 Chapter 6 Jacob, Part 3 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. Esau's marriage with the daughters of the Canaanites was an abomination, not only in the eyes of his mother, but also in the eyes of his father. He suffered even more than Rebecca through the idolatrous practices of his daughters-in-law. It is the nature of a man to oppose less resistance than woman to disagreeable circumstances. A bone is not harmed by a collision that would shiver an earthen pot in pieces. Man who is created out of the dust of the ground has not the endurance of woman formed out of bone. Isaac was made prematurely old by the conduct of his daughters-in-law, and he lost the sight of his eyes. Rebecca had been accustomed in the home of her childhood to the incense burnt before idols, and she could therefore bear it under her own roof-tree. Unlike her, Isaac had never had any such experience while he abode with his parents, and he was stung by the smoke arising from the sacrifices offered to their idols by his daughters-in-law in his own house. Isaac's eyes had suffered earlier in life, too. When he lay bound upon the altar, about to be sacrificed by his father, the angels wept and their tears fell upon his eyes, and there they remained and weakened his sight. At the same time he had brought the scourge of blindness down upon himself by his love for Esau. He justified the wicked for a bribe, the bribe of Esau's filial love, and loss of vision is the punishment that follows the taking of bribes. A gift, it is said, blinds the eyes of the wise. Nevertheless, his blindness proved a benefit for Isaac as well as Jacob. In consequence of his physical ailments, Isaac had to keep it home, and so he was spared the pain of being pointed out by the people as the father of the wicked Esau. And again, if his power of vision had been unimpaired, he would not have blessed Jacob. As it was, God treated him as a physician treats a sick man who is forbidden to drink wine, for which, however, he has a strong desire. To placate him the physician orders that warm water be given him in the dark, and he be told that it is wine. When Isaac reached the age of one hundred and twenty-three, and was thus approaching the years attained by his mother, he began to meditate upon his end. It is proper that a man should prepare for death when he comes close to the age at which either of his parents passed out of life. Isaac reflected that he did not know whether the age allotted to him was his mother's or his father's, and he therefore resolved to bestow his blessing upon his older son, Esau, before death should overtake him. He summoned Esau, and he said, My son, and Esau replied, Here am I, but the Holy Spirit interposed. Though he disguises his voice and makes it sound sweet, put no confidence in him. There are seven abominations in his heart. He will destroy seven holy places—the tabernacle, the sanctuaries at Gilgal, Shiloh, Nab, and Gibeon—the first and the second temple. Gently though Esau continued to speak to his father, he yet longed for his end to come. But Isaac was stricken with spiritual as well as physical blindness. The Holy Spirit deserted him, and he could not discern the wickedness of his older son. He bad him sharpened his slaughtering knives, and beware of bringing him the flesh of an animal that had died of itself, or had been torn by a beast, and he was to guard also against putting an animal before Isaac that had been stolen from its rightful owner. Then continued Isaac, Will I bless him who is worthy of being blessed? This charge was laid upon Esau on the eve of Passover, and Isaac said to him, Tonight the whole world will sing the halal unto God. It is the night when the storehouses of dew are unlocked. Or prepare dainties for me that my soul may bless thee before I die. But the Holy Spirit interposed, Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye. Isaac's longing for tidbits was due to his blindness. As the sightless cannot behold the food they eat, they do not enjoy it with full relish, and their appetite must be tempted with particularly palatable morsels. Esau sallied forth to procure what his father desired, little reckoning the whence or how, whether by robbery or theft. To hinder the quick execution of his father's order God sent Satan on the chase with Esau. He was to delay him as long as possible. Esau would catch a deer and leave him lying bound while he pursued other game. Immediately Satan would come and liberate the deer, and when Esau returned to the spot his victim was not to be found. This was repeated several times. Again and again the quarry was run down and bound and liberated so that Jacob was able meanwhile to carry out the plan of Rebekah whereby he would be blessed instead of Esau. Though Rebekah had not heard the words that had passed between Isaac and Esau they nevertheless were revealed to her through the Holy Spirit, and she resolved to restrain her husband from taking a false step. She was not actuated by love for Jacob but by the wish of keeping Isaac from committing a detestable act. Rebekah said to Jacob, This night the storehouses of Dew are unlocked. It is the night during which the celestial beings chant the Hallel unto God, the night set apart for the deliverance of thy children from Egypt, on which they too will sing the Hallel. Go now and prepare savory meat for thy father that he may bless thee before his death. Do as I bid thee, obey me as thou art want, for thou art my son whose children every one will be good and God fearing, not one shall be graceless. In spite of his great respect for his mother Jacob refused at first to heed her command. He feared he might commit a sin, especially as he might thus bring his father's curse down upon him. As it was Isaac might still have a blessing for him after giving Esau his. But Rebekah elayed his anxieties with the words, When Adam was cursed the malediction fell upon his mother, the earth, and so shall I, thy mother, bear the implication, if thy father curses thee. Moreover if the worst comes to the worst I am prepared to step before thy father and tell him Esau is a villain and Jacob is a righteous man. Thus constrained by his mother Jacob in tears and with body bowed went off to execute the plan made by Rebekah. As he was to provide a Passover meal she bade him get two kids, one for the Passover sacrifice and one for the festival sacrifice. To soothe Jacob's conscience she added that her marriage contract entitled her to two kids daily, and she continued, These two kids will bring good unto thee, the blessing of thy father, and they will bring good unto thy children, for two kids will be the atoning sacrifice offered on the day of atonement. Jacob's hesitation was not yet removed. His father, he feared, would touch him and convince himself that he was not Harry and therefore not his son Esau. Accordingly Rebekah tore the skins of the two kids into strips and sewed them together, for Jacob was so tall, a giant, that otherwise they would not have suffice to cover his hands. To make Jacob's disguise complete Rebekah felt justified in putting Esau's wonderful garments on him. They were the high priestly raiment in which God had clothed Adam, the firstborn of the world, for in the days before the erection of the tabernacle all the firstborn males officiated as priests. From Adam these garments descended to Noah, who transmitted them to Shem, and Shem bequeathed them to Abraham, and Abraham to his son Isaac, from whom they reached Esau as the older of his two sons. It was the opinion of Rebekah that as Jacob had brought the birthright from his brother, he had thereby come into possession of the garments as well. There was no need for her to go and fetch them from the house of Esau. He knew his wives far too well to entrust so precious a treasure to them. They were in the safekeeping of his mother. Besides, he used them most frequently in the house of his parents. As a rule he did not lay much stress upon decent apparel. He was willing to appear on the street clad in rags, but he considered it his duty to wait upon his father or raid in his best. My father, Esau was in the habit of saying, is a king in my sight, and it would ill become me to serve before him in anything but royal apparel. To the great respect he manifested toward his father, the descendants of Esau owe all their good fortune on earth. Thus doth God reward a good deed. Jacob led Jacob equipped in a raid in this way to the door of Isaac's chamber. There she parted from him with the words, Henceforward may thy creator assist thee. Jacob entered, addressing Isaac with father, and receiving the response, Here am I, who art thou my son? He replied equivocally, It is I, thy firstborn son, is Esau. He sought to avoid a falsehood, and yet not betray that he was Jacob. Isaac then said, Thou art greatly in haste to secure thy blessing. Thy father Abraham was seventy-five years old when he was blessed, and thou art but sixty-three. Jacob replied awkwardly, Because the Lord thy God sent me good speed. Isaac concluded at once that this was not Esau, for he would not have mentioned the name of God, and he made up his mind to feel the son before him and make sure who he was. Terror seized upon Jacob at the words of Isaac. Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son. A cold sweat covered his body, and his heart melted like wax. Then God caused the archangels Michael and Gabriel to descend. The one seized his right hand, the other his left, while the Lord God himself supported him, that his courage might not fail him. Isaac felt him, and finding his hands hairy, he said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Words in which he conveyed the prophecy, that so long ago as the voice of Jacob was heard in the houses of prayer and learning, the hands of Esau will not be able to prevail against him. Yes, he continued, It is the voice of Jacob, the voice that imposes silence upon those on earth and in heaven, for even the angels may not raise their voices in praise of God until Israel has finished his prayers. Isaac's scruples about blessing the son before him were not yet removed, for with his prophetical eye he foresaw that this one would have descendants who would vex the Lord. At the same time it was revealed to him that even the sinners in Israel would turn penitence, and then he was ready to bless Jacob. He bade him come near and kiss him, to indicate that it would be Jacob who would imprint the last kiss upon Isaac before he was consigned to the grave, he and none other. When Jacob stood close to him he discerned the fragrance of paradise clinging to him, and he exclaimed, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of the field which the Lord hath blessed. The fragrance emanating from Jacob was not the only thing about him derived from paradise. The archangel Michael had fetched thence the wine which Jacob gave his father to drink, that an exalted mood might descend upon him, for only when a man is joyously excited the shekenna rests upon him. The Holy Spirit filled Isaac, and he gave Jacob his tenfold blessing. God give thee the dew of the heaven, the celestial dew wherewith God will awaken the pious to new life and days to come. And of the fatness of the earth, the goods of this world, and plenty of corn and wine, the Torah and the commandments which besow the same joy upon man as abundant harvests. People shall serve thee, the Japathites and the Hamites, nations shall bow down to thee, the Shemite nations, thou wilt be lord over thy brethren, the Ishmaelites, and the descendants of Keturah. Thy mother's sons will bow down to thee, Esau and his princes. Blessed be everyone that curses thee like Balam, and blessed be everyone that blesseth thee like Moses. For each blessing invoked upon Jacob by his father Isaac, a similar blessing was bestowed upon him by God himself in the same words. As Isaac blessed him with dew, so also God, and the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from the earth. Isaac blessed him with the fatness of the earth, so also God, and he shall give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground with all, and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. Isaac blessed him with plenty of corn and wine, so also God. I will send you corn and wine. Isaac said, peoples shall serve thee, so also God. Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. They shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust off thy feet. Isaac said, nations shall also bow down to thee, so also God, and he will make the high above all nations which he hath made in praise and in name and in honor. To this double blessing his mother Rebecca joined hers, for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash their feet against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young line and the serpent shall thou trample under feet. As he hath set his love upon me, and therefore I will deliver him, but I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. The Holy Spirit added in turn. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I shall deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Jacob let the presence of his father crowned like a bridegroom, adorned like a bride, and bathed in celestial dew, which filled his bones with marrow and transformed him into a hero and a giant. Of a miracle done for him at that very moment Jacob himself was not aware. Had he tarried with his father an instant longer Esau would have met him there, and would surely have slain him. It happened that exactly as Jacob was on the point of leaving the tent of his father, carrying in his hands the plates off which Isaac had eaten, he noticed Esau approaching, and he concealed himself behind the door. Suddenly it was a revolving door, so that, though he could see Esau, he could not be seen by him. CHAPTER VI ESAW ARRIVED after a delay of four hours. In spite of all the efforts he had put forth he had not succeeded in catching any game, and he was compelled to kill a dog and prepare its flesh for its father's meal. All this had made Esau ill-humored, and when he bade his father partake of the meal the invitation sounded harsh. Let my father arise, he had said, and eat of his son's venison. Jacob had spoken differently. He had said, Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison. The words of Esau terrified Isaac greatly. His fright exceeded that which he had felt when his father was about to offer him as a sacrifice, and he cried out, Who then is he that hath been mediator between me and the Lord, to make the blessing reach Jacob? Words meant to imply that he suspected Rebecca of having instigated Jacob's act. Isaac's alarm was caused by his seeing hell at the feet of Esau. Scarcely had he entered the house when the walls thereof began to get hot on account of the nearness of hell which he brought along with him. Isaac could not but exclaim, Who will be burnt down yonder, I or my son Jacob? And the Lord answered him, Neither thou nor Jacob but the Hunter. Isaac told Esau that the meat set before him by Jacob had marvelous qualities. Any saver that one desired it possessed it was even endowed with the taste of the food that God will grant the pious in the world to come. I know not, he said, what the meat was, but I only had to wish for bread and it tasted like bread, or fish, or locusts, or flesh of animals. In short it had the taste of any dainty one could wish for. When Esau heard the word flesh he began to weep, and he said, To me Jacob gave no more than a dish of lentils, and in payment for it he took my birthright. What must he have taken from me for flesh of animals? Hitherto Isaac had been in great anguish on account of the thought that he had committed a wrong in giving his blessing to his younger son instead of the firstborn, to whom it belonged by law and custom. But when he heard that Jacob had acquired the birthright from Esau, he said, I gave my blessing to the right one. In his dismay Isaac had had the intention of cursing Jacob for having rested the blessing from him through cunning. God prevented him from carrying out his plan. He reminded him that he would but curse himself, seeing that his blessing contained the words, Cursed be every one that cursed thee. But Isaac was not willing to acknowledge his blessing valid as applied to Jacob, until he was informed that his second son was the possessor of the birthright. Only then did he say, Ye he shall be blessed, where at Esau cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry. By way of punishment for having been the cause of such distress, a descendant of Jacob, Mordecai, was also made to cry with a loud and bitter cry, and his grief was brought forth by the amicalite Haman, the descendant of Esau. At the words of Isaac thy brother came with wisdom, and hath taken away thy blessing. Isaac spat out in vexation, and said, He took away my birthright, and I kept silence, and now that he takes away my blessing, should I also keep silence? Is not he rightly named Jacob, for he hath supplanted me these two times? Isaac continued to speak to Esau. He told, I have made him thy lord, he is thy king, and do what thou will, thy blessings will still belong to him. All his brethren I have given to him for slaves, and what slaves possess belong to the owner. There is nothing for it, thou must be content that thou will receive thy bread baked from thy master. The lord took it ill of Isaac that he cheered himself with such kind words. To mine enemy he reproached him, thou sayest, What shall I do for thee, my son? Isaac replied, O, that he might find grace with thee. God, he is a requriant. Isaac, doth he not act righteously when he honors his parents? God, in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully? He will stretch his hand forth in days to come against the temple. Isaac, then let him enjoy much good in this world, that he may not behold the abiding place of the lord in the world to come. When it became plain to Esau that he could not induce his father to annul the blessing bestowed upon Jacob, he tried to force a blessing for himself by an underhand trick. He said, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father, else it will be said, Thou hast but one blessing to bestow. Suppose both Jacob and I had been righteous men. Had not then thy God had two blessings, one for each? The lord himself made reply, Silence! Jacob will bless the twelve tribes, and each blessing will be different from every other. But Isaac felt great pity for his older son, and he wanted to bless him, but the shekinah forsook him, and he could not carry out what he purposed. Thereupon Esau began to weep. He shed three tears, one ran from his right eye, the second from his left eye, and the third remained hanging from his eyelash. God said, This villain cries for his very life, and should I let him depart empty-handed? And he then bade Isaac to bless his older son. The blessing of Isaac ran thus, Behold, of the fat of the earth shall be thy dwelling, by which he meant greater Greece in Italy, and of the dew of heaven from above, referring to Bette Gubrin, and by thy sword shall thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother. But when he cast off the yoke of the lord, then shalt thou shake his yoke from off thy neck, and thou wilt be his master. The blessing which Isaac gave to his older son was bound to no condition whatsoever. Whether he deserved them or not, Esau was to enjoy the goods of this world. Jacob's blessing, however, depended on his pious deeds. Through them he would have a just claim upon earthly prosperity. Isaac thought, Jacob is a righteous man, he will not murmur against God, though it should come to pass that suffering be inflicted upon him in spite of his upright life. But that reporate Esau, if he should do a good deed, or pray to God and not be heard, he would say, As I pray to the idols for not, so it is vain to pray to God. For this reason did Isaac bestow an unconditional blessing upon Esau. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1, by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Jacob Leaves His Father's House Esau hated his brother Jacob on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and Jacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he fled to the house of Eber, son of Shem, and he concealed himself there fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he continued there to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments. When Esau saw that Jacob had fled and escaped from him, and Jacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother. He also rose up and took his wife, and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir. There he married his second wife, Bassimeth, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he called her name Adah, saying that the blessing had, in that time, passed from him. After dwelling in Seir for six months, Esau returned to the land of Canaan, and placed his two wives in his father's house in Hebron. And the wives of Esau vexed and provoked Isaac and Rebekah with their works, for they walked not in the ways of the Lord, but served their father's gods of wood and stone, as their fathers had taught them, and they were more wicked than their fathers. They sacrificed and burnt incense to Baalim, and Isaac and Rebekah became weary of them. At the end of fourteen years of Jacob's residing in the house of Eber, Jacob desired to see his father and his mother, and he returned home. Esau had forgotten in those days what Jacob had done to him, in having taken the blessing from him, but when Esau saw Jacob returning to his parents he remembered what Jacob had done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him, and he saw it to slay him. But Esau would not kill Jacob while his father was yet alive, lest Isaac beget another son. He wanted to be sure of being the only heir. However, his hatred against Jacob was so great that he determined to hasten the death of his father and then dispatch Jacob. Such murderous plans Esau cherished in his heart, though he denied that he was harboring them. But God spoke, probably thou knowest not that I examine the hearts of men, for I am the Lord that searches the heart. And not God alone knew the secret desires of Esau. Rebecca, like all mothers, was a prophetess, and she delayed not to warn Jacob of the danger that hung over him. Thy brother, she said to him, is as sure of accomplishing his wicked purpose as though thou werest dead. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee thou to laben my brother to Heran and tarry with him for seven years, until thy brother's fury turn away. In the goodness of her heart Rebecca could not but believe that the anger of Esau was only a fleeting passion, and would disappear in the course of time. But she was mistaken, his hate persisted until the end of his life. Courageous as he was, Jacob would not run from danger. He said to his mother, I am not afraid. If he wishes to kill me, I will kill him. To which she replied, Let me not be bereaved of both my sons in one day. By words Rebecca again showed her prophetic gift. As she spoke so it happened. When their time came, Esau was slain while the burial of Jacob was taking place. And Jacob said to Rebecca, Behold, thou knowest that my father has become old and does not see, and if I leave him and go away he will be angry and will curse me. I will not go if he sends me, only then I will go. Accordingly Rebecca went to Isaac, and amid tears she spoke to him thus. