Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 32:2/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ב:ב׳

אוַיִּפְגְּעוּ בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ב:ב') מַלְאֲכֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל יָצְאוּ לִקְרָאתוֹ. "מַחֲנָיִם", שְׁתֵּי מַחֲנוֹת, שֶׁל חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ עִמּוֹ עַד כָּאן וְשֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל יָצְאוּ לִקְרָאתוֹ. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ בָּזֶה, שֶׁהֲרֵי עֲדַיִן לֹא הִגִּיעַ יַעֲקֹב לָאָרֶץ וְרָחוֹק הָיָה מִשָּׁם, וְשָׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֶל עֵשָׂו מֵרָחוֹק, וְשָׁם (בראשית ל"ב:כ"ג) נֶאֱמַר "וַיַּעֲבֹר אֵת מַעֲבַר יַבֹּק", שֶׁהוּא "יַבֹּק הַנַּחַל גְּבוּל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן" (דברים ג טז), שֶׁהוּא דְּרוֹמִית מִזְרָחִית לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַעֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לוֹ לַעֲבֹר גְּבוּל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וּמוֹאָב וְאַחֲרֵי כָּךְ אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם, וּתְחִלַּת בִּיאָתוֹ בָּאָרֶץ בִּשְׁכֶם הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ל"ג:י"ח) "וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם עִיר שְׁכֶם אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן". אֲבָל הָיְתָה הַמַּרְאָה הַזֹּאת לְיַעֲקֹב כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא בִּגְבוּל אוֹיְבָיו, לְהוֹדִיעוֹ כִּי רַבִּים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ מֵאֲשֶׁר אִתָּם, וְנִקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם מַחֲנָיִם כִּי כֵן הַדֶּרֶךְ בַּשֵּׁמוֹת, אוֹ מַחֲנָיִם – מַחֲנֵהוּ וּמַחֲנֵה הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, לוֹמַר כִּי מַחֲנֵהוּ בָּאָרֶץ כְּמַחֲנֵה הַמַּלְאָכִים, כֻּלָּם מַחֲנוֹת אֱלֹהִים מְבָרְכִים לוֹ וּמוֹדִים בְּיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ לְעוֹלָמִים:

1AND THE ANGELS OF G-D MET HIM. Rashi comments: “The angels who minister in the Land of Israel came to meet him. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim: the plural form implies two camps, one consisting of the angels ministering outside of the Land of Israel who had accompanied him thus far, the other consisting of those ministering in the Land of Israel who had come forth to meet him.”But I wonder at this, for Jacob had not yet reached the Land of Israel and was still distant from there for he sent messengers to Esau from afar. And then it says there, And he passed over the ford of the Jabbok,²⁵⁶ which is the river Jabbok which is the border of the children of Ammon.²⁵⁷ This is to the southeast of the Land of Israel, and he still had to pass the boundary of the children of Ammon and Moab, and then the land of Edom, and his first entry into the Land was at Shechem, as it is said, And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.²⁵⁸ Instead, we must say this vision came to Jacob as he arrived in enemy territory in order to inform him that “they that are with him are more than they that are with them.”²⁵⁹ And the name of the place was called “Mahanaim” in the plural, for such is the way of Scripture with names.²⁶⁰ It may be that “Mahanaim” refers to His camp and the camp of the higher beings,²⁶¹ that is to say that His camp on earth is as the camp of the angels, all of them being camps of G-d, blessing Him and confessing His Unity, may His name be blessed forever.