| 31Jacob named the place Peni’el [“the face of God”], “for,” he said, “I beheld an angel of God face to face, yet my life was spared.” |
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לאוַיִּקְרָ֧א יַֽעֲקֹ֛ב שֵׁ֥ם הַמָּק֖וֹם פְּנִיאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־רָאִ֤יתִי אֱלֹהִים֙ פָּנִ֣ים אֶל־פָּנִ֔ים וַתִּנָּצֵ֖ל נַפְשִֽׁי: |
| 32The sun rose upon him as he passed Penu’el. He was limping, favoring his dislocated hip. |
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לבוַיִּזְרַח־ל֣וֹ הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבַ֖ר אֶת־פְּנוּאֵ֑ל וְה֥וּא צֹלֵ֖עַ עַל־יְרֵכֽוֹ: |
| וַיִּזְרַח־לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ - The sun rose (lit.) for him. This is a colloquial expression similar to: “When we reached a certain place, dawn broke for us.” This is its straightforward meaning. But the aggadic explanation is: “it rose for him” – for his benefit, to heal his limp, as it says: “the sun of mercy, with healing in its wings.” And those hours that it had set for him before its time when he left Beersheba, it now rose for him before its time. |
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וַיִּזְרַח־לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ.
לְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם הוּא כְּשֶׁהִגַּעְנוּ לְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הֵאִיר לָנוּ הַשַּׁחַר, זֶהוּ פְשׁוּטוֹ; וּמִדְרָשׁ אַגָדָה ויזרח לו לְצָרְכּוֹ – לְרַפְּאוֹת אֶת צָלַעְתּוֹ, כְּמָה דְּתֵימָא שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ (מלאכי ג'); וְאוֹתָן שָׁעוֹת שֶׁמִּהֲרָה לִשְׁקֹעַ בִּשְׁבִילוֹ כְּשֶׁיָּצָא מִבְּאֵר שֶׁבַע מִהֲרָה לִזְרֹחַ בִּשְׁבִילוֹ:
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| וְהוּא צֹלֵעַ - He was limping - i.e., he had been limping when the sun rose. |
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וְהוּא צֹלֵעַ.
הָיָה צוֹלֵעַ כְּשֶׁזָּרְחָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ:
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| 33Therefore, to this very day, the Israelites do not eat the nerve that became displaced, i.e., the nerve of the hip joint, because the angel touched Jacob’s hip joint, causing this nerve to be displaced. |
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לגעַל־כֵּ֡ן לֹא־יֹֽאכְל֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־גִּ֣יד הַנָּשֶׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־כַּ֣ף הַיָּרֵ֔ךְ עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י נָגַע֙ בְּכַף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּגִ֖יד הַנָּשֶֽׁה: |
| גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה - Why is it called גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה? Because it sprang (נָשָׁה) and moved upwards from its normal position. נָּשֶׁה has the sense of springing away. Similarly we find: “their strength disappeared (נָשְׁתָה)”; and similarly: “because God has made me forget (or “caused to be removed”) (נַשַּׁנִי) all my hardships.” |
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גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה.
לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה? לְפִי שֶׁנָּשָׁה מִמְּקוֹמוֹ וְעָלָה, וְהוּא לְשׁוֹן קְפִיצָה, וְכֵן נָשְׁתָה גְבוּרָתָם (ירמיהו נ"א), וְכֵן כִּי נַשַּׁנִי אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל עֲמָלִי (בראשית מ"א):
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| בְּכַף יֶרֶךְ - Of the hip joint. (lit., “on the crest of the hip”) – “Polpe” in Old French. Any flesh that is raised, steep, and round is called a כַּף “crest,” as in the phrase “until the crest (הַכַּף) flattens” mentioned in the signs of incipient puberty. |
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עַל כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ.
