Vayetze: Angels Ascending Desending

(י) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ (יא) וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃ (יב) וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃ (יג) וְהִנֵּ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה נִצָּ֣ב עָלָיו֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֔יךָ וֵאלֹהֵ֖י יִצְחָ֑ק הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ שֹׁכֵ֣ב עָלֶ֔יהָ לְךָ֥ אֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה וּלְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (יד) וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרֲכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (טו) וְהִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י עִמָּ֗ךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּ֙יךָ֙ בְּכֹ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־תֵּלֵ֔ךְ וַהֲשִׁ֣בֹתִ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את כִּ֚י לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱזָבְךָ֔ עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־עָשִׂ֔יתִי אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי לָֽךְ׃ (טז) וַיִּיקַ֣ץ יַעֲקֹב֮ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ֒ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָכֵן֙ יֵ֣שׁ יְהוָ֔ה בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א יָדָֽעְתִּי׃ (יז) וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

Genesis 28:10-17

(10) Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. (12) He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. (13) And the LORD was standing beside him and He said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring. (14) Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. (15) Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (16) Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is present in this place, and I did not know it!” (17) Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.”

רש"י על בראשית כ״ח:י״ב:א׳

(א) עולים וירדים עוֹלִים תְּחִלָּה וְאַחַר כַּךְ יוֹרְדִים? מַלְאָכִים שֶׁלִוּוּהוּ בָּאָרֶץ, אֵין יוֹצְאִים חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ וְעָלוּ לָרָקִיעַ, וְיָרְדוּ מַלְאֲכֵי חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ לְלַוּוֹתוֹ:

Rashi on Genesis 28:12:1

(1) עלים וירדים ASCENDING AND DESCENDING — It states first ascending and afterwards descending! Those angels who accompanied him in the land of Israel were not permitted to leave the Land: they ascended to Heaven and angels which were to minister outside the Land descended to accompany him (Genesis Rabbah 68:12).

תנחומא - בובר, וישב ב׳:א׳

(א) [וישב יעקב]. זש"ה בזעקך יצילוך קבוציך (ישעיה נ זיג), מהו, אלו המלאכים שניתנו לשמרו בשעה שיצא לילך לארם נהרים, שאין המלאכים המשמשין בארץ ישראל, משמשין בחוצה לארץ ולא של חוצה לארץ בארץ ישראל, כך יעקב ראה עולים ויורדים אחרים לילך עמו לחוצה לארץ, וכשבא לחזור קרא הקב"ה לאותן המלאכים שהיו משמשין אותו בארץ, אמר להם הרי יעקב חוזר, צאו ונצא לאנפטי שלו (פי' תחום), למה הדבר דומה, למלך שיצא בנו למדינת הים ליקח אשה, אחר ימים בא לחזור לבית אביו, אמר המלך לאפסיקין שלו (פי' לחייל) בואו ונצא לאנפטי של בני, כך כשבא יעקב לחזור לבית אביו, קרא הקב"ה למלאכי השרת, אמר להם בואו ונצא לאנפטי של יעקב, כיון שתלה יעקב עיניו ראה אותן, שנאמר ויעקב הלך לדרכו ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלהים וגו' (בראשית לב ב), כשראה אותן יעקב מנין שהיו משמשין אותו בארץ ישראל, שנאמר ויאמר יעקב כאשר ראם מחנה אלהים זה (שם שם ג), לכך נאמר בזעקך יצילוך קבוצך אלו המלאכים, ואת כולם ישא רוח (ישעיה נז יג), אלו עשו ואלופיו, שנאמר וילך אל ארץ מפני יעקב אחיו (בראשית לו ז), והחוסה בי ינחל ארץ (ישעיה שם) זה יעקב, שנאמר וישב יעקב.

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayeshev 2:1

(1) [(Gen. 37:1:) NOW JACOB DWELT < IN THE LAND >.] This text is related (to Is. 57:13): WHEN YOU CRY OUT, LET YOUR ASSEMBLED ONES SAVE YOU. What are they? These are the angels who were placed to guard him when he went away to go to Aram-Naharaim, since the angels who minister in the land of Israel do not minister outside the land, nor do those who belong outside the land < minister > in the land of Israel.⁴So above, 8:3. So (in Gen. 28:12) Jacob saw < some > ascending and others descending to go abroad with him. Then, when he came to return, the Holy One summoned those angels who had ministered to him in the land. He said to them: Here is Jacob returning. Come on and let us go out for a meeting⁵Gk.: apante, according to the metathesis suggested by Buber and assumed in the Jastrow lexicon. On apante used for apantesis, see Jud. 4:22 (LXX). with him {i.e., to the border}. To what is the matter comparable? To a king whose son went away overseas to take a wife. After some time he came to return to his father's house. The king said to his court⁶’PSYQYN, which probably represents the medieval Latin word for “court,” i.e., obsequium. {i.e., to his army}: Come and let us go out for a meeting with my son. So, when Jacob came to return to the land of his father, the Holy One called the ministering angels. He said to them: Come and let us go out for a meeting with Jacob. As soon as Jacob raised his eyes, he saw the angels, as stated (in Gen. 32:2 [1]): SO JACOB WENT ON HIS WAY, AND THE ANGELS OF GOD MET HIM…. When Jacob saw them, where is it shown that they ministered to him in the land of Israel? Where it is stated (in vs. 3 [2]): WHEN JACOB SAW THEM, HE SAID: THIS IS GOD'S HOST. It is therefore stated (in Is. 57:13): WHEN YOU CRY OUT, LET YOUR ASSEMBLED ONES SAVE YOU. These < ASSEMBLED ONES > are the angels. (Ibid., cont.:) .

the second quote from Breshit Raba is 69:3

Added by: Amnon Ribak

עברית

Gen. R. 68:6. "And Jacob went out from Beersheba" (Gen. 28:10). The departure of a righteous man from a city leaves its mark. When a righteous man is in the city, he is its luster, its renown, its glory. Once he leaves, gone is its luster, gone its renown, gone its glory.”

Gen. R. 68:6 “R. Abbahu said: God's presence in that dream may be illustrated by the parable of an infant prince who was sleeping in his cradle while flies were settling upon him. The moment his wetnurse came by and bent over him, they fled. So, too, at first, "Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it" (Gen. 28:12). But the moment the Holy One revealed Himself hovering over Jacob, they fled.

Gen. R. 68:11 "And he took of the stones of the place" (Gen. 28:11). Fearful of wild beasts, Jacob put stones around him in a circle, the way a drainpipe encircles a roof [hoping that the enclosure would provide protection]. Then the stones began quarreling among themselves. One said, "Let the righteous one put his head against me," and the other said, "Let him put it against me," until finally the stones coalesced one with the other and became one stone. Hence Scripture could go on to say of those stones, "He took the stone, which he put at his head" (Gen. 28: 18).

בר"ר 69:3 - אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ, מָשָׁל לְבֶן מְלָכִים שֶׁהָיָה יָשֵׁן עַל גַּבֵּי עֲרִיסָה וְהָיוּ זְבוּבִים שׁוֹכְנִים עָלָיו, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁבָּא מֵנִיקְתּוֹ שָׁחָה עָלָיו מֵנִיקְתּוֹ וּבָרְחוּ מֵעָלָיו, כָּךְ בַּתְּחִלָּה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְגַּלֶּה עָלָיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּרְחוּ מֵעָלָיו

English

Added by: Amnon Ribak