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, what good shall my life do me? When Isaac called Jacob and charged him and said done to him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of the Lord, which he had commanded him, saying, Unto thy seed I will give the land, if thy children keep my covenant that I have made with thee. Then will I also perform to thy children that which I have spoken unto thee, and I will not forsake them. Now therefore my son, hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command thee, and refrain from taking a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Haran, to the house of Bethul, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother. Take heed, lest thou should forget the Lord thy God and all his ways in the land to which thou goest, and shouldst join thyself to the people of the land, and pursue vanity, and forsake the Lord thy God. But when thou comest to the land, serve the Lord. Do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I have commanded thee, and which thou didst learn. And may the Almighty God grant thee favor before the people of that land, that thou mayest take a wife there according to thy choice, one who is good and upright in the way of the Lord. And may God give unto thee in thy seed the blessings of thy father Abraham, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and mayest thou become a multitude of people in the land whither thou goest. And may God cause thee to return to thy land, the land of thy father's dwelling, with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure. As the value of a document is attested by its concluding words, the signature of the witnesses, so Isaac confirmed the blessing that he had bestowed upon Jacob. That none might say Jacob had secured it by intrigue and cunning, he blessed him again with three blessings in these words. In so far as I am endowed with the power of blessing, I bestow upon thee. May God, with whom there is endless blessing, give thee his, and also the blessing wherewith Abraham desired to bless me, desisting only in order not to provoke the jealousy of Ishmael. Seeing with his prophetic eye that the seed of Jacob would once again be compelled to go into exile, Isaac offered up one more petition, that God would bring the exiles back again. He said, He shall deliver thee in six troubles, and in the seventh there shall no evil touch thee. He also, Rebecca, prayed to God in behalf of Jacob, O Lord of the world, let not the purpose prosper which Esau harbors against Jacob. Put a bridle upon him that he accomplished not all he wills to do. When Esau observed that even his father's love had passed from him to Jacob, he went away to Ishmael, and he addressed him as follows. Lo, as thy father gave all his possessions to thy brother Isaac, and dismissed thee with empty hands, so my father purposeth to do to me. If thyself ready, then, go forth and slay thy brother, and I will slay mine, and then we too shall divide the whole world between us. An Ishmael replied, Why dost thou want me to slay thy father? Thou canst do it thyself. Esau said, It hath happened a foretime that a man killed his brother, Cain murdered Abel, but that a son should kill his father is unheard of. Esau did not really shrink back from Parasite, only it chanced not to fit the plan he had hatched. If Ishmael slays my father, he said to himself, I am the rightful redeemer, and I shall kill Ishmael to avenge my father. And then, if, then, I murder Jacob too, everything will belong to me, as the heir of my father and my uncle. This shows that Esau's marriage with Malahalath, the daughter of Ishmael and grandchild of Abraham, was not concluded out of regard for his parents, who were opposed to his two other wives, daughters of the Canaanites. All he desired was to enter into amicable relations with Ishmael in order to execute his devilish plan. But Esau reckoned without his host. The night before his wedding, with Malahalath, Ishmael died, and Neboeth, the son of Ishmael, stepped into his father's place and gave away his sister. How little it had been in Esau's mind to make his parents happy by taking a granddaughter of Abraham to wife appears from the fact that he kept his two other wives, the Canaanites women. The daughter of Ishmael followed the example of her companions, and thus she but added to the grief caused the parents of Esau by their daughters-in-law. And the opportunity might have been a most favorable one to Esau to turn aside from his godless ways and amend his conduct, for the bridegroom is pardoned on his wedding-day for all his sins committed in years gone by. Scarcely had Jacob left his father's house when Rebekah began to weep, for she was sorely distressed about him. It comforted her, saying, Weep not for Jacob. In peace doth he depart, and in peace he will return. The Lord, God most high, will guard him against all evil and be with him. He will not forsake him all the days of his life. Have no fear for him, for he walketh on the right path. He is a perfect man, and he hath faith in God. He will not perish. End of Chapter 6, Part 4 Chapter 6, Part 5 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by M. L. Cohen, Cleveland, Ohio, July 2007. Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. By Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Jacob pursued by Eliphaz and Esau. When Jacob went away to go to Heron, Esau called his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob, and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging unto him, and come back. And Eliphaz was dexterous and expert with the bow, as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man. And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him. And Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old. And he arose and went and took ten of his mother's brothers with him, and pursued Jacob. And he followed Jacob closely, and when he overtook him, he lay in ambush for him on the borders of the land of Canaan, opposite to the city of Shechehem. And Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing after him, and Jacob stood in the place in which he was going in order to know what it was, for he did not understand their purpose. Eliphaz drew his sword, and went on advancing he and his men towards Jacob, and Jacob said unto them, Wherefore have you come hither, and why do you pursue with your swords? Eliphaz came near to Jacob and answered him as follows, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me. And when Jacob saw that Esau had impressed his command urgently upon Eliphaz, he approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying, Behold, all that I have, and that which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto thee, and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing that thou wilt do with me be accounted unto thee as righteousness. And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, but took all his belongings together with the silver and gold he had brought with him from Beersheba. They left him nothing. When Eliphaz and his men returned to Esau and told him all that had happened to them with Jacob, he was wrothed with his son Eliphaz and with his men, because they had not put Jacob to death. And they answered and said unto Esau, Because Jacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was moved toward him, and we took all belonging to him, and we came back. Esau then took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob, and he put them by in his house. Nevertheless Esau did not give up the hope of intercepting Jacob on his flight and slaying him. He pursued him, and with his men occupied the road along which he had to journey to Haran. There a great miracle happened to Jacob. When he observed what Esau's intention was, he turned off toward the Jordan River. And with his eyes directed to God, he cleft the waters with his wanderers' staff, and succeeded in crossing to the other side. But Esau was not to be deterred. He kept up the pursuit, and reached the hot springs at Baras before his brother, who had to pass by there. Jacob, not knowing that Esau was on the watch for him, decided to bathe in the spring, saying, I have neither bread nor other things needful, so I will at least warm my body in the waters of the well. While he was in the bath, Esau occupied every exit, and Jacob would surely have perished in the hot water, if the Lord had not caused a miracle to come to pass. A new opening formed of itself, and through it Jacob escaped. Thus were fulfilled the words, quote, When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt. For Jacob was saved from the waters of the Jordan, and from the fire of the hot spring. At the same time with Jacob, a rider leaving his horse and his clothes on the shore, had stepped into the river to cool off, but he was overwhelmed by the waves, and he met his death. Jacob put on the dead man's clothes, mounted his horse, and went off. It was a lucky chance, for Eliphaz had stripped him of everything, even his clothes, and the miracle of the river had happened only, that he might not be forced to appear naked among men. Although Jacob was robbed of all his possessions, his courage did not fail him. He said, Should I lose hope in my Creator? I set my eyes upon the merits of my fathers. For the sake of them the Lord will give me his aid. And God said, Jacob, Thou putest thy trust in the merits of thy fathers. Therefore I will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber, yea, still more. While a keeper watcheth only by day as a rule, and sleepeth by night, I will guard thee day and night, for behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord will keep thee from all evil, from Esau as well as Laban. He will keep thy soul that the angel of death do thee no hurt. He will keep thy going out, and thy coming in. He will support thee now, thou art leaving Canaan, and when thou returnest to Canaan. Jacob was reluctant to leave the Holy Land before he received direct permission from God. My parents, he reflected, bade me go forth in sojourn outside of the land, but who knows whether it be the will of God that I do as they say, and beget children outside of the Holy Land. Accordingly he betook himself to Barashiba. There where the Lord had given permission to Isaac to depart from Canaan and go to Philistia, he would learn the will of the Lord concerning himself. He did not follow the example of his father and grandfather and take refuge with Abimelech, because he feared the king might force him also into a covenant, and make it impossible for his descendants of many generations to take possession of the Philistine land. Nor could he stay at home, because of his fear that Esau might rest the birthright and blessing from him. And to that he would not and could not agree. He was as little disposed to take up the combat with Esau, for he knew the truth of the maxim, quote, He who courts danger will be overcome by it. He who avoids danger will overcome it. Both Abraham and Isaac had lived according to this rule. His grandfather had fled from Nimrod, and his father had gone away from the Philistines. The Legends of the Jews, Volume One, by Rabbi Lewis Ginsburg. The Day of Miracles Jacob's journey to Heran was a succession of miracles. The first of the five that befell for his sake in the course of it was that the sun sank while Jacob was passing Mount Moriah, though it was high noon at the time. He was following the spring that appeared whenever the patriarchs went or settled. It accompanied Jacob from Berishiba to Mount Moriah a two day's journey. When he arrived at the Holy Hill, Lord said to him, Jacob, thou hast spread in thy wallet, and the spring of waters is nearby to quench thy thirst. Thus thou hast food and drink, and here thou canst lodge for the night. But Jacob replied, The sun has barely passed the fifth of its twelve day stages. Why should I lie down to sleep so unseemly an hour? But then Jacob perceived that the sun was about to sink, and he prepared to make ready his bed. It was the divine purpose not to let Jacob pass the sight of the future temple without stopping. He was to tarry there at least one night. Also God desired to appear unto Jacob, and he shows himself unto his faithful ones only at night. At the same time Jacob was safe in the pursuit of Esau, who had to desist on account of the premature darkness. Jacob took twelve stones from the altar on which his father Isaac had lain bound as a sacrifice, and he said, It was the purpose of God to let twelve tribes arrives, but they have not been begotten by Abraham or Isaac. If now these twelve stones will unite into a single one, then I shall know for a certainty that I am destined to become the father of the twelve tribes. At this time the second miracle came to pass. The twelve stones joined themselves together and made one, which he put under his head, and at once it became soft and downy like a pillow. It was well that he had a comfortable couch. He was in great need of rest, for it was the first night and fourteen years that he did not keep vigil. During all those years, past in Eber's house of learning, he had devoted the nights to study. And for twenty years to come he was not to sleep, for while he was with his uncle Laban, he spent all the night and every night reciting the Psalms. On the whole it was a night of marvels. He dreamed a dream in which the course of the world's history was unfolded to him. On a ladder set up on the earth, with the top of it reaching to heaven, he beheld the two angels who had been set to Sodom. For one hundred and thirty-eight years they