English translation — משיחת ש״ס משלח, י״ד כסא ה׳תשמ״ח

1.

On the verse,

And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel. — Rashi copies the words,

And these are the kings etc.,

And interprets:

There were eight,

And corresponding to them, Jacob stood and nullified the kingdom of Esau in their days,

And these are they:

Saul and Ish-bosheth, David and Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat,

And in the days of Joram his son, it is written: In his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they set up a king over themselves,

And in the days of Saul, it is written: There was no king in Edom; a deputy king.

And it is not understood:

The meaning of Rashi —.

I came to settle the plain meaning of the verse•⁴,

And in our days,

What is the difficulty in the plain meaning of the verse here that requires Rashi's commentary,

And even a long commentary,

,

There were eight,

And corresponding to them, Jacob established and nullified the kingdom of Esau in their days and in"

A humble event that occurred in the time of the kings of Israel after, etc., of my generations!

B.

The Ra'avad writes that Rashi's intention,

to fulfill what is said, 'And one nation will prevail over the other nation,'

when one rises, the other falls,

and the proof,

about the nullification

1)

His interpretation, 36,

L*.

2)

Slanis-n ch,

K.

3)

M'lainim-v B.B.,

P.

— And even though this verse was forbidden nifi Asa and Yehoshaphat,

Behold,

the explanation is that this continued until their time,

and the soul of Rashi anoints kings:.

In the beauty of David the generous is the steel,

and when it was written that in the days of Yehoram we are

(of Yehoshaphat)

that over the basket of his days Edom rebelled and they made for themselves Seled,

But in the days of Yehoshaphat still they were his fallen to him-.

And from this

(the domination of Israel over Edom)

began in the time of Saul,

which was forbidden in it

(I Samuel 14,

47>,

And he fought around against all his enemies, and against, and against Edom, and against, and against whomever he turned he would do evil.

4)

Rashi on our parshah 33,

2.

And see Rashi on Bereishis 3,

8.

And more.

5)

Toldos 23,

in it and in Rashi.

The kingdom of Edom during the days of the eight kings who reigned over Israel,

that in the days of Saul it is written, "There is no king in Edom; a deputy was king,"

and in the days of Joram it is written, "In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah,"

meaning,

that from the time of Saul until that time, Edom was subjugated under the kings of Israel,

and the kingdom of Edom ceased during the days of the eight kings from Saul until Joram.

And until now the Gaon of Vilna writes —

to fulfill what is stated⁴ "I will fill the desolate,"

When one rises, the other falls.

Therefore, when King David arose, he nullified the kingship from them.

And that which it says: He established eight kings and nullified the kingship from them,

in order to sustain two nations,

meaning, equal,

just as He established this one, He established that one, etc.

But,

at first glance,

Their answer is not in the manner of studying the simple meaning of the verse,

Because:

a)

Rashi's purpose is to explain the simple meaning of the verse,

and not,

to fulfill what is said 'and in it'

that is,

if there is no difficulty in the simple meaning of the verse,

No need for Rashi to explain.

b)

And the main point: How can it be said that Rashi's intention,

to specify what was said 'And a nation from a nation shall be strengthened'? — At the same time that he emphasizes in his commentary 'shavi'.

Who will rule,

the transgression of Edom from under the hand of Judah, and they made a king over them.

That is,

that only during the period of these eight kings,

The kingdom of Edom was annulled•,

But* after this,

was fulfilled

52 and

Sefer HaSichos - 5748

the kingdom of Edom alongside the kingdom of Israel,

the opposite of what is said, "And one nation shall overpower the other"?!

[And likewise, the question arises regarding the period before "these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over Bnei Yisrael":

It is ready and also simple that it is not possible to say that over the longest period,

from the time of Jacob and Esau until the time of Saul,

several hundred years,

eight kings reigned in Edom! And it must be said that the eight kings of Edom were during a specific period,

and besides this, there was a long period when there was no king.

And accordingly,

it is possible to fulfill "And one nation shall be stronger than the other nation" at a time when both — Israel and Edom — had no king.

.

3.

And it will be understood with a prior additional question: Why does the Torah relate,

and at length,

about ״the kings who reigned in the land of Edom• — what relevance is there in ״the Torah of Moses for the Jewish people' to know what happened in the kingdom of Edom?•

At first glance, one could ask this question regarding the entire narrative of ״And these are the generations of Esau etc.״³,

and in particular, ״These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land etc.״,

״who were inhabitants before Esau came there-*׳

(for here it is not speaking about Esau,

B"M,

About the parents who bequeathed Esav)

— for at first glance,

What is the practical difference of all this in the Torah?•

8)

Close to five hundred years

(See Sdei HaDoros 51:191 — 782)

.

