פירוש על בראשית 32:6

ויהי לי שור וחמור AND I HAVE OXEN AND ASSES — Our father promised me, (27:28) “[God will give thee] of the dew of heaven and of the fat places of the earth” — these are neither of the heaven nor of the earth

AND I HAVE SENT TO TELL MY LORD. I.e., “to announce that I am coming to you. That I may find favour in thy sight for I am at peace with you and seek your friendship.” These are Rashi’s words. Rashi’s intent is that the verse; I have sent to tell my lord, does not refer to the previous verse, I have sojourned with Laban, etc. but, instead, it says, “And I have sent to tell my lord that I have come to find favour in thy sight and to do whatever my lord will command.”
But it is more correct to say that it refers to the verse above: “And I have sent to tell my lord that I have wealth, belongings, and precious things, to do with them according to your desire and will.” He thus hinted to him that he would send him a present from them, or that Esau may take from him whatever he desires. And so, when Esau asked Jacob, What meanest thou by all this camp which I met? he [Jacob] said: To find favour in the sight of my lord.¹⁴Genesis 33:8.

למצוא חן בעיניך, for I have no doubt that you will be happy to see that I have become wealthy and the fact that I tell you the good news will please you.

ויהי לי שור וחמור. All the types of possessions Yaakov mentioned are not to be understood as single items but as categories of possessions. We find similar constructions in Kings II 7,10 כי אם הסוס אסור, which does not mean that a single horse had been tethered, but that the horses belonging to the army of the Aramites were tethered, the soldiers having fled. Similarly, Samuel I 14,24 where the words ואיש ישראל נגש do not mean that a single Israelite was distressed, but that a contingent of Israelites was in a depressed state of mind.

ויהי לי שור וחמור, “I acquired herds and flocks, etc.” Even though I have always been considered a יושב אהלים, a “yeshivah bachur, a “highbrow,” a misfit in the world of “men of the world,” I am not as naïve as you think, as thanks to G’d’s help I have become wealthy. This was not a boast, but Yaakov wanted to make Esau think twice before he would launch a military attack on him.

ויהי לי שור וחמור, “I acquired oxen and donkeys, sheep and servants.” Yaakov mentioned his great wealth by understating it, i.e. as if he had only acquired a single ox and a single donkey, etc., as he did not want to appear boastful. He followed the dictates of Jeremiah 9,22 “let not the wealthy boast of his wealth.” It is customary for all righteous people to belittle themselves and their belongings. The wicked, by contrast, boast of their wealth as we see from Esau who claimed יש לי רב, “I own a great deal” (33,9).

These are neither from the heavens nor from the earth. Although they are nourished from the earth, they do not actually grow from the earth. Otherwise, [if Yaakov meant as follows, a contradiction arises.] First he said, “I lived as a stranger,” to convey that the blessings were not fulfilled. Then he said ויהי לי שור וחמור, [detailing his many blessings. And he must have meant שור וחמור in plural,] as is customary to refer to many oxen as “ox.” This is obviously so, for he sent Eisov a whole camp as a gift, and would be proven a liar if he meant, “I acquired one ox [and one donkey].” According to Rashi’s other explanation above, Yaakov was saying: “Although I kept the 613 mitzvos, my father’s blessing has not been realized. I have only oxen and donkeys, not the rest of my father’s blessing, which is “from the fat of the land.” Therefore, [since my merits have not been offset by my rewards,] I do not fear you.

למצוא חן בעיניך, in order to find favour in your eyes.” Yaakov wants a reconciliation with his brother, and in order to achieve this he is willing to be completely transparent with Esau concerning all that he owns.

שור וחמור (literally, an ox and an ass) — It is the customary thing to speak of many oxen as an ox (Genesis Rabbah 75:6) — a man says to his fellow, “During the night the cock crowed”; he does not say “the cocks crowed”

ואשלחה להגיד לאדוני, “I have sent messengers to inform my lord of my impending arrival.” According to Rashi these words were meant to show Esau that Yaakov came with friendly intentions, bent on healing any breach that had existed between them. According to this explanation, the words are not a repetition of something implied previously. Nachmanides does understand the last few words as referring to what had been said before, i.e. Yaakov’s announcing that he had become wealthy since he had last seen Esau. Seeing that he had attained such wealth, he was able to treat Esau with the honour due to an older brother. i.e. this was the reason for the tokens of his esteem he had sent ahead of himself. If Esau, preferred, he could make a selection of the gifts Yaakov had sent for his approval. Some commentators see in Yaakov’s conduct confirmation of what Solomon said in Proverbs 19,7 כל אחי-רש שנאהו, “all the brothers of a poor man hate him.” Yaakov wanted Esau to know that he did not have to hate him, as he had not come as a potential burden, i.e. a poor relation who is in need of a handout. On the contrary, he was bent on finding favour in his eyes.

To announce that I am coming to you. [Rashi knows this] because if Yaakov was sending [the messengers] to tell him, “I lived as a stranger with Lavan... I acquired oxen and donkeys...” then [the next phrase,] “To find favor in your eyes,” would also refer to this. And that cannot be, for such a message is not a reason to find favor; it is merely [a reason] that Eisov should not hate him. Therefore Rashi explains, “To announce that I am coming to you” to be subservient to you — and through this will I find favor in your eyes. Maharshal writes that Rashi is answering the question: Yaakov said before, “This is what you should say.” Why does he say [again], “To tell my master”? Perforce it means, “To announce that I am coming.” In this way I will find favor, because when people send [messages] to appease someone, they do not come themselves. But I will even come myself! All this is because I am at peace with you.

ואשלחה להגיד לאדוני AND I HAVE SENT TO TELL MY LORD — to announce that I am coming to you.

למצא חן בעיניך THAT I MAY FIND FAVOUR IN THY EYES, for I am at peace with you and seek your friendship.