לֶךְ־נָא֙ אֶל־הַצֹּ֔אן וְקַֽח־לִ֣י מִשָּׁ֗ם שְׁנֵ֛י גְּדָיֵ֥י עִזִּ֖ים טֹבִ֑ים וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֨ה אֹתָ֧ם מַטְעַמִּ֛ים לְאָבִ֖יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָהֵֽב׃
Ve ahora al ganado, y tráeme de allí dos buenos cabritos de las cabras, y haré de ellos viandas para tu padre, como él gusta;
Rabbeinu Bahya
It is incumbent upon man to learn from this legislation concerning who is chosen as fit to be a sacrifice. It is interesting that whereas Yitzchak sent Esau to hunt game, Rivkah sent Yaakov to the sheep to select a domesticated animal as food for her husband. These animals share the characteristic of תמימות, being flawless in character, with Yaakov whom the Torah described as תמים, flawless. This characteristic is described by Onkelos as שלים, “peaceful, harmonious,” in Genesis 25,28 where the Torah describes the difference between Esau and Yaakov. This תמימות, flawlessness, is the hallmark of Torah which is described as תורת ה' תמימה, “the Torah of the Lord is flawless,” and its paths are described as harmonious, שלום, (Proverbs 3,17).” The word שלום as a proper name for the Jewish people occurs in Song of Songs 7,1 where Solomon calls on Israel saying שובה שובה השולמית, “turn back, turn back O Shulamit!” The reason Israel has been accorded this title is that the eventual everlasting peace will be ushered in in the land of Israel. For the above-mentioned reasons G’d selected the domesticated pure mammals as suitable for His altar whereas He rejected the free-roaming beasts, even the ones which are permissible for us to eat such as deer, etc.
Esau was considered as far removed from the sun (the horoscope of the sun) being a hairy man, a man who made his home in the desert, as already characterized by his father Yitzchak who described him as יודע ציד איש שדה, “familiar with hunting, a man of the field” (Genesis 25,27). He showed a preference for the free-roaming animals that live in uncivilized areas, signifying destruction and desolation. Such an environment is the opposite of the environment which bespeaks peace and harmony. This is also the reason the Torah forbade that stones which had been treated with iron (metal) tools should form part of the altar as such tools are reminiscent of the sword, of causing death instead of ushering in peace, the purpose of the altar. (compare author’s comments on Exodus 20,22). The sword became the inheritance of Esau and his descendants. This is the mystical dimension of Exodus 20,22: “for you have swung your sword over it and desecrated it.” [The author has a different count for the number of verses in the Ten Commandments due to the tone-signs which are used when reading the text, so that in his commentary Exodus 20,22 is referred to as 20,25. Ed.] Seeing that it is the function of the altar to help man live longer whereas the function of the sword is to shorten the life span of those who come in contact with it, it is only logical that such an instrument or one which symbolises it should not be used in constructing the altar.
Our sages also derive from the words מן הבהמה, מן הבקר, ומן הצאן, “from the domesticated animals such as cattle or flocks,” that the word בהמה excludes any animal which has been mated with a human being; the word מן הבקר is meant to exclude any cow or ox which has been used in idolatrous rites; the words מן הצאן exclude even animals which have been designated for idolatrous service though none such has as yet been performed with them. The extra letter ו in the words ומן הצאן, excludes animals which have gored a human being to death but against which there is not enough evidence to carry out the penalty of stoning prescribed by the Torah (compare Sifra 2).
Esau was considered as far removed from the sun (the horoscope of the sun) being a hairy man, a man who made his home in the desert, as already characterized by his father Yitzchak who described him as יודע ציד איש שדה, “familiar with hunting, a man of the field” (Genesis 25,27). He showed a preference for the free-roaming animals that live in uncivilized areas, signifying destruction and desolation. Such an environment is the opposite of the environment which bespeaks peace and harmony. This is also the reason the Torah forbade that stones which had been treated with iron (metal) tools should form part of the altar as such tools are reminiscent of the sword, of causing death instead of ushering in peace, the purpose of the altar. (compare author’s comments on Exodus 20,22). The sword became the inheritance of Esau and his descendants. This is the mystical dimension of Exodus 20,22: “for you have swung your sword over it and desecrated it.” [The author has a different count for the number of verses in the Ten Commandments due to the tone-signs which are used when reading the text, so that in his commentary Exodus 20,22 is referred to as 20,25. Ed.] Seeing that it is the function of the altar to help man live longer whereas the function of the sword is to shorten the life span of those who come in contact with it, it is only logical that such an instrument or one which symbolises it should not be used in constructing the altar.
Our sages also derive from the words מן הבהמה, מן הבקר, ומן הצאן, “from the domesticated animals such as cattle or flocks,” that the word בהמה excludes any animal which has been mated with a human being; the word מן הבקר is meant to exclude any cow or ox which has been used in idolatrous rites; the words מן הצאן exclude even animals which have been designated for idolatrous service though none such has as yet been performed with them. The extra letter ו in the words ומן הצאן, excludes animals which have gored a human being to death but against which there is not enough evidence to carry out the penalty of stoning prescribed by the Torah (compare Sifra 2).
