Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 32:9/אור החיים על בראשית ל״ב:ט׳
אוַיֹּאמֶר אִם יָבֹא וְגוֹ׳. פֵּרוּשׁ: אִם יָבֹא עֵשָׂו בְּמִלְחָמָה וְהִכָּה מַחֲנֶה הָרִאשׁוֹן, יִהְיֶה מַחֲנֶה שֵׁנִי שֶׁהֵכִין לְמִלְחָמָה לִפְלֵיטָה. כְּשֶׁיַּתְחִיל הוּא וְיִרְאֶה כִּי הוּא שׂוֹנֵא, יִהְיֶה וַדַּאי מַחֲנֶה הַפָּלִיט שֶׁהֵכִין בִּכְלֵי זַיִן וִיפַלֵּט עַצְמוֹ, וְאוּלַי שֶׁגַּם מַחֲנֶה הָרִאשׁוֹן יִמָּלֵט לְבַל יְכַלֵּהוּ. וְהַכֹּל עָשָׂה יַעֲקֹב בְּהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת לְבַל יִצְטָרֵךְ לְנֵס וַה׳ יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדוֹ.
1 ויאמר אם יבא עשו, He said: "If Esau were to come to the one camp, etc." In the event Esau would come upon the first camp and defeat it, the second camp which he had prepared for battle would help even the first camp not to be annihilated since as soon as Esau's hostile intentions were obvious the second camp would engage him. Jacob did all this in order to save G'd the trouble of performing a miracle.