Midrash Aggadah Reader

"As we have not touched you" — that we did not touch you, as it is said, "Whoever touches this man [or his wife shall surely be put to death]" (verse 11). "Only good" — that they did not do him a complete good. "And we sent you away in peace" — even though we said to you, "Go from us," we did not take anything of all that is yours, and therefore you are now blessed of the LORD.

"And you shall eat the flesh of your sons" (Leviticus 26:29) — as in the deed that occurred in Samaria concerning the woman who cried out to Jehoram son of Ahab, king of Israel (2 Kings 6:25-26), and as in the deed concerning Doeg son of Joseph in the [time of the] Second Temple. "And the flesh of your daughters you shall eat" (Leviticus 26:29) — [this comes] to include sons who ate the flesh of their father.

"And Isaac sent them away" (Genesis 26:31). Isaac was riding upon a donkey when he cut a covenant with them, and he cut from the bridle of the donkey the measure of a cubit, so that it would serve him as evidence that Isaac had sworn that his children would not take from the land of the Philistines for all time. And therefore it is said of David: "And David took the bridle of the cubit (Metheg-Ammah) from the hand of the Philistines" (II Samuel 8:1).

"And you I will scatter among the nations" (Leviticus 26:33) — that you shall not be seeing one another and taking comfort, but rather I will scatter you with a winnowing fork to every direction. "And I will draw out a sword after you. And your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a ruin" — that every one of you shall not be able to return to his house, and his house shall be ruined, and in his gardens there shall not remain a trace of a tree, on account of the length of the exile.

"And Esau was forty years old, etc." This is what Scripture says: "God seats the solitary in a house" (Psalms 68:7). A certain matrona asked Rabbi Yossi bar Halafta: In how many days did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the world? He said to her: In six days the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world. She said to him: And from that day until now, what does He do? He said to her: He sits and pairs couples, and brings the daughter of the east to the son of the west, and the son of the east to the daughter of the west, as it is said, "He seats the solitary in a house, He brings out prisoners into prosperity" (Psalms 68:7), for He places upon their necks bonds of iron until the two of them come together. And even the pairing of Esau is from before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Esau also marry from the nation that is liable to destruction like himself, as it is said, "For I will utterly blot out" (Exodus 17:14), and it is written concerning them, "for you shall utterly destroy them" (Deuteronomy 20:17). "And he took as a wife Judith." This is what Scripture says: "every raven after its kind" (Leviticus 11:15). And why so? Rather, the wicked to the wicked and the righteous to the righteous, so that the righteous man may merit together with the righteous woman, and the wicked man be condemned together with the wicked woman. Rabbi Hanina said: And why did Esau marry when he was forty years old? Rather, Esau said: Father married when he was forty years old, and I will do as Father did. And he married first and raised up only five sons; but Jacob married after eighty-three years and saw in his lifetime thirty myriads of his grandchildren. And from where? As it is written concerning Israel, "And the children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed and multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty" (Exodus 1:7), and they were sixty myriads; each "exceedingly" raises thirty myriads. And concerning Jacob it is said, "And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they took possession of it, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly" (Genesis 47:27) — behold, thirty myriads. Another interpretation: "And Esau was forty years old." He likened himself to Isaac, who married when he was forty years old. But Scripture says, "When he speaks graciously, do not trust him, for there are seven abominations in his heart" (Proverbs 26:25). And another Scripture says, "the way of the eagle in the heavens" (Proverbs 30:19) — this is Nebuchadnezzar, whose ancestor stepped one step for the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He — and stepped three steps for the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He — and from him He raised up three kings. And from where that this Scripture is said concerning Nebuchadnezzar? It is written here, "the way of the eagle in the heavens," and it is written concerning Nebuchadnezzar, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). "The way of a serpent upon a rock" (Proverbs 30:19) — this is Cyrus, who commanded to build the Temple. It is said here "rock," and it is said concerning the Shekhinah, which dwells in the Temple, "the Rock that begot you, you neglected" (Deuteronomy 32:18). "The way of a ship in the heart of the sea" (Proverbs 30:19) — this is Alexander of Macedon, who, when he saw Shimon the Righteous, would bow before him. And his servants said to him: A king such as you bows to a Jew? He said to them: It is in his likeness that I see when I go out to war and am victorious. And why did he liken Alexander to a ship? To tell you: just as a ship roves about in the sea, here and there, and no way is seen, so Alexander left no place that he did not conquer. "The way of a man with a maiden" (Proverbs 30:19) — this is Esau the wicked, concerning whom it is written, "a man knowing how to hunt" (Genesis 25:27), and he is like the swine that is in the field. And why is he likened to a swine? Just as this swine hides its mouth and stretches out its hooves, hiding the unclean side of it and putting out the clean side of it, so Esau the wicked shows himself to be clean, in that he married like his father when he was forty years old, and hides the transgressions that he did. For he did five transgressions: he killed and murdered and worshipped idols and denied the resurrection of the dead and stole. And he is likened to the adulterous woman who fornicates with everyone who passes and returns, and says, "I have done no wrong" (Proverbs 30:20).

