Génesis 27:28 Midrash: Midrash Tanchuma, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, Pesikta Rabbati & Midrash Tehillim

(Deut. 33:1:) “And this is the blessing.” This text is related (to Prov. 31:29), “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all.” This is the blessing of Moses,¹PRK 31:11. in respect to which you should note that in the case of the earlier generations each and every one blessed his generation, but there was none was like the blessing of Moses. Noah blessed his children, but it contained a divergence, as he blessed one and cursed another, as stated (Gen. 9:27,) “May God enlarge (ypt) Japheth (ypt) [...]; and let Canaan be a slave to them.” Isaac blessed Jacob, but there was strife in it. It is so stated (in Gen. 28:4), “May He give you the blessing of Abraham, but he said to Esau (in Gen. 27:35), “Your brother came with deceit”; and it is stated (in vs. 41), “Then Esau hated Jacob […, and Esau said in his heart, ‘Let the days of mourning for my father come, and I will kill my brother Jacob’].” Jacob blessed the tribes, but there was strife among them, in that he rebuked Reuben, as stated (in Gen. 49:4), “Unstable as water”; and similarly (in vs. 5), “Simeon and Levi [are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords].” And from where did each and every one of the patriarchs learn to bless his generation? [They learned it] from the Holy One, blessed be He. When he created Adam, He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 1:27-28), “male and female. Then [God] blessed them.” And the world was maintained by that blessing, until the generation of the flood came, and they cancelled it out, as stated (in Gen. 6:7), “And the Lord said, “I will blot out the humanity which I created.” When Noah left the ark, the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that this blessing had passed from them. He blessed Noah and his children anew, as stated (in Gen. 9:1), “Then God blessed Noah and his children.” The world was maintained by this blessing, until Abraham came into the world, and He added blessing, as stated (in Gen. 12:2), “For I will make you into a great nation.” Once Abraham came, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “It is not honorable for Me, that I should be obliged to bless My creatures. Rather take note! I am handing over the blessings to Abraham and to his seed, so that for all who they issue a blessing, I am placing my seal upon [those blessings], as stated (in vs. 2, cont.), ‘[I will bless you and magnify your name] and so become a blessing.’” (Vs. 3:) “I will bless those who bless you….” What is the meaning of “I will bless?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Take note. I am handing over the blessings to all whom you bless, and I am sealing [them] through you.” But if from then on the blessings were [handed over] to Abraham, why did he not bless Isaac? It was because Abraham saw that Esau would issue from him. He said, “If I bless Isaac, then Esau will be blessed, and Isaac will be found lacking.” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To the head of a household that had a vineyard,²See Gen. R. 61:6; Numb. R. 11:2; M. Pss. 1:5. [and] gave it to a tenant. And in that vineyard was a tree of life, but it had overgrown a tree having a deadly poison. Now he did not know what to do. He said, “If I cultivate that vineyard, then the tree having a deadly poison will flourish; but if I do not cultivate that vineyard, then the tree of life will die. So what shall I do? I will bear with that vineyard until the owner of the vineyard comes. Then he may do what he wants with his vineyard.” And so also did Abraham say, “If I bless Isaac, Esau will end up being blessed and Jacob will lose out. Rather look here. I will leave him alone until the Holy One, blessed be He, comes, when He will deal with what belongs to Him.” Jacob came and received five blessings: two from his father, one from Abraham, one from the angel, and one from the Holy One, blessed be He.³Cf. Gen. R. 94:5. From his father, as stated (in Gen. 27:33), “Then Isaac trembled (when he realized he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau). Why “trembled?” R. Eliezer ben Pedat said, “[He did so] because he saw Gehinnom open in front of him. He wanted to say, ‘Cursed will be [Jacob.’ Instead,] he went back [on it], and added blessing [to it], when he said (ibid., end), ‘he also shall be blessed.’” Here is one [blessing]. A second (is in Gen. 28:1), “So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him.” The blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He, (is in Gen. 35:9), “Now God appeared unto Jacob [… and blessed him].” The blessing of Abraham (is in Gen. 28:4), “And may He grant you the blessing of Abraham.” And the blessing of an angel is (in Gen. 32:30), “and he (the angel) blessed him there.” When Jacob came to bless the tribes, he blessed them with the five blessings that he had in hand and added one blessing to them, as stated (in Gen. 49:28), “All these are the tribes of Israel, [twelve in number, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them, each one with his own blessing is how he blessed them].”⁴The midrash notes that the words, HE BLESSED THEM, occur twice and interprets the verse to mean that one blessing, the fivefold blessing he had received, was for the tribes as a group while the other blessing was a specific blessing for each tribe. When Moses came to bless Israel, he added a seventh blessing to them. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing.” [According to another interpretation, Moses made] an addition to the blessings with which Balaam had blessed Israel,⁵Cf. PRK 31(suppl. 