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 Jabbok, he observed a shepherd, who likewise had sheep and
camels. The stranger approached Jacob and proposed that they should
ford the stream together, and help each other move their cattle over,
and Jacob assented, on the condition that his possessions 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, always 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, "O 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?"[247]
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, "Dost 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 charged with the healing of all disease," and
Raphael cured Jacob of the injury Michael had inflicted.
The Lord continued to reproach Michael, saying, "Why didst thou do harm
unto My first-born 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 the 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 couldst
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 fearest 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 'Arabot
would consume him with fire, if he were not there to start the songs of
praise at the proper time. Jacob said, "I will not let thee go, except
thou bless me," whereto Michael made reply: "Who is greater, the
servant or the son? I am the servant, and thou art the son. Why, then,
cravest thou my blessing?"[248] 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 a 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. How, 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 changeth it.[249] 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 thy
descendants be as pious as thou art."[250]
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." Jacob proceeded to pass his
sons in review: Reuben, Joseph, Dan, and Gad being the first-born, 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 tenth.
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.[251]
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 wilt 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 the heavens as over Esau
and his legions."[252]
And even then Jacob would not let the angel depart, he had to reveal
his name to him first, and the angel made known to him that it was
Israel, the same name that Jacob would once bear.[253]
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 the name Mahanaim, for both words have but one meaning, the
place of encounter with angels.[254]