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אכפרה פניו I WILL APPEASE HIM — I will remove his anger. Similarly, (Isaiah 28:18) "and your covenant with death shall be annulled (וכפר)”; (Isaiah 47:11) “Thou shalt not be able to put it away (וכפרה”. I am of the opinion that wherever the verb כפר is used in association with iniquity and sin and in association with anger (פנים), it always signifies wiping away, removing. It is an Aramaic expression occurring frequently in the Talmud: “He wiped his hand off (כפר ידיה)”, and (Gittin 56a) ‘‘he wants to wipe (לכפורי) his hands off on this man” (i.e. he desires to put the responsibility upon me). In Biblical Hebrew, also, the bowls of the Sanctuary are called, (Ezra 1:10) "כפורי of gold” — and they are so called because the priest wiped his hands on them — on the rim of the bowl (Zevachim 93b).

‘ACHAPRAH’ (I WILL APPEASE) HIM WITH THE PRESENT. I.e., “I will dissipate his anger.” Similarly: ‘Vechupar’ (and annulled shall be) your covenant with death;⁴¹Isaiah 28:18. Thou shalt not be able ‘kaprah’ (to put it away).⁴²Ibid., 47:11. I am of the opinion that whenever the word kaparah is used in association with iniquity and sin and in association with the word panim (anger), it always signifies erasing and removing. It is an Aramaic expression occurring frequently in the Talmud: “He wished to wipe his hands on that man.”⁴³Gittin 56a. In Biblical Hebrew, also, the bowls in the Sanctuary are called ‘Kipurei’ of gold⁴⁴Ezra 1:10. because the priest wiped his hand on them, that is, on the rims of the bowl. These are the words of our Rabbi Shlomo [Rashi]. And so also did Onkelos translate: “I will calm his anger.” If so, the explanation of the verse will [not] be that Jacob said these words, but that Jacob thought to himself, “I will appease him.” It is Scripture that tells us this [but it is not part of Jacob’s instructions to his messengers], for it would have been improper for the messengers to do so and thereby remind Esau of his antagonism towards Jacob. And so did Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explain it.
But it does not appear to me to be correct that Scripture should find it necessary to tell us Jacob’s thought at this time when it is a well known matter pertaining to all who send presents. Besides, if it were so, Scripture should have mentioned this originally [in connection with the first drove, in Verse 19] , And, behold, he is also behind us, for he thought, “I will appease him with the present,” for now [when commanding the leaders of the second and third droves] he did not add to that instruction [which he gave the leader of the first drove].
However, the correct interpretation is that now Jacob additionally explained to them that they should say in a respectful manner, Behold, he is also behind us, that is to say, “Behold, your servant Jacob is also behind us, and he has sent us before him in order to give a ransom for his life,⁴⁵Exodus 30:12. using this present as a means of seeing your honor’s face, just as servants present their ransom when they are given permission to see the king’s face. And afterward I will see his face, for perhaps he will accept me and honor me by permitting me to be among those who see the king’s face.”⁴⁶Esther 1:14. This was a way of expressing Esau’s exalted status and was due to Jacob’s fear of him. The expression achaprah panav is then being used as it is used in the verse, The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man ‘yechaprenah,’⁴⁷Proverbs 16:14. meaning he will give ransom to allay the wrath. And the connotation of “wiping away” attached to forgiveness is not valid in the Sacred Language but rather in the Aramaic tongue. Similarly, ‘kipurei’ of gold⁴⁴Ezra 1:10. is the Babylonian name for bowls, for the word kaparah is never used in association with “sin,” meaning “wipe away,” but instead Scripture says: ‘lechapeir’ (to make atonement) for your souls;⁴⁸Exodus 30:15. ‘lechapeir’ (to make atonement) for him, and he shall be forgiven,⁴⁹Numbers 15:28. i.e., for his soul. And Scripture also says: ‘achaprah’ (I shall make atonement) for your sin.⁵⁰Exodus 32:30. All of these are related to the expression, Then shall they give every man ‘kopher’ for his soul,⁴⁵Exodus 30:12. which means a ransom.

כי אמר אכפרה פניו, this is not what Yaakov said but what he thought in his heart. This line does not belong to the instructions he had given to his emisssaries.

ואמרתם גם הנה עבדך יעקב אחרינו, he told each of them to reply with the same words in addition to the words that each one had been instructed to answer individually. The purpose behind these detailed instructions was to convince Esau that Yaakov was indeed not far behind on his way to Seir the destination of these gifts which he had sent ahead of him.

ואמרתם גם הנה עבדך יעקב אחרנו, you will say: "your servant Jacob is also following behind us." The messengers explained why Jacob neither preceded nor accompanied them. The reason was simply that Jacob wanted to appease Esau's anger so that the latter would receive him in a good frame of mind.

ואמרתם, even though this instruction had already been given both collectively and individually, he repeated it again until they would remember to add “your servant Yaakov is following behind us.” Esau was to have the impression that Yaakov followed these shepherds, his servants, on his way to Seir in order to present himself to him.