"And they were a bitterness of spirit" and so forth. From the good deeds that they did not do; and it was not enough that they did not do good, but they even did evil, for they would offer incense to foreign worship and drive the Shekhinah away from the house of Isaac. And on this account some say that Isaac became blind. If so, why did Rebekah not become blind? Rather, Rebekah was accustomed to it, for in the house of her father they would offer incense to foreign worship; therefore she was not blinded. But Isaac, who was an unblemished burnt-offering, was blinded.

"And those of you who remain, I will bring faintness into their hearts" (Leviticus 26:36) — this is terror and dread and anxiety and fear. "And the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them" — for even the leaves of a tree, when the wind blows, would strike one against another, as in the incident that occurred in the days of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, when the leaves struck one another, and the sages fled, thinking that the enemy had come upon them; and afterward they turned their faces back, and found no one pursuing them. They said: to fulfill regarding it the verse, "And the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them."

"And I will remember My covenant Jacob" (Leviticus 26:42). "Jacob" is written in its full spelling — Jacob is worthy that his merit should be suspended for them. "And also My covenant Isaac, and also My covenant Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the land." Concerning Isaac, "remembering" is not stated, because the ashes of Isaac are recalled before the Holy One, blessed be He, continually, and there is no need to state "remembering," since he is already remembered and standing. And concerning Jacob, "also" is not stated, because his couch was complete. And why did Scripture open with Jacob? Because he had the distress of raising children, and because Israel are called by the name of Jacob, who is called Israel. And from where do we include the matriarchs? As it is stated, "the" (et), "the" (et), "the" (et). And thus it says, "there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, etc." (Genesis 49:31).

"And the land shall be forsaken of them, and shall be paid her sabbaths" (Leviticus 26:43). How grave is the dust of the seventh year! For this verse was already stated above, "then shall the land be paid her sabbaths" (verse 34), and yet it repeated and said, "and shall be paid her sabbaths." And why all this? Because he who transgresses it denies the fundamental principle. For the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "for the land is Mine" (Leviticus 25:23): sow for six years and let it lie fallow in the seventh, so that you may know that the land is Mine.

"And yet even this" (Leviticus 26:44): this is the sin of the wilderness. "Even" comes to include the sin of Baal Peor and the kings of the Amorites. "When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I abhor them, to destroy them" (Leviticus 26:44). But what remained to them? Were they not rejected and abhorred, and were not all the good gifts taken from them? Were it not for the Torah scroll that remained to them, they would not be different from the nations of the world. Rather: "I did not reject them" in the days of the Chaldeans, "nor did I abhor them" in the days of the Greeks, "to destroy them" in the days of the Romans. "To break My covenant with them" — in the war of Gog and Magog. "I am the LORD their God" — in the time to come.

"And I will remember for them the covenant of the ancestors" (Leviticus 26:45). This teaches that the covenant was cut with the tribes — it is a covenant for Israel that they shall not deny the honored Name. And likewise David says, "All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant" (Psalms 44:18).

"These are the statutes and the judgments and the laws" (Leviticus 26:46). "Statutes" — these are the midrashic expositions. "And the judgments" — these are the legal rulings. "And the laws" — these are the teachings stated in Torat Kohanim. "Which the LORD gave between Him and the children of Israel" — this teaches that the Torah was given, its laws and their fine details and their explanations, through Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, from Sinai.

