Midrasch zu Bereschit 27:28

“Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, and we will gaze upon you. Why will you gaze at the Shulamite like at a dance of two companies?” (Song of Songs 7:1)
“Return, return, O Shulamite,” Rabbi Shmuel bar Ḥiyya bar Yudan [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: Four times “return,” is written here, corresponding to the four kingdoms that rule over Israel. Israel comes under their control unscathed and emerges unscathed. “The Shulamite,” a nation in whose midst the eternal One who lives in peace [shalom] moves about; that is what is written: “I have moved about in a tent and a Tabernacle” (II Samuel 7:6).¹God rested His presence in the Tabernacle in the midst of Israel. The Tabernacle resided in four places in the Land of Israel: Gilgal, Shilo, Nov, and Givon, corresponding to the four times “return” is written here, as though the word Shulamite is written with each one (Maharzu, Bereshit Rabba 66:2).
Another matter, “the Shulamite,” a nation to whom [a blessing] concluding with peace is [recited] each day, just as it says: “And grant you peace [shalom]” (Numbers 6:26). Alternatively, “the Shulamite,” the nation that I am destined to settle in an abode of peace; that is what is written: “My people will live in a peaceful abode…” (Isaiah 32:18). Another matter, “the Shulamite,” the nation to whom I extend peace; that is what is written: “Behold, I will extend peace toward it” (Isaiah 66:12).
Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Maron said: A nation that completes [mashlemet] the stability of the world, both in this world and in the World to Come. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: A nation that all the good of the word comes only due to its merit. That is what is written: “God will give you from the dew of the heavens, and from the fat of the earth” (Genesis 27:28); “you,” the matter is dependent upon you and your merit, as it is written: “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse” (Deuteronomy 28:12), the matter is dependent upon you and your merit.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Tanḥum and Rabbi Ḥanan, the son of Rabbi Berekhya from Botzra, [said] in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya: The nation that made peace between Me and My world, as had they not accepted My Torah, I would have returned My world to emptiness and disorder, as Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: It is written: “The earth and all its inhabitants melt away” (Psalms 75:4). Had Israel not stood before Mount Sinai and said: “Everything that the Lord has said, we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), the world would have begun to disintegrate. Who buttressed the world? It is I [anokhi], as it is stated: “I [anokhi] set its pillars firm, Selah” (Psalms 75:4); by the merit of: “I [anokhi] am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2), I set its pillars firm.²God caused the pillars of the world to be firm in the merit of the people of Israel accepting the Ten Commandments, the first of which was “I am the Lord your God” (Etz Yosef).

(Gen. 32:5 [4]:) AND HE INSTRUCTED THEM, SAYING: THUS YOU SHALL SAY TO MY LORD ESAU. He called him MY LORD. Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 13:21): WHAT WILL YOU SAY WHEN HE SHALL APPOINT AS YOUR HEADS THOSE WHOM YOU HAD TAUGHT TO BE YOUR FRIENDS? R. Pinhas said: Antoninus gave Our Rabbi (Judah the Prince) the highest honors; but, when Our Rabbi sent me to him, he wrote him a letter and wrote in it: Your servant Judah asks about your welfare. But it displeased Antoninus, namely, that he called himself a servant. He said to him: Do not write again like this. Our Rabbi said to him: I write in such a way to you because I am no better than the patriarch Jacob. When he sent away to Esau, what did he say to him (according to Gen. 32:5 [4])? THUS SAYS YOUR SERVANT JACOB: I have not become an independent authority.¹⁶Gk.: authentes. (Ibid., cont.:) I LIVED WITH LABAN. Not one of the blessings with which your father blessed me has reached me.¹⁷Cf. Gen. R. 75:11. Your father blessed me (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU OF THE DEW OF HEAVEN AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH; yet, I do not have one of them in hand. Rather (according to Gen. 32:6 [5]), I HAVE OX AND ASS, SHEEP, which are neither of the heavens nor of the earth. Do you hate me merely because of the blessings, [even though one has yet to reach me]? Did he have < only > one ox and one ass, in that it says (ibid.): I HAVE OX AND ASS … (in the singular)?¹⁸Cf. Gen. R. 75:6. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differ. R. Judah says: It is a figure of speech, as in the case of one who says in a collective sense: Ass went; cock crowed.¹⁹This is the interpretation of modem translations. But R. Nehemiah said: < He spoke > to him, saying: Here am I, your servant Jacob, humbling myself before you. If you desire it, see, it is fine. But, if not, (ibid.:) I HAVE < AN > OX AND < AN > ASS < … >. [AN OX:] This is Joseph, as stated (of him in Deut. 33:17): LIKE A FIRSTLING OX HE HAS MAJESTY, < AND HIS HORNS ARE THE HORNS OF A WILD OX…. SUCH ARE THE MYRIADS OF EPHRAIM, AND SUCH ARE THE THOUSANDS OF MANASSEH >. There is an aggadic tradition that Esau will only fall at the hands of Rachel's children. Why? Because it is stated (in Jer. 49:20): SURELY THE YOUNGEST OF YOUR FLOCK SHALL DRAG THEM AWAY. These < youngest > are the children of Rachel. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) AND < AN > ASS. This is the Messianic King, as stated (in Zech. 9:9): REJOICE GREATLY, O DAUGHTER OF ZION, SHOUT ALOUD, O DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM; < behold your king comes > … HUMBLE AND RIDING UPON AN ASS. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) A FLOCK. This is Israel, as stated (in Ezek. 34:31): FOR YOU, MY FLOCK, THE FLOCK OF MY PASTURE, YOU ARE HUMANS. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) MALE AND FEMALE SLAVES. This < also > refers to Israel, about which it is stated (in Ps. 123:2): BEHOLD, AS THE EYES OF MALE SLAVES < LOOK TO THEIR MASTER'S HAND, AS THE EYES OF A FEMALE SLAVE TO THE EYES OF HER MISTRESS, SO DO OUR EYES LOOK TO THE LORD OUR GOD >….

