זוהר ויקרא — דף נה ע”ב

And regarding this we have learned, whoever comes to defile himself is certainly defiled. Woe to the person upon whom a spirit of impurity rests and who is found with it in the world, for he should know with certainty that the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to remove him from the world. Happy are the righteous, who are all holy and are found in holiness before the holy King, and upon whom a spirit of holiness rests in this world and in the world to come. As soon as morning came, they rose and went.<br />
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While they were walking, Rabbi Elazar opened and said, "Jacob went on his way and angels of God met him." "Jacob went on his way," for he was walking toward his father.<br />
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Come and see, all the time Jacob was with Laban, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not speak with him. And if you say, is it not written, "the Lord said to Jacob, return to the land of your fathers and to your birthplace," this happened at the end, at the time he wished to part from Laban; and when he parted from him, those angels came to meet him and accompanied him on his way.<br />
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In a Tosefta it is told that Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yossi, his father-in-law, were walking from Usha to Lod. Rabbi Yossi said to Rabbi Elazar: perhaps you heard from your father what is written, "Jacob went on his way"? He answered him: I do not know. While they were walking, they reached the cave of Lod, and they heard a voice saying: two fawns of the hind performed before me a will pleasing to me — these were the holy camp that met Jacob before him. Rabbi Elazar was stirred and his soul was shaken, and he said: Master of the world, such are Your ways; it is better for us not to hear, I heard and I do not know. A miracle happened to him, and he heard a voice saying: these were Abraham and Isaac. He fell on his face and saw the image of his father, and said to him: father, I asked and was answered that Abraham and Isaac are the ones who met Jacob when he was saved from Laban. He answered him: my son, bring out your note and receive the words of your elderly father, a mouth that spoke great things. And this is not this alone, but for all the righteous, the souls of the righteous come to meet them to save them, and these are holy, supreme angels.<br />
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And come and see, Isaac was alive at that moment, but his holy soul was taken up to the throne of glory of his Master when he was bound upon the altar, and then his eyes were closed from seeing. This is what is written, "unless... and the fear of Isaac had been with me."<br />
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Come and see, it is written "they met him"; it should have been written "he met angels of God" — what is "him"? Rather, they came to be included in him. What does "to be included in him" mean? Rather, they came from the side of severity, for it is written "angels of God," and he saw from the other side angels of mercy, and mercy and judgment were included in him.<br />
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Come and see, first "angels of God," this is one; afterward "he called the name of that place Machanayim," this is two: one from the side of judgment and one from the side of mercy, angels from this side and angels from that side. And regarding this it is written, "they met him," him precisely. "Jacob said when he saw them" — it should have been written "he saw them"; what is "saw them"? Rather, he saw them included as one, attached to each other, joined to each other, and therefore it is written "saw them," and all of them came to escort him and save him from the hand of Esau.<br />
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It is written of Esau, "the first came out red." "The first came out" — if you say that Jacob was from the first drop, it is not so, for it is written "the first came out" and not "came out first." And because Isaac came from the side of harsh judgment, Esau came out red, ruddy; for if Jacob had been the firstborn, would that first drop have come out so red? But it was the second drop, and therefore it did not come out that way, for that drop was from the side of mercy, from this side and from that side.<br />
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And the drop of Esau was not like the drop of Jacob, for this one was complete and that one was not complete. And at that moment Isaac was directing himself toward the completion of harsh judgment, which brought forth on its side engraved lights in his limbs, and therefore Esau is the dross that was melted away from the gold.<br />