1):4. since it was fitting for him to bless them with seven blessings corresponding to the seven altars [he had built];⁶On these altars, see Numb. 23:1, 14, 29. but [Balaam] only blessed them with three, as stated (in Numb. 24:10), “but here you have even blessed them these three times.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “O wicked one, your eye is too jaundiced for you to bless them. Moreover, I am not putting the power in your hand to finish your blessing over Israel. Moses will come, whose eye is fair; then he will bless Israel.” And it is about him that Solomon has said (in Prov. 22:9), “He that has a benevolent eye shall be blessed (ybrk).” Do not read “ybrk [with vowels meaning] shall be blessed,” but [with vowels meaning] “shall bless.” This refers to Moses our master whose eyes were fair when he blessed Israel, such that he blessed them with [the other] four blessings: The first is (in Exod. 39:43), “When Moses saw all the work […] he blessed them.” The second is (in Lev. 9:23), “Then Moses and Aaron came unto the tent of meeting; and when they came out, they blessed the people….” The third is (in Deut. 1:11), “May the Lord God of your ancestors add [to your numbers a thousand times more than you are and bless you].” The fourth is (here in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing.” It is therefore stated (in Prov. 31:29), “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all.”(Deut. 33:1:) And this is the blessing.” It was fitting for Moses to bless Israel because he had constantly risked his life for them.⁷PRK 31(suppl. 1):12. For this reason, it is stated (in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing [that Moses blessed... the Children of Israel].” (Deut. 33:1:) “The man of God (the Power).” If it says, “man,” why does it say, “God,” and if it says, “God,” why does it say, “man?” It is simply that at the time he fled from in front of Pharaoh, he was a man, but at the time he trounced [the Egyptians], he was a power. Another interpretation: At the time that he went up to the firmament, he was a man; in front of the angels that were all fire, he was a man. But at the time he came down, he was a power. Before he went up to the firmament, he was a man, as he would eat and drink. But all the time that he was there, he was a power, as stated (in Exod. 34:20), “and they were afraid to approach him.”

“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).

And it will be, from new month to new month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come to bow before Me," said Hashem (Isaiah 66:23). Teach us, our teacher, a person from Israel who blessed after meals on Rosh Chodesh and forgot and did not mention Rosh Chodesh, how should he act? Teach us, our rabbis, if he forgot and did not mention Rosh Chodesh, and he completed the blessing after meals and remembered immediately before diverting his mind from the blessing, he does not need to return from the outset but concludes a small blessing at the end: "Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who gave new months to His nation, Israel. Blessed are You, who sanctifies Israel and the new months." Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: If one is uncertain whether he mentioned Rosh Chodesh or not, he does not return. And on Chol Hamoed, he must say, in the prayer of Musaf, "And grant us, Hashem our God." Behold, we have learned that new months are considered like the festivals, as it is said: "And on your joyous days and your festivals and on your new moons" (Numbers 10:10), and even like Sabbaths, new months are considered equal. New months are thus found to be equal to the festivals and Sabbaths. How do we know they are even equal to Sabbaths? From what the prophet completed: "And it will be, from new month to new month and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come to bow." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma began: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when will I come and see the face of God" (Psalms 42:3). This sustains the tradition at the beginning of Parashat Acharei Mot. Another interpretation: "My soul thirsts for God"—when You will execute judgment (in the future) [upon the nations of the world]. "God you shall not curse" (Exodus 22:27). Another interpretation: "For God"—when You return the divinity that You displayed at Sinai. I said, "You are as gods" (Psalms 82:6). Another interpretation: "For God"—when You will clothe Yourself in divinity as You did at Sinai, hasten the end and unite Your divinity in Your world, as it is said: "And Hashem will be King over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:9). How does this interpret Jacob's blessing? "And may God give you from the dew"—when the divine attributes will grant you (Genesis 27:28). Another interpretation: "For God, the living God"—He is living and eternal for all ages. Another interpretation: "For God, the living God"—He promises life, bringing rains in their time and causing dew to flourish in their season for our livelihood. Another interpretation: "For God, the living God"—to God who is living and established by His word. Rabbi Pinchas the Kohen ben Chama said: Though those who made the promises have died (these being the prophets), the God who made the promises is alive and enduring. "My soul thirsts for God, the living God; when shall I come and see the face of God?" Israel said to the Holy One, Blessed be He: "Master of the Universe, when will You restore to us the honor we had when we ascended for the three pilgrimage festivals and saw the face of the Divine Presence?" Rabbi Yitzchak said: Just as they would come to see, so too they came to be seen. As it is written: "When shall I come and see [in the spirit of holiness]." