AND THESE ARE THE KINGS THAT REIGNED IN THE LAND OF EDOM, BEFORE THERE REIGNED ANY KING OVER THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. R. Jesse discoursed on the verse: Behold, I make thee small among the nations, thou art greatly despised (Ob. 1, 2). ‘When God’, he said, ‘made the world, He divided it into seven regions corresponding to the seventy Chieftains whom He placed in charge over the seventy nations, assigning to each the nation appropriate to him, as we read: “He set the borders of the peoples, according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut. 32, 8);
and of all those Chieftains who were given charge over the other nations no one is so much despised before Him as the Chieftain of Esau. The reason of this is that the side of Esau is the side of defilement; and the side of defilement is despicable before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it springs from those base grades that are behind the empty millstones of the red custodians. Hence, God said to it: “Behold, I make thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised”, as it is written: “upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3, 14), and also: “cursed be thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field” (Ibid.)
Observe that the lower grades form a hierarchy, one above the other, and each different from the other, yet all linked and interlocked with each other. So is kingdom separate from kingdom, yet is each linked to the other.
All the grades are held, as it were, by one chain of a certain measurement, which in its turn is divided into three smaller chains which reach down and are tied to the stars and planets, so that each grade is assigned one star or planet.
Those stars in their turn operate under the grades above. Every grade has thus charge of its own proper region, and, when they diverge, a chain is formed by which each grade is bound to its proper side.
The sides of the unclean grades, which are on the left side, diverge all of them into numerous ways and paths and distribute their power to thousands and myriads in the lower world; and in reference to this it was said to Edom: “Behold, I make thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised.”
Now, in the text, “And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom”, the words “in the land” indicate the side of his grade, that is, the grade of Esau, since it is written: “Esau- the same is Edom.” All these things were thus from the side of the unclean spirit; and they were “before there reigned any king over the children of Israel”, inasmuch as they embody the grades that stand first at the lower gates. It was this that Jacob had in mind when he said “Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant” (Gen. 33, 14), since Esau’s grades were the first to gain an entrance.
They thus reigned before there was any king over Israel, for as yet the time had not arrived for the kingdom of heaven to enter into power and to league itself with the children of Israel. When it did, it began with the least of the tribes, which was Benjamin, as it says: “There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, etc.” (Ps. 68, 28), and with him the kingdom began to advance. After that the kingdom came into its own place and was established, never to be removed.’
וְאֵלֶּה הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מָלְכוּ בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. רַבִּי יֵיסָא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (עובדיה א׳:ב׳) הִנֵּה קָטָן נְתַתִּיךָ בַּגּוֹיִם בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד עֲבַד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַלְמָא, וּפָלַג אַרְעָא לְשִׁבְעָה תְּחוּמֵי פְּלִיגִין לָקֳבֵיל שִׁבְעִין רַבְרְבִין מְמַנָּן, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא פָּלִיג לוֹן לְשִׁבְעִין עַמִין כָּל חַד וְחַד כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (דבהם לכ) בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם יַצֵב גְּבוּלוֹת עַמִים.
AND THESE ARE THE KINGS THAT REIGNED IN THE LAND OF EDOM, BEFORE THERE REIGNED ANY KING OVER THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. R. Jesse discoursed on the verse: Behold, I make thee small among the nations, thou art greatly despised (Ob. 1, 2). ‘When God’, he said, ‘made the world, He divided it into seven regions corresponding to the seventy Chieftains whom He placed in charge over the seventy nations, assigning to each the nation appropriate to him, as we read: “He set the borders of the peoples, according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut. 32, 8);
וּמִכֻּלְּהוּ רַבְרְבָן מְמַנָּן דְּאִתְמַסְרוּ לִשְׁאָר עַמִין לָא אִית בְּהוּ בָּזוּי קַמֵּיהּ כִּמְמַנָּא דְעֵשָׂו. מַאי טַעֲמָא, בְּגִין דְּסִטְרָא דְעֵשָׂו סִטְרָא מְסָאֲבָא אִיהוּ, וְסִטְרָא דִמְסָאֲבָא אִיהוּ קְלָנָא קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מֵאִינוּן דַּרְגִּין זְעִירִין דְּבָתַר רֵיחַיָא סְרִיקְתָּא דְּקוֹסְטְרֵי סוּמְקֵי קָא אַתְיָא, וְעַל דָּא הִנֵּה קָטָן נְתַתִּיךָ בַּגּוֹיִם, בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד. דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ג׳:י״ד) עַל גְּחוֹנְךָ תֵּלֵךְ וְעָפָר תֹּאכַל כָּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. מְאֹד, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה וּמִכָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה.
and of all those Chieftains who were given charge over the other nations no one is so much despised before Him as the Chieftain of Esau. The reason of this is that the side of Esau is the side of defilement; and the side of defilement is despicable before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it springs from those base grades that are behind the empty millstones of the red custodians. Hence, God said to it: “Behold, I make thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised”, as it is written: “upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3, 14), and also: “cursed be thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field” (Ibid.)
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּדַרְגִּין תַּתָּאִין אִית דַּרְגִּין עַל דַּרְגִּין, כֻּלְּהוּ מְשַׁנְיָין דָּא מִן דָּא, וְכֻלְּהוּ דַרְגִּין קַפְטִירִין אִלֵּין, וּקְשִׁירִין אִלֵּין בְּאִלֵּין, וּמַלְכוּ אִתְפָּרַשׁ דָּא מִן דָּא, וּמַלְכוּ אִתְקַשַּׁר בְּמַלְכוּ. דָּא עֲיִּיל, וְדָא סָלִיק, אֲחִידָן בְּקִשְׁרָא חָדָא.
