Комментарий к Берешит 32:15

עזים מאתים ותישים עשרים TWO HUNDRED SHE GOATS AND TWENTY HE GOATS — Two hundred she goats have need of twenty he goats, and so too in the case of all the various species the males were in number according to the need of the females. In Genesis Rabbah 76:7 an inference is made from here as regards the minimum period imperative for the marital duty imposed by the Torah - [for] the men of leisure, every day; [for] the laborers, twice a week; [for] the donkey drivers, once a week; [for] the camel drivers, once in thirty days, [for] the sailors, once in six months. I am unable however to show exactly how this inference is arrived at. But it appears to me that we may learn from here at least that this period is not the same for every person, but that it depends upon the amount of labor imposed upon him by his occupation. As we have found here that ten she goats were given to each he goat, and so [too] to each ram; [as] since they are free from work, their way is to be frequently involved in sexual relations and to impregnate ten females - and once an animal becomes pregnant, it does not accept a male. And [concerning] the bulls that engage in work, it only gave four females to the male; and to the donkey who goes on long journeys, [it gave] two females to the male; and to the camels that go on [even] longer journeys, [it gave] one female to the male.

עזים מאחים, two hundred goats, etc. I have heard from my grandfather of blessed memory that Jacob intended that the total number of animals he sent as a gift to Esau should correspond to the numeriacl value of the letters in the word שעיר (580). Therefore he sent a total of 440 sheep and goats, thirty camels plus a young one each, i.e. a total of 60 camels. Add to this the forty cows and ten bulls, the twenty she-asses and ten donkeys, and you have a total of 580. The word שעיר symbolises Esau's power; the animals Jacob sent him as a gift were supposed to neutralise that power.

עזים מאתים, Yaakov the shepherd knew precisely how many male animals were required to service a flock of female animals to achieve the best results. Sheep and goats have similar requirements in this respect.

Once an animal has become pregnant it does not accept the male. Rashi is saying that it is the nature of an animal to mate as often as enjoyment calls for and free time permits. Since he-goats and rams are free all day, Yaakov gave them ten females each. This enabled them to fulfill their desire and maximize offspring for the owner. And so Yaakov gave each [type of male animal] according to its free time. This raises a question: Although he-goats and rams are free all day, they do not know that their mating with many females benefits the owner. Perhaps one male will fulfill its desire with one female, mating with it repeatedly? To this Rashi answers: “Once an animal has become pregnant...” This forces the male to separate from her and go to a second and a third, etc. Re’m explained differently; the reader may decide. See Kesubos 62a, which says that free time serves as the determining factor. (Nachalas Yaakov)

ויפן וירד משה מן ההר. We learn from this word ויפן, he turned around, that Moses descended while facing the cloud just as he had done when ascending the mountain. In other words, just as he had ascended facing the cloud, he now descended keeping his face toward the cloud, walking backwards. The High Priest, on the Day of Atonement, emulated this when withdrawing from the Holy of Holies by walking backwards after having offered the incense before the lid of the Holy Ark, the kapporet, as well as some of the blood of the two offerings on behalf of the people as well as sprinkling some on the dividing curtain. We have a similar verse in Chronicles II 1,13 describing Solomon’s approach to the altar that was standing in Givon at that time. Even though one could say that the words ויבא שלמה לבמה אשר בגבעון ירושלים mean: “Solomon returned from the altar in Givon to Jerusalem,” [seeing Givon at that time was certainly not part of Jerusalem Ed.] the correct interpretation is that he withdrew in the same way as he had approached. The point of all this was to conform to the principle of שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, “I am keeping Hashem in front of Me at all times.” (Psalms 16,8) One does not turn one’s back on G’d. The Mishnah, Yuma 52 states: “in the manner he had entered he also exited.” This is also the way Leviticus 16,24 describes this, writing: “he exited and completed the ritual of his own burnt offering as well as that of the people.” These words have been interpreted by our sages to mean that the word לבמה “to the altar,” must also be read as מבמה.”from the altar,” when he was headed back to Jerusalem (Yuma 53). There is a precedent for this in Numbers 31,21, where the words הבאים למלחמה, must also mean הבאים מן המלחמה, “the ones who were returning from the war.” How do we know that indeed the Shechinah was on the mountain at the time Moses descended? In Deuteronomy 9,15 where Moses refers to his descent from the mountain, he adds the words: “and the mountain was burning in fire while the two tablets of the covenant were on my hands.” We learn from all of this that the student, when taking leave of his teacher, walks backwards until the face of his teacher is no longer directly visible to him. (Yuma 53) This is also the reason why, at the end of the principal prayer the amidah, we step three steps backwards, as if to take leave of the G’d Whom we had faced and addressed before. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim section 123).