בְּ֭רִית כָּרַ֣תִּי לְעֵינָ֑י וּמָ֥ה אֶ֝תְבּוֹנֵ֗ן עַל־בְּתוּלָֽה׃
אַ בונד האָב איך געשלאָסן מיט מײַנע אױגן;און װאָס זאָל איך קוקן אױף אַ יונגפֿרױ?
German Commentary
Weshalb. So nach der gewöhnlichen Bedeutung von מה; dann ist vor den שלא אמרה zu ergänzen: (es ist nicht auffällig) denn sie habe nicht gesagt, S. a. Nid, 45 a wo R. Akiba zu seinen Schülern sagt למה הדבר קשה בעיניכם. Vielleicht hat aber מה hier die Bedeutung „nicht“ wie Hi. 31, 1; vgl. Gesenius-Buhl s. v. מה S. a. Bab. k. I, 4 a. E.
Rabbeinu Bahya
According to Bereshit Rabbah 40,4 what Avram meant was that although under normal circumstances travel and the strains experienced on a journey detract from a woman’s beauty, at least temporarily, he found that Sarai’s beauty had not only not been diminished but appeared to have been enhanced further by that experience. This proved to be an unexpected source of danger to his life; hence he made this request that she should tell a white lie.
However, Tanchuma on Lech Lecha 5 claims that Avraham had never looked at Sarai in a way that made him notice her beauty as he had made a promise to his eyes not to use them in a manner which would arouse his desire for physical gratification. We find a reference to such conduct in Job 31,1 ברית כרתי לעיני, “I have covenanted with my eyes not to gaze at a maiden.” It is not unusual to find that the righteous enter into such “covenants” with a number of their organs in order to ensure that these organs would not cause them any harm. This is similar to someone making a treaty with a former enemy that he would not harm him. The Torah urges us (Exodus 23,32) “do not make a treaty with them or their gods “ (the Gentile nations resident in the land of Canaan). Our sages in Baba Batra 16 commented on this that there is no enemy who causes as much harm to another person as do his own deeds. Furthermore, our sages on that same folio comment עפרא לפומיה, “earth in his mouth.” They ridiculed what appeared to be Job’s superior piety by saying: “granted Job had undertaken not to look at other maidens but he had not denied himself the pleasure of admiring the beauty of his own wife.” Avram, however, had not even looked at the beauty of his own wife prior to his arrival at the border of Egypt.
However, Tanchuma on Lech Lecha 5 claims that Avraham had never looked at Sarai in a way that made him notice her beauty as he had made a promise to his eyes not to use them in a manner which would arouse his desire for physical gratification. We find a reference to such conduct in Job 31,1 ברית כרתי לעיני, “I have covenanted with my eyes not to gaze at a maiden.” It is not unusual to find that the righteous enter into such “covenants” with a number of their organs in order to ensure that these organs would not cause them any harm. This is similar to someone making a treaty with a former enemy that he would not harm him. The Torah urges us (Exodus 23,32) “do not make a treaty with them or their gods “ (the Gentile nations resident in the land of Canaan). Our sages in Baba Batra 16 commented on this that there is no enemy who causes as much harm to another person as do his own deeds. Furthermore, our sages on that same folio comment עפרא לפומיה, “earth in his mouth.” They ridiculed what appeared to be Job’s superior piety by saying: “granted Job had undertaken not to look at other maidens but he had not denied himself the pleasure of admiring the beauty of his own wife.” Avram, however, had not even looked at the beauty of his own wife prior to his arrival at the border of Egypt.
Rav Hirsch
V. 35. אד .אידם .לי וגו׳ (Bereschit 2, 6). Der von der Erde zur Wolkenbildung aufsteigende Dunst, der sich dann wieder als Wolke über die Erde entladet. So sammelt sich aus den Verirrungen der Menschen selbst der verhängnisvolle Stoff zu dem Gewitter, das, wenn ihr Verhängnis reif geworden, sich über ihre Häupter entladet und איד wird zum Ausdruck für ein den Menschen treffendes Unglück. הלא איד לעול (Job. 31, 1). גם אני באידבם אשחק (Prov. 1, 26). וחש עתידת למו, der יום אידם eilt ihnen in allen kommenden Ereignissen herbei. Jedes kommende Ereignis ist ein Schritt zu diesem Ende.