had been banished from the celestial regions because they had betrayed their secret mission to Lot. They had accompanied Jacob from his father's house Dither, and now they were ascending heavenward. When they arrived there he heard them call the other angels and say, Come ye, and see the countenance of the pious Jacob, whose likeness appears on the divine throne, ye who yearned long to see it. And then he beheld the angels ascend from heaven to gaze upon him. He also saw the angels of the four kingdoms ascend them to latter. The angel of Babylon mounted seventy rounds, the angel of Medea fifty-two, that of Greece one hundred and eighty, and that of Edom mounted very high, saying, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high. And Jacob heard a voice remonstrating, Yet thou shalt be bought down to hell to the uttermost parts of the pit. God himself reproved Edom, saying, Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence. Furthermore God showed unto Jacob the revelation at Mount Sinai, the translation of Elijah, the temple in its glory and its spoilation, Nebuchadnezzar's attempt to burn the three holy children in the fiery furnace, and Daniel's encounter with Bell. In this, the first prophetic dream dreamed by Jacob, God made him the promise that the land upon which he was lying would be given to him. But the land he lay upon was the whole of Palestine, which God had folded together and put under him. And, the promise continued, Thy seed will be like unto the dust of the earth. As the earth survives all things, so thy children will survive all the nations of the earth. But as the earth is trodden upon by all, so thy children, when they commit trespasses, will be trodden upon by the nations of the earth. And furthermore God promised that Jacob should be spread out to the west and to the east, a greater promise than that given to his father's Abraham and Isaac, to whom he had allotted a limited land. Jacob's was an unbounded possession. From this wondrous dream Jacob awoke with a start of fright on account of the vision he had had the destruction of the temple. He cried out, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, wherein is the gate of heaven through which prayer ascends to him! He took the stone made out of the twelve, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it, which had flowed down from the heaven for him, and God sank this anointed stone unto the abyss to serve as the center of the earth. The same stone, the even shataya, that forms the center of the sanctuary, were on the ineffable name as Graven, the knowledge of which makes man master over nature, and over life and death. Jacob cast himself down before the even shataya and entreated God to fulfill the promise he had given him, and also he prayed that God grant him honorable sustenance. For God had not mentioned bread to eat and raiment to put on, that Jacob might learn to have faith in the Lord. Then he vowed to give the tenth of all he owned unto God if he would but grant his petition. Thus Jacob was the first to take a vow upon himself, and the first two to separate the tithe from his income. God had promised him almost all that is desirable, but he feared he might forfeit the pledge blessings through his sinfulness, and again he prayed earnestly that God bring him back to his father's house, unimpaired in body, possessions, and knowledge, and guard him in the strange land whither he was going, against idolatry, in immortal life, and bloodshed. His prayer at an end Jacob set out on his way to Haran, and the third wonder happened. In the twinkly veneye he arrived at his destination, the earth jumped from Mount Mariah to Haran, a wonder like this God has executed only four times in the whole course of history. The first thing to meet his eye in Haran was the well whence the inhabitants drew their supply of water. Although it was a great city, Haran suffered from dearth of water, and therefore the well could not be used by the people free of charge. Jacob so joined in the city produced a change. By reason of his meritorious deeds the water springs were blessed, and the city had water enough for its needs. Jacob saw a number of people by the well, and he questioned them. My brethren, whence be ye? He thus made himself a model for all to follow. A man should be companiable, and address others like brothers and friends, and not wait for them to greet him. Each one should strive to be the first to give the salutation of peace, that the angels of peace and compassion may come to meet him. When he was informed that the bystanders held from Haran, he made inquiry about the character and vocation of his uncle Laban, and whether they were on terms of friendly intercourse with him. They answered briefly. There is peace between us, but if thou art desirous of inquiring further, here comes Rachel, the daughter of Laban. From her thou canst learn all thou has a mind to learn. They knew that women like to talk, wherefore they referred him to Rachel. Jacob found it strange that so many should be standing idle by the well, and he questioned further. Are you day-labors? Then it is too early for you to put by your work. But if you are pasturing your own sheep, why do you not water your flocks and let them feed? They told him they were waiting until all the shepherds bought their flocks thither, and together rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for Laban had no sons, and a pest having broken out shortly before among his cattle, so few sheep were left that a maiden like Rachel could easily tend them. Now, when Jacob saw the daughter of his mother's brother approaching, he rolled the great stone from the mouth of the well as easily as a cork is drawn from a bottle, the fourth wonder of this extraordinary day. Jacob's strength was equal to the strength of all the shepherds. With his two arms alone he accomplished what usually requires the united forces of a large assemblage of men. He had been divinely endowed with this supernatural strength on leaving the Holy Land. God had caused a dew of the resurrection to drop down upon him, and his physical strength was so great that even in a combat with the angels he was victorious. The fifth and last wonder of the day was that the water rose from the depths of the well to the very top. There was no need to draw it up. And there it remained, all the twenty years that Jacob abode in Heran, end of Chapter 6, Part 5, Chapter 6, Part 6, of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by ML Coe in Cleveland, Ohio, July 2007. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. By Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Jacob with Laban. Rachel's coming to the well at the moment when Jacob reached the territory belonging to Heran was an auspicious omen. To meet young maidens on first entering a city is a sure sign that fortune is favorable to one's undertakings. Experience proves this through Eleazar, Jacob, Moses, and Saul. They all encountered maidens when they approached the place new to them, and they all met with success. Jacob treated Rachel at once as his cousin, which caused significant whispering among the bystanders. They censored Jacob for his demeanor towards her, for since God had sent the deludes upon the world on account of the immoral life led by men, great chastity had prevailed, especially among the people of the East. The talk of the men reduced Jacob to tears. Scarcely had he kissed Rachel when he began to weep, for he repented having done it. There was reason enough for tears. Jacob could not but remember sadly that Eleazar, his grandfather's slave, had brought ten camels laden with presents with him to Heran when he came to sue for the bride of Isaac, while he had not even a ring to give to Rachel. Moreover he foresaw that his favorite wife Rachel would not lie beside him in the grave, and this too made him weep. As soon as Rachel heard that Jacob was her cousin, he ran home to tell her father about his coming. Her mother was no longer among the living, else she would naturally have gone to her. In great haste Laban ran to receive Jacob. He reflected, if Eleazar the bondman had come with ten camels, what would not the favorite son of the family bring with him? And when he saw Jacob was unattended, he concluded that he carried great sums of money in his girdle, and he threw his arms about his waist to find out whether his supposition was true. As appointed in this, he yet did not give up hope that his nephew Jacob was a man of substance. Perhaps he concealed precious stones in his mouth, and he kissed him in order to find out whether he had guessed a right. But Jacob said to him, Thou thinkest I have money, Nay, thou art mistaken, I have but words. Then he went on to tell him how it had come about that he stood before him empty-handed. He said that his father Isaac had sent him on his way provided with gold, silver, and money, but he had encountered Eliphaz who had threatened to slay him. To this assailant Jacob had spoken thus. Know that the descendants of Abraham have an obligation to meet. They will have to serve four hundred years in a land that is not theirs. If thou slayest me, then you, the seed of you saw, will have to pay the debt. It were better therefore to take all I have and spare my life, so that what is owing may be paid by me. Hence, Jacob continued, I stand before the bear of all the substance carried off by Eliphaz. This tale of his nephew's poverty filled Laban with dismay. What, he exclaimed, shall I have to give food and drink for a month or perhaps even a year to this fellow who has come to me empty-handed? He betook himself to his tariffing, to ask them for counsel upon the matter, and they admonished him, saying, Beware of sending him away from thy house. His star and his constellation are so lucky, the good fortune will attend all his undertakings, and for his sake the blessing of the Lord will rest upon all thou dust, in thy house or in thy field. Laban was satisfied with the advice of the tariffing, but he was embarrassed as to the way in which he was to attach Jacob to his house. He did not venture to offer him service, lest Jacob's conditions be impossible of fulfillment. Again he resorted to the tariffing and asked them with what reward attempt his nephew, and they replied, A wife is his wage. He will ask nothing else of thee but a wife. It is his nature to be attracted by women, and whenever he threatens to leave thee, do but offer him another wife, and he will not depart. Laban went back to Jacob and said, Tell me, what shall thy wages be? And he replied, Think as thou I came hither to make money. I came only to get me a wife, for Jacob had no sooner beheld Rachel that he fell in love with her and made her a proposal of marriage. Rachel consented, but added the warning, My father is cunning, and thou art not his match. Jacob, I am his brother in cunning. Rachel, but is deception becoming unto the pious? Jacob, yes, with the righteous righteousness is seemly, and with the deceiver deception. But continued Jacob, tell me wherein he may deal cunningly with me, Rachel. I have an older sister whom he desires to see married before me, and he will try to palmer off on thee instead of me. To be prepared for Laban's trickery, Jacob and Rachel agreed upon a sign by which he would recognize her in the nuptial night. Thus warned to be on his guard against Laban, Jacob warded his agreement with him regarding his marriage to Rachel at such precision that no room was left for distortion or guile. Jacob said, I know that the people of this place are knaves, therefore I desire to put the matter very clearly to thee. I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, hence not Leah, for thy daughter that thou bringest me not some other woman likewise named Rachel, for the younger daughter that thou exchangeest not their names in the meantime. Nothing of all this availed. It profits not if a villain is cast into a sawmill. Neither force nor gentle words can circumvent a rascal. Laban deceived not only Jacob, but also the guests whom he invited to the wedding. