Rav Chaim Ibn Attar, the Ohr HaChaim
“And Yaakov sent out angelic messengers before him to Esov his brother, to the land of Seir, to the field of Edom” (32:4).
The Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh asks why the pasuk apparently needlessly points out that the messengers were sent out lefonov – “before him”. He further asks why it is necessary to call Esov “Yaakov’s brother” considering that this is a well-known fact, and why mention the detailed names of their destination as “the land of Seir, the field of Edom” (when it would have been sufficient to leave out any of these seemingly extraneous details.) What difference would there be to the messengers’ mission had they gone there or elsewhere?
The Ohr HaChaim points out that when we answer the next question this will explain to us why all these details are necessary after all. The question is why Yaakov sent actual angels as messengers to Esov. Why use angelic beings for no apparent reason other than to relay a message to Esov? Surely any human being could do that just fine.
The Ohr HaChaim answers that this is why the pasuk says lefonov – meaning that the angels were there before him. By understanding that lefonov here means that the angels were right there, standing before him, rather than that Yaakov sent them “ahead of him”, the Ohr HaChaim explains that Yaakov deduced that since these angels were standing “before him”, he had every right to use them and send them on a mission. Furthermore, this mission was one that could not be carried out by mere human beings but only by angels. The pasuk therefore points out that the mission was to relay a message to Esov, a great and important person (see Bereishis Rabba 75). Had Yaakov sent simple people, perhaps Esov would have been unimpressed and not considered them worthy of an answer, or regarded their message as important in any way. Perhaps Esov would have attacked them straight away even before hearing what they had to say. Then he could have attacked Yaakov as a vulture sweeps down on his prey. Obviously, this is not the case with angels! By sending actual angels, Yaakov sought to frighten Esov and cause his heart to tremble from fear of the army of heavenly hosts, as Chazal say (ibid) that some of the terrifying angels were clothed in fiery flames and riding on horseback. This should have frightened Esov sufficiently to prevent him from harming Yaakov. The reason the pasuk points out that Esov was his brother is because Yaakov feared to go to war against his own flesh-and-blood relative because anyone of his own family had zechus avos, which might have protected Esov.
The Ohr HaChaim explains another reason for sending actual angels: Angelic beings do not travel as we do. They are spiritual and the entire world is like their immediate vicinity, likened to their daled amos (four cubits). Practically, this meant that by sending angels on a mission, Yaakov achieved a dual form of protection, because the angels never actually left him – they were lefonov – they stood before him. Even after having been sent to Esov, they remained standing guard over Yaakov; since they did not have to physically traverse any space to deliver their message, they were able to be in two places at the same time! They could reach the land of Seir and the field of Edom, Esov’s home, before he even set out to approach Yaakov, allowing them to head him off – and simultaneously they would still be lefonov – standing before Yaakov and guarding him!
Praises for the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh
The Great Light
Rav Pinchas of Koritz once remarked that the sefer Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh enlightens and illuminates any city where it is found and is a shemira (safeguard) for any home in which there is a copy. He once visited a certain town and told his followers that he saw a great light shining there. Upon confirming that there was a copy of the Ohr HaChaim nearby, he explained that that was the source of the great light.
The Psak Halocha of the Divrei Chaim: the Ohr HaChaim Was Written With Ruach HaKodesh
We can see the tremendous regard in which the Divrei Chaim of Sanz held the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh from the following teshuva that he wrote regarding a melamed who dishonored the Ohr HaChaim by claiming that the sefer was not written with Ruach HaKodesh (Shu”t Divrei Chaim Vol. II Yoreh De’a, Siman 105):
It is unclear to me why you would doubt that Ruach HaKodesh may rest upon any who are worthy even now in today’s generation. Surely the mechaber of the Ohr HaChaim wrtote his sefer using Ruach HaKodesh; therefore, any melamed who contradicts this fact that the Ohr HaChaim had ruach hakodesh is an apikores and a non-believer, for he denies belief in the Gedolim of the generation, who testified that the Ohr HaChaim had Ruach HaKodesh. His disbelief in those Gedolim’s testimony means that he is a kofer be’ikar – a scoffer, denier and heretic – and he mocks and ridicules the teachings of the sages of the shas. You did well to remove your children from him and not let him teach them. Yasher ko’ach to you in this matter.
