Midrash Vayisau Explained

Midrash Vayisau (Hebrew: מדרש ויסעו) is one of the smaller midrashim. This small midrash, "the heroic legend of the sons of Jacob", is based on Genesis 35:5 and 36:6, and recounts the story of the wars of Jacob and his sons against the kings of the Amorites and against Esau and his army.

The beginning of its discussion of the Amorite war is as follows: "Our teachers said that although they did not pursue after them this time, yet seven years later all the kings of the Amorites gathered themselves together against the sons of Jacob."

That the legends contained in Vayisau are very old may be inferred from the Book of Jubilees^[1] and from the Testament of Judah;^[2] the midrash betrays its relationship to these old pseudepigraphical writings in many details. The war against the Amorites is treated at greater length in the Sefer ha-Yashar, pericope "Beshallach." The midrash itself is contained in Yalkut Shimoni,^[3] and is mentioned by Naḥmanides as "Sefer Milchamot Benei Ya'akov".^[4]

cite the opinion of G. Schmitt that the work was composed not later than the Bar Kokhba war. The text has been edited according to the Yalkut Shimoni by A. Jellinek,^[5] by S. Chones,^[6] and by Charles.^[7]

References

.The JE cites the following works:

• • Zunz, G. V. p. 145;
  • Rab Pe'alim, pp. 54 et seq.;
  • A. Jellinek, B. H. iii., pp. ix. et seq.

Bibliography

• TAMAR ALEXANDER and YOSEF DAN: The Complete "Midrash Vayi-sa'u" FOLKLORE RESEARCH CENTER STUDIES VOLUME III Edited by ISSACHAR BEN-AMI JERUSALEM 1972

Notes and References

1. Jubilees 34, 37 et seq.
2. [Emil Kautzsch]
3. Yalkut Shimoni, Genesis 133
4. Nachmanides' commentary to Genesis 34:13
5. B. H. iii. 1-5
6. In his edition of Rab Pe'alim, pp. 153 et seq.
7. In his edition of the Book of Jubilees, Appendix II., Oxford, 1895