(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY THE GOD GIVE TO YOU < FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN >. {His fulfillment is simply < that of > God. In that my fulfillment belongs to God,}⁴⁶Buber feels that the text in braces (from Codex Vaticanus, Ebr. 34) makes no sense and has substituted the text in square brackets, which he derived from MS 1240 of the De Rossi library in Parma. ["A God" is not written here but THE GOD. When the God accomplishes his fulfillment], he will give you the blessings with which I have blessed you. Why? Because Jacob was collaborating with his Creator in every matter. R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest said in the name of R. Reuben: Look at what is written (in Jer. 10:16): NOT LIKE THESE (idols) IS THE PORTION (i.e., the God) OF JACOB, FOR HE HAS FORMED EVERYTHING, < AND ISRAEL IS THE TRIBE OF HIS INHERITANCE >….

Law: If a Jew passes before the ark [to lead prayers for the Amidah] and errs, what does he need to do? Such do our sages teach: "Someone who passes before the ark and errs, he has someone pass instead of him." Our rabbis taught us: "Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina says: If he errs during the first 3 blessings, he should go back to the beginning of the "magen" [blessing]. Rab Huna said: If he errs during the middle 3 blessings, he goes back to "the Holy God" [blessing]. Rav said: If he errs during the last 3, he should go back to the beginning of "modim" [blessing].

(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU. Let our master instruct us: Is it correct that one may fold his garments on the Sabbath? Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 15:3): ONE MAY FOLD GARMENTS EVEN FOUR OR FIVE TIMES. ONE MAY ALSO MAKE BEDS ON THE NIGHT OF THE SABBATH (i.e., on Friday night) FOR THE SABBATH, BUT NOT ON THE SABBATH FOR THE NIGHT FOLLOWING THE SABBATH. Now concerning these garments, they said that one may fold any garments that one is to wear on the Sabbath; but < as for those > to be worn after the Sabbath, it is forbidden to fold them on the Sabbath. Also with respect to garments which are folded by two people, it is forbidden.⁴⁸yShab. 15:3 (15a); Shab. 113a. In the case of an individual, it is permitted to fold one. And he should not be apprehensive, because one should honor the Sabbath with his clothes, as stated (in Is. 68:13): AND YOU SHALL CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT.⁴⁹Cf. yPe’ah 8:8 (21b); PR 23:1. And in what way does Israel honor the Sabbath? Through eating, through drinking, and through clean clothes, because the Holy One did so from the beginning, as stated (in Gen. 3:21): THEN [THE LORD] GOD MADE TUNICS OF SKIN FOR ADAM AND HIS WIFE AND CLOTHED THEM. What were TUNICS OF SKIN? [Garments] of high priesthood, which the Holy One put on them, since he (Adam) was the glory of the world.

