אֲנִי֩ טֶ֨רֶם אֲכַלֶּ֜ה לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־לִבִּ֗י וְהִנֵּ֨ה רִבְקָ֤ה יֹצֵאת֙ וְכַדָּ֣הּ עַל־שִׁכְמָ֔הּ וַתֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וָאֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יהָ הַשְׁקִ֥ינִי נָֽא׃
Je n’avais pas encore achevé de parler en moi-même, voici que Rébecca s’est approchée, sa cruche sur l’épaule; elle est descendue à la fontaine et a puisé et je lui ai dit: ‘Donne-moi, s’il te plait à boire.’
Ramban
AND THE ETERNAL REPENTED… AND IT GRIEVED HIM AT HIS HEART. The Torah speaks in the language of men. The purport is that they rebelled, and grieved His holy spirit514Isaiah 63:10. with their sins. The sense of the expression at His heart is that He did not tell this to a prophet, a messenger of G-d. This expression is also found with respect to thinking, just as: to speak to my heart,515Genesis 24:45. and other similar expressions.
In Bereshith Rabbah51627:6. there is a significant matter concerning this, expressed by a parable which the Rabbis bring of an agent and an architect.517Rabbi Berachyah said: “It is like a king who had a palace built by an architect, and when he saw it, it displeased him. Against whom is he to complain? Surely against the architect.” Rabbi Assi said: “It is like one who traded through an agent and suffered a loss. Whom does he blame? The agent. Here too It grieved Him at His heart.” This constitutes a great secret which is not permitted to be written down. The one who knows it will understand why here the Tetragrammaton is written while in the whole of the rest of the chapter and the account of the flood, the name Elokim is used.
In Bereshith Rabbah51627:6. there is a significant matter concerning this, expressed by a parable which the Rabbis bring of an agent and an architect.517Rabbi Berachyah said: “It is like a king who had a palace built by an architect, and when he saw it, it displeased him. Against whom is he to complain? Surely against the architect.” Rabbi Assi said: “It is like one who traded through an agent and suffered a loss. Whom does he blame? The agent. Here too It grieved Him at His heart.” This constitutes a great secret which is not permitted to be written down. The one who knows it will understand why here the Tetragrammaton is written while in the whole of the rest of the chapter and the account of the flood, the name Elokim is used.
Ramban
AND THE SERVANT RAN TO MEET HER. Rashi comments: “Because he saw that the waters rose in the well when she approached it.” In Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis said,11760:6. “And she filled her pitcher, and came up.118Verse 16 here. All the women went down and filled their pitchers from the well. But this one, as the waters saw her they immediately rose. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, ‘You are a sign of blessing to your children.’”119When Israel wandered in the desert, the waters in the well would rise as soon as they approached it. See Numbers 21:17 and Midrash Rabbah, ibid.
It would appear that the Rabbis derived this interpretation upon observing the language, And she filled her pitcher, and came up,118Verse 16 here. for it does not say, “and she drew water and filled [the pitcher].” Now this miracle happened to her only the first time for afterwards it is written, and she drew.120Verse 20 here. The servant, when recounting the day’s events to them, said: And she went down unto the well, and drew water.121Verse 45 here. That was because he thought that perhaps they would not believe in the miracle.
It would appear that the Rabbis derived this interpretation upon observing the language, And she filled her pitcher, and came up,118Verse 16 here. for it does not say, “and she drew water and filled [the pitcher].” Now this miracle happened to her only the first time for afterwards it is written, and she drew.120Verse 20 here. The servant, when recounting the day’s events to them, said: And she went down unto the well, and drew water.121Verse 45 here. That was because he thought that perhaps they would not believe in the miracle.
Ramban
AND ESAU SAID IN HIS HEART. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, “It is possible that he revealed his secret to one of his friends.”247If not, how did Rebekah become aware of the fact that Esau was planning to kill Jacob? (Verse 42 here).
