창세기 31:42의 주석

ופחד יצחק AND THE DREAD OF ISAAC — He did not like to say “God of Isaac” because God does not associate His name with the righteous whilst they are alive. And although He (God) said, when he (Jacob) was departing from Beer-Sheba, (Genesis 28:13) “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac”, this was because his (Isaac’s) eyes were dim and he might therefore be regarded as dead (Midrash Tanchuma, Toldot 7) — Jacob, however, feared to say “God of Isaac” and said “the Dread”.

AND THE FEAR OF ISAAC HAD BEEN ON MY SIDE. “He did not want to say “G-d of Isaac” because G-d does not associate His name with the righteous during their lifetime. Although G-d said to Jacob when he was departing from the Land of Israel, I am the Eternal, the G-d of Abraham thy father and the G-d of Isaac,²³¹Above, 28:13. this was because Isaac’s eyes were dim, and he might therefore be regarded as dead. Jacob, however, feared to say so, [and instead said, ‘the Fear of Isaac’].” Thus the words of Rashi. It is also the opinion of Onkelos that pachad Yitzchak means “his G-d,” for he translated it as: “He Whom Isaac fears.”
And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said: “Isaac’s fear of G-d helped me, for the merit of the father helps the son. And Jacob swore ‘bepachad’ of his father Isaac,²³²Further, Verse 53. — by Him Whom Isaac fears.” Ibn Ezra’s explanations of the same expression are thus not alike. Ibn Ezra further wrote,²³²Further, Verse 53. “And there are some who say²³³Found in R’dak. that this ‘fear’ is an allusion to the day of Isaac’s Binding.” This is not far fetched.
By way of the Truth [namely, the mystic lore of the Cabala] the language fits its plain meaning and intent, that is, it refers to the attribute of Justice on high.²³⁴See Ramban above, 9:12. Based on this, Scripture says: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Eternal their G-d, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto the Eternal and to His goodness in the end of days.²³⁵Hosea 3:5. The verse is stating that they will seek the Merciful One and the attribute of Justice on earth, and bring the Fear of Isaac to G-d and His goodness mentioned.

שלחתני, and not with joy and songs.

The Fear (or “fear”) of Yitzchok. Lavan did not fear Avraham — who was already dead — but only his God. Yitzchok, on the other hand, was still alive and very powerful and it was primarily out of fear of him that Lavan refrained from harming Yaakov.

31.42. לולי אלוקי אבי…היה לי, "Were it not for the fact that my father's G'd the G'd of Abraham helped me, etc." The reason Jacob did not merely say "the G'd of my father Abraham," and chose to repeat the word G'd, was twofold. 1) He meant to say "firstly my father's G'd stood by me because of my father's merits." 2) It was due to the unlimited power of G'd who supervised my fate personally so that I was able to salvage my earnings. When Jacob said: אלוקי אברהם, he meant that it had been Abraham who had spread the fame of that G'd and acquainted mankind with His truth. He demonstrated to the world that G'd judges fairly. Jacob implied that if his father had worshiped a different god such a god could not have saved him.

לולי אלוקי אבי, after having used this term, Yaakov amplifies whom he meant by it, i.e. אלוקי אברהם ופחד יצחק היה לי, as explained by Onkelos פחד יצחק is the G’d Yitzchok was in awe of. Yitzchok had subjected himself to slaughter by his father as he had been in awe of his father’s G’d. One can explain the words פחד יצחק as referring to Yaakov who was afraid that if he did not go home now he would never see his father again while he was alive.

ופחד יצחק היה לי, “and the one whom Yitzchok fears was on my side.” Rashi explains that Yaakov did not want to use the name of G’d outright by saying אלוקי יצחק, “the G’d of “Yitzchok,” as we have a tradition that G’d does not associate His name with the living, as the chance always exists that even a righteous person may become corrupted before he dies. This “rule” is contradicted when Eliezer spoke of אלוקי אדוני אברהם, “the G’d of my master Avraham. [besides G’d Himself associated His name with the living in Yaakov’s dream of the ladder. Ed.] Ibn Ezra explains the words פחד יצחק as meaning that the fact that Yaakov’s father Yitzchok had been G’d fearing now came to the assistance of his son, something known as זכות אבות, the merit of the fathers.

Yaakov was afraid to say אלהי and instead said ופחד. Question: Did he not say אלהי יצחק in Parshas Vayishlach (32:10)? The answer is: There, Yaakov was recounting how Hashem had said “אלהי יצחק.”

פחד יצחק, ist nicht Gott, sondern der schreckenvolle Moment der Akeda, in welcher Jizchak bereits das Opfermesser über sich gezuckt fühlte. Es ist der Höhepunkt der von Jizchak gelösten sittlichen Vollendung. Wäre nicht Abrahams Gott und Jizchaks unendliches Verdienst mir beigestanden etc. Bedeutsam ist hier das Wort der Weisen: חביבה מלאכה מזכות אבות -שזכות אבות הצילה ממון ומלאכה הצילה נפשות, Arbeit ist wertvoller als das Verdienst der Eltern, dieses hat nur Güter, jene Seelen gerettet.