The Seers (i.e., the prophets) were the ones who said the doubled letters, mantzepakh (mem, nun, tzadi, peh, and kaf, which are the letters that have a different form when they appear at the end of a word). [The doubling of kaf that is found in Genesis 12:1,] "Lekh lekha (Go for yourself)," hints to Avraham that he will father Yitschak at one hundred years [of age] (as the numerical value of these two words is one hundred). [The doubling of mem that is found in Genesis 26:16,] "ki atsamta memenu (as you have become more powerful than us)" is a hint [to Yitschak] that hints that he and his seed will be powerful in both worlds. The doubling of nun [that is found in Genesis 32:12,] "Hatsileini na (Save me)" [is a hint to] Yaakov, [that] he will be saved in both worlds. The doubling of peh [that is found in Genesis 50:24,] "pakod yifkod (He will surely remember you)" [is a hint to] Yosef, [that] He will remember you in this world, and He will remember you in the world to come. The doubling of tzadi [that is found in Zachariah 6:12,] "hinei eesh, Tsemach shemo, ou'metachtav yitsmach (behold, a man called Branch shall branch out from the place where he is,)" is [referring to] the messiah. And so is it stated (Jermiah 23:5), "vahikimoti leDaveed tsemach tsadeek (and I will raise up a true branch of David)." ["The leader of fifty" (Isaiah 3:3)] ("Sixty were the queens" [Song of Songs 6:8]). Twenty-four books (of the Bible), and add to them eleven of the thirteen [books of the minor prophets] - besides Yonah which is by itself - and six orders of the Mishnah and nine chapters of Torat Kohanim, behold ["The leader of fifty"] ("Sixty were the queens"). "[Sixty were the queens] and eighty were the concubines" (Song of Songs 6:8). Sixty tractates and eighty study halls that were in Jerusalem corresponding to its gates. "And maidens without number" (Song of Songs 6:8). The study outside. "Behold the bed of Shlomo, sixty warriors" (Song of Songs 3:7). [This] corresponds to the [number of] letters of [the priestly blessing,) "May the Lord bless you and keep you, etc." (Numbers 6:24-26). The Satan (HaSatan) has the numerical equivalent of the count of the days of the solar year, as he rules over all the year to slander, except for Yom Kippur. Rabbi Ami bar Abba said, "Avraham was missing five organs before he was circumcised and [before he] fathered. The [letter] hay (with a numerical value of five) was added [to his name] and he became complete and fathered, and he was called Avraham [corresponding to the complete set of organs, two hundred and forty-eight], the numerical count of his letters." [Regarding] Sarai, two Amoraim (later rabbinic teachers) differed. One said, "The [letter] yod [with a numerical count of ten that was taken from her] was divided into two, [to give] a hay to Avaraham and a hay to Sarah." And [the other] said, "The yod that was taken from Sarah raised a protest until Yehshoua came and had a yod added, as it is stated (Numbers 13:16), "and Moshe called Hoshea [...], Yehoshua." And it saved him from the counsel of the [other] spies. [The significance of the letters in the name,] Yitschak [is as follows]: Yod [with a numerical count of ten] corresponds to the ten trials [of Avraham]. [The letter] tsadi [with a numerical count of ninety, as] Sarah was ninety when he was born. [The letter] chet [with a numerical count of eight, as] he was circumcised on the eighth day. And the letter kof [with a numerical count of one hundred, as] Avraham was a hundred years old when he was born. Yaakov was called according to [the significance of the letters of] his [own] name: Yod [corresponds to] the tenth of his offspring going backwards, Levi. Count from (the last son), Binaymin to Levi - there are ten sons, and Levi was the tenth. And he gave him as a tithe to the Omnipresent to fulfill [what he said] (Genesis 28:22), "all that You give to me, I will surely tithe it to You." [The letter] ayin [with a numerical count of seventy corresponds to the number of offspring he took to Egypt], "with seventy souls" (Deuteronomy 10:22). Kof corresponds to the [number of the] letters of the blessing [that he received], "And may He give you [etc.]" (Genesis 27:28). Take away the name [of God] from there, and one hundred [letters] remain. [The letter] bet [with a numerical count of two] corresponds to two angels [that he saw on the ladder in his dream] rising. Yehudah was called according to [the significance of the numerical count of the letters of] his [own] name: Thirty, corresponding to the thirty virtues of the monarchy. There were six hundred and thirteen letters on the tablets - from "I am" (Exodus 20:2) to "to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:14) - corresponding to the six hundred and thirteen commandments. And they were all given to Moshe at [Mount] Sinai; and in them are statutes and judgments, Torah and Mishnah, Talmud and aggadah. "The fear of the Lord is his treasure" (Isaiah 33:6). There is no greater characteristic than fear and humility, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:12), "And now Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you [besides to fear Him]." "The fear of" (Yirat) has a numerical value of six hundred and eleven; along with Torah and circumcision, behold that is six hundred and thirteen. [The numerical value of] fringes (tsitsit) is six hundred. [Add] eight strings and five knots, behold that is six hundred and thirteen. "[The man (David)] raised on high" (II Samuel 23:1) - [high (al)] has a numerical value of one hundred, corresponding to one hundred blessings. As on every day, one hundred men of Israel were dying. [So] David and ordained [the daily saying of] one hundred blessings. "And now Israel, what (mah) does the Lord, your God, ask of you" - read it as one hundred (meah), these are the hundred blessings. Once he ordained it, the pestilence ceased. "This is the law of the burnt-offering (olah), it is the burnt-offering" (Leviticus 6:2), [meaning] the yoke (ulah) of Torah and the yoke of repentance. "Two anointed ones" (Zechariah 4:14). These are David and Aharon who were anointed with the anointing oil, such that their anointing was for [all] the generations. With Aharon, it is written (Numbers 25:13), "It shall be for him and his descendants after him, a pact of priesthood for all time." With David it is written (Ezekiel 37:25), "and My servant David as their prince for all time." "Forgive all guilt and take the good (tov)" (Hosea 14:3). Israel said, "Master of the world, at the time that the Temple existed, we would offer a sacrifice and be cleansed. But now all we have in our hand is prayer." The numerical value of tov is seventeen. Prayer [consists of] nineteen [blessings]. Take away from them the blessing for the malfeasers that was composed at Yavneh, and "Let the sprout of David blossom," which they ordained for the sake of "Probe me, Lord, and try me" (Psalms 26:2). Rabbi Simon says, "'Forgive all guilt and take the good (tov).' The numerical value of tov in at-bash (matching letters based on how close they are to the center of the alphabet) is [the same as] soul (nefesh). Israel said, 'Behold the fat from us, from our souls. May it be Your will that it be atonement for us and "that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3).'" "And the Lord gave her conception (herayon)" (Ruth 4:13). [Herayon] has a numerical value of the [number of the] days of the nine months of birthing (two hundred and seventy one). The name of the angel that is appointed for conception is night, as stated (Job 3:3), "and the night [that it was] said, 'A man was conceived." The measure of the water of a mikveh (ritual bath) is forty seah corresponding to the [forty mentions] of well, written in the Torah. And [the volume of] how many eggs is the measure of the mikveh? Five thousand seven hundred and sixty. And a seah is a hundred and forty-four eggs. Forty-three and a fifth eggs is the measure of [what is required for] hallah [tithe]. And from where [do we know] that a mikveh requires forty seah? As it is written (Isaiah 8:6), "Since this nation has rejected the waters of Shiloach that flow gently (le'at)." The numerical value of le'at is forty. Behold the measure of a seah is a tefach by a tefach with the height of [sixteen] tefach [and a fifth]. And one who separates the measure of the hallah [tithe] must separate [one part in forty three] and a fifth [from Torah writ like the numerical value of hallah]. Forty lashes (which are actually thirty-nine) is from Torah writ, as it is written (Exodus 35:1), "These (eleh) are the things which the Lord commanded." [The numerical count of] "eleh" is thirty-six; "things" (being plural) is two; "the things" [indicates an additional] one - behold, forty minus one (thirty-nine). "He shall strike him forty, he shall not add" (Deuteronomy 25:3), corresponds to the forty curses received by the snake, Chava, Adam and the ground, and the sages lessened one, because of "he shall not add." A Sanhedrin is twenty-three, so [that it is possible for] those advocating innocence to have one more (than twenty), and those advocating guilt to have two more. It is best for the two to come and push off one. The numerical value of anathmea (cherem) is two hundred and forty-eight. And Shmuel said, when it takes force it takes force on [all] two hundred and forty-eight organs, and when it leaves, it leaves from two hundred and forty-eight limbs, as it is written (Habakuk 3:2), "in anger, remember to have mercy (rachem, which is made up of the same letters as cherem)." It is written,"tirash," but we read it [as] tirosh. [If] he merits, he becomes a rosh (leader); [if] he does not merit, he becomes a rash (poor person). Our rabbis, may their memory be blessed said, "A man is recognized by three things: by his purse, by his glass and by his anger. Tavel is Ramaliah. Seshach is Bavel (Babylon) [according to] its numerical value of in at-bash. The numerical value of Gog and Magog is seventy, as they are the seventy nations [of the world].

