Comentários de Citação sobre Gênesis 32:13

Firstly, one should note that Abraham was greater in the eyes of God than any human being from the time the world was created. Because of God’s great love of Abraham, God placed His name on him. He was the first person to say that Hashem was his God, and that he was “My (God’s) friend.” (Is. 41:8) In an hour of such great joy God said to Abraham, ““That one shall not be your heir but your very own issue shall be your heir,”⁵See continuing passages (Gen. 15:4) and, ‘I shall make your offspring like the stars in the heavens.’⁶See Genesis 13:6 and 32:13 - This statement is not a biblical quote; the authFor conflates these two statements with Genesis 15:5 Why did God also decree such suffering on Israel, subjugation and affliction for four hundred years without giving a reason? (Gen. 15:13-14)

The metaphor of the sand teaches us about the time when nations rise against Israel to destroy them but are unable to do so, like waves that rise up as if wanting to flood the whole world, but immediately upon reaching the sand, they break. So it is with the nations, as it is said All Your breakers and waves passed over me (Psalms 42:8). However, they will not prevail against them, for there they fell and broke; therefore they are called Your breakers. This is why Israel is compared to this sand that breaks the waves so they cannot pass beyond it, for just as the sand is the boundary and limit of the sea, so too the nations cannot destroy Israel. Therefore, when Esau came to meet Jacob, Jacob said in his prayer And You said, ‘I will surely do good with you and make your offspring like the sand of the sea’ (Genesis 32:13). Why did he specifically mention the promise of sand and not the stars, which have two positive aspects — multiplication and greatness? Also, why didn’t he mention the language of multiplication but rather said I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea? Rather, since this was a promise that their enemies would not be able to overcome them, so too Esau would not be able to harm him. For this reason, he specifically mentioned the sand on the seashore — and is there no other sand in the world besides this? Rather, it is because it breaks the waves as mentioned; therefore it says here and like the sand which is on the seashore. And your offspring shall inherit the gate of their enemies — how does this relate to the previous matter? Rather, this is a case of “not only this, but also that” — not only will they be like sand that the waves [meaning the enemies] cannot overcome, but moreover, they will inherit their enemies’ gate and prevail over them.

כמעותיו As its bowels. The possessive pronoun refers to the sea, the waves and sand of which have just been mentioned²⁸The sand refers to the sea, mentioned at the end of the preceding verse. Comp. Gen. 32:13. (ver. 18 and 19); by the bowels of the sea the roe of the fish is meant.