Observe that the lower grades form a hierarchy, one above the other, and each different from the other, yet all linked and interlocked with each other. So is kingdom separate from kingdom, yet is each linked to the other.
הַהוּא קִשְׁרָא מִשְׁחָתָא חָדָא לֵיהּ, וּתְלַת קִשְׁרִין לְהַהִיא מִשְׁחָתָא. בְּכָל קִשְׁרָא וְקִשְׁרָא חַד עִטְּרָא, וּבְכָל עִטְּרָא וְעִטְּרָא חַד קַפְסוֹרָא
All the grades are held, as it were, by one chain of a certain measurement, which in its turn is divided into three smaller chains which reach down and are tied to the stars and planets, so that each grade is assigned one star or planet.
וְאִתְמַנָּא בְּעִטּוּרָא דִלְעֵילָא, וְאִתְמַנָּא וְנָחִית לְתַתָּא, עַד דְּאִתְקַשְּׁרוּ בֵּיהּ כֹּכְבַיָא וּמַזָּלֵי. כָּל חַד וְחַד אִתְפְּרַשׁ בֵּיהּ חַד כֹּכָבָא וְחַד מַזָּלָא, וְכָל כֹּכְבַיָא זְמִינִין אִינוּן בְּאִינוּן דַּרְגִּין דִּלְעֵילָא. וְעַל דָּא כָּל דַּרְגָּא וְדַרְגָּא אִתְעַטַּר בְּאַתְרִין יְדִיעָן כְּדְקָא חָזֵי.
Those stars in their turn operate under the grades above. Every grade has thus charge of its own proper region, and, when they diverge, a chain is formed by which each grade is bound to its proper side.
וְכַד מִתְפָּרְשָׁן דַּרְגִּין אִשְׁתַּכַּח קִטּוּרָא דְּפוּסְתָּקָא, עַד דְּאִתְקַשְּׁרָא בְּסִטְרָא דְּאִתְחֲזֵי לוֹן, וְסִטְרֵי דְדַרְגֵי מְסָאֲבֵי דְּאִינוּן בִּסְטַר שְׂמָאלָא כֻּלְּהוּ מִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְכַמָּה אָרְחִין וּשְׁבִילִין מִסִּטְרֵי גְּבוּרָן סוּמְקָן. וּבְגִין כָּךְ תַּלְיָין גְּבוּרָן לְתַתָּא לְאֶלֶף אַלְפִין וְרִבּוֹ רִבְבָן, וְעַל דָּא הִנֵּה קָטָן נְתַתִּיךָ בַּגּוֹיִם בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד כִּדְקָאֲמָרָן.
The sides of the unclean grades, which are on the left side, diverge all of them into numerous ways and paths and distribute their power to thousands and myriads in the lower world; and in reference to this it was said to Edom: “Behold, I make thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised.”
תָּא חֲזֵי, וְאֵלֶּה הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מָלְכוּ בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם. בְּאֶרֶץ, בְּסִטְרָא דְדַרְגָּא דִּילֵיהּ דְּאִיהוּ דַּרְגָּא דְעֵשָׂו. דִּכְתִיב עֵשָׂו הוּא אֱדוֹם, וְכֻלְּהוּ קָאָתוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְרוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא. לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן דַּרְגִּין דְּקַיָּימִין בֵּי תַּרְעֵי לְתַתָּא קַדְמָאי. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר יַעֲקֹב, יַעֲבָר נָא אֲדֹנִי לִפְנֵי עַבְדּוֹ. בְּגִין דַּרְגִּין דִּילֵיהּ קַדְמָאִין אִינוּן לְאָעֳלָא. וּבְגִין כָךְ לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ לִבְנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. דְּעַד כְּעָן לָא מָטָא זִמְנָא דְּמַלְכוּ שְׁמַיָא לְשַׁלְטָאָה וּלְאִתְאַחֲדָא בִּבְנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר יַעֲבָר נָא אֲדֹנִי לִפְנִי עַבְדּוֹ.
Now, in the text, “And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom”, the words “in the land” indicate the side of his grade, that is, the grade of Esau, since it is written: “Esau- the same is Edom.” All these things were thus from the side of the unclean spirit; and they were “before there reigned any king over the children of Israel”, inasmuch as they embody the grades that stand first at the lower gates. It was this that Jacob had in mind when he said “Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant” (Gen. 33, 14), since Esau’s grades were the first to gain an entrance.
וְכַד שְׁלִימוּ אִלֵּין דַּרְגִּין בְּקַדְמִיתָא, לְבָתַר אִתְעַר מַלְכוּ שְׁמַיָא לְשַׁלְטָאָה עַל תַּתָּאֵי. וְכַד שָׁרָא, שָׁרָא בִּזְעִירָא דְּכָל שִׁבְטִין דְּאִיהוּ בִּנְיָמִין. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים ס״ח:כ״ח) שָׁם בִּנְיָמִין צָעִיר רוֹדֵם וְגו'. וּבֵיהּ שָׁארֵי לְאַתְעָרָא מַלְכוּתָא, לְבָתַר אֲתָא מַלְכוּתָא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ וְאִתְקְיַּים בַּהֲדֵיהּ דְּלָא תַעֲדֵי לְעָלְמִין.
They thus reigned before there was any king over Israel, for as yet the time had not arrived for the kingdom of heaven to enter into power and to league itself with the children of Israel. When it did, it began with the least of the tribes, which was Benjamin, as it says: “There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, etc.” (Ps. 68, 28), and with him the kingdom began to advance. After that the kingdom came into its own place and was established, never to be removed.’