Furthermore, our masters have also taught (in Zev. 14:4) BEFORE THE TABERNACLE WAS SET UP, THE HIGH PLACES WERE PERMITTED AND THE SACRIFICIAL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED BY THE FIRST-BORN.⁵⁰See above, 6:4, and the other references cited there. Therefore, the Holy One clothed Adam in garments of high priesthood, since he was the first-born of the world. Noah came [and passed them on to Shem; Shem] passed them on to Abraham; Abraham passed them on to Isaac; and Isaac passed them on to Esau, who was his first-born. Esau, however, saw his wives serving idols and deposited them (the clothes) with his mother. When Jacob arose and took the birthright of Esau, Rebekah said: Inasmuch as Jacob has taken the birthright from the hand of Esau, he has the right to put on these garments. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 27:15): THEN REBEKAH TOOK THE BEST GARMENTS OF HER OLDER SON ESAU, < WHICH WERE WITH HER IN THE HOUSE, AND HAD HER YOUNGER SON JACOB PUT THEM ON >. Jacob came in to his father Isaac and emitted an aroma on him. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 27:27): THEN HE SMELLED THE ODOR OF HIS GARMENTS AND BLESSED HIM…. How did he bless him? According to what they read on the matter (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU….

[(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU.] It is written (in Job 29:19): MY ROOT IS OPEN UNTO WATER.⁵¹Cf. Gen. R. 66:1. Who spoke this verse? Job spoke it about himself, about the Temple, and about Jacob. In what way did he say about himself: MY ROOT IS OPEN … ? The doors of his house were open to those passing by, especially to Torah scholars. What is the meaning of UNTO (ele) WATER? To the rams (ele) of Torah and its warriors. It is just as you say (in Dan. 8:4): I SAW THE RAM CHARGING SEAWARD AND NORTHWARD. ["To water"] is not written here (in Job 29:19), but UNTO (ele) WATER, because the house of Job was opened to < such > wayfarers. Therefore (in Job 29:19, cont.): AND DEW SHALL LODGE ON MY BRANCHES (qatsir). R. Hanina said: Everybody saw that when Job harvested his field, there were clouds gathered over his harvest (qatsir) because it would not have recovered its freshness from the burning heat.⁵²Cf. MS 1240 from the De Rossi library in Parma: “Because he would plant it away from the burning heat.” Ergo (in Job 29:19): AND DEW SHALL LODGE ON MY BRANCHES (qatsir).

