Food For Thought

Ten questions I jotted down while learning chumash - rashi on parshas vayishlach. Appreciate any insight...

1] Yaakov sent "malachim" to Esav [32/4]. Rashi says that they were real angels and not just messangers. Why did he not send regular human beings?

2] He told them "So you should tell my master Esav" [32/5]. I understand why they should call Esav "master" to his face [to butter him up] but why is it necessary to call him "master" to the angels? Esav is not his master!:-)

3] The Torah doesn't tell what Esav's reaction was to the coming of these angels [did he know they were angels]. It just says that the angels returned and told him that Esav is coming with 400 men - which is in itself an ambiguous statemement. Why not? Why all of these men? How did Esav know where Yaakov was? Twitter perhaps?

4] ויירא יעקב מאד ויצר לו Yaakov was "very" afraid and he had anguish [32/8]. Why was he "very" afraid but not "very" anguished? Why does it say " ויצר "לו - we know that it is referring to לו. The word ויצר would have sufficed.

5] ויחץ את העם אשר אתו - He split up the "nation" that was with him [32/9]. What "nation"?? In the next pasuk it is called מחנה - a camp. THAT makes more sense. But "nation"?

6] Rashi says that Yaakov prepared himself with 3 things - a gift, tfilla and war. For "war" rashi quotes this pasuk והיה המחנה הנשאר לפליטה. For gift and tfilla he quotes 2 later psukim. Why then does Rashi mention war last when it really came first?

7] A question that comes up often - ויאמר יעקב א-להי אבי אברהם וא-להי אבי יצחק י-ה-ו-ה האמר אלי - Why does he switch from א-להים to י-ה-ו-ה?

8] Hashem told me to return לארצך ולמולדתך ואיטיבה עמך - to your land and birthplace and I will do good for you [32/10]. If you look at the pasuk where Hashem told Yaakov to go home it says [31/3] "שוב אל ארץ אבותיך ולמולדתך ואהיה עמך". Different words - ואיטיבה עמך against ואהיה עמך, and לארצך against ארץ אבותיך. Why the change?

9] קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת - I have become small because of all of the חסד and אמת [32/11]. I know what it means to perform chesed for someone but what does it mean that Hashem performed אמת for him?? Rashi says you "guarded" שמרת the promises you made. Why doesn't he use the usual term קיימת - you fulfilled.

10 The pasuk concludes כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה - Because I passed over the Yarden with my staff. How is that a chesed and emes [see Rashi]? How does the second part of the pasuk follow from the first?