Jacob is restless before meeting Esau

(Howard's notes)

20 October 2012

“Dark night of the soul” – separated from God, spiritual struggle, crisis of faith

21. And you shall say, 'Also, behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.' " For he said, "I will appease his anger with the gift that is going before me, and afterwards I will see his face, perhaps he will favor me."

32:21

Form of word for face (פנים) is repeated four times; Jacob wants to placate Esau.

Alter – idiom of covering face means placate or propitiate, such as encountering royalty, paying court; seeing in a deferential way; showing favor.

Hirsch – Jacob is ashamed to look directly at Esau; by giving the gift, this fear and shame will disappear.

Richard Friedman – on “face” and “lift up” - sees face of Esau and sees face of God (in the next chapter)

Shmuel Klitsner’s Wrestling Jacob a psychological analysis based on the two camps in 32:12

22. So the gift passed on before him, and he lodged that night in the camp.

32:22

Gift goes on ahead – Abravanel comments that Jacob inspected his gifts.

Ramban on spend the night in the camp – ready for combat should Esau appear; others disagree – did he spend night with wives?

23. And he arose during that night, and he took his two wives and his two maidservants and his eleven children, and he crossed the ford of [the] Jabbok.

32:23 – If Jacob cannot sleep, why does he get up?

Sarna – He is restless

Rashi – He wants to move toward Esau to bring confrontation sooner and closer.

Rashbam – opposite of Rashi: Jacob plans to flee Esau to avoid confrontation.

Eleven children are mentioned (all but Benjamin, who wasn’t born yet)

Only sons from whom 12 tribes would evolve [?]

Rashi – if Dinah married Esau, she might have led him to a more virtuous path; instead, she has an unfortunate encounter with a man in Sh’chem.  No compassion for Esau.  For this action, Jacob was punished.

Did Jacob really have a camp?  “Camp” implies a group of people, but Jacob was alone.

וַיָּקָם בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא: grammatically, הוא should be הַהוּא.  Some commentators believe הוא refers to He (God).

Crossing the Jabbok

Etz Hayim – transition for Jacob

Jabbok – related to wrestling match, same root

Jabbok is a tributary of the Jordan about halfway between Dead Sea and Kinneret

Sarna – crossing this river at night was a treacherous undertaking – he wants to get closer to Esau to take advantage of his good mood

24. And he took them and brought them across the stream, and he took across what was his.

32:24 – why is Jacob left alone; why does he cross back to be by himself?

Rashi – he forgot something – righteous people take care of their possessions; children’s water bottles He had forgotten small bottles and returned for them. — [from Beresheit Rabbah 77:2 and Chullin 91a] 

He wants to run away.

Like Western such as High Noon and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon -- a hero under internal conflict

Shmuel Klitsner, Wrestling Jacob (Freudian analysis)

Jacob cannot go forward until he confronts his past, the hidden baggage (bottles of Rashi) – the source of his fears and repressions.

Jabbok is an inversion of word “Jacob”, i.e., Jacob will be turned inside out.

25. And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.

32:25, why was Jacob “left alone”?

Munk, citing Midrash – Jews reside alone in the universe; solitary Jacob is the way Jews have journeyed through history

Growth Through Torah, Pliskin – also cites Midrash – being alone is a good thing because it emulates God.  Willingness to stand on your own – this is what teens are taught.  Everyone can attain his life’s goals without other people.