ופחד יצחק, Yaakov claims that if Lavan had not shown a degree of fear of the retaliation by Yitzchok his father who is wealthy and locally mighty, (in addition to the fear of Yaakov’s, Yitzchok’s and his own G-d)

ויוכח The word here has the meaning of reproof (“and he reproved thee”; cf. Genesis 5:24) and not of deciding (as in Genesis 5:37).

‘VAYOCHACH’ YESTERNIGHT. “The word here has the meaning of ‘reproof’ [and he reproved] and not of ‘clarification.’” These are the words of Rashi. But is is more correct to say that it is an expression meaning “clarification.” Since Jacob said above, ‘veyochichu’ (that they may judge) between us both,²²⁸Verse 37 here. he now said that it is G-d, Who knows the hidden secrets, Who should clarify the dispute between the two of them. This is why Jacob did not say, vayochach othcha emesh, [which would mean, “and He reproved ‘thee’ yesternight,” for the meaning of the word is not “rebuke” but “clarify”].

היה לי, Yaakov explains his surviving of Lavan’s machinations as being due to two separate causes. 1) if the G’d of Avraham had not been on my side ריקם שלחתני, you would have sent me home as empty-handed as when I arrived at your home. 2) had it not been for my urgent longing to see my father Yitzchok before he died. I doubt that I would have still have found him alive on my return if I had stayed with you any longer. Out of these considerations I could not remain with you. When I left my father he was already worried about his death approaching. If I want to see him once more alive, I decided that I must return home before it is too late. I could not tell you of my intention as you might have prevented me from being present at his death and my burying him.

ויוכח אמש, “when He reproved you last night.” Rashi understands the word יוכח as a derivative of תוכחה, rebuke, and not as a derivative of הוכחה, proof. It is more likely that the word has the same meaning as in 31,37 ויוכיחו בין שנינו, “and let them judge between us.” At this point Yaakov says that the G’d Who is aware of all the things that are hidden from man, has intervened and shown who is upright and who is not. Proof that this is the correct interpretation is that Yaakov did not say ויוכח אותך אמש, “and He has judged you last night.”

Jacob had an additional thought when he spoke about "אלוקי אבי" (in addition to אלוקי אברהם). First he spoke about the "G'd of my father," i.e. the merit of his fathers, which assisted him. In the case of Abraham this was the merit of חסד, Abraham's outstanding virtue (compare Micha 7,20). In the case of his father Isaac it was the virtue of justice referred to by Jacob as פחד יצחק, "the One whom Isaac stood in awe of." Jacob refrained from saying אלוקי יצחק in order to be able to allude to his father's outstanding virtue. We find G'd Himself referring to אלוקי יצחק in Genesis 28,14. Jacob mentioned both attributes to illustrate the fact that G'd had done outstanding kindness for him and had also helped him to obtain justice from Laban. Unless G'd had employed both these attributes Jacob would not have attained all that he had.

היה לי, “Who had repeatedly be on my side by making you scared;”An alternate interpretation: “if my father Yitzchok who revered and feared G-d, had not assisted me.”Rashi states here that Yaakov was afraid to refer to G-d as Yitzchok’s G-d, as we have a rule that G-d does not associate His sacred name with a person still alive, as there is no guarantee that he may not become a heretic. [If we find that G-d made an exception in the case of Yitzchok, as He said to Yaakov in the dream of the ladder, this was because Yitzchok was blind and housebound and therefore not subject to temptation by the evil urge; at this point Yaakov was not yet sure that the dream had not only been just his wishful thinking or a revelation to him by G-d. Ed.] We do find that Eliezer used the name of the Lord in connection with His being the G-d of Avraham four times, but that was only the Torah reporting it, no proof that G-d approved of his doing so. Alternately, seeing that Avraham had already passed 10 tests of his faith by G-d, Eliezer was on solid ground when he presumed it was in order.

ויוכח אמש. He rebuked (you) last night, when He told you not to dare to display a hostile attitude towards me. (verse 29)

את עניי ואת יגיע כפי, "my misery and my handiwork." Jacob meant that had it not been for the misery he had suffered G'd would have paid him his reward only in the Hereafter even though he was entitled to it here and now. It was only because of the anguish Jacob experienced that G'd paid him his deserts already now and paid him what was due to him for the labour he had performed (compare Deut. 24,15).

כי עתה ריקם שלחתני, “you would now have sent me away emptyhanded.” You simply would not have compensated me for the last six years that I worked for you.

את עניי ואת יגיע כפי ראה אלוקים ויוכח אמש, “G’d saw my wretchedness and the toil of my hands, so He admonished you last night.” He warned you last night not to kill me. If so, the merit of the toil of my hands has saved me from death whereas the merit of my fearing the Lord has saved my material wealth for me. This is what he meant when he connected the words “and the dread of Yitzchak worked on my behalf for else you would have sent me away empty-handed.” This teaches us that the way a person conducts himself in practice, i.e. “the toil of my hands,” is even more important than his philosophical and theological beliefs here described as פחד יצחק.