own camp would be first.²⁴

Why are the two camps of Chapter 32 not mentioned in Chapter 33?

• Recombined – According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam and Netziv, by the time of the encounter, the two camps had been recombined.
• Followed behind – According to the Akeidat Yitzchak, the verses detailing the actual meeting mention only the members of the family camp, as the rest of the household and possessions followed them and played no role

Why send to Seir? According to R. Avraham b. HaRambam and Netziv, 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.²⁵

Esav's intentions – All of 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.²⁶  Due to Hashem's promise, though, he did not fear that the children themselves would perish.²⁷

Unanswered prayers – The Akeidat Yitzchak posits that, after Yaakov's prayer to Hashem, he "slept in the camp" preparing for Hashem to answer him via a prophetic vision. However, Hashem did not respond immediately, since Yaakov needed to do more on the human level before expecting Divine intervention. Only after Yaakov sent the gift to Esav did Hashem reply through the nocturnal encounter with the angel / man.²⁸

Tribute – The Akeidat Yitzchak asserts that Yaakov's gift was intended to be a more proper payment for the birthright which he had previously purchased for merely the lentil stew. This, Yaakov hoped, would appease Esav.

Plan Foiled

While Yaakov originally split his camp in an attempt to enable his family to flee, 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. Meir²⁹

"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.³⁰

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 messengers' 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 entire 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 Yaakov's sending of the gift to Esav and having his servants say that Yaakov is following shortly, is all a ruse intended to deceive Esav and facilitate Yaakov's escape.

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.³¹

The struggle with the "אִישׁ" – According to Rashbam, the confrontation was both punitive (for his lack of belief in Hashem's providence)³² and preventative. The angel detained Yaakov overnight, preventing his flight and leaving him no choice but to encounter Esav.

Arrangement of wives and family in Chapter 33 – When Yaakov realized that he had lost his opportunity to bring his family to safety, he was forced to recombine his two camps, and have them all meet Esav.  When he did so, he tried to at least arrange 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 bank of the Yabbok River Esav would arrive.  As a result, it was specifically the family camp which found itself face to face with Esav, which was the opposite of Yaakov's intent.

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 hoped that Esav might not even be aware of the second camp's existence and would 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.  Thus, it is only they who are mentioned in the opening verses of Chapter 33.

Arrangement 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.³³

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 angered by Yaakov's decision to split his household in two and its implication that Yaakov thought that Hashem would not be able to save both groups.³⁴

"וְהִנֵּה גַם הוּא אַחֲרֵינוּ" – Since Abarbanel assumes that Yaakov was not planning on confronting Esav, this verse is difficult.³⁵ 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 – Abarbanel³⁶ maintains that Yaakov's gift was intended to appease Esav and serve as compensation for the birthright which he had previously purchased for merely a bowl of lentils.

¹ Though Bereshit 33:2 at first read sounds as if it is speaking of a division into three (maidservants, Leah and Rachel), the fact that the verse states that both Leah and Rachel were "אַחֲרֹנִים" might suggest that they were both, together, in the "last" camp.

² 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.

³ See Bereshit Rabbah 77:3.

⁴ It is possible that R. Bachya thinks that  Yaakov had sent word to Edom, but without any intention of meeting Esav face to face at this point on his journey.  Only when he heard that Esav was approaching, did he start preparing for a confrontation.

⁵ See H. Seri, "ועתה הייתי לשתי מחנות", Megadim 40 (2004): 17-25.

⁶ 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.

⁷ See Yoav's similar strategy in Shemuel II 10:9-12, where he tells his brother, "אִם תֶּחֱזַק אֲרָם מִמֶּנִּי וְהָיִתָה לִּי לִישׁוּעָה וְאִם בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן יֶחֶזְקוּ מִמְּךָ וְהָלַכְתִּי לְהוֹשִׁיעַ לָךְ".

⁸ See HaKetav VeHaKabbalahBereshit 32About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg who explains similarly.  However, there is no evidence for such a usage of "פְּלֵיטָה".  In its various appearances in Tanakh, it always means a remnant that is saved, not the salvation of others.  See, for instance, Bereshit 45:7, Melakhim II 19:31, and Yeshayahu 37:32 where it parallels "שארית".

⁹ See Hashem's words to Yaakov in Bereshit 28: "וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ"

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ See Bereshit 33:3, that Yaakov passed all of his family in order to move to the front.

¹² 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 ("וְאֶת לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ אַחֲרֹנִים וְאֶת רָחֵל וְאֶת יוֹסֵף אַחֲרֹנִים"), which describes both Rachel and Leah as being last ("אַחֲרֹנִים").

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ Since Esav planned to annihilate Yaakov's camp, all of Yaakov's property would be his in any case.

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ 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. the 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.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ Accordng to him, the word "עַם" refers to the masses of people and cattle who were with Yaakov, but not to his close relatives.

¹⁹ Like R. Avraham b. HaRambam, he, too, reads "הָעָם" to refer to the larger household rather than Yaakov's immediate family.

²⁰ See Hashem's words to Yaakov in Bereshit 28: "וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ"

²¹ 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".

²² For further discussion of this read of the story see Wrestling With Angels and Men.

²³ 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 so that they would absorb the brunt of the impact.

²⁴ He suggests that once Yaakov was no longer worried about his family's personal safety, he could worry about his possessions. Yaakov did not want Esav's "evil eye" to fall on the cattle and harm them, and so he moved them to the back.

²⁵ 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.

²⁶ He reads the phrase "אֵם עַל בָּנִים" literally, as referring to the mothers as they stood atop their children guarding them.

²⁷ See above that he thought that Hashem' promise of protection included his sons, who were part of him, but not necessarily his wives.

²⁸ 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.

²⁹ 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 Chapter 32 suggests this approach.

³⁰ Yaakov might not have been worried about the safety of the first camp itself, assuming that Esav was looking to attack him personally.

³¹ Rashbam finds a parallel to a nighttime escape over a river in David's flight from Avshalom (Shemuel II 17:22).

³² This is the reason that he is hurt in the thigh. Rashbam compares Yaakov to Moshe, Bilam, and Yonah, who each tried to avoid fulfilling the mission assigned to them by Hashem, and were similarly punished. Each is put into a potentially fatal situation, and Bilam is also hurt in his leg.

³³ 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".

³⁴ He also raises the possibility, like Akeidat Yitzchak above, that Hashem expected Yaakov to do more on his own before looking to Divine intervention.

³⁵ He could have easily explained, as does Rashbam above, that this was merely a ruse to deceive Esav.

³⁶ In this he follows Akeidat Yitzchak.