Kommentar zu Bereschit 33:9

יהי לך אשר לך BE THINE THAT WHICH IS THINE — In these words he admitted his right to the blessings (Genesis Rabbah 78:11).

And Esau said I have much. Meaning much, but not everything, and Jacob said G-d blessed me and I have everything, because the wicked even if they have all the silver and gold in the World, they still feel missing, and they have much, but not all they need ,therefore said Esau I have much, but not everything, because still there is something missing. If he has a hundred in his hand, he desires two hundred. The righteous, on the other hand, even if they have little on their hands, they are satisfied and happy with their share, and it looks to them as if they have everything

יש לי רב, I most certainly do not need this gift.

ויאמר עשו יש לי רב אחי, Esau said: "I have plenty my brother." Why did Esau have to add the word "my brother" at this point? After all, who else was Esau speaking to? Besides, he should have used the word as an address at the beginning of the sentence, not as an afterthought.

ויאמר עשו, “I do not need your gift for יש לי רב, I possess a great deal.” In Bereshit Rabbah 78,11 the words יש לי רב are understood as meaning: “keep what is yours.” Rabbi Eleazar paraphrased that the validity of a decree of divorce can be attested to only by the people who have signed it. You should not say that if our patriarch Yaakov had not fooled his father he would not have received the blessings. [Yaakov wanted to show Esau that none of these blessings had been fulfilled for him, and that his wealth was totally independent of what his father had assured him of instead of Esau. Ed.] After all these years, Esau finally acknowledged that he had not suffered as a result of Yaakov’s being blessed, so that he said “keep what is yours!”

I have plenty, my brother. For one thing, I have plenty and do not need more; and for another, I am your brother — not your master — so you need not give me tribute.

יש לי רב, “I have a great deal.” Esau spoke very haughtily. If you take a close look at the verses you will note that Yaakov is rather long-winded whereas Esau is brief and succinct. This is proof of his arrogance. Moreover, you will note that Yaakov introduces the name of G’d into every aspect of his speech, such as when he says: “the children with whom G’d has graciously endowed me.” He refers to Esau’s accepting his gift being comparable to his being allowed to see the “face of G’d;” (verse 10) or to G’d as having granted him this wealth (verse 11). Esau, on the other hand, did not refer to G’d a single time.

Here, he conceded the blessings to him. Rashi deduced this from the extra phrase, “Let what you have remain yours.” “I have plenty,” would have sufficed.

אחי, יהי לך אשר לך. Seeing that you are my brother you certainly do not have to put yourself out so much in order for me to make you welcome.

אחי יהי לך אשר לך , “keep what is yours my brother.” Bereshit Rabbah 78,11 comments on these words of Esau that up until that moment Yaakov still entertained doubts whether the blessings were securely his. Now that he heard Esau acknowledge “keep what is yours,” he was visibly relieved concerning the validity of these blessings. He based this on the precise wording of Esau’s comment which contained ten letters. These ten words corresponded to the ten blessings which formed the blessing commencing with the words ויתן לך (Genesis 27,28-29).

Actually, Esau meant to tell Jacob that if his intention in sending him the gift was to simply let him enjoy the animals, he had plenty himself and was in no need of them. If, on the other hand, Jacob gave him the gift in order to benefit thereby personally as he had already indicated when he said: "in order to find favour in my master's eyes," אחי יהי לך, "keep it my brother." He indicated that if he was favourably disposed towards Jacob it was because he was his brother not because of the gift. His own brotherliness could only be proved if he insisted that Jacob take back the gift. Otherwise his brotherliness would be interpreted by others as self-interest.

אל נא, אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך. "No please; if I have found favour in your eyes, etc." Why did Jacob repeat the word נא, please, in this verse?

The verse should be understood thus. Jacob agreed with Esau that his brotherliness would indeed be recognised better if he did not accept the gift. Such an argument was valid only if it had been made before Esau had already received the gift. Now that Esau had received the gift, it would be most inappropriate to return it; The first אל נא refers to Esau returning the gift. Jacob pleaded with Esau that if he indeed wanted to demonstrate his brotherliness he should do so by keeping the gift. He underlined his argument by saying: ולקחת, "and you have already accepted it." Jacob went on to say כי על כן וג׳, "the nature of this gift is not in order that you should demonstrate brotherliness but rather you should accept what is befitting when one visits high ranking individuals. One does not appear before such individuals empty-handed." Therefore, Jacob said, you can only demonstrate your goodwill towards me by keeping the gift; should you fail to do so you would shame me.

Should you be concerned that the size of the gift is such that it would impoverish me, rest assured I have all that I need; G'd has endowed me very generously. Jacob may even have hinted that he had not noticed any diminution in the size of his flocks even after he had sent the gift to Esau.

When Jacob used the expression יש לי כל "l have all that I need" in describing his economic status, he may have referred to sanctity which is also described by the word כל. There are several blessings in which Israel is compared to the sand of the sea. The meaning of the hyperbole is that just as the sand closes above any hole you make in it when you remove some of it, so Israel will be blessed by not feeling the removal of something from it as a loss, seeing that no visible void be will be left. Jacob described his economic wealth in similar terms when he explained to Esau that he had "everything." The deeper meaning of this concept is evident in Kings I 17,14 when Elijah the prophet assures the woman in the name of G'd that כד הקמח לא כלתה„ "that the jar of flour will not give out until the day that G'd will again let rain fall in the land of Israel." Examine how I explained 33,18: ויבא יעקב שלם עיר שכם. This blessing is one that all the patriarchs enjoyed in varying degrees; this is why we find the Torah using the expressions בכל, מכל or כל respectively in connection with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (compare Baba Batra 47).