9> A discussion regarding Yaakov and the difficulty from them — for it is explicit in the verse.

And not strangers,

• There is no nation but kingdom"

(Toldos 25,

23 and in Rashi's commentary)

,

that is,

that the intention is not regarding Yaakov and Esav when in their time they were six souls or even seventy souls,

That this is not a prohibition at all,

And in particular — the simple meaning of the verse. And as above, that is Malchus.

10)

Our parshah, to him,

1 and onward.

11)

There,

20, and he went.

12)

Rashi on the verse.

However,

Regarding the overall story of "The Generations of Esav" and the story about "the children of Seir the Chori," it can be said³ that the Torah wrote all this

(also)

in order to emphasize the fulfillment of Yitzchak's blessing to Esav⁴.

Because of this, he had numerous chieftains, etc.,

and succeeded in dispossessing "the children of Seir the Chori, the inhabitants of the land"⁵.

We previously discussed regarding the story about the kings of Edom — one cannot learn that the Torah tells this to emphasize the greatness and strength of Esau

(as a result of Yitzchak's blessing)

,

for on the contrary: it is explicit in the verse that these kings were not from Esau's seed⁶,

but rather "from Botzrah•

("which is of the cities of Moav")

"

"from the land of Teman•"

and the like^,,

that is,

kings from other places

13)

If there are commentators who do not hold as explicit in Rashi at the beginning of Parshat Tish? after writing to you the settlements of Esau and his descendants in brief, that they were not important and valuable to explain how they settled and the order of their battles, how they dispossessed the Horites,

he explained to him the settlements of Jacob and his descendants in a lengthy manner."

And it details regarding "Kenei Seir" Tachvai,

as Rashi wrote

(Our parshah, 36,

12-15)

■ It is not necessary to write for us the families of the parents except because of Timna-

.

To make known the greatness of Avraham, when they were eager to cling to his seed, No".

14)

And similarly regarding the generations of Yishmael

(M"P Chayei Sarah)

— Fulfillment of the Tamehu? • And to Yishmael I heard it and Gad"

(to him to him '1,

נ)

.

15)

See also Devarim 2,

12:.

And in Seir dwelt the Horites formerly, and the sons of Esau will inherit them etc. and they dwelt in their stead",

And in Parshas-Y:,

I gave them rest, that they were bequeathing them and staying overnight-.

16)

And the reason for the matter — it is assumed that it is said.

And the elder shall serve the younger■

(Toldos 25,

53)

,

And in the blessing of Isaac to Jacob — •Be a lord over your brother■

(ibid., 56,

56)

,

ours,

they shall not encamp, that they be to Esau, Melnis their sleep to Jacob

(see Likkutei Sichos vol. 6 p. 296)

.

17)

Our parshah, 36,

33 and Rashi.

18)

There,

34.

19)

See Bereishis Rabbah,

Radak and Sforno on the Torah.

Shemos Rabbah chapter 37,

1.

Moreh Nevuchim part 3, chapter 50

(And unlike the Ra'avad,

in Chayei and elsewhere)

.

and in Bamidbar Rabbah

(Peyad,

Y.

And see Abrabanel on our portion there)

From the division of the third, some of them were from the children of Edom,

And the rest,

•From other places they were and from other nations".

Shabbos Parshas Shelach,

14 Kislev

And the nations that came and ruled in the land of Edom — in the portion of Esau",

That the king in his land is from another place and nation!

And thus the question returns to its place: why does the Torah relate,

And at length,

about the kings of Edom?!

D.

And it can be said,

that in its explanation,

Eight were and corresponding to them and in it Rashi's intention to explain at length the aforementioned difficulty,

as follows.

And a greater difficulty — which also arises for a five-year-old student of Scripture:

This story is in contradiction

(seemingly)

to the blessing of Yitzchak,

for,

after Yitzchak said in his blessing—to Yaakov,

Be a ruler over your brother*—,

And he said to Esau,

And your brother you shall serve*⁴—

(And from this it is understood — literally and the like — that Jacob needs to be in a higher level than Esau)

,

were,

kings who reigned in the land of Edom¹⁰,

that is,

that Edom maintained a kingdom in B'Sa

(instead of serving Yaakov)

,

and moreover,

rather,

that the kingdom of Edom was,

before a king ruled over Bnei Yisrael*?!

And on this Rashi” —,

Eight were,

And corresponding to them, Yaakov set up and nullified the kingdom of Eisav in their days and in it:

In all — Rashi* says to five — it is narrated then about eight kings only,

20)

To testify model witness.

"P.

Behold, Kassan nitchayir nations crown you very• — that they were not establishing from white from him

(Perush- on the book workers of A,

B — ma'aseh [Avodah Zarah] went down,

1)

.