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1 by Rabbi Lewis Gensburg, The Marriage of Jacob After Jacob had served Laban seven years he said to his uncle, The Lord destined me to be the father of twelve tribes. I am now eighty-four years old, and if I do not take thought of the matter now, when can I? Thereupon Laban consented to let him have his daughter Rachel to wife, and he was married forty-four years after his brother Esau. The Lord often defers the happiness of the pious, while he permits the wicked to enjoy the fulfillment of their desires soon. Esau, however, had purposely chosen his fortieth year for his marriage. He had wanted to indicate that he was walking in the footsteps of his father Isaac, who had likewise married at forty years of age. Esau was like a swine that stretches out its feet when it lies down, to show that it is cloven-footed like the clean animals, though it is nonetheless one of the unclean animals. Until his fortieth year, Esau made a practice of violating the wives of other men, and then at his marriage he acted as though he were following the example of his pious father. Accordingly, the woman he married was one of his own kind, Judith, the daughter of Heth, for God said, This one, who was designed for stubble to be burnt by fire, shall take unto wife one of the people also destined for utter destruction. Today Esau and his wife illustrated the saying, Not for naught does the raven concert with the crow, they are birds of a feather. Far different it was with Jacob. He married the two pious and lovely sisters, Leah and Rachel. For Leah, like her younger sister, was beautiful of countenance, form, and stature. She had but one defect. Her eyes were weak, and this malady she had bought down upon herself through her own action. One who had two daughters and Rebecca, his sister who had two sons, had agreed by letter while her children were still young, that the older son of the one was to marry the older daughter of the other, and the younger son, the younger daughter. When Leah grew to maidenhood and inquired about her future husband, all her tidings spoke of a zillness character, and she wept over her fate until her eyelashes dropped from their lids. But Rachel grew more and more beautiful day by day. For all who spoke of Jacob praised and extolled him, and, quote, good tidings make the bones fat. In view of the agreement between Laban and Rebecca, Jacob refused to marry the older daughter Leah. As it was, Esau was his mortal enemy, on account of what had happened regarding the birthright and the paternal blessing. If now Jacob married the maiden appointed for him, Esau would never forgive his younger brother. Before Jacob resolved to take to wife Rachel, the younger daughter of his uncle, Laban was of another mind. He purposed to marry of his older daughter first, for he knew that Jacob would consent to serve him a second period of seven years for love of Rachel. On the day of the wedding he assembled the inhabitants of Huron and addressed them as follows. Ye know well that we used to suffer from lack of water, and as soon as this pious man Jacob came to dwell among us, we had water and abundance. What hast thou in mind to do, they asked Laban? He replied, If ye have not to say against it, I will deceive him and give him Leah to wife. He loves Rachel with an exceeding great love, and for her sake he will carry with us yet seven other years. Do as it pleases thee, his friend said. Well then, said Laban, let each one of you give me a pledge that ye will not betray my purpose. With the pledges they left with him. Laban bought wine, oil, and meat for the wedding feast, and he set a meal before them, which they had themselves paid for. Because he deceived his fellow citizens thus, Laban is called Arami, the deceiver. They feasted all day long until late at night, and when Jacob expressed his astonishment at the attention shown him, they said to him, Through thy piety, thou didst a great service of loving kindness unto us. Our supply of water was increased unto abundance, and we desired to show our gratitude therefore, and, indeed, they tried to give him a hint of Laban's purpose. In the marriage oge which they sang they used to refrain, Halaya, in the hope that he will understand it as Halia. This is Leah. But Jacob was unsuspicious and noticed nothing. When the bride was led into the nuptial chamber, the guest extinguished all candles, much to Jacob's amazement. With their explanation satisfied him. Thinkest thou, they said? We have as little sense of decency as thy countrymen. Jacob therefore did not discover the deception practiced upon him until morning. During the night Leah responded whenever he called Rachel, for which he reproached her bitterly when daylight came. O thou deceiver, thou daughter of a deceiver, why did thou answer me when I called Rachel's name? Is there a teacher without a pupil, asked Leah, in return? I be-propheted by thy instruction. When thy father called thee Esau, did thou not say, here am I? Jacob was greatly enraged against Laban, and he said to him, Why didst thou deal treacherously with me? Take back thy daughter, and let me depart, seeing thou didst act wickedly towards me. Laban pacified him, however, saying, It is not so done an hour place to give the younger before the first born. Jacob agreed to serve yet seven other years for Rachel. And after the seven days of the feast of Leah's wedding were fulfilled, he married Rachel. With Leah and Rachel, Jacob received the handmaid, Zilpa and Bilhah, two other daughters of Laban, whom his concubines had borne unto him. End of Chapter 6, Part 6 Chapter 6, Jacob, Part 7 Of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Legends of the Jews, Volume 1, by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg The Birth of Jacob's Children The ways of God are not like unto the ways of men. A man clings close to his friend while he has riches, and forsakes him when he falls into poverty. But when God sees a mortal unsteady and faltering, he reaches a hand out to him and raises him up. Thus it happened with Leah. She was hated by Jacob, and God visited her in mercy. Jacob's aversion to Leah began the very morning after their wedding when his wife taunted him with not being wholly free from cunning and craft himself. Then God said, Help can come to Leah only if she gives birth to a child, and the love of her husband will return to her. God remembered the tears she had shed when she prayed that her doom, chaining her to that requering Esau be averted from her, and so wondrous are the uses of prayer that Leah, besides turning aside the impending decree, was permitted to marry Jacob before her sister and be the first to bear him a child. There was another reason why the Lord was compassionately inclined towards Leah. She had gotten herself talked about, the sailors on the sea, the travelers along the highways, the women at their looms they all gossiped about Leah, saying, She is not within what her seeming is without. She appears to be pious, but if she were she would not have deceived her sister. To put an end to all this tattle God granted her the distinction of bearing a son at the end of seven months after her marriage. He was one of a pair of twins, the other child being a daughter. So it was with eleven of the sons of Jacob, all of them except Joseph were born twins with a girl, and the twin sister and brother married later on. Altogether it was an extraordinary childbirth, for Leah was barren, not formed by nature to bear children. She called her firstborn son Reuben, which means, see the normal man, for he were neither big nor little, neither dark nor fair, but exactly normal. In calling her oldest child Reuben, see the son. Leah indicated his future character. Behold the difference, the name implied, between my firstborn son and the firstborn son of my father-in-law. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob of zoned free will, and yet he hated him. As for my firstborn son, although his birthright was taken from him without his consent and given to Joseph, it was nevertheless he who rescued Joseph from the hands of his brethren. Leah called her second son Shimon, yonder his sin. For one of his descendants was that Zimri who was guilty of vile trespasses with the daughters of Moab. The name of her third son, Levy, was given by God himself, not by his mother. The Lord summoned him through the angel Gabriel, and bestowed the name upon him as one who was crowned with the twenty-four gifts that are the tribute due to the priests. At the birth of her fourth son, Leah returned thanks to God for a special reason. She knew that Jacob would beget twelve sons, and if they were distributed equally among his four wives each would bear three. But now it appeared that she had won more than her due share, and she called him Jehuda, thanks unto God. She was thus the first since the creation of the world to give thanks to God, and her example was followed by David and Daniel, the descendants of her son Judah. When Rachel saw that her sister had won Jacob four sons, she envied Leah. Not that she begrudged her the good fortune she enjoyed, she only envied her for her piety, saying to herself that it was to her righteous conduct that she owed the blessing of many children. Then she besought Jacob. Pray unto God for me, that he grant me children, else my life is no life. Verily there are four children that may regard it as though they were dead, the blind, the leper, the childless, and he who was once rich and has lost his fortune. Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, It were better thou should address thy petition to God and not to me, for I am in God's stead who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb. God was displeased with this answer, that Jacob made his sad wife. He rebuked him with the words, Is it thus thou what'scuffer a greased stricken heart? As thou libest, the day will come when thy children will stand before the son of Rachel, and he will use the same words thou hast but used now, saying, Am I in the place of the Lord? Rachel also made reply to Jacob, saying, Did not thy father too entreat God for thy mother with earnest words beseeching him to remove her barrenness? Jacob. It is true, but Isaac had no children, and I have several. Rachel. Remember thy grandfather Abraham, thou canst not deny that he had children when he supplicated God on behalf of Sarah. Jacob. What's thou do for me what Sarah did for my grandfather? Rachel. Pray. What did she? Jacob. She herself bought a rival into her house. Rachel. If that is all that is necessary, I am ready to follow the example of Sarah, and I pray that as she was granted a child for having invited a rival, so may I be blessed too. Thereupon Rachel gave Jacob Bilhah her free handmaid to a wife, and she bore him a son who Rachel called Dan, saying, As the Lord was gracious unto me and gave me a son according to my petition, so he will permit Samson, the descendant of Dan, to judge his people, that it fall not into the hands of the Philistines. Bilhah's second son, Rachel ne'en not thally, saying, Mine is the bond that binds Jacob to this place, for it was for my sake that he came to Laban. At the same time she wanted to convey by this name that the Torah, which is as sweet as nofid, honeycomb, would be taught in the territory of Naphthally. And the name had still a third meaning. As God hath heard my fervent prayer for a son, so he will hearken unto the fervent prayer of the Naphthalites when they are beset by the enemies. Leah, seeing that she had left bearing while Bilhah her sister's handmaid bore Jacob two sons, concluded that it was Jacob's destiny to have four wives, her sister and herself, and their half-sisters, Bilhah and Zilpa. Therefore she also gave him her handmaid to wife. Zilpa was the youngest of the four women. It was the custom of that time to give the older daughter the older handmaid and the younger daughter the younger handmaid as their dowry when they got married. Now in order to make Jacob believe that his wife was the younger daughter he had served for, Laban had given Leah the younger handmaid as her marriage portion. Thus Zilpa was so young that her body betrayed no outward signs of pregnancy and nothing was known of her condition until her son was born. Leah called the boy Gad, which means fortune, or it may mean the cutter, for from Gad was descended the prophet Elijah, who brings good fortune to Israel and he also cuts down the heathen world. Leah had other reasons too for choosing this name of double meaning. The tribe of Gad had the good fortune of entering into possession of its allotment in the Holy Land before any of the