Commentaire sur La Genèse 27:7

'לפני ה BEFORE THE LORD — By his permission: that He should approve of what I do.

AND I WILL BLESS THEE BEFORE THE ETERNAL BEFORE MY DEATH. In this entire section, the expression, before the Eternal, is not mentioned except in this place. This is because his mother said to Jacob, “The blessing will be before the Eternal with the Ruach Hakodesh,²⁰⁵See above, Note 90. and if Esau your brother be blessed with it, it will remain with his children forever, and you will have no standing before him.”

'לפני ה. “in the name of the Lord.” However, when the same expression לפני ה' occurs in 10,9 describing the prowess of Nimrod as a hunter, the meaning is that his prowess was something of global dimensions, that no other hunter could match him in this respect. Similarly, the expression לאלוקים in Jonah 3,3 describing the vastness of the city of Nineveh, refers to the unique size of that city, none other matching it throughout the world.

הביאה, she gratuitously added the words 'לפני ה, as if they had been Yitzchok’s words (which they were not). She intended thereby to convince her son Yaakov that the blessing about to be given to Esau was of an unusual, critical importance, one that would reflect a prophetic utterance by Yitzchok.

ואברכה לפני ה', “I will bless you in the presence of G’d.” Although Yitzchok had only said: בעבור תברכך נפשי, “in order that my soul will bless you, without adding the name of the Lord, he was certain that G’d would fulfill such a blessing when pronounced by him. After all, all blessings originate with the Lord.

With His consent... Question: How could Rivkah say, “In the presence of Hashem,” something which Yitzchok never said? The answer is that Rashi had a question: If Yitzchok considered Eisov righteous, why did he warn him so much on this day about neveilah and robbery? Rashi, [by explaining, “With His consent,”] answers that Yitzchok intended the blessings to be with Hashem’s consent — that He should grant His approval. This is why Yitzchok especially exhorted Eisov on this day. [And when Rivkah heard his exhortation, she understood that Yitzchok intended to bless Eisov “in the presence of Hashem.”] Rivkah said [to herself] about this: Since Eisov is going to bring any animal, even a stolen one [see Rashi on v. 5], he also will not obey his father regarding neveilah. If so, Hashem surely will not grant His approval. Thus she told Yaakov (v. 9, see Rashi there): “Take for me from there,” i.e., they are not stolen ones. (Nachalas Yaakov)

Das לפני ד׳ ist eine Umschreibung des נפשי: ich will dich als vor ד׳ wirkend, d. h. mit deinem Berufe wohlthuend, segnen.

'ואברככה לפני ה, “I shall give you the blessing that is approved by the Lord.” [Seeing that after Avraham’s death the Lord had conferred his power to bless on his son Yitzchok. (Compare 25,11). Ed.] Yitzchok explained that this was why he encouraged Esau now to perform deeds to be worthy of such blessings. The author refers to his commentary on Genesis 10,9, in connection with the expression: 'גבור ציד לפני ה.

The last two letters in the word ואברככה are כה.