Another interpretation (of Job 29:19): MY ROOT IS OPEN UNTO WATER. This was Jacob pursuing < the water of Torah > in the academies which were open to the Torah. Therefore (ibid., cont.): AND DEW SHALL LODGE ON MY BRANCHES? For, when he comes to his father to receive ten blessings, he begins for YOU with dew (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE YOU FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN….

Another interpretation (of Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU. May he give to you and give to you.⁵⁴Gen. R. 66:3. May he give to you from his own, may he give to you from what belongs to my ancestors, and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham.

(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU. What is the meaning of GOD? < That he acted > in justice. If you were worthy, he will give to you; but if not, he will not give to you. To Esau, however, he did not say this; but (according to Gen. 27:39): OF THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH < SHALL BE YOUR DWELLING >…. Whether you are righteous or wicked, he will give to you. Why? Isaac simply said this: Esau is wicked, and Jacob is righteous. Even though he performs a commandment and is afflicted, he does not voice a complaint [against divine justice. However, if the wicked one performs one commandment or prays, and is not answered, he begins to say]: Just as I have prayed to idols and found nothing tangible, [so I have prayed to God and found nothing tangible]. Solomon also said so. When he built the Temple, he prayed to the Holy One, as stated (in I Kings 8, beginning with vs. 12): THEN SOLOMON SAID: THE LORD SAID THAT HE WOULD DWELL IN THICK DARKNESS. He began reciting his prayers and said: Sovereign of the World, when someone from Israel comes to pray in the future and asks for sons or for something else, if he is worthy, give to him; but if not, do not give to him. Thus it is stated (in vs. 39): AND GIVE TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO ALL HIS WAYS, SINCE YOU KNOW HIS HEART. But if a foreigner should come to pray there, give to him whatever he asks. Thus it is stated (in vss. 41 & 43): AND ALSO UNTO THE FOREIGNER … YOU SHALL {ALSO} HEARKEN IN HEAVEN…. For perhaps, if you do not do for him all that he asks, he will talk and say to himself: So it is with this house of Solomon. I have gone from one end of the world to the other and have been worn out from so many journeyings. Then I came and prayed in here and have found nothing tangible in here, just as I did not find it in idolatry. Ergo (in Gen. 27:39): SEE, OF THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH < SHALL BE YOUR DWELLING >…. Why? Because he is lacking faith. But to Jacob, since he possessed faith and was righteous, he said (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU, < i.e., > injustice.

[(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY < GOD > GIVE TO YOU.] What is written above of the matter (in Gen. 27:1, 6, 17)? NOW IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN ISAAC WAS OLD < AND HIS EYES WERE TOO WEAK TO SEE >…. THEN REBEKAH SAID UNTO HER SON JACOB…. THEN SHE GAVE HIM THE DELICACIES…. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said in the name of R. Helbo: She brought him in as far as her partition, as far as she had authority to enter.⁵⁵Gen. R. 65:17. She said to him: My son, I have accompanied you in this far. From here on your God will accompany you in. He entered as he said to him (to Isaac in Gen. 27:20): BECAUSE THE LORD YOUR GOD MADE IT HAPPEN FOR ME. R. Johanan said: When he said: BECAUSE THE LORD YOUR GOD MADE IT HAPPEN FOR ME,⁵⁶See above, 6:10; Gen. R. 65:19. Isaac said: This language is not the language of Esau, but the language of Jacob, as stated (in vs. 22): THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF JACOB. You know that it is so. When Jacob entered, what did he say (in vs. 19)? PLEASE ARISE; SIT UP < AND EAT >…. But when Esau entered, [what did he say to him (in vs. 31)? LET MY FATHER ARISE. Look at] what he is saying, how he speaks with difficulty: LET MY FATHER ARISE…. Isaac began saying to Jacob (in vs. 21): PLEASE COME NEARER AND LET ME TOUCH YOU, < MY SON >…. R.Joshua said: When he said (in vs. 21): PLEASE COME NEARER, his body trembled, and he hung back like wax.⁵⁷Cf. Gen. R. 44:3; 65:19. What did the Holy One do? He spoke to two of the angels, to Gabriel and Michael, and they assisted him, Michael to his right and Gabriel to his left, with that one in his glory, may his name be blessed, supporting him from his rear. Then he said to him: Jacob, why are you afraid, with your body buckling over upon itself? I am God. My army⁵⁸Gk.: stratia. < has come > to help you, and they are supporting you. Still, you are afraid! Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:10): FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU; BE NOT DISMAYED, FOR I AM YOUR GOD. I STRENGTHEN YOU, I ALSO HELP YOU, AND I UPHOLD YOU WITH MY VICTORIOUS RIGHT HAND. FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU. Let not your body sink down, FOR I AM WITH YOU. BE NOT DISMAYED, FOR I AM YOUR GOD. I STRENGTHEN YOU with Michael. I ALSO HELP YOU with Gabriel. AND I UPHOLD YOU WITH MY VICTORIOUS RIGHT HAND. Immediately [Isaac] said to him (in Gen. 27:22): THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF JACOB, BUT THE HANDS ARE THE HANDS OF ESAU. Your power is stronger than his. If Esau captures anyone, see, he is in his hand; but if [that one] flees, he cannot do a thing to him. With you, however, even though someone flees from one end of the world to [the other], (in vs. 22): THE VOICE IS THE VOICE OF JACOB. You say something in the synagogue; and look, it comes to pass of its own accord.