others and also Gad the son of Jacob was born circumcised. To Zilpa's second son Leah gave the name of Asher, praise, for she said unto me all manner of praise is due for I brought my handmaid into the house of my husband as wife. Sarah did likewise, but only because she had no children and so it was also with Rachel. But as for me I had children and nevertheless I subdued my passion and without jealousy I gave my handmaid to my husband for wife. Verily all will praise and extol me. Furthermore she spoke, as the women will praise me so the sons of Asher will in time come to praise God for their fruitful possession in the Holy Land. The next son born unto Jacob was Izakar, a reward, and once more it was Leah who was permitted to bring forth the child as a reward from God for her pious desire to have the twelve tribes come into the world. To secure this result she left no means untried. It happened once that her oldest son Ruben was tending his father's ass during the harvest, and he bound him to a route of Dudaeum and went his way. On returning he found that Dudaeum torn out of the ground as as the ass lying dead beside it. The beast had uprooted it and tried to get loose, and the plant has a peculiar quality, whoever tears it up must die. As it was the time of the harvest, when it was permitted for anyone to take a plant from the field, and as Dudaeum has beside a plant which the owner of a field esteems lightly, Ruben carried it home. Being a good son, he did not keep it for himself but gave it to his mother. Rachel desired that Dudaeum, and she asked the plant of Leah who parted with it to her sister, but on the condition that Jacob, when he returned from work in the evening, should tarry with her for a while. It was altogether unbecoming conduct in Rachel to dispose thus of her husband. She gained a Dudaeum, but she lost two tribes. If she had acted otherwise she would have borne four sons instead of two. And she suffered another punishment, her body was not permitted to rest in the grave beside her husband's. Jacob came home from the field after night had fallen, for he observed the law obliging a day laborer to work until darkness sets in, and Jacob's zeal in the affairs of Laban was as great in the last seven years after his marriage as in the first seven, while he was serving for the hand of Rachel. When Leah heard the braying of Jacob's ass, she ran to meet her husband, and without giving him time to wash his feet she insisted upon turning aside into her tent. At first Jacob refused to go, but God compelled him to enter for unto God it was known that Leah acted from pure disinterested motives. Her Dudaeum secured two sons for her, Izakar, the father of the tribe that devotes itself to study of the Torah, Wentz's name meaning reward, and Zebulon, whose descendants carry on commerce, using their prophets to enable their brethren of Izakar to keep at their studies. Leah called this lastborn son of her Zebulon, dwelling place, for she said, Now will my husband dwell with me, seeing that I have borne him six sons, and also the sons of Zebulon will have a goodly dwelling place in the Holy Land. Leah bore once more, and this last time it was a daughter, a man-child turned into a woman by her prayer. When she conceived for the seventh time she spake his follows, God promised Jacob twelve sons, I bore him six, and each of the two handmaids has borne him two. If now I were to bring forth another son, my sister Rachel will not be equal even unto the handmaids. Therefore she prayed to God to change the male embryo in her womb into a female, and God harkened unto her prayer. Now all the wives of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Zepa, and Bilhah united their prayers with the prayer of Jacob, and together they besought God to remove the curse of barrenness from Rachel. On New Year's Day, the day whereon God sits in judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth, he remembered Rachel and granted her a son. Then Rachel spake, God hath taken away my reproach, for all the people had said that she was not a pious woman, else had she borne children, and now that God had harkened to her and opened her womb such idle talk no longer had any reason. By bearing a son she had escaped another disgrace. She had said to herself, Jacob hath a mind to return to the land of his birth, and my father will not be able to hinder his daughters who have borne him children from following their husbands dither with their children. But he will not let me, the childless wife, go to, and he will keep me here and marry me to one of the uncircumcised. She said furthermore, as my son hath removed my reproach, so Joshua his descendant will roll away reproach from the Israelites when he circumcises them beyond Jordan. Rachel called her son Joseph, increase, saying, God will give me an additional son. Just as she was, she foresaw she would have a second son. But an increase added on by God is larger than the original capital itself. Benjamin the second son whom Rachel regarded merely as a supplement had ten sons, while Joseph begot only two. Had Rachel not used the form of expression, the Lord add to me another son. She herself would have begotten twelve tribes with Jacob. The Legends of the Jews, Volume I by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Jacob flees before Laban. Jacob had only been waiting for Joseph to be born to begin preparations for his journey home. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that the House of Joseph would work the destruction of the House of Esau, and therefore Jacob exclaimed at the birth of Joseph, now I need not fare Esau or his legions. About this time, Rebecca sent her new Deborah, the daughter of us, to accompany two of Isaac's servants to Jacob, to urge him to return to his father's house now that his fourteen years of service had come to an end. Then Jacob approached Laban and spoke, give me my wives and my children that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country for my mother has sent messengers unto me, bidding me to return to my father's house. Laban answered, saying, O that I might find favor in thine eyes. By a sign it was made known unto me that God blesses me for thysake. What Laban had in mind was the treasure he had found on the day Jacob came to him, and he considered it a token of his beneficent powers. Indeed, God had wrought many a thing in the House of Laban to testify that a blessing spread abroad by the pious. Shortly before Jacob came, a pest had broken out among Laban's cattle, and with his arrival it ceased. Laban had no son, but during Jacob's sojourn and huran sons were born unto him. All the higher he asked in return for his labor and for the blessings he had bought Laban was the speckled and spotted among the goats of his herd, and the black among the sheep. Laban assented to his condition, saying, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. The archvill in Laban, whose tongue wagged in all directions and who made all sorts of promises that were never kept, judged others by himself. And therefore suspected Jacob of wanting to deceive him. And yet, in the end it was Laban himself who broke his word. No less than a hundred times he changed the agreement between them. Nevertheless, his unrighteous conduct was of no avail. Though a three-days journey had been set betwixt Laban's flocks and Jacob's, the angels were wont to bring the sheep belonging to Laban down to Jacob's sheeps, and Jacob's stroves grew constantly larger and better. Laban had given only the feeble and sick to Jacob, yet the young of the flock raised under Jacob's tendons were so excellent in quality that people bought them at a heavy price. And Jacob had no need to resort to the peeled rods. He had but to speak, and the flocks bear according to his desire. What Laban deserved was utter ruin, for having permitted the pious Jacob to work for him without hire, and after his wages had been changed ten times and ten times Laban had tried to overreach him, God rewarded him in this way. But his good luck with the flocks was only what Jacob deserved. Every faithful laborer is rewarded by God in this world, quite regardless of what awaits him in the world to come. With empty hands Jacob had come to Laban, and he left him with hers numbering six hundred thousand. The increase had been marvelous, an increase that will be equaled only in the messianic time. The wealth and good fortune of Jacob called forth the envy of Laban and his sons, and they could not hide their vexation in their intercourse with him. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Thy father-in-law's countenance is not toward thee as before time, and yet thou tarriest with him? Do thou rather return unto the land of thy fathers? And there I will let my shekenna rest upon thee, for I cannot permit the shekenna to reside outside the holy land. Immediately Jacob sent the fleet messenger Lapthali to Rachel and Leah to summon them to a consultation, and he chose as the place of the meeting the open field where none could overhear what was said. His two wives approved the plan of returning to his home, and Jacob resolved at once to go away with all his substance without as much as acquainting Laban with his intention. Laban was gone to share his sheep, and so Jacob could execute his plan without delay. That her father might not learn about their flight from his terrapheme, Rachel stole them, and she took them and concealed them upon the camel upon which he sat, and she went on. And this is the manner they used to make the images. They took a man who was the firstborn, slew him, and took the hair off his head, then salted the head and anointed it with oil. Then they wrote the name upon a small tablet of copper or gold and placed it under his tongue. The head with the tablet under the tongue was then put in a house where lights were lighted before it, and at the time when they bowed down to it, it spoke to them on all matters that they asked of it. And that was due to the power of the name which was written upon it. End of Chapter 6, Part 7, Chapter 6, Jacob, Part 8 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recorded by M. L. Cohen, Cleveland, Ohio, July 2007. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1, by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. The Covenant with Laban. Jacob departed and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward Gilead, for the Holy Spirit revealed to him that God would bring help there to his children in the days of Jephthah. Meantime, the shepherds of Huron observed that the well, which had been filled to overflowing since the arrival of Jacob in their place, ran dry suddenly. For three days they watched and waited, in hopes that the waters would return to the same abundance as before. Disappointed, they finally told Laban of the misfortune, and he divined at once that Jacob had departed thence, for he knew that the blessing had been conferred upon Huron only for the sake of his son-in-law's merits. On the morrow Laban rose early, assembled all the people of the city, and pursued Jacob with the intention of killing him when he overtook him. But the archangel Michael appeared unto him, and bade him take heed unto himself that he do not the least unto Jacob else he would suffer death himself. The message from heaven came to Laban during the night, for when, in extraordinary cases, God finds it necessary to reveal himself unto the heathen, he does it only in the dark, clandestinely as it were, while he shows himself to the prophets of the Jews openly during daylight. Laban accomplished the journey in one day for which Jacob had taken seven, and he overtook him at the mountain of Gilead. When he came upon Jacob he found them in the act of praying and given praise unto God. Immediately Laban fell to remonstrating with his summon-law for having stolen away unawares to him. He showed his true character when he said, It is in the power of my hand to do the hurt, but the God of thy father spake unto me yesterday night, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. That is the way of the wicked. They boast of the evil they can do. Laban wanted to let Jacob know that only the dream warning him against doing ought that was harmful to Jacob prevented him from carrying out the wicked design he had formed against him. Laban continued to take Jacob to task, and he