21)

And we were not informed that the entire portion was said for the sake of one verse,

and also the matter is hinted at.

22)

Nuso• on what was said: "like a candle to cleave."

and the elder shall serve the younger*

23)

Toldos 27,

29.

24)

Ibid.,

40.

25)

And as is his way,

that he does not precede the question,

but rather he explains his interpretation,

and his word consequently arises from the awareness of the question.

.

And corresponding to them

(corresponding to all eight)

Jacob set up and nullified the kingdom of Esau in their days*,

That is,

that when Yaakov established his eight kings

(as Rashi enumerates them)

,

he diminished the kingdom of Eisav through this,

Edom was subjugated under the kings of Israel.

And this is the precision in the verse,

And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel — that the existence of the kingdom of Edom was only,

Before the King of kings of Israel*,

thus,

immediately when Yaakov established his angels,

he nullified the kingdom of Esav.

And acc* to this, the reason for the account of the kings of Edom is understood — to emphasize the existence of Yitzchak’s blessing regarding the superiority of Yaakov over Esav•—:

,

And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom* — in the land of Edom only,

and no further.

And it is obvious,

that it is not about the children*

(And added to this,

that the kings of Edom were not from the lineage of Esau,

but from other nations,

as it is written* in the continuation of the verses

(as above*, section 3>)

,

And all this —,

before the King, King of the children of Israel*,

in Me,

immediately and when Yaakov set up his malbim,

he nullified the kingdom of Esav,

and they were enslaved under the kings of Israel

(

there is no king in Edom; a king was set*)

.

5.

And to add — for further explanation:

The intention of Rashi* is not,

to fulfill that which is said 'and the elder shall serve the younger',

be a master to your brother,

and your brother you shall serve* — since

(in addition to the fact that its purpose is only to explain the plain meaning of the verse*)

This question remains

(a)

Regarding the duration of the lives of Yaakov and Eisav,

(b)

Regarding the entire duration of time

54

Sefer HaSichos - 5748

that before the King of kings to the children of Israel — for their end was not fulfilled,

And the elder shall serve the younger\",

(ג)

From the time of Yoram and onward, that 'in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah' etc. until this day. — How does this align with the promise,

And the elder shall serve the younger',

,

And your brother you shall serve••¹.

And Rashi does not resolve this difficulty — just as he does not explain the other,

class-questions\" of their kind.

For example: it was promised to Yaakov,

"I will surely do good with you"²,

And nevertheless,

he did not dwell in serenity,

and the days of the years of his life were "few and evil"⁵¹.

And in the parshiyos before this — it was promised to Avraham and in the covenant

(and in the transition)

Kenite, Kenizite

28)

And I will rush to attribute this to the humility of the verse "when you are distressed"

(when Israel will transgress the Torah,

then)

and you will break his yoke from off your neck"

(Toldos 67,

40 and in Rashi)

— for indeed": Jacob himself was surely at the epitome of perfection,

And nevertheless,

we do not mention that he reigned over Edom.

And regarding the time before Saled Salek to Bnei Yisrael — it is not logical that throughout the entire period the situation was worse than during the era of the eight kings.

And among the eight kings themselves•• there were also Rechavam and Aviyah who did evil in the eyes of Hashem.

On the other hand,

in the period after Yoram — there were several kings who did good in the eyes of Hashem,

such as,

Yoash and Amatzyahu and Uziyahu etc.

29)

Our parshah 32,

13.

30)

Rashi at the beginning of Vayeishev.

31)

Vayigash 47,

9.

and those preceding me³²,

and until this day, he sees in the Scripture that which has not yet been fulfilled!

Rather,

Rashi's intention is,

as it is prohibited,

to resolve the question that arises for the five-year-old studying Scripture regarding this verse:

(a)

Why does the Torah tell about the kings of Edom,

(2)

Moreover,

the story about the kings of Edom contradicts

(ostensibly)

into the blessing of Yitzchak! And Rashi explains this.

There were eight, and corresponding to them Yaakov set up and nullified the kingdom of Eisav in their days,

as above at length.

6.

And may it be His will that from the study of Torah regarding the kings that Yaakov established and the nullification of the kingdom of Esav — we merit the actual fulfillment in practice,

the renewal of the monarchy of Yaakov —,

the Mashiach, in the future, will stand and restore the monarchy of David to its former glory, to the original government"⁵⁵,

and nullifies the kingdom of Esav — as it is stated,

And the house of Yaakov will be fire and the house of Yosef a flame and the house of Esav straw, and they will burn among them and consume them⁵⁵ and there will be no survivor of the house of Esav,

until the fulfillment of the prophecy•⁵.

And saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esav, and the kingdom will be the Lord's,

speedily, in our days, literally.

Sefer HaSichos - 5748