פולפ"א בְּלַעַז , כָּל בָּשָׂר גָּבוהַֹּ וְתָלוּל
וְעָגֹל קָרוּי כַּף, כְּמֹ ו: עַד שֶׁתִּתְמָרֵךְ הַכַּף, בְּסִימָנֵי
בַגְרוּת:
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| 1Jacob raised his eyes and saw Esau approaching, accompanied by 400 men, so he divided up the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two bondwomen. |
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אוַיִּשָּׂ֨א יַֽעֲקֹ֜ב עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה עֵשָׂ֣ו בָּ֔א וְעִמּ֕וֹ אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּ֣חַץ אֶת־הַיְלָדִ֗ים עַל־לֵאָה֙ וְעַל־רָחֵ֔ל וְעַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֥י הַשְּׁפָחֽוֹת: |
| 2He placed the bondwomen and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. |
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בוַיָּ֧שֶׂם אֶת־הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת וְאֶת־יַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן רִֽאשֹׁנָ֑ה וְאֶת־לֵאָ֤ה וִֽילָדֶ֨יהָ֙ אַֽחֲרֹנִ֔ים וְאֶת־רָחֵ֥ל וְאֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף אַֽחֲרֹנִֽים: |
| וְאֶת־לֵאָה וִֽילָדֶיהָ אַֽחֲרֹנִים - Leah and her children next. The later they were placed, the more beloved they were to Jacob. |
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וְאֶת־לֵאָה וִֽילָדֶיהָ אַֽחֲרֹנִים.
אַחֲרוֹן אַחֲרוֹן חָבִיב:
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| 3He went ahead of them and prostrated himself seven times as he approached his brother. |
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גוְה֖וּא עָבַ֣ר לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁתַּ֤חוּ אַ֨רְצָה֙ שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֔ים עַד־גִּשְׁתּ֖וֹ עַד־אָחִֽיו: |
| עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם - Went ahead of them. He said: If that wicked man comes to fight, let him fight me first. |
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עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם.
אָמַר אִם יָבֹא אוֹתוֹ רָשָׁע לְהִלָּחֵם יִלָּחֵם בִּי תְּחִלָּה:
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| 4Esau ran towards him, embraced him, threw himself on his neck, and kissed him. And they wept. |
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דוַיָּ֨רָץ עֵשָׂ֤ו לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ וַיְחַבְּקֵ֔הוּ וַיִּפֹּ֥ל עַל־צַוָּארָ֖יו (כתיב צוארו ) וַֹיִֹשָֹׁקֵֹ֑הֹוֹּ וַיִּבְכּֽוּ: |
| וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ - Embraced him. His compassion was aroused when he saw Jacob prostrating himself so many times. |
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וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ.
נִתְגַּלְגְּלוּ רַחֲמָיו, כְּשֶׁרָאָהוּ מִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה כָּל הִשְׁתַּחֲוָאוֹת הַלָּלוּ:
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| וַֹיִֹשָֹׁקֵֹהֹוֹּ - He kissed him. There are dots over this word, serving to lessen its import. There is a difference of opinion in a baraita in Sifrei about this: Some explain these dots to mean that he did not kiss him wholeheartedly, but Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, “It is known that Esau hates Jacob, but at that moment his compassion was aroused to a greater degree than before and he kissed him wholeheartedly, but this spontaneous display of emotion was only fleeting.” |
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וַֹיִֹשָֹׁקֵֹהֹוֹּ.
נָקוּד עָלָיו; וְיֵשׁ חוֹלְקִין בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה בַּבָּרַיְתָא דְּסִפְרֵי, יֵשׁ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ נְקֻדָּה זוֹ שֶׁלֹּא נְשָׁקוֹ בְּכָל לִבּוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי, הֲלָכָה הִיא בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעֵשָׂו שׂוֹנֵא לְיַעֲקֹב, אֶלָּא שֶׁנִּכְמְרוּ רַחֲמָיו בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה וּנְשָׁקוֹ בְּכָל לִבּוֹ (ספרי במדבר):
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| 5Esau raised his eyes and, seeing the women and children, asked Jacob, “How are all these people related to you?” He replied, “These are the children whom God has been kind enough to grant your servant.” |
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הוַיִּשָּׂ֣א אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֤רְא אֶת־הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְאֶת־הַיְלָדִ֔ים וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵ֣לֶּה לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הַיְלָדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁר־חָנַ֥ן אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ: |
| מִי־אֵלֶּה לָּךְ - means: Who are these, that they are yours? |
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מִי־אֵלֶּה לָּךְ.
מִי אֵלֶּה לִהְיוֹת שֶׁלְּךָ:
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