concluded with the words, And now, though thou which needs be gone, because thou soar longest after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? When he pronounced the last words, his grandchild and interrupted him, saying, We are ashamed of thee, grandfather, that in thy old age thou should astute such words as my gods. Laban searched all the tents for his idols, going first to the tent of Jacob, which was Rachel's at the same time, for Jacob always dwelt with his favorite wife. Finding nothing, he went thence to Leah's tent, and to the tents of the two handmaids, and, noticing that Rachel was feeling about here and there, his suspicions were aroused, and he entered her tent a second time. He would now have found what he was looking for, if a miracle had not come to pass. The terafim were transformed into drinking vessels, and Laban had to desist from his fruitless search. Now Jacob, who did not know that Rachel had stolen her father's terafim in order to turn him aside from his idolatrous ways, was wroth with Laban, and began to chide with him. In the quarrels between them, Jacob's noble character manifested itself. Notwithstanding his excitement, he did not suffer a single unbecoming word to escape him. He only reminded Laban of the loyalty and devotion with which he had served him, doing for him what none other would or could have done. He said, I dealt wrongfully with the line, for God had appointed of Laban's sheep for the lion's daily sustenance, and I deprived him thereof. Could another shepherd have done this? Yes. The people abused me, calling me robber and sneak-thief, for they thought that only by stealing by day and stealing by night could I replace the animals torn by wild beasts. And as to my honesty, he continued, Is it likely there is another son-in-law, who, having lived with his father-in-law, hath not taken some little thing from the household of his father-in-law, a knife or other trifle? But thou hast felt about all my stuff. What hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Not so much as a needle or a nail. In his indignation and conscious of his innocence, Jacob exclaimed, With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live. Words which contained a curse, the thief was cursed with premature death, and therefore Rachel had to die in giving birth to Benjamin. Indeed, a curse would have taken effect at once had it not been the wish of God that Rachel should bear Jacob his youngest son. With the quarrel the two men made a treaty, and with his gigantic strength Jacob set up a huge rock as a memorial, and a heap of stones as a sign of their covenant. In this matter Jacob followed the example of his fathers, who likewise had covenanted with heathen nations, Abraham with the Jebusites, and Isaac with the Philistines. Therefore Jacob did not hesitate to make a treaty with the Aramaians. Jacob summoned his sons, calling them brethren, for they were his peers in piety and strength, and he bade them cast up heaps of stones. Thereupon he swore unto his father-in-law that he would take no wives besides his four daughters, either while they were alive or after their death, and Laban, on his part, swore that he would not pass over the heaps or over the pillar unto Jacob with hostile intent, and he took the oath by the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor while Jacob made mention of fear of Isaac. He refrained from using the term the God of Isaac, because God never unites his name without of a living person, for the reason that so long as a man has not ended his years, no trust may be put in him lest he be seduced by the evil inclination. It is true when he appeared unto Jacob at Bethel, God called himself the God of Isaac. There was a reason for this unusual phrase. Being blind, Isaac led a retired life within his tent, and the evil inclination had no power over him any more. But though God had full confidence in Isaac, yet Jacob could not venture to couple the name of God with the name of a living man, wherefore he took his oath by the fear of Isaac. Early in the morning, after the day of covenanting, Laban rose up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. But these acts and words of his did not come from the heart. In his innermost thoughts he regretted that Jacob and his family and his substance had escaped him. His true feelings he betrayed in the message which he sent to Esau at once upon his return to Heron, by the hand of a son Bior and ten companions of his son. The message read, Hast thou heard what Jacob thy brother has done unto me, who first came to me naked and bare, and I went to meet him, and took him to my house with honor, and brought him up, and gave him my two daughters for wives and also two of my maids, and God blessed him on my account, and he increased abundantly, and had sons and daughters and maidservants, and also an uncommon stock of flocks and herds, camels and asses, also silver and gold in abundance. But when he saw that his wealth increased, he left me while I went to shear my sheep, and he rose up and fled in secrecy, and he put his wives and children upon camels, and he let away all his cattle and substance which he acquired in my land, and he resolved to go to his father Isaac to the land of Canaan, and he did not suffer me to kiss my sons and daughters, and he carried away my daughters as captives of the sword, and he also stole my gods, and he fled. And now I have left him in the mountain at the Brook of Jabek, he and all belonging to him, not a jot of his substance is lacking. If it be thy wish to go to him, go, and there wilt thou find him, and thou canst do unto him as thy soul desireeth. Jacob had no need to fear either Laban or Esau, for on his journey he was accompanied by two angel hosts, one going with him from Heran to the borders of the holy land, where he was received by the other host, the angels of Palestine. Each of these hosts consisted of no less than six hundred thousand angels, and when he beheld them Jacob said, Ye belong neither to the host of Esau, who is preparing to go out to war against me, nor the host of Laban, who is about to pursue me again. Ye are the hosts of the holy angels sent by the Lord. And he gave the name Mahanaim, double host, to the spot on which the Second Army relieved the first. End of Chapter 6, Jacob, Part 8. Chapter 6, Jacob, Part 9 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by ML Coe in Cleveland, Ohio, July 2007. Legends of the Jews, Volume 1 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Jacob and Esau, prepare to meet. The message of Laban awakened Esau's old hatred towards Jacob with increased fury, and he assembled his household consisting of sixty men. With them and three hundred and forty inhabitants of Seir, he went forth to do battle with Jacob and kill him. He divided his warriors into seven cohorts, giving to his son Eliphaz his own division of sixty, and putting the other six divisions under as many of the heroites. While Esau was hastening onward to meet Jacob, the messengers which Laban had sent to Esau came to Rebekah and told her that Esau and his four hundred men were about to make war upon Jacob, with the purpose of slaying him and taking possession of all he had. Anxious lest Esau should execute his plan while yet Jacob was on the journey, she hastily dispatched seventy-two of the retainers of Isaac's household to give him help. Jacob, tearing on the banks of the Brookjabbaq, rejoiced at the sight of these men, and he greeted them with the words, This is God's helping host. Wherefore he called the place of their meeting, Mahanaim, host. After the warriors sent by Rebekah had satisfied his questions regarding the welfare of his parents, they delivered his mother's message unto him, thus, I have heard, my son, that thy brother Esau hath gone forth against thee on the road, with men of the children of Siaire the Horite, and therefore, my son, hearken to my voice and take counsel with thyself what thou wilt do. And when he cometh up to thee, supplicate him, and do not speak roughly to him, and give him a present from what thou possessest, from what God has favored thee with. And when he asketh thee concerning thy affairs, conceal nothing from him. Perhaps he may turn from his anger against thee, and thou wilt thereby save thy soul, thou and all the belongings to thee, for it is thy duty to honor him, since he is thy elder brother. And when Jacob heard the words of his mother, which the messengers had spoken to him, he lifted up his voice and wept bitterly. And did as his mother commanded him. He sent messengers to Esau to placate him, and they said unto him, Thus speaketh thy servant Jacob, my Lord. Think not that the blessing which my father bestowed upon me profited me. Twenty years I served Laban, and he deceived me, and changed my hire ten times as thou well knowest. Yet did I labor sorely in his house, and God saw my affliction, my labor, and the work of my hands, and afterwards he caused me to find grace and favor in the sight of Laban. And through God's great mercy and kindness I acquired oxen and asses and cattle and men's servants and maidservants. And now I am coming to my country and to my home, to my father and mother who were in the land of Canaan. And I have sent to let my Lord know all this in order to find favor in the eyes of my Lord, so that he may not imagine that I had become a man of substance, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me. Furthermore, spake to messengers, why dost thou envy me in respect to the blessing wherewith my father blessed me? Is it that the sun shineth in my land, and not in thine? Or doth the dew and the rainfall only upon my land, and not upon thine? If my father blessed me with the dew of heaven, he blessed thee with the fatness of the earth. And if he spoke to me, peoples will serve thee, he has said unto thee, By thy sword sult thou live. How long, then, will thou continue to envy me? Come now. Let us set up a covenant between us, that we will share equally in all the vexations that may occur. Esau would not agree to this proposal, his friends dissuaded him therefrom, saying, Except not these conditions, for God hath said to Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in the land that is not theirs, and shall serve the people thereof, and the alien shall afflict them four hundred years. Wait, therefore, until Jacob and his family go down into Egypt to pay off this debt. Jacob also sent word to Esau, saying, Though I dwelt with that heathen of the heathen, Laban, yet have I not forgotten my God, but I fulfill the six hundred and thirteen commandments of the Torah. If thy mind be set upon peace, Thou wilt find me ready for peace. But if thy desire be war, Thou wilt find me ready for war. I have with me men of valor and strength, and they have but to utter a word, and God fulfills it. I tarried with Laban until Joseph should be born, he who is destined to subdue thee. And though my descendants be held in bondage in this world, yet a day will come when they will rule over their rulers. In reply to all these gentle words, Esau spoke with arrogance. Surely I have heard, and truly it has been told unto me what Jacob has been to Laban, who brought him up in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begot sons and daughters and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laban's house and with his help. And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches were great, he fled, with all belonging to him from Laban's house, and he carried away Laban's daughters from their father as captives of the sword, without telling him of it. And not only to Laban hath Jacob done this, but also unto me hath he done so, and he hath twice supplanted me. And shall I be silent? Now I have this day come with my camp to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart. The messengers dispatched by Jacob now return to him and reported these words of Esau unto him. They also told him that his brother was advancing against him with an army consisting of four hundred crowned heads, each leading a host of four hundred men. It is true thou art his brother, and thou treatest him as a brother should, they said to Jacob. But he is an Esau, thou must be made aware of his villainry. Jacob borne mind the promise of God that he would bring him back to his father's house in peace. Yet the report about his brother's purpose alarmed him greatly. A pious man may never depend upon promises of earthly good. God does not keep the promise if he is guilty of the smallest conceivable trespass, and Jacob feared that he might have forfeited happiness by reason of sin committed by him. Moreover he was anxious lest Esau be one of favored by God in this much as he had had these twenty years been fulfilling due divine commands that Jacob had to disregard. Esau had been living in the holy land, Jacob outside of it. The former had been in attendance upon his parents, the latter dwelling at a distance from them. And much as he feared defeat, Jacob also feared the reverse, that he might be viscorious over Esau or might even slay his brother, which would be as bad as to be slain by him. And he was depressed by another apprehension, that his father had died, for he had reasoned that Esau would not take such warlike steps against his own brother, or his father still alive. When his wife saw the anxiety that possessed Jacob, they began to quarrel with him and reproach him for having taken them away from their father's house, though he knew that such danger threatened from Esau. Then Jacob determined to apply to three means that might save him from the fate impending. He would cry to God for help, appease Esau's wrath with presence, and hold himself in readiness for war if the worst came to the worst. He prayed to God, O thou God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, and God of all who walk in the ways of the pious and do like unto them. