פירוש על בראשית 31:13

האל בית אל is the same as אל בית אל the ה of האל being redundant. It is customary for Scripture to speak thus, e. g. (Numbers 34:2) “When ye come into the land of Canaan הארץ כנען (instead of ארץ כנען).

I AM THE G-D OF BETH-EL. Jacob related to his wives all that G-d’s angel had told him in the dream, all this serving to persuade them to go with him. However, what he told did not consist of one dream. The statement, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats¹⁸⁰Verse 12 here. was made to him when he served Laban for his flock, at the time the flock conceived¹⁸⁴Verse 10 here. in one of the first years.¹⁸⁵One of the first of the six years he served for the sheep. See further, 31:41. The statement, I am the G-d of Beth-el was made to him after that, at the time of the journey, for after He said to him, Now arise, get thee out from this land,¹⁸⁶In Verse 13 here. he no longer remained in Haran to further tend Laban’s flocks so that the he-goats would mount the flocks and the flocks would give birth to speckled and spotted. But on the morrow of the dream, he sent for Rachel and Leah and told them his dream, and they left Haran.
I am ‘ha’e-il’ (the G-d) of Beth-el. The meaning thereof is, as Rashi explained it, that the letter hei in ha’e-il is redundant and is the same as if it were written: “I am e-il Beth-el (the G-d of Beth-el).” Similarly, To ‘ha’aretz’ (the land) of Canaan;¹⁸⁷Numbers 34:2. [the hei is redundant and is the same as if it were written: “to eretz Canaan (the land of Canaan).”] Grammarians¹⁸⁸Ibn Ezra and R’dak. adjusted it by saying that it is as if it were written, “I am the G-d, who is the G-d of Beth-el.” Similarly, And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,¹⁸⁹Above, 2:9. [which is as if it said: “and the tree of the knowledge, namely the knowledge of good and evil”]; the cords of gold,¹⁹⁰Numbers 39:17. [which is as if it said, “the cords, which are cords of gold]. And the angel here speaks in the name of He Who sent him, [therefore, he speaks in the first person and says, “I am, etc.”] ….

אשר משחת, in order to sanctify it; so far you have not offered a sacrifice on it that would discharge your vow.

אנכי הא-ל בית א-ל, the noun to which the word בית א-ל is attached is absent, i.e. the line should have been:אנכי הא-ל א-ל בית א-ל. We have a similar construction in Joshua 3,14 הארון הברית, where the word ארון in the middle in the construct mode is also missing. In our verse the meaning of the whole line is: “I am the Lord that has revealed Himself to you as G’d at Beyt El.”

אנכי הא-ל בית א-ל, “I am the G’d of Beyt-El, etc.” According to Nachmanides, Yaakov recounted all that the angel had said to him in his dream to his wives in order to win their agreement to leave their father’s house and to return with him to the land of Canaan. This was not all a single dream. The revelations involving the aspen sticks occurred while Yaakov was still in Lavan’s employ, whereas the revelation in our verse here occurred during their journey, for as soon as Yaakov had been instructed by G’d to leave Charan and to return to Canaan he did so. He sent for Rachel and Leah, told them of the Divine instructions in his dream, and they left forthwith.

משחת שם WHERE THOU ANOINTEDST [A PILLAR] — This denotes distinction and eminence just as when one is anointed king one is raised to eminence: thus, too (Genesis 28:18) “and he poured oil upon the top of it (the stone)” that it might be anointed to be an altar (thus being distinguished among other stones).

WHERE THOU DIDST ANOINT A PILLAR, WHERE THOU DIDST VOW A VOW UNTO ME. The meaning thereof is that “you have vowed to worship the Proper Name of the Eternal in the Chosen Land, and that this stone should be to you a house of G-d in which to set aside your tithes,¹⁹¹Above, 28:22. and if you further delay the fulfillment of your vows, G-d might yet be angry at your voice.”¹⁹²See Ecclesiastes 5:5.

אשר נדרת לי, we already explained that when the angel speaks as messenger of G’d he describes himself by the name applicable to his Master, i.e. to G’d.

אשר נדרת לי WHERE THOU VOWEDST A VOW UNTO ME —and you are bound to fulfill it, for you said (Genesis 28:22) “it shall be God’s house”, signifying that you would offer sacrifice there.