But this is not necessarily so for any decision which a person reaches after deliberation is referred to in Hebrew as “speaking with the heart,” even when it also includes speech with the lips. A similar case is found in the verse, And with a double heart do they speak,248Psalms 12:3. for the will is synonymous with the heart. And all Israel were of one heart to make David king,249I Chronicles 12:39. meaning that they had all arrived at the same decision and were talking of it. Similarly, And Jeroboam said in his heart.250I Kings 12:26. Further on it says, And the king took counsel, (Verse 28). Here also there was speech which Scripture had referred to as being said in his heart. Similarly did Eliezer say, And before I had finished speaking in my heart,251Above, 24:45. whereas the prayer there was with his lips, as Scripture states, And he said, O Eternal G-d of my lord Abraham.252Ibid., Verse 12. However it is possible that the expression, before I had finished speaking in my heart, means “before I had concluded the thought in my mind.”
Now here the verse states that when the great hatred of Jacob permeated Esau’s soul because of the blessing, he conceived the idea of murdering his brother, and with this he comforted himself from his depressed state. This explains the verse, And the words of Esau were told to Rebekah.253Verse 42 here. As Ramban explained, a decision in one’s heart, even though coupled with speech, is still referred to in Hebrew as “the speech of heart.” Therefore, the verse means that Esau decided upon a course of action, and he himself informed his mother of his decision. This is why she said to Jacob, Thy brother Esau comforts himself to slay thee.254Verse 42 here.
Now Rashi comments, “She was told, through Ruach Hakodesh,231See above, Note 90. what Esau was thinking in his heart.” And so it is found in Bereshith Rabbah.255Bereshith Rabbah 67:9. If so, Esau’s words and thoughts were only in his heart, just as in the verse, I spoke with my own heart.256Ecclesiastes 1:16.
The reason that Esau said, Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand then will I slay my brother is because he would not bring grief to his father during his lifetime. Perhaps it was due to his fear lest his father curse him, and his blessing would then turn into a curse. Rebekah, [who nevertheless advised Jacob to flee], feared that perhaps the elderly one would die suddenly, and Esau would then kill Jacob, or perhaps he might find occasion to kill him even during Isaac’s lifetime.
But this is not necessarily so for any decision which a person reaches after deliberation is referred to in Hebrew as “speaking with the heart,” even when it also includes speech with the lips. A similar case is found in the verse, And with a double heart do they speak,248Psalms 12:3. for the will is synonymous with the heart. And all Israel were of one heart to make David king,249I Chronicles 12:39. meaning that they had all arrived at the same decision and were talking of it. Similarly, And Jeroboam said in his heart.250I Kings 12:26. Further on it says, And the king took counsel, (Verse 28). Here also there was speech which Scripture had referred to as being said in his heart. Similarly did Eliezer say, And before I had finished speaking in my heart,251Above, 24:45. whereas the prayer there was with his lips, as Scripture states, And he said, O Eternal G-d of my lord Abraham.252Ibid., Verse 12. However it is possible that the expression, before I had finished speaking in my heart, means “before I had concluded the thought in my mind.”
Now here the verse states that when the great hatred of Jacob permeated Esau’s soul because of the blessing, he conceived the idea of murdering his brother, and with this he comforted himself from his depressed state. This explains the verse, And the words of Esau were told to Rebekah.253Verse 42 here. As Ramban explained, a decision in one’s heart, even though coupled with speech, is still referred to in Hebrew as “the speech of heart.” Therefore, the verse means that Esau decided upon a course of action, and he himself informed his mother of his decision. This is why she said to Jacob, Thy brother Esau comforts himself to slay thee.254Verse 42 here.
Now Rashi comments, “She was told, through Ruach Hakodesh,231See above, Note 90. what Esau was thinking in his heart.” And so it is found in Bereshith Rabbah.255Bereshith Rabbah 67:9. If so, Esau’s words and thoughts were only in his heart, just as in the verse, I spoke with my own heart.256Ecclesiastes 1:16.
The reason that Esau said, Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand then will I slay my brother is because he would not bring grief to his father during his lifetime. Perhaps it was due to his fear lest his father curse him, and his blessing would then turn into a curse. Rebekah, [who nevertheless advised Jacob to flee], feared that perhaps the elderly one would die suddenly, and Esau would then kill Jacob, or perhaps he might find occasion to kill him even during Isaac’s lifetime.