כי אמר: אכפרה פניו, “for he had said: ”I want to gain his goodwill.” Rashi understands this as an attempt to mollify Esau’s anger. Whenever the word כפרה occurs in connection with sin, either intentional or inadvertent, this is its primary meaning. Nachmanides comments that if we accept Rashi’s explanation the words are not words spoken by Yaakov at all, but are the Torah’s report of what motivated Yaakov’s entire conduct in offering a gift to his brother. Why would the Torah spell out Yaakov’s thoughts, when we had already read in verse 15 what was the reason for his preparing this gift. Not only that; most people who send gifts ahead of themselves do so for precisely the same reason, namely to put the recipient in a good mood so that they can be certain of a friendly reception. Another difficulty with Rashi’s comment raised by Nachmanides is that this consideration by Yaakov should have appeared at the beginning of this paragraph. Moreover, what possible reason is there for the Torah to quote the messengers as saying והנה גם הוא אחרינו, ”and lo he is also behind us?” Surely, this is not part of Yaakov’s thoughts at that time! For these various reasons Nachmanides explains that Yaakov now added as an afterthought that the messengers should add the words: “here he is also behind us,” as a polite way of explaining that the gift was indeed something preparatory to Yaakov’s personal arrival, designed to ensure that Esau would grant him an audience. Yaakov’s entire behaviour reflects Proverbs 16,14: ואיש חכם יכפרנה, “a wise man can appease it.” (the king’s anger)

אכפרה פניו: Da פנים, von פנה, wenden, sich wenden, eine Richtung irgendwo hin nehmen, eigentlich allgemein: die Wendungen, die Richtungen bedeutet, die jemand in Beziehung zu einem Gegenstande zu nehmen im Begriffe ist, und davon erst der Begriff פנים, Angesicht, als desjenigen Körperteils stammt, in dessen Stellung, Bewegung und Blick diese Beziehungen ihren Ausdruck finden, so ist פנים der Ausdruck sowohl für die freundliche als unfreundliche Gesinnung. Es heißt ebenso: באור פני מלך חיים (Ps. 34, 17) פני ד׳ בעושי רע :als (ProRaw Hirsch on Genesis 32: 16, 15) . אכפרה פניו heißt daher eigentlich: ich möchte die in ihm gegen mich vorhandene Gesinnung beschwichtigen. (כפר siehe zu Kap.6, 19.)

ואמרתם גם הנה עבדך יעקב אחרינו, you are to say: “your servant Yaakov is also not far behind us.” He made them repeat this answer twice. He told his servants that when they would see Esau they should not be afraid to address him in such a manner, i.e. by referring to their own master as Esau’s servant. In the event Esau would ask them why Yaakov did not precede them in order to welcome him, as befits a younger brother when he meets his older brother, you will say: etc.: he reasoned that he wanted Esau to be in a good frame of mind concerning him before actually setting eyes on him.” They were to reveal that Yaakov had felt the need to appease his older brother by means of the gift he had sent ahead of himself. He hoped that in view of this substantial gift Esau would be good tempered when they came face to face after so many years. These latter words were not spoken by the servants of Yaakov who walked with the animals, but are to be understood as editorial comment by the author of the Torah. If they had done so, Yaakov would have committed the psychological error of reminding Esau of how he had once deceived him.

וגם הנה הוא אחרינו, actually Yaakov had intended to flee in a different direction during the night if the angel had not delayed him. At the time he issued the instructions to his emissaries this had been intended as a stratagem to make Esau think that he was following on the heels of his gift whereas in fact he was not.

כי אמר אכפרה פניו במנחה, these were the words he had instructed the shepherds leading the gift to say, in order to soften Esau’s attitude by Yaakov assuming a somewhat servile attitude prior to their coming face to face with one another.

אכפרה פניו, I want to remove his anger. Every time the word כפרה appears it means the removal of something. For instance, in Isaiah 28,18 וכפר בריתכם את מות, “your covenant with death will be removed, cancelled.” The expression כפרת עון means “the removal of sin.” Compare also Isaiah 46,11.

אולי ישא פני. Nach den verschiedenen Bedeutungen der Wurzel נשא erscheint auch der Ausdruck נשא פנים in verschiedener Bedeutung. Insbesondere sind es die beiden: aufheben und auf sich nehmen, die hier in Betracht kommen. Hier: vielleicht wird er mein Angesicht, das jetzt נופל ist, niedergeschlagen, und das ich nicht zu erheben wage, aufheben, d. h. durch Vergeben und Vergessen machen, dass ich wieder zu ihm auf- schauen könne. לא תשא פני דל, überhaupt נשא פנים במשפט, ist in der Bedeutung auf sich nehmen, wovon: in sich aufnehmen, in den Kreis seiner Wahrnehmungen und Vorstellungen aufnehmen, daher: כי תשא את ראש, zählen, d. h. ja: die Existenzen mehrerer sich irgend einem gemeinsamen Begriff unterordnender Individuen nach einander ins Bewusstsein aufnehmen. Ebenso: נשא פנים במשפט, die Individualität, die Persönlichkeit der Partei mit unter die Faktoren des Urteils aufnehmen, Rücksicht darauf nehmen, wer vor Gericht steht.

אראה פניו, an expression denoting the “paying of a visit,” as we know from Exodus 34,23 where the Jewish people is instructed to visit the Temple three times annually with the same formula, i.e. יראה כל זכורך...ולא יראו פני ריקם, “every male of you is to visit Me; when they pay this visit they shall not come empty-handed.” Yaakov himself confirmed the meaning of the formula אראה פניך when he said to Esau in 33,10 על כן ראיתי פניך כראות פני אלוקים, “inasmuch as visiting you is akin to visiting the presence of G’d.” It was an accepted custom for a visitor to highly placed persons to arrive bearing gifts.

פניו, a reference to anger, seeing that anger is visible in one’s face. The idea of אכפרה פניו is to accomplish that his face no longer reflect his feeling of anger. We find this expression with Chanah, Samuel’s mother, after she had poured out her angry heart to G’d, having been deliberately goaded by Peninah, Elkanah’s other wife. (Samuel I 1,18) We also find this usage in Job 9,26.