"And it came to pass when Isaac was old" (Genesis 27:1). This teaches that anger removes the light (of the eyes), as it is written, "and they were a bitterness of spirit" (Genesis 26:35), and immediately after it is written, "And it came to pass when Isaac was old." Another interpretation of "And it came to pass when Isaac was old": Rabbi Hanina said, Isaac's eyes grew dim only so that Jacob would come and take the blessings. Rabbi Elazar says, Isaac's eyes grew dim only from the wickedness of Esau. Rabbi Berekhiah says, Isaac's eyes grew dim only because he gazed upon the Shekhinah at the time of the Binding. Another interpretation of "And it came to pass when Isaac was old": And by right it was that Isaac's eyes should grow dim, because he benefited from the wicked one, and he loved him only because he would feed him game, as it is said, "And he called Esau" (Genesis 27:1), and the holy Torah said, "and you shall take no bribe" (Exodus 23:8). "And he called Esau his elder son": And so too Rebecca called him great, as it is said, "her elder son" (Genesis 27:15). But the Holy One, blessed be He, called him small, as it is said, "Behold, I have made you small among the nations" (Jeremiah 49:15); but at his downfall He called him great, as it is said, "a great slaughter in the land of Edom" (Isaiah 34:6).

"I do not know the day of my death" (Genesis 27:2). Seven things are hidden from a person. The first is death, as it is said, "For man does not know his time" (Ecclesiastes 9:12). The second is what is in the heart of his fellow, as it is said, "I the LORD search the heart" (Jeremiah 17:10). The third is the depth of judgment, as it is said, "For the judgment is God's" (Deuteronomy 1:17). The fourth is the way of the child to be born in the woman's womb, as it is said, "As you do not know the way of the wind" etc. (Ecclesiastes 11:5). The fifth is the day of the End, as it is said, "I the LORD will hasten it in its time" (Isaiah 60:22). The sixth is a person's end, as it is said, "Make me to know, O LORD, my end, and the measure of my days" etc. (Psalms 39:5). The seventh is when the wicked kingdom will fall, as it is said, "For the day of vengeance is in My heart" etc. (Isaiah 63:4). And once a person has reached the years of his fathers, let him be anxious about death.

"Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons" etc. He announced to him that the sons of Jacob would be enslaved under four kingdoms. "Take, I pray thee, thy weapons" — this is the kingdom of Babylon, as it is said, "and the vessels he brought into the treasure-house" (Daniel 1:2). "Thy quiver" — this is Media, as it is said, "and they hanged Haman" (Esther 7:10). "And thy bow" — this is Greece, as it is written, "for I have bent Judah for me, as a bow" etc. (Zechariah 9:13). ["And go out to the field" — this is Edom, as it is said, "to the land of Seir, the field of Edom" (Genesis 32:3).] "And hunt me venison." "Venison" is written but read "game." He said to him: My son, bring me game — that is to say, birds; and if you do not find them, bring me from ten kinds, and these are the ten stated in the Torah, as it is said, "These are the beasts which ye shall eat" etc. (Deuteronomy 14:4); and if you do not find them, bring me from four kinds, and these are fish. And I say to you, my son, that you should be careful concerning the laws of slaughter, and these are five things that invalidate the slaughter: pausing (shehiyah), pressing (derasah), concealing (haladah), cutting astray (hagramah), and tearing (ikkur).

"And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son" (Genesis 27:6). But was Esau not also her son? Rather, because Jacob would obey his father and his mother, as it is said, "And Jacob obeyed his father and his mother" (Genesis 28:7); but Esau would obey only his father. Therefore she called him her son.

"Now therefore, my son, obey [my voice]" etc. She said to him: just as all your days you obey me, now too obey me. Another interpretation: she announced to him that he would raise up sons, and there would be no blemish among them; rather, all of them would acknowledge before their father at the time when he called them to tell them what would befall them at the end of days. And the Divine Presence departed from him, and he said to them: my sons, perhaps there is a blemish among you? Immediately they all answered, "Hear, O Israel."

"Go now to the flock and fetch me from there" (Genesis 27:9) — from what is mine, for it was hers by her marriage contract. "Two good kids of the goats" — good for you, to take the blessing, and good for your children, for through two goats Israel atone for their iniquities on the Day of Atonement.

"And you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you." For the Shekhinah rests only out of joy, as it is said: "And now bring me a musician. And it came to pass, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him" (2 Kings 3:15). "So that he may bless you." And what blessing? This blessing is the priestly blessing.

