Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
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]
THE MEETING BETWEEN ESAU AND JACOB
At the break of day the angel left off from wrestling with Jacob. The
dawn on that day was of particularly short duration. The sun rose two
hours before his time, by way of compensation for having set early, on
the day on which Jacob passed Mount Moriah on his journey to Haran, to
induce him to turn aside and lodge for a night on the future Temple
place.[255] Indeed, the power of the sun on this same day was
altogether remarkable. He shone with the brilliance and ardor with
which he was invested during the six days of the creation, and as he
will shine at the end of days, to make whole the halt and the blind
among the Jews and to consume the heathen. This same healing and
devastating property he had on that day, too, for Jacob was cured,
while Esau and his princes were all but burnt up by his terrible
heat.[256]
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