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant. O Lord of the world, as thou didst not suffer laban to execute his evil designs against me, so also bring to not the purpose of Esau, who desireeth to slay me. O Lord of the world, in thy Torah which thou wilt give us on Mount Sinai it is written, and whether it be cow or you, ye shall not kill it, and her young both in one day. If this wretch should come and murder my children and their mothers at the same time, who would then desire to read thy Torah which thou wilt give us on Mount Sinai? And yet thou didst speak, for the sake of thy merits and for the merits of thy fathers I will do good unto thee. And in the future world thy children shall be as numerous as the sand of the sea. As Jacob prayed for his own deliverance, so also he prayed for the salvation of his descendants, that they might not be annihilated by the descendants of Esau. Such was the prayer of Jacob when he saw Esau approaching from afar, and God heard his petition and looked upon his tears, and he gave him the assurance that for his sake his descendants too would be redeemed from all distress. Then the Lord sent three angels, and they went before Esau and they appeared unto Esau and his people as hundreds and thousands of men riding upon horses. They were furnished with all sorts of weapons and divided into four columns. And one division went on, and they found Esau coming with four hundred men, and the division ran toward them and terrified them. Esau fell off his horse in alarm, and all his men were separated from him in great fear, while the approaching columns shouted after them, Verily, we are the servants of Jacob, the servant of God, and who can stand against us? Esau then said unto them, O, then my Lord and brother Jacob is your Lord, whom I have not seen these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this mannered? The angels answered, As the Lord liveth, or not Jacob thy brother, we had not left one remaining of thee and thy people, but on account of Jacob we will do nothing to thee. This division passed from Esau, and when he had gone from there about a league, the second division came toward him, and they also did unto Esau and his men and the first had done to them, and when they permitted him to go on the third came and did like the first, and when the third had passed also, and Esau still continued with his men on the road to Jacob, the fourth division came and did to them as the others had done. And Esau was greatly afraid of his brother, because he thought that the four columns of the army which he had encountered were the servants of Jacob. After Jacob had made an end of praying, he divided all that journeyed with him into two companies, and he sent them over to Damasech and Elinus, the two sons of Eliezer, the bondmen of Abraham and their sons. Jacob's example teaches us not to conceal the whole of our fortune in one hiding place, else we run the danger of losing everything at one stroke. Of his cattle he sent a part to Esau as a present, first dividing it into three droves in order to impress his brother more. When Esau received the first drove, he would think he had the whole gift that had been sent to him. And suddenly he would be astonished by the appearance of the second portion, and again by the third. Jacob knew his brother's avarice only too well. The men who were the bearers of Jacob present to Esau were charged with the following message. This is an offering to my Lord Esau from his slave Jacob, but God took the words of Jacob in no part saying, Thou profanest what is holy when Thou callest Esau, Lord. Jacob excused himself. He was but flattering the wicked in order to escape death at his hands. End of Chapter 6, Part 9, Chapter 6, Jacob, Part 10, of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by M. L. Cohen, Cleveland, Ohio, July 2007. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1, by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg, Jacob wrestles with the angel. The servants of Jacob went before him with the present for Esau, and he followed with his wives and his children. As he was about to pass over the Ford of Jabek, he observed a shepherd who likewise had sheep and camels. The stranger approached Jacob and proposed that they should forward to stream together and help each other move their cattle over, and Jacob assented on the condition that his possession should be put across first. In the twinkling of an eye Jacob's sheep were transferred to the other side of the stream by the shepherd. Then the flocks of the shepherd were to be moved by Jacob, but no matter how many he took over to the opposite bank, there remained some on the hither shore. There was no end to the cattle, though Jacob labored all the night through. At last he lost patience, and he fell upon the shepherd and caught him by the throat crying out, Oh, thou wizard, thou wizard, at night no enchantment succeeds! The angel thought, very well, let him know once for all with whom he has had dealings, and with his finger he touched the earth whence fire burst forth. But Jacob said, What, thou thinkest thus to affright me, who am made wholly of fire? The shepherd was no less a personage than the archangel Michael, and in his combat with Jacob he was assisted by the whole host of angels under his command. He was on the point of inflicting a dangerous wound upon Jacob when God appeared, and all the angels, even Michael himself, felt their strength ooze away. Seeing that he could not prevail against Jacob, the archangel touched the hollow of his thigh and injured him, and God rebuked him, saying, Thus thou act as is seemly when thou causest a blemish in my priest, Jacob? Michael said in astonishment, Why, it is I who am thy priest! But God said, Thou art my priest in heaven, and he is my priest on earth. Thereupon Michael summoned the archangel Raphael, saying, My comrade, I pray thee, help me out of my distress, for thou art changed with the healing of all disease. And Raphael cured Jacob of the injury Michael had inflicted. The Lord continued to reproach Michael, saying, Why did thou do harm unto my firstborn son? And the archangel answered, I did it only to glorify thee. And then God appointed Michael as the guardian angel of Jacob, and his seed unto the end of all generations with these words. Thou art a fire, and so is Jacob a fire. Thou art the head of the angels, and he is head of the nations. Thou art supreme over all the angels, and he is supreme over all the peoples. Therefore, he who is supreme over all the angels shall be appointed unto him who is supreme over all the peoples, that he may entreat mercy for him from the supreme one over all. Then Michael said unto Jacob, How is it possible that thou who could prevail against me, the most distinguished of the angels, art afraid of Esau? When the day broke, Michael said to Jacob, Let me go for the day breaketh. But Jacob held him back, saying, Art thou a thief, or a gambler with dice that thou fearst the daylight? At that moment appeared many different hosts of angels, and they called unto Michael. Ascend, O Michael, the time of song hath come, and if thou art not in heaven to lead the choir none will sing. And Michael entreated Jacob with supplications to let him go, for he feared the angels of Arobat would consume him with fire, if he were not there to start to songs of praise at the proper time. Jacob said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. But to Michael made the reply, Who is greater, the servant or the son? I am the servant, and thou art the son. Why then craveest thou my blessing? Jacob urged as an argument, The angels that visited Abraham did not leave without blessing him, but Michael held. They were sent by God for that very purpose, and I was not. Yet Jacob insisted upon his demand, and Michael pleaded with him, saying, The angels that betrayed the heavenly secret were banished from their place for one hundred and thirty-eight years. Dost thou desire that I should acquaint thee with what would cause my banishment likewise? In the end, the angel nevertheless had to yield, Jacob could not be moved, and Michael took counsel with himself thus. I will reveal a secret to him, and if God demands to know why I revealed it, I will make answer. Thy children stand upon their wishes with thee, and thou dost yield to them. Thou then could I have left Jacob's wish unfulfilled? Then Michael spoke to Jacob, saying, A day will come when God will reveal himself unto thee, and he will change thy name, and I shall be present when he changes it. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For happy thou of woman born, who didst enter the heavenly palace, and didst escape thence with thy life. And Michael blessed Jacob with the words, May it be the will of God that the descendants be as pious as thou art. At the same time the archangel reminded Jacob that he had promised to give a tithe of his possessions unto God, and at once Jacob separated five hundred and fifty head of cattle from his herds, which counted fifty-five hundred. Then Michael went on, But thou hast sons, and of them thou hast not set apart the tenth. He proceeded to pass his sons in review. Reuben, Joseph, Dan, and Gad, being firstborn each of his mother, were exempt, and there remained but eight sons. And when he had named them down to Benjamin, he had to go back and begin over again with Simon the Ninth, and finish with Levi as the Tent. Michael took Levi with him into heaven, and presented him before God, saying, O Lord of the world, this one is thy lot, and the tenth belonging unto thee. And God stretched forth his hand and blessed Levi, with the blessing that his children should be the servants of God on earth, as the angels were his servants on high. Michael spoke again, Doth not a king provide for the sustenance of his servants, whereupon God appointed for the Levites all that was holy unto the Lord. Then Jacob spoke to the angel, My father conferred the blessing upon me that was intended for Esau. And now I desire to know whether thou wilt acknowledge the blessing as mine, or will bring charges against me on account of it. And the angel said, I acknowledge the blessing to be thine by right, thou didst not gain it by craft and cunning, and I, and all the heavenly powers recognize it to be valid, for thou hast shown thyself master over the mighty powers of heaven as over Esau and his legions. And even then Jacob would not let the angel depart. He had to reveal his name to him first, and the angel made note to him that it was Israel, the same name that Jacob would once bear. At last the angel departed, after Jacob had blessed him. And Jacob called the place of wrestling penuel, the same place to which before he had given a name Mahahanaim, for both words had but one meaning, the place of encounter with angels. End of Chapter 6, Part 10