"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother" (Genesis 27:11) — for the awe of his mother was upon him. "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man (ish sa'ir)" — as it is said, "And hairy ones (se'irim) shall dance there" (Isaiah 13:21). "And I am a smooth man (ish chalak)" — as it is said, "For the LORD's portion (chelek) is His people" (Deuteronomy 32:9).

"Perhaps my father will feel me" (Genesis 27:12). This is what Scripture says: "The wise man, his eyes are in his head" (Ecclesiastes 2:14) — "and I shall be in his eyes as a deceiver." Like "they are vanity, a work of delusions" (Jeremiah 10:15). "And I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" — the blessing that he wishes to give me, in the end he will not give it to me.

"The desirable garments of Esau her elder son" (Genesis 27:15). Some say these were the garments of Adam the first man, and they came into the hand of Nimrod; and he [Esau] coveted them, and killed him, and took the garment from him. "Which were with her in the house" (Genesis 27:15) — now did he not have wives with whom he could have deposited them? Rather, he placed them in his father's house, in order to serve his father while wearing them.

"He came to his father and said, 'My father'" (Genesis 27:18). As a manner of modesty he first called to him, and only afterward spoke with him — in the way that the Shekhinah called to Abraham, as it is said, "And the angel of the LORD called" (Genesis 22:15), and only afterward, "By Myself I have sworn." And so too the Shekhinah did with Moses, as it is said, "And He called to Moses, and the LORD spoke to him" (Leviticus 1:1) — He called, and afterward He spoke.

"And Jacob said to his father, 'I am.'" He broke off the speech, and afterward said, "Esau your firstborn." Another interpretation of "I am" (anokhi): Jacob our father prophesied concerning his sons that they would stand at Mount Sinai and receive the Ten Commandments, whose beginning is "I am" (Anokhi). But "Esau is your firstborn" means that you should cast him out as firstborn, and he is Gehinnom. "Arise, please, sit": a sitting in which there is no reclining; a standing in which there is reclining is nicer than it.

"And Isaac said to his son: How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? And he said: Because the LORD your God brought it before me." If He caused [a beast] to be found for your offering — as it is written, "and behold, a ram behind" (Genesis 22:13) — then for your food to eat, how much more so.

"Come near, I pray you, that I may feel you, my son" (Genesis 27:21). And why did Isaac wish to feel him? Rather, since he had said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me" (Genesis 27:20), Isaac said: It is not the way of Esau that the name of Heaven should be ready in his mouth. And the matter became doubtful to him; therefore he said, "Come near, I pray you, that I may feel you." Immediately Jacob recoiled and shuddered, and his heart became like wax. And the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him Michael and Gabriel, and the two of them grasped him by his two arms, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was behind him. And this is what the prophet said: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God" and so forth (Isaiah 41:10). "I have strengthened you" — with Michael; "I have helped you" — with Gabriel; "I have upheld you with the right hand of My righteousness" — this is the Holy One, blessed be He.

"See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field" (Genesis 27:27). He saw the Holy Temple built, destroyed, and rebuilt. "The smell of my son" — [read as] "built," as it is written, "My offering, My bread for My fire-offerings, a pleasing aroma" (Numbers 28:2). "Like the smell of a field" — destroyed, as it is said, "Zion shall be plowed as a field" (Jeremiah 26:18). "Which the LORD has blessed" — rebuilt, as it is said, "For there the LORD commanded the blessing" (Psalms 133:3).

"And may God give you" (Genesis 27:28). "My root is spread out to the waters, [and dew lies all night upon my branch]" (Job 29:19). This speaks of the Holy Temple, within which the Torah was given, which is compared to water, as it is said, "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters" (Isaiah 55:1). And the dew, this is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said concerning Him, "I will be as the dew to Israel" (Hosea 14:6). Another interpretation: "And may God give you." This is what Scripture says, "My root is spread out to the waters." This speaks of Jacob, who dwelt in tents. Isaac said to Jacob: May God give to you in this world, and add to you in the world to come.

"Let peoples serve you" — these are the seventy nations, as it is said, "And kings shall be your foster-fathers" (Isaiah 49:23). "And let nations bow down to you" — these are the sons of Ishmael, and the sons of Keturah, and the sons of Dedan. "Be a lord over your brothers" — this is Esau and his chiefs.