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why was it called "The Joy of the Water Drawing"? Because from there they drew the spirit of holiness. They said, "When will You restore us to that honor? Behold, how much time has passed since the destruction of our Temple, and now it is already 1,151 years. When shall I come and see the face of God?" God said to them: "My children, in this world, how many times did you ascend in the year? Was it not only three times a year? But when the end arrives, I will rebuild it, and you will not ascend three times a year but every month and every Sabbath, as it is said: 'And it will be, from new month to new month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath.' Another interpretation: "And it will be, from new month to new month"—how is it possible for all flesh to come to Jerusalem every month and every Sabbath? Rabbi Levi said: In the future, Jerusalem will be like the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel will be like the entire world. How will they come for Rosh Chodesh and the Sabbath from the ends of the earth? The clouds will come and carry them to Jerusalem, and they will pray there in the morning. This is what the prophet praises: "Who are these that fly like a cloud" (Isaiah 60:8). Another interpretation: "And it will be, from new month"—and what if Rosh Chodesh coincides with the Sabbath? The verse says: "From new month and from Sabbath"—how? Rabbi Pinchas the Kohen ben Chama said in the name of Rabbi Reuven: They will come twice, once for the Sabbath and once for Rosh Chodesh. The clouds will carry them at dawn and bring them to Jerusalem, and they will pray there in the morning. Then they will carry them [back to their homes] and return to Jerusalem. "Who are these that fly like a cloud"—this refers to the morning. "And like doves to their dovecotes"—this refers to the afternoon. "All flesh shall come"—it does not say "all Israel" but "all flesh." Rabbi Pinchas said: What is "all flesh"? It refers to anyone who subdues their desires in this world; they merit to see the Divine Presence, as it is written: "He who shuts his eyes from seeing evil" (Isaiah 33:15). What is written afterward? "Your eyes will see the King in His beauty" (ibid. 33:17). Another interpretation: "All flesh"—even the nations of the world. But not all of them—only those who did not enslave Israel. The Messiah will accept them. And by what merit will Israel attain all this honor? By the merit of settling the Land of Israel, enduring suffering among the nations of the world. You will also find that the patriarchs of the world endured suffering for the sake of burial in the Land of Israel. Rabbi Chanina said: All weights mentioned in the Torah are in sela'im, those in the prophets are in litras, and those in the writings are in kintarin, except for the weight of the silver Abraham gave to Ephron for burial—these were kintarin. "Four hundred shekels of silver" (Genesis 23:15). Come and see, Abraham gave 400 kintarin of silver for the burial plot. And similarly, Jacob—he gave all the gold he accumulated in his lifetime and all his wealth (recognized) [to ensure] that he might give it to Esau to prevent him from entering the burial cave, as it is written: "In my burial place that I have dug for myself" (Genesis 50:5). And similarly, when Jacob was nearing the end of his life, he made Joseph swear to him, saying, "Do not bury me in Egypt" (Genesis 47:29). And why did he say this? Rabbi Chanina said: There are things involved. Rabbi Yose said: There are things involved. Resh Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer HaKappar: Because the dead of the Land of Israel will be revived at the time of the Messiah, as David said: "I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living" (Psalms 116:9). And is the Land of Israel the "land of the living"? Do people not die in it? Is the Land outside Israel not the "land of the living"? Rather, the Land of Israel is called the "land of the living" because the dead buried in it will be revived. And since David said: "In the lands of the living," it means that the dead buried in the Land of Israel will live in the days of the Messiah. Rabbi Yose asked Resh Lakish: Even someone like Jeroboam the son of Nebat? He replied: "Sulfur and salt." Rabbi Chelbo asked Rabbi Ami: "Even someone like Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" He replied: "I asked Resh Lakish, and he told me, 'Sulfur and salt.'" Rabbi Brachia asked Rabbi Chelbo: "Even someone like Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" He replied: "I asked Rabbi Ami, and he told me, 'I asked Resh Lakish, and he told me, "Sulfur and salt."'" Rabbi Brachia said: "We do not contradict this, for what is meant by 'sulfur'? It is not a physical punishment; rather, it indicates that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will punish the wicked in Gehinnom with sulfur and salt. But the Temple was destroyed." Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Elai said: "For seven years, the Land of Israel burned with sulfur and fire, as it is written: 'Sulfur and salt, a burning of its entire land' (Deuteronomy 29:22)." Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta said: "For 52 years after the destruction of the Temple, no person passed through the Land of Israel, as it is written: 'Upon the mountains... for they have been desolate, without a man passing through' (Jeremiah 9:9), and 'From the bird of the heavens to the beast, they have wandered away' (ibid.)