Isaac said to him (in Gen. 27:24): IS THIS YOU, MY SON ESAU? He said to him: It is I. He said to him (in vs. 25): SERVE ME, AND LET ME EAT…. < SO HE SERVED HIM, AND HE ATE. HE ALSO BROUGHT HIM WINE, AND HE DRANK >. Where did he get wine from? Note, we find that his mother did not give him wine. Rather (in Gen. 27:17): SHE GAVE HIM THE DELICACIES…. Then who brought him the wine? Michael brought it to him, wine from the Garden of Eden.⁵⁹Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 27:25. Our masters have said: You only find wine resulting in a blessing in case of this < wine > and Abraham's, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 14:18f.): AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM BROUGHT OUT BREAD AND WINE…. < AND HE BLESSED HIM >.⁶⁰Cf. Gen. R. 43:6. And in case of this < wine > also, when he had drunk it, he blessed him. He said to him (in vs. 26f.): PLEASE COME NEARER AND KISS ME, MY SON; SO HE CAME NEARER AND KISSED HIM…. [It should have said: "Aha, the odor of his clothes; then he blessed him." Instead he said (in vs. 27): AHA, THE ODOR OF MY SON IS LIKE THE ODOR OF A FIELD.] And he should have said: "Aha, the odor of my son's clothes." Instead he said to him (ibid.): AHA, THE ODOR OF MY SON. < The verse > is teaching that the odor of the righteous is a hint of the world to come. What is the meaning of LIKE THE ODOR OF A FIELD … ? That < his clothes > were the garments of the first Adam and bore an odor from the garden of Eden.⁶¹See below, 6:22; Gen. R. 65:22. He immediately said to him (in vs. 28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN. This is Torah, as stated (in Deut. 32:2) LET MY SPEECH DRIP DOWN LIKE THE DEW. (Gen. 27:28, cont.:) AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH. These are the Prophets. (Ibid., cont.:) AND ABUNDANCE OF GRAIN. This is Talmud. (Ibid., cont.:) AND NEW WINE. Here are the Midrashim.⁶²Gen. R. 66:3. Another interpretation (of Gen. 27:28): FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN. This is the manna, according to what is stated (in Numb. 11:9): SO WHEN THE DEW CAME DOWN < UPON THE CAMP AT NIGHT, THE MANNA WOULD FALL UPON IT >. (Gen. 27:28, cont.:) AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH. Here is the well.⁶³See Exod. 17:6; Numb. 21:16-18. According to tradition this well followed Israel in the wilderness. See, e.g., TSuk. 3:11-13. Similarly I Corinthians 10:4.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 27:28): FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN. This is Jerusalem, according to what is stated (in Ps. 133:3): LIKE THE DEW OF HERMON < WHICH COMES DOWN UPON THE HILLS OF ZION >. (Gen. 27:28, cont.:) AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH. Here is the fine flour of the oblations. (Ibid., cont.:) AND ABUNDANCE OF GRAIN AND NEW WINE. Here is olive oil.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 27:28): AND ABUNDANCE OF GRAIN AND NEW WINE. These are high priests. When he had given him these blessings (in vs. 29), he added six < more > blessings so that there would be ten. These are the following:⁶⁴Gen. R. 67:10; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 27:29; Frag. (Jerusalem) Targum, Gen. 27:29.