"And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end" and so forth, "and it came to pass, as Jacob was scarce gone out" (Genesis 27:30). Why these two goings out? Rabbi Aibu said: that he appeared as one going out, yet he had not gone out, for he heard the footsteps of Esau, and he came and stood behind the way. Therefore it is said, "gone out, gone out." "And Esau his brother came in" and so forth (Genesis 27:30). This teaches that he was hunting, and the angel would come and release them.

"Let my father arise," and so forth. Concerning Jacob it says, "Arise, please, sit" (verse 19), a language of entreaty; and likewise it stood [endured] for his descendants. "Arise," as it says, "Arise, O LORD," and so forth (Numbers 10:36). "Sit [Return]," as it says, "Return, O LORD, unto the myriads" (ibid.). But concerning Esau, who said with insolence, "Let my father arise," with this very language the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to exact punishment from him, as it says, "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered" (Psalms 68:2).

"And Isaac trembled" (Genesis 27:33). Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: This trembling was very great, greater than the trembling that was upon the altar. "And he said: Who then" — Gehinnom opened beneath him, for he wished to curse. "It is he who hunted" — he who hunted the blessings. "And I ate of all" — of all the delicacies that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, I tasted in it. "He too shall be blessed" — by my will.

"Behold, I have made him a lord over you" (Genesis 27:37) — a king I have made him over you. The servant, and the property of the servant, belong to the master. "And for you, then, what shall I do, my son?" — that your children shall be sowing and planting gardens, and Israel shall be occupied with the Torah and eat them.

"And Jacob went out." The Sages said: And weren't there several donkeys and several camels that went out with him from Be'er Sheva, and Scripture does not mention their departing?! And only with Jacob, as it is written, "and Jacob went out." From here we know that a Torah scholar who leaves a place, the people of that place remain orphaned. He went out of there praised, went out of there radiant, and went out of there honored. "And he set out for Haran." And did he set out immediately at that moment from when he left Be'er Sheva? No, rather this teaches that the land shortened itself for him.

"And he laid down in that place." And did he not rest until that particular place? No, rather it teaches that all of the years that he was in the house of his master, he did not truly rest, therefore it is stated, "and he laid down etc".

"And he had a dream and behold, a ladder." From here our Sages of Blessed Memory said: There is no dream without an interpretation. This ladder is Sinai in numerical value (gematria). Another interpretation: A symbol of God.

Another interpretation: The ladder/stairway is the ramp of the altar. "Set on the ground." As it is stated, "At the foot of the mountain." (Exodus 19:7) "And its head reaching the heavens." As it is stated, "And the mountain was ablaze with flames to the very skies." (Deuteronomy 4:11) "And behold, messengers of God."

These are Moses and Aaron. Another interpretation: "Going up and going down on it." They go down and go up as he asks? Rather, these angels that went with him in the land of Israel do not go with him to outside of the land, but instead they go up.

And others went down with him to outside of Israel. And at the moment that they went up into heaven and saw the image of Jacob, our father, inscribed on the Throne of Glory, they said: Isn't he down below? Then who brought him here?! They went down and saw him and wanted to injure him, so immediately the Holy One Blessed Be God came down to save him.

This is the meaning of what is written, "And standing beside him was God." (Genesis 28:13) From here we learn that the pious ones are first and He rides upon them, as it is stated, God was gone from Abraham." (Genesis 17:22)

"The land that you are laying upon." What is it (the land) not larger than this, than the four cubits that he was laying upon?! Rather it teaches us that all of the land of Israel folded up underneath him.

"You shall spread out to the west etc." The Holy One Blessed Be God gave him borders without including Egypt. "All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants." That the world only exists as well as the rains and dew of blessing that come down due to the merit of Israel.

"And I did not know." Had I known, I would not have laid down due to sleep compelling me, as it is forbidden to sleep (in front of God), even in synagogues.

"How awesome is this place." Our Sages said: See, the Holy Temple is built and destroyed, and then rebuilt. Built, as it is stated, "how awesome is this place." And destroyed, as it is stated, "none other." And rebuilt, as it is stated, "the abode of God etc." Another interpretation: "How awesome is this place." It is appropriate to be in awe of this place (or God). "This is the gateway to heaven." It teaches that Jacob, our Father, got up and early and saw the Shechina above his head and was afraid, as there were angels going up and down upon him.