Комментарий о цитате к Берешит 32:16

and a foal of she-donkeys as in (Gen. 32:16) “and ten foals.”

AND TO HIS FATHER HE SENT ‘KAZOTH’ (IN LIKE MANNER). I.e., according to this amount. And what was the amount? Ten asses, etc. This is the language of Rashi. It is not correct that kazoth should refer to the amount [for if it refers to cheshbon (amount), it should have said kazeh in the masculine, and not kazoth in the feminine]. But it is possible that Scripture says, in like manner, meaning “according to this gift,” [with the word minchah matching the feminine gender of kazoth] The purport thereof is, “and to his father he sent this gift: ten asses, etc.,” [with the word kazoth being understood as if it were written zoth], and the letter kaph in the word kazoth is considered redundant. However, it is the way of the Sacred Language to express it in this way, just as, And she spoke to him, [saying]: ‘ka’dvarim ha’eileh’ (after the manner of these things) did thy servant do to me.⁵⁵Ibid., Verses 17 and 19. It may be that Scripture is saying: “and to his father he sent provision (tzeidah), [which is also in the feminine gender], which was like this provision which he gave to his brothers.” But the intent of the expression is not to make them equal, but only to say that just as he gave them provision for the road when they went to Canaan, so did he send his father corn and bread and sustenance for his journey towards Egypt. And this is the correct interpretation. Scripture mentions asses and she-asses to inform us that he sent him both the provisions and the animals that carried them, and it was customary to send males and females, as his father had done.⁵⁶Ibid., 32:16.

When you beget children and children’s children, etc. Since the punishment for evil is not executed quickly, the hearts of men are emboldened to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11). One does not realize that the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient but collects what is His at the end of days. Therefore, it says, When you beget children, etc., and you become corrupt and make a graven image, etc. This means that during this time, in those very days when you corrupt yourselves, you will beget children and children’s children as is the way of the world, and you will grow old in the land. Because of this, you will err and say, “If God wanted to kill us, would He have remained silent all this time? Behold, we are bearing children as is the way of the world and dwelling in the land for many days, so surely we are without guilt.” To this, it says, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will quickly perish from the land. For it is the attribute of the Blessed God not to bring calamities one after another in quick succession, as they learned in the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 75:13) from the verse, And put a space between drove and drove (Genesis 32:16). This applies specifically when He exacts punishment immediately without extending the time. But if the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient for a long time, then at the end of days He brings bundled troubles one after another in quick succession, with one calamity approaching its sister. So it was in the time of the First Temple, when they worshipped idols for a long time from the days of Jeroboam, yet He was patient with them. And what is written and you will quickly perish (Deuteronomy 11:17), Rashi explains there: “I will not give you an extension.” Similarly, here it says, you will quickly perish. It must be that this matter of “quickness” refers to the calamities that will come at the end in rapid succession, one after another.