21 The Seers (i.e., the prophets) were the ones who said the doubled letters, mantzepakh (mem, nun, tzadi, peh, and kaf, which are the letters that have a different form when they appear at the end of a word). [The doubling of kaf that is found in Genesis 12:1,] "Lekh lekha (Go for yourself)," hints to Avraham that he will father Yitschak at one hundred years [of age] (as the numerical value of these two words is one hundred). [The doubling of mem that is found in Genesis 26:16,] "ki atsamta memenu (as you have become more powerful than us)" is a hint [to Yitschak] that hints that he and his seed will be powerful in both worlds. The doubling of nun [that is found in Genesis 32:12,] "Hatsileini na (Save me)" [is a hint to] Yaakov, [that] he will be saved in both worlds. The doubling of peh [that is found in Exodus 3:15, is a hint to] Israel, to Moshe,"pakod pakadeti etchem (I have surely remembered you)." The doubling of tsadi [that is found in Zachariah 6:12,] "hinei eesh, Tsemach shemo, [ou'metachtav yitsmach] (behold, a man called Branch shall branch out from the place where he is,)" is [referring to] the Messiah. And so is it stated (Jermiah 23:5), "vahikimoti leDavid tsemach tsadeek [...] (and I will raise up a true branch of David [...])." "The leader of fifty" (Isaiah 3:3). Twenty-four books (of the Bible); add to them eleven of the thirteen [books of the minor prophets] - besides Yonah which is by itself - and six orders of the Mishnah and nine chapters of Torat Kohanim, behold fifty. "Sixty were the queens," (Song of Songs 6:8), sixty tractates; "and eighty were the concubines," eighty study halls that were in Jerusalem corresponding to its gates.; and maidens without number," the study outside. "Behold the bed of Shlomo, sixty warriors" (Song of Songs 3:7). [This corresponds to] the sixty letters of the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). Three hundred and eighteen [souls mentioned in Genesis 14:14 is the numerical equivalent of] Eliezer. "Inasmuch (ekev) as Avraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings" (Genesis 26:5) - he recognized him when he was three (the numerical equivalent of ekev, being three less than that of Avraham). The Satan (HaSatan) has the numerical equivalent of three hundred and sixty-four, the count of the days of the solar year that he rules over all of them to slander, excepting Yom Kippur. Rabbi Ami beiRabbi Abba said, "Avraham was missing five organs before he was circumcised and [before] he fathered. The [letter] hay (with a numerical value of five) was added [to his name] and he became complete and fathered [corresponding to the complete set of organs, two hundred and forty-eight], the numerical count of his letters." "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" (Proverbs 12:4) - that is Sarah. Her name had been Sarai. Two Amoraim (later rabbinic teachers) differed. One said, "The [letter] yod (with a numerical count of ten that was taken from her) was divided into two, [to give] a hay to Avaraham and a hay to Sarah." And [the other] said, "The yod that was taken from Sarah raised a protest until Yehoshua came and Moshe added to him a yod - the Lord save you from the counsel of the [other] spies. [The significance of the letters in the name,] Yitschak [is as follows]: Yod (with a numerical count of ten) corresponds to the ten trials [of Avraham]. [The letter] tsadi (with a numerical count of ninety), [as] Sarah was ninety when he was born. [The letter] chet (with a numerical count of eight), [as] he was circumcised on the eighth day. And the letter kof (with a numerical count of one hundred), [as] Avraham was a hundred years old when he was born. Yaakov was called according to [the significance of the letters of] his [own] name: Yod [corresponds to] the tenth of his offspring going backwards. Count from (the last son), Binaymin to Levi - there are ten sons, [and Levi] was the tenth. [The letter] ayin (with a numerical count of seventy corresponds to the number of offspring he took to Egypt), "with seventy souls" (Deuteronomy 10:22). Kof corresponds to the [number of the] letters of the blessing [that he received minus the name of God, "And may He give you etc." (Genesis 27:28)]. [The letter] bet (with a numerical count of two) remains, corresponding to two angels (that he saw on the ladder in his dream) rising. There were six hundred and thirteen commandments in the tablets - corresponding to the letters from "I am" (Exodus 20:2) to "to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:14) - corresponding to the six hundred and thirteen commandments - no less and no more. And they were all given to Moshe at [Mount] Sinai; and in them are statutes and judgments, Torah and Mishnah, Talmud and aggadah. "The fear of the Lord is his treasure" (Isaiah 33:6). There is no greater characteristic than fear and humility, [as it is stated] (Deuteronomy 10:12), "And now Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you besides to fear Him [...]." "The fear of" (Yirat) has a numerical value of six hundred and eleven; and Torah has a numerical value of six hundred and eleven - and Torah and fear [of God] along with them, behold that is six hundred and thirteen. [The numerical value of] fringes (tsitsit) [is six hundred] - the rabbis taught: [Add] eight [strings] and five [knots], behold that is six hundred and thirteen. The days of Avraham were one hundred and seventy-five years, [of] Yitzchak were one hundred and eighty years [and of] Yaakov were a hundred and forty-seven years. When you put them together, it is found to be five hundred and two years. And so is the distance of the the heavens to the earth, "like the the days of the heavens above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11:21). "[The man (David)] raised on high" (II Samuel 23:1) - [high (al) has a numerical value of one hundred] corresponding to one hundred blessings. As on every day, one hundred men of Israel were dying. [So] David came and ordained [the daily saying of] one hundred blessings. Once he ordained them, the pestilence ceased. High (al) [corresponds to] the yoke (ulah) of Torah and the yoke of suffering. "Forgive all guilt and take the good (tov) that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3). Israel said, "Master of the world, at the time that the Temple existed, we would offer a sacrifice and be cleansed. But now all we have in our hand is prayer." The numerical value of tov is seventeen. Prayer [consists of] nineteen blessings. Take away from them the blessing for the malfeasers that was composed at Yavneh, and "Let the sprout of David blossom," which they ordained after it for the sake of "Probe me, Lord, and try me" (Psalms 26:2). Rabbi Simon says, "Take tov [in at-bash (matching letters based on how close they are to the center of the alphabet), which is the same] as the numerical value of soul (nefesh). Israel said, 'At the time that the Temple existed, we would incinerate the fats and the innards and be cleansed. But now behold our fat, our blood and our souls. May it be Your will that it be atonement for us and "that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3).'" "And the Lord gave her conception (herayon)" (Ruth 4:13). [Herayon] has a numerical value of two hundred and seventy one (the number of the days of the nine months of birthing). The measure of the water of a mikveh (ritual bath) is forty seah [corresponding to the forty mentions] of well water, written in the Torah. And [the volume of] how many eggs is the measure of the mikveh? Five thousand seven hundred and sixty. Each seah is a hundred and forty-four eggs. Forty-three and a fifth eggs is the measure of [what is required for] challah [tithe]. And from where [do we know] that a mikveh requires forty seah? As it is written (Isaiah 8:6), "Since this nation has rejected the waters of Shiloach that flow gently (le'at)." The numerical value [of le'at] is forty. And one who separates the measure of the challah [tithe] must separate one part in forty three and a fifth from Torah writ like the [numerical] value of challah. The main categories of work [on Shabbat] are forty minus one (thirty-nine), as it is written (Exodus 35:1), "These (eleh) are the things which the Lord commanded." [The numerical count of] "eleh" is thirty-six; "things" (being plural) is two; "the things" [indicates an additional] one - behold, forty minus one. "He shall strike him forty, he shall not add" (Deuteronomy 25:3), corresponds to the forty curses that the snake, Chava, Adam and the ground were cursed - and the sages lessened one, because of "he shall not add." Those [judges] advocating innocence are more those advocating guilt. [For] it is best for the two to come and push off one. Seshach is Bavel (Babylon) [according to] its numerical value in at-bash. Tavel is Ramlah [according to] its numerical value in al-bam (another numerical scheme). "Thus (bezot) shall Aaron enter the shrine; with a bull of the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering" (Leviticus 16:3). Bezot (which has a numerical count of four hundred and ten) is a hint to the first Temple that stood for four hundred and ten years.