Kli Yakar
“With this shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bull, etc.” And they said in the Midrash (Leviticus Rabbah 21:11) that the bull corresponds to Abraham, as it is said (Genesis 18:7), And Abraham ran to the cattle. And the ram corresponds to Isaac, for a ram was offered in his place. And the two goats correspond to Jacob, as it is said about him (Genesis 27:9), Go now to the flock, and fetch me from there two good kids.
The intention of this Midrash is to say that just as we find that even to Moses, God appeared only in the merit of the Patriarchs, as it is written (Exodus 4:5), That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, etc., has appeared to you, so too the High Priest on Yom Kippur — God appears to him in the merit of the Patriarchs.
And in all of these there is an allusion to Yom Kippur. For regarding what is written, And Abraham ran to the cattle, this Midrash believes that this was on Yom Kippur, as our Sages also taught (in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 29) On this very day Abraham was circumcised — that he was circumcised on Yom Kippur. And it believes that the entire episode from And the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre all happened on one day. And even though he made a feast on that day, nevertheless, since the Torah had not yet been given, he was strict with himself but not with others.
And regarding the ram of Isaac, there is [an opinion] in the Midrash that this event also occurred on Yom Kippur (see Yalkut Reuveni, Parashat Vayera 22:14), and the proof is from the verse, As it is said this day: On the mountain the Lord will appear. That every year on this day, The Lord will appear, because in the cloud the Lord will appear there.
And regarding the two goats of Jacob, they said in the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 65:14), Two good kids — good for you and good for your children. Good for you, as through them you will receive the blessings, and good for your children, as through them atonement is made for them on Yom Kippur. And from then on, Jacob was assured of atonement on this holy day through the two goats.
The intention of this Midrash is to say that just as we find that even to Moses, God appeared only in the merit of the Patriarchs, as it is written (Exodus 4:5), That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, etc., has appeared to you, so too the High Priest on Yom Kippur — God appears to him in the merit of the Patriarchs.
And in all of these there is an allusion to Yom Kippur. For regarding what is written, And Abraham ran to the cattle, this Midrash believes that this was on Yom Kippur, as our Sages also taught (in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 29) On this very day Abraham was circumcised — that he was circumcised on Yom Kippur. And it believes that the entire episode from And the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre all happened on one day. And even though he made a feast on that day, nevertheless, since the Torah had not yet been given, he was strict with himself but not with others.
And regarding the ram of Isaac, there is [an opinion] in the Midrash that this event also occurred on Yom Kippur (see Yalkut Reuveni, Parashat Vayera 22:14), and the proof is from the verse, As it is said this day: On the mountain the Lord will appear. That every year on this day, The Lord will appear, because in the cloud the Lord will appear there.
And regarding the two goats of Jacob, they said in the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 65:14), Two good kids — good for you and good for your children. Good for you, as through them you will receive the blessings, and good for your children, as through them atonement is made for them on Yom Kippur. And from then on, Jacob was assured of atonement on this holy day through the two goats.
Haamek Davar
And to the darkness, He called night: The Sages, of blessed memory, explained in the beginning of Tractate Pesachim, that the Holy One, blessed be He, called to darkness and appointed it over the night. [By this,] our Rabbis taught us that we should not say that darkness is only the absence of light, like when - in the middle of the day - we close the windows, it becomes dark. For, if so, it would not be a creation. But in truth, darkness is a creation, on its own as well, as it is written (Isaiah 45:7), "and created the darkness." And it is great distortion to say that darkness is only the absence of light. But rather, God makes both of them, just as He concerns Himself over holiness and impurity. (And see what I have written later, Genesis 27:9.) And to the question, "what does this creation help, behold, even without [its] creation, there would be darkness in the absence of light?," the Sages, of blessed memory, have taught us (in the chapter "Chelek" and in Bereshit Rabbah, Parshat Noach and in the Talmud Yerushalmi in the first chapter) that the light of a fire does not shine during the day in a dark place, [with the same brightness] as it does at night when darkness reigns. And from this, lofty people were able to know while they were sitting in the dark, when it was day and when it was night - in which darkness rules. And as it is with the light and darkness of day and night, so too is it thus with all things that are compared to light and darkness; since there are many bounties that man does not feel so much when he is successful, until he becomes poor and he sees the bounty [that he once had]. And [He], may He be blessed, implanted this into His world.
Rashi
attentive Heb. קַשֶּׁבֶת, like קוֹשֶּׁבֶת, listening, for just as one says from אוֹהֵב, אָהַב, so does one say from קָשַּׁב, קוֹשֵּׁב and קוֹשֶּׁבֶת.
Minchat Ani
Disponible solo para miembros PremiumRashi
לא תבשל גדי THOU SHALT NOT COOK A KID — A calf and a lamb also are comprehended under the term גדי, for גדי means nothing more than a young tender animal, as you may gather from the fact that you will find in several passages in the Torah that the term גדי is used and that the writer felt it necessary specially to explain it by adding after it the word עזים, as, e. g., (Genesis 38:17) “I will send forth a גדי of the goats”; (Genesis 38: 20) “the גדי of the goats”; (Genesis 27:9) “two kids of the goats (גדיי עזים)”. This fact serves to show you that wherever גדי is mentioned without further description the term implies also a calf and a lamb. — In three different passages the law לא תבשל גדי is written: once for the purpose of prohibiting the eating of meat-food with milk-food, once to prohibit us from deriving any other benefit (besides eating) from such mixture, and once to prohibit the boiling of meat with milk (Mekhilta; Chullin 115b).