בראשית, פרק ל״ג, פסוק ט״ז

The dramatic encounter between two long-estranged brothers ultimately ends in a final parting of ways. Their life paths diverge completely as Esau gathers his camp and the gift he received, heading back toward his home [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, this separation is far from warm. A lingering tension remains between them, marked by the absence of a parting embrace. From this point forward, Jacob chooses never to visit his brother, recognizing that Esau's heart is not truly aligned with his own [העמק דבר].

This journey back is more than just a geographic route; it represents a return to an old way of life. For a brief moment, Esau had entertained the thought of repentance and walking alongside Jacob, but he ultimately falls back into his familiar habits and negative traits [רש ר הירש, שפתי כהן]. His destination serves as a metaphor for returning to a place of spiritual impurity [שפתי כהן]. In fact, Jacob's own actions carefully orchestrated this retreat, causing his brother to withdraw and head back home [קונטרס חיבה יתירה].

A striking detail of this departure is the sudden absence of the massive, threatening army that initially accompanied Esau. He returns entirely alone. The primary approach among commentators is that his four hundred men secretly slipped away and abandoned him [שפתי חכמים, מזרחי]. Because these men ultimately chose not to harm Jacob, God rewarded their descendants many generations later during the reign of King David, allowing exactly four hundred men of Edom to escape death in battle [רש״י, גור אריה, צאינה וראינה, ברכת אשר על התורה].

This quiet desertion creates a narrative difficulty. Just moments before leaving, Esau had offered to leave some of his men behind to protect Jacob. If his army had already fled, this offer would be impossible [ריב״א, חזקוני]. Commentators offer a few ways to resolve this tension. One approach suggests that the men slipped away gradually, one by one, so Esau would not notice. When he made his offer, a portion of them were still standing there [משכיל לדוד]. Another perspective maintains that the four hundred men who fled were the high-ranking commanders, while the ordinary foot soldiers remained, and it was these soldiers that Esau intended to leave with Jacob [ריב״א]. A third view draws a distinction between the armed warriors who came for battle and Esau's personal household servants. The warriors deserted, but the domestic servants stayed behind, and they were the ones offered as a protective guard [ברטנורא על התורה].