Komentarz do Rodzaju 27:27

’וירח וגו AND HE SMELLED etc.— Surely there is no more offensive smell than that of washed goat-skins! But Scripture implicitly tells us that the perfume of the Garden of Eden entered the room with him (Genesis Rabbah 65:22).

ריח בגדיו, the costly ones. The clothing worn by people in those days were scented with incense.

וירח את ריח בגדיו, in order to expand his good mood by enjoying the fragrance. Our sages have described such an experience in Berachot 42 where they said: “which is something which the soul enjoys while the body does not benefit from it? It is a pleasant fragrance.”

ויברכהו ויאמר ראה He blessed him saying: "re-ey." This word does not mean "see!" as usual, but is connected to the word ראוי, suitable, worthy. Isaac meant that it was fitting that the fragrance of his son should reflect the fragrance of the fields which themselves enjoyed G'd's blessings.

ויגש...וירח את ריח בגדיו, while he was still engaged in kissing him the fragrance of Yaakov’s clothes inspired Yitzchok. We had described the fact that one kept good clothing in scented bags or wooden boxes until they would be worn again.

ראה ריח בני כריח שדה, “indeed the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of the field.” The meaning of the word ראה here is that the expression does not reflect something Yitzchok saw with his eyes, but that this is what he observed internally, when thinking about what his son Esau’s presence projected. He felt that there could not be any doubt that of his two sons it was Esau who represented the fragrance of blossoming flowers and all the blessings associated with nature when it unfolds. This is why he determined to accord him the blessing. Other commentators see in this statement about the fragrance simply a reference to the perfume with which Esau sprayed his garments, something which matched what could be found in the field.

This teaches that the smell of the Garden of Eden entered with him. This is because Eisov coveted these garments [and took them] from Nimrod, who inherited them from Adam, who wore them in the Garden of Eden.

(27-28) Wir wissen bereits, welche Vorliebe Jizchak für den von Gott gesegneten Ackerbau hatte. Siehe, spricht er daher, mein Sohn duftet bereits nicht nach dem Walde, sondern nach dem von Gott gesegneten Acker: so möge dir denn Gott geben die Stätte der Fruchtbarkeit und das von ihm gesegnete Aufblühen.

וירח את ריח בגדיו, “he smelled the aroma of his clothes,” and as they smelled just as he expected them to smell,

כריח שדה אשר ברכו AS THE ODOUR OF A FIELD WHICH THE ETERNAL HATH BLESSED — to which God has given a pleasant perfume: it refers to a field of apple-trees. So have our Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained it (Taanit 29b).

'אשר ברכו ה, a reference the word שדה, to the field which has been blessed by G’d. This is also how Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir understood it in his liturgical poem where he wrote שדה מבורך כהריח ברכו במתן טל. [the poem starts with the words אאגרה בני, this is part of the full length Tal prayer printed in the German Machzorim as well as in the older editions of Machzorim featuring the whole range of the Piyutim. Yaakov is described there as smelling as fragrantly as a field blessed with dew. Ed.]

ויברכהו, What happened here is similar to what is described in Kings II 3,15, where the prophet Elisha, who had been unable to secure a prophetic vision he had craved, after listening and enjoying music played for him, was able to secure the prophetic insight for which he had been waiting. Yitzchok, who, though desirous of blessing his son Esau, had not felt in the right frame of mind to do so successfully, now was able to proceed with full confidence.

ויברכהו, after having inhaled the pleasant fragrance of his clothes and having said: 'ראה ריח בני כריח שדה אשר ברכו ה, that he enjoyed the odour of his clothes. Why, if he blessed him after inhaling the fragrance, does the Torah write the word ויברכהו before describing the odour of the clothing in detail? This was to tell us that Yitzchok’s heart was already gladdened by both the food and the wine so that the Holy Spirit came to rest upon him and to inspire the blessing.

Which is that of an apple-orchard. “Blessed by Hashem” refers to “field”, as if saying: Like the fragrance of a field to which Hashem has given a pleasant scent, i.e., an apple-orchard.

ויאמר: ראה בני, he said: “see, “ etc; as soon as he had smelled the aroma of the clothes Yaakov wore he no longer had any doubts and began to bestow his blessing: commencing with the words: “see the fragrance emanating from my son is like the fragrance from the field;” he even omitted to say the first word in the line that we would have expected, i.e. “see my son, this fragrance is etc;”a different exegesis: the word ראה can have a number of meanings depending on the context in which it appears. The equivalent word in other languages also has different meanings on different occasions. For instance: Deuteronomy 1,8 ראה נתתי לפניכם את הארץ, “see here I have given to you the land;”

ראה ריח בני, “you my son, take note that this is the appropriate fragrance.”

ראה, an imperative mode; who was this addressed to? This was not addressed to a specific person, but it is a mode of speech addressed to anyone who considers what follows as pertinent to himself. We have a similar usage of the imperative not being addressed to someone specific in Jeremiah 13,18 אמר למלך ולגבירה, as well as in Isaiah 60,6 קול אומר קרא!, “a voice says: call out!” No specific person is addressed by this proclamation. Similarly, in Isaiah 35,3 חזקו ידים רפות. Also in verse 4 of that chapter we encounter a similar construction.

כריח שדה, “like the smell of the field;” Yitzchok smelled the field in which Esau made his livelihood reflected in the aroma exuded by the clothes he wore.

כריח שדה, the field does not only provide physical nourishment, its herbs, etc., but in addition it provides enjoyment for the soul which appreciates and is nurtured by the body it inhabits inhaling the fragrance of these herbs. [Yitzchok establishes the connection between ריח and רוח, “fragrance” and “spirit,” something alluded to frequently when the Torah describes G’d’s reaction to man’s sacrifices, especially the incense. Ed.]

'אשר ברכו ה, He blessed the field, i.e. the grass growing there was of good quality. “The fragrance of my son is comparable to the growth of the vegetation on the field which G’d has blessed.” The meaning of the letter ו at the beginning of the next verse which commences with the actual blessing, is not that it adds to what preceded it, but that it introduces something new. It is similar to the letter ו in וישא אברהם את עיניו in 22,13 where it also is not a continuation of what preceded it but the beginning of a new paragraph, a new detail of the story being discussed. There are many examples of the letter ו performing such a function. It is, however, also possible to explain the letter ו at the end of the word ברכו, as referring to Yitzchok’s son, so that Yitzchok would be saying: “behold the fragrance of my son which is like a field which G’d has blessed, so that his blessing would be that Yaakov should continue to enjoy such fragrance also in the future. The blessing would then continue in the next verse with the words ויתן לך spelling out specific elements of that blessing. The letter ו in ויתן would then be the standard connective letter ו.

'אשר ברכו ה, “which the Lord has blessed;” some commentators understand these words not as applying to the field, but to Yitzchok’s son, i.e. בני; in other words: “my son whom the Lord has blessed.” The blessing he refers to is the gift of the land of Israel.

It is part of G’d’s goodness, 'אשר ברכו ה, to provide phenomena on earth which are apt to lift his spirits.