." Why? "Because it burned with fire cast upon it, as it is written: 'From above, He cast fire into my bones' (Lamentations 1:13)." As for the punishment of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his companions, the Holy One, Blessed be He, has already punished them during those seven years when the Land of Israel burned with fire. Thus, even Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his companions will live in the time of the Messiah. And who caused them to escape the judgment of Gehinnom and be buried in the Land of Israel? As it is written: "And He will atone for His land and His people" (Deuteronomy 32:43). Rabbi Huna the Kohen ben Avin said in the name of Rabbi Abba ben Yamina: A person who dies outside the Land of Israel and is buried outside the Land of Israel has two troubles upon him—the trouble of death and the trouble of burial, as it is written concerning Pashhur: "And you, Pashhur, and all your household, will go into captivity; in Babylon, you will die, and there you will be buried" (Jeremiah 20:6). Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: A person who dies outside the Land but is brought to be buried in the Land of Israel has only one trouble—death. And how does Rabbi Chama bar Chanina explain "There you will die, and there you will be buried"? That the burial in the Land of Israel atones for him. Rabbi Berochia and Rabbi Eliezer ben Pedat were walking in [Ilfa], and they saw coffins coming from outside the Land. Rabbi Berochia said to Rabbi Eliezer: "What benefit do they gain by doing this? In their lives, they left it, and now in their deaths, they return to it?" Rabbi Eliezer said to him: "It is not as you say. Since they are buried in the Land of Israel, and a clod of its earth is placed on them, it atones for them, as it is written: 'And He will atone for His land and His people' (Deuteronomy 32:43)." If so, have the righteous outside the Land lost out? No, why? Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Simai: "The Holy One, Blessed be He, makes tunnels beneath the earth, and they roll like jars, coming to the Land of Israel. And once they arrive in the Land of Israel, the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives them their souls, as it is written: 'He gives a soul to the people upon it' (Isaiah 42:5). And there is an explicit verse in Ezekiel: 'You will know that I am Hashem when I open your graves and bring you to the Land of Israel' (Ezekiel 37:13)." At that time: "I will put My spirit in you, and you shall live" (ibid. 37:14). From here, we learn that the dead of the Land of Israel will live in the time of the Messiah, and the righteous outside the Land will come into it and live there. And if so, will the nations of the world, who are buried in the Land, also live? No, as it is written in Isaiah: "And no one of the inhabitants will say, 'I am sick'; the people that dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity" (Isaiah 33:24). The evil neighbors will not say: "We are mingled and therefore we too live with them." Rather, only the people dwelling therein, "forgiven their iniquity," shall live. Who are these forgiven their iniquity? Those of whom it is said: "Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity and passing over transgressions for the remnant of His heritage" (Micah 7:18). And how long will the days of the Messiah be? Rabbi Akiva says: Forty years, as it is written: "He afflicted you and caused you to hunger" (Deuteronomy 8:3), and it is written: "Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us" (Psalms 90:15). Just as the affliction mentioned here was forty years, so too the affliction here is forty years. Rabbi Avin said: What is Rabbi Akiva's reasoning? "As in the days of your coming out of Egypt, I will show him wonders" (Micah 7:15). Rabbi Eliezer says: Four hundred years, as it is written: "And they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13), and it is written: "Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us" (Psalms 90:15). Rabbi Brachia said in the name of Rabbi Dosa the Great: Six hundred years, as it is written: "As the days of the tree, so shall be the days of My people" (Isaiah 65:22). Which tree is this? It is the stump that lasts six hundred years. Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Yossi the Galilean says: One thousand years, as it is written: "For a thousand years in Your eyes are but as yesterday when it is past" (Psalms 90:4), and it is written: "For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come" (Isaiah 63:4). The day of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is one thousand years. Rabbi Yehoshua says: Two thousand years, as it is written: "Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us" (Psalms 90:15). And there are no "days" less than two days, and the day of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is one thousand years. Rabbi Abahu says: Seven thousand years, as it is written: "As the joy of a bridegroom over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5). And how long is the joy of a bridegroom over the bride? Seven days. And the day of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is one thousand years. Rabbi says: It is not possible to calculate. "For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come" (Isaiah 63:4). And how long are the days of the Messiah? 365,000 years. During these days, the children of Israel will live in the Land of Israel and eat its produce, and all the righteous from outside the Land will come through tunnels to it. Once they arrive in it, immediately the Holy One, Blessed be He, will give them their souls, and they will stand and eat together with the children of Israel, as it is written: "He who stretches out the earth and its produce, who gives a soul to the people upon it" (Isaiah 42:5). When will King Messiah come? Rabbi Elazar said: Near the time of the Messiah, ten places will be swallowed, ten places will be overturned, and ten places will be destroyed. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said: The Messiah will not come except in a generation whose face is like the face of a dog. Rabbi Elazar said: In a generation that deserves destruction, the Messiah will come. Rabbi Levi said: Near the time of the Messiah, a great event will occur in the world.