that Jacob had not given a tithe of them. So Jacob set aside the four firstborn sons (whom the law excluded from the tithe) of each of the four mothers, and eight sons remained. He began to count from Simeon, and included Benjamin, and continued the count from the beginning. And so Levi was reckoned as the tenth son, and thus the tithe, holy to God, as says, "The tenth shall be holy to the Lord." So the angel Michael descended and took Levi and brought him up before the Throne of Glory and told God that Levi was God's lot. And God blessed him, that the sons of Levi should minister on earth before God (as directed in ) like the ministering angels in heaven. A Midrash read , "And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day," to refer to the breaking of the day for Israel, for exile was like night. The Midrash taught that the nations of the world and the kingdom of Edom (symbolizing the Roman Empire) wrestled with Israel to lead Israel astray from God's path. And as reports, "And when he saw that he could not prevail against him," that is, that he could not dissuade Israel from acknowledging God's unity, then (in the words of Genesis ) "he touched the hollow of his thigh," that is, Jacob's circumcision. Thus the Roman government (symbolized by Edom) forbade circumcision of Jewish children. And thus continues, "And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint," referred to those defiled during those days of persecution. Reading , "And he said: 'Let me go, for the day breaks,'" the Gemara told that Jacob asked his adversary whether he was a thief or a rogue that he was afraid of the morning. He replied that he was an angel, and from the day that he was created, he had not yet had his time to sing praises to God, until that moment. The Gemara noted that this statement implying that angels sing God praises at an appointed time supported the statement of Rav Hananel in the name of Rav, who said that three divisions of ministering angels sing praises to God every day. One proclaims (in the words of ), "Holy"; the second proclaims, "Holy"; and the third proclaims, "Holy is the Lord of hosts." Reading the words of , "Your name shall