Vayeitzei 32:03 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 32:03

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאָ֔ם מַחֲנֵ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים זֶ֑ה וַיִּקְרָ֛א שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא מַחֲנָֽיִם׃

And Yaakov said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Machanayim.

Torah Temimah points to classical sources on the dual camp.

TT lemma: מחנים.

Core Text

אָמְרוּ: שְׁתֵּי מַחֲנוֹת רָאָה — מַחֲנֵה שֶׁל מַעְלָה וּמַחֲנֵה שֶׁל מַטָּה.

English: They said: He saw two camps — the camp of above and the camp of below.

On the daf / in context: The dual form Machanayim is taken to indicate the heavenly escort joining the earthly company of Yaakov.

Derash on the verse (midrashic) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The dual name yields the teaching of two concurrent camps.

Yaakov perceived both the earthly and the heavenly camps, and therefore named the place Machanayim.