to Joseph. (And thus Jacob mentioned Isaac then on going down to witness Joseph's greatness.) Rabbi Akiva taught that for Jacob's sake God divided the sea for Jacob's descendants, for in , God told Jacob, "You shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east." The Rabbis taught that God's promise in , "and, behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go," answered all of Jacob's requests, except that for sustenance. Jacob prayed in , "If God will be with me," and God assured Jacob, "Behold, I am with you." Jacob prayed, "And will keep me," and God assured Jacob, "And I will keep you." Jacob prayed, "In this way that I go," and God assured Jacob, "wherever you go." Jacob prayed in , "So that I come back to my father's house in peace," and God assured Jacob, "and will bring you back." But the Rabbis taught that God did not answer Jacob's request for sustenance. Rabbi Assi, however, taught that God answered Jacob's request for sustenance, too, for in , God says, "for I will not forsake you," and forsaking applies to sustenance, as in , "Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Rabbi Jacob bar Idi pointed out a contradiction between God's promise to protect Jacob in and Jacob's fear in ; Rabbi Jacob explained that Jacob feared that some sin might cause him to lose the protection of God's promise. Reading the words "and Jacob vowed a vow" in , a Midrash taught that of four who made vows, two vowed and profited, and two vowed and lost. The Israelites vowed and profited in , and Hannah vowed and profited in . Jephthah vowed and lost in , and Jacob vowed in and lost (some say in the loss of Rachel in and some say in the disgrace of Dinah in , for Jacob's vow in was superfluous, as Jacob had already received God's promise, and therefore Jacob lost because of it). Reading the words, "love the stranger, in giving him food and clothing," in , Akilas the proselyte asked Rabbi Eliezer whether food and clothing constituted all the benefit of conversion to Judaism. Rabbi Eliezer replied that food and clothing are no small things, for in , Jacob prayed to God for "bread to eat, and clothing to put on," while God comes and