Rabbi Jehudah said: Isaac blessed Jacob with ten blessings concerning the dews of heaven and the corn of the earth, corresponding to the ten words whereby the world was created, as it is said, "And God give thee of the dew of the heaven" (Gen. 27:28); "Let peoples serve thee, …" (Gen. 27:29). When Jacob went forth from the presence of his father Isaac, he went forth crowned like a bridegroom, and like a bride in her adornment, and the quickening dew from heaven descended upon him, and refreshed his bones, and he also became a mighty hero; therefore it is said, "By the hands of the mighty Jacob, from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Gen. 49:24).

THE VISION OF JACOB AT BETHEL
"BETTER is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof" (Eccles. 7:8). The first blessings wherewith Isaac blessed Jacob were concerning the dews of heaven, and concerning the corn of the earth, as it is said, "And God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth" (Gen. 27:28). The final blessings were the blessings of the foundation of the world, and in them there is no (interruption), either in this world or in the world to come, as it is said, "And God Almighty bless thee" (Gen. 28:3). And he further added unto him the blessing of Abraham, || as it is said, "And may he give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee" (Gen. 28:4). Therefore (say): "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof" (Eccles. 7:8). "Better is the patient in spirit than the proud in spirit" (ibid.). "Better is the patient in spirit"—this (saying) is applicable to our father Jacob, for every day he was patient in spirit, and he spake all kinds of words of entreaty. (The words) "than the proud in spirit" (ibid.) refer to the wicked Esau, because every day he was eating the flesh of that which he had hunted. Owing to his pride he did not give any of his food to Jacob. Once he went out to hunt but he did not meet with any success. He saw Jacob eating lentil food, and he desired this in his heart, and he said to him: "Let me gulp down, I pray thee, some of that red pottage" (Gen. 25:30). Jacob said to him: Thou camest forth red at thy birth from thy mother; (now) thou dost desire to eat (this) red food; therefore he called his name "Edom" (red), as it is said, "And Esau said to Jacob" (ibid.).

And just as dew descends for blessing, so, rain. And thus is it written (Bereshith 27:28) "And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens," and (Devarim 32:2) "My teaching (Torah) shall drip as the rain," and (Hosea 14:6) "I shall be like the dew to Israel," and (Michah 5:6) "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the L-rd, like the droplets upon the grass."

... Another explanation. “…of the dew of the heavens…” (Genesis 27:28) this refers to Zion, as it says “As the dew of Hermon which runs down on the mountains of Zion…” (133:3) “…and of the fatness of the earth…” (Genesis 27:28) refers to the offerings, “grain” refers to the first-fruits, “wine” to the libations…

(Bereshith 27:28) "And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens, etc." "His heavens, too, shall drip dew," as in (Isaiah 45:8) "Let the heavens pour from above and the heights drip righteousness."