창세기 24:1의 인용 해설

“And it was when Isaac grew old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing.” The text does not use the phrase “advanced in days” [ba bayamim] because the term “advanced in days” implies that one’s intellectual light continues to grow stronger, as is typical of elderly Torah scholars whose intellectual clarity increases especially in their old age, as if they are emerging from nights into days. This is explained above in Parshat Chayei Sarah regarding the verse And Abraham was old, advanced in days (Genesis 24:1). Therefore, regarding Isaac, it states that even in his old age, his intellectual vision was dimmed from seeing through Esau’s schemes, for he erred about him and thought he was righteous, not perceiving his deceptiveness. This is why it doesn’t say “advanced in days,” because on the contrary, he walked in darkness with no light to see the true visions regarding the conduct of his son Esau.

And I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Here, three ascending levels are mentioned. First, He said, And I carried you on eagles’ wings, which is like a caretaker carrying an infant. At this stage, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is at the level of a father, and Israel at the level of a son. Afterward, He said, And I brought you to Myself, implying that you would be equal to Me, like two brothers of equal standing. Then He said, And you shall be to Me a kingdom, meaning, as it were, kings to Me, as it is written, The righteous ruler in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3). This is explained according to the Midrash Chazit, which Ramban cites in Parashat Chayei Sarah (24:1), which states: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked Rabbi Elazar bar Yossi, “Is it possible that you heard from your father the meaning of with the crown with which his mother crowned him” (Song of Songs 3:11)? He replied, “This is comparable to a king who had an only daughter whom he cherished greatly. At first, he called her ‘my daughter.’ His love for her grew until he called her ‘my sister.’ His love continued to grow until he called her ‘my mother.’ Similarly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, cherishes Israel and called them ‘my daughter,’ as it is said, Listen, daughter, and see (Psalms 45:11). His love for them grew until He called them ‘my sister,’ as it is said, Open for me, my sister, my beloved (Song of Songs 5:2). His love for them continued to grow until He called them ‘my mother,’ as it is said, Listen to Me, My people, and My nation [le’umi] (Isaiah 51:4), which is written as ‘le’imi’ [to my mother].”

Whereas the terms מכורותיך and מולדתיך occur in Ezekiel 16,3-4, describing close relatives in one’s birthplace, in our verse, the vowel tzeyreh under the letter כ converts this word into one that could have been written with a dagesh, i.e. from the conjugation piel, the strong, transitive conjugation, suggesting that these emotions were evident only when the two brothers engaged in a scheme of doubtful ethical merit. The construction of the word is parallel to Job 37,12 where the word מסבות, describes clouds in constant motion foreboding turmoil, nature at its most destructive. Examples of the expected vowel chirik becoming a tzeyreh instead, are found in Lamentations 2,9, as well as in Numbers 8,26, and in Psalms 74,18. In all those examples the addition of the extra “dot” next to the chirik converts the meaning into something stronger, more aggressive, more intense.