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Why did Yaakov send the angels of Eretz Yisrael to Esav in Har Seir, which is outside Israel's borders? The shiur explores whether angels are assigned by territory (and Seir has future kedusha as part of the Bris Bein HaBesarim) or by personal status—a ben Eretz Yisrael retains his angels even when making a detour to Chutz La'aretz. A second question: why does the Torah (תורה) say all twelve tribes were born "b'Padan Aram" when Binyamin was born in Eretz Yisrael?
The shiur opens with a close reading of Bereishis 32:4: "Vayishlach Yaakov malachim lefanav el Esav achiv artzah Seir." Rashi (רש"י) famously states these were "malachim mamash," actual angels. But the timing raises a question: in the previous pesukim, Yaakov has just entered Eretz Yisrael at Machanayim, where Rashi explains the angels of Chutz La'aretz departed and the angels of Eretz Yisrael arrived to escort him. If Yaakov now sends angels to Esav in Har Seir—which is in Edom, southeast of Eretz Yisrael and outside its borders—why would he send the angels of Eretz Yisrael? Shouldn't the angels of Chutz La'aretz be the ones with jurisdiction over that territory? Rabbi Zweig offers a first answer rooted in the Bris Bein HaBesarim. Turning to Bereishis 15:18-19, Rashi identifies the three extra lands promised to Avrohom (Keini, Kenizi, and Kadmoni) as Edom, Moav, and Ammon—territories that will eventually belong to Klal Yisrael in the times of Mashiach. Since Har Seir (Edom) has an ultimate ownership status as part of Eretz Yisrael, perhaps the angels of Eretz Yisrael have jurisdiction there even now. The boundaries of angelic authority may follow the future territorial borders rather than current settlement. According to this approach, the land's kedusha and destiny determine which angels govern it, not merely its present political or geographic status.
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Bereishis 32:4, 35:26
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