And God said to Jacob: "Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there; and make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
verse value 3886 — אֱלֹהִים֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "arise" (ק֛וּם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jacob" (אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֔ב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: to·the·God, to·you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·dwell·there" (וְשֶׁב־שָׁ֑ם), "and·make·there" (וַעֲשֵׂה־שָׁ֣ם), "when·you·fled" (בְּבׇ֨רְחֲךָ֔). The root אל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "to·the·God" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·dwell·there', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Jacob: Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from before your brother Esau.
Rashi
קום עלה ARISE: GO UP [TO BETHEL] — Because you have delayed to fulfil your vow to sacrifice to me at Bethel you have been punished by this trouble of your daughter coming upon you (Genesis Rabbah 81:2).
Ramban
GO UP TO BETH-EL AND ABIDE THERE, AND MAKE THERE AN ALTAR. I do not know the significance of the expression, and abide there. Now it is possible that G-d commanded him to abide there at first in order to purify the camp from the idols taken from Shechem or from the dead they had touched, similar to, And encamp ye without the camp seven days, Said to the soldiers who returned from the war against the Midianites. since they had not yet been commanded concerning the Waters of Sprinkling, -19. Used in purification from the defilement of touching a dead body. and afterwards they were to make the altar. But Jacob was zealous in observing the commandment to be purified before he came to Beth-el. It may be that Jacob’s words, And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el, here. actually preceded the purification mentioned in the previous verse. And perhaps the command, and abide there, means that he was to direct his thought to cleaving to G-d.
Sforno
ושב שם. An invitation to prepare himself mentally and spiritually before beginning to build the altar that he had in mind to erect. This corresponds to what our sages have described as being the manner in which they prepared for prayer and subsequently unwound before pursuing mundane activities. According to Berachot 30 they spent an hour “gearing up” before commencing their prayers and then spent an hour unwinding before going about the business of earning their daily bread. ועשה שם מזבח לא-ל הנראה אליך בברחך, in order to give thanks to G’d Who has kept His promise which He gave you on that occasion. We have a long standing tradition that when one passes a location where one had once experienced G’d’s help in a clearly supernatural format one is to recite a special benediction giving thanks to G’d for having done so, even though the event may have taken place a long time ago. (Berachot 54).
Or HaChaim
קום עלה בית אל, "Arise and proceed to Bet El, and settle there." The reason G'd said that Jacob should settle there though Bet El is in the land of the Canaanites is to reassure Jacob that he had nothing to fear from the local population. The meaning could also be that G'd told Jacob to settle in Bet El in preference to his present location near Shechem. He should not settle anywhere until he had built an altar at the site he had experienced the vision of the ladder.
Chizkuni
קום עלה בית אל, “arise and go to Bet El!” Rashi explains that Yaakov was commanded to keep the vow he had made at the time when he had the dream with the ladder. G-d implied that if he had not delayed keeping that vow the problem with Dinah would not have befallen him. If you were to argue that Rashi himself, when commenting on Yaakov presenting only eleven of his children before Esau because he was afraid that Esau might violate her, was punished for having failed to seize the opportunity that she might bring him back to the faith of his father? How does this tally with what he writes here? It tallies absolutely! She could not have become the victim of Sh’chem if Esau would have expressed a desire for her. [I do not see a problem at all. If Yaakov thought he had to protect her from his own brother, why was Dinah not chaperoned and allowed to leave the house on her own and roam amongst Canaanites? Surely this was an additional act of neglect by her father, who was punished here for this act of neglect. Ed.]
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויאמר אלוקים אל יעקב קום עלה בית אל ושב שם, G’d said to Yaakov: “rise and move to Bet-El and settle down there.” The meaning of the word ושב, in this instance is “let your mind come to rest.” He was to erect an altar to G’d there when he had recovered from his disturbed frame of mind. The fact that G’d appeared to him would contribute to Yaakov’s recovering his peace of mind.
Tur HaArokh
ושב שם ועשה שם מזבח, “and settle there, and erect an altar there.” Nachmanides writes that he does not understand the meaning of the words ושב שם, but he considers it possible that the meaning was that Yaakov should establish a temporary residence at Beyt El before proceeding to erect the altar mentioned in the second half of the verse. The purpose of the altar would be to cleanse themselves of all the ritual impurities connected with various types of idolatry, or the state of defilement incurred through contact with the slain people of Shechem. This is based on the verse (Numbers 31,19) “and you encamp outside the encampment for seven days.” This was necessary as the legislation for such defiled persons to sprinkle water laced with the ashes of the red heifer on themselves, to purify themselves before they could re-enter the camp. had not yet been given. Perhaps G’d commanded Yaakov to shift his focus to matters of a religious nature before building the altar at Beyt El.
Then Jacob said to his household, and to all that were with him: "Put away the strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments;
verse value 4784
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 4784 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·to" (וְאֶ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·change" (וְהַחֲלִ֖יפוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "rid·yourselves·of" (הָסִ֜רוּ), "in·your·midst" (בְּתֹכְכֶ֔ם), "and·purify·yourselves" (וְהִֽטַּהֲר֔וּ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "and·to" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יַעֲקֹב֙ [Jacob] (182) + אֶל־בֵּית֔וֹ [to·the·house·of] (449) + וְאֶ֖ל [and·to] (37) + כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר [all·which] (551) + עִמּ֑וֹ [with·him] (116) + הָסִ֜רוּ [rid·yourselves·of] (271) + אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י [the·gods·of] (447) + הַנֵּכָר֙ [the·alien] (275) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + בְּתֹכְכֶ֔ם [in·your·midst] (482) + וְהִֽטַּהֲר֔וּ [and·purify·yourselves] (231) + וְהַחֲלִ֖יפוּ [and·change] (145) + שִׂמְלֹתֵיכֶֽם [your·clothes] (840) = 4784.
Onkelos
Jacob said to the people of his household and to all who were with him: Remove the idols of the nations that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments.
Rashi
הנכר [PUT AWAY] THE STRANGE [GODS] —which you have in your possession from the spoil of Shechem. ותטהרו AND PURIFY YOURSELVES of idol-worship. והחליפו שמלותיכם AND CHANGE YOUR GARMENTS — lest you have in your possession a vestment that has been employed in idolatrous worship (Genesis Rabbah 81:3).
Ibn Ezra
"Remove the foreign gods" — Far be it, far be it, that a prophet would sleep with one who worships foreign gods. Its explanation will be found in the portion of Vayeilech Moshe. "Purify yourselves" — that they should wash their bodies, and change their garments. From this passage we learn that every Israelite, when going to pray in a fixed place, is obligated to have his body clean and his garments clean.
Sforno
הסירו את אלוהי הנכר, which you have taken from Shechem. Even though the adherents of these idols had already disowned them, (the surviving females of the city of Shechem), and we know from Avodah Zarah 43, and 52 that such items are subsequently permitted to Jews, Yaakov commanded his household to get rid of them before proceeding to Bet El. He wanted all his people to mentally completely dissociate themselves from anything connected wit items formerly used in idolatrous pursuits.
Or HaChaim
הסירו את אלוהי הנכר, "Remove the foreign gods!" Seeing that Jacob was about to leave the present location he was afraid that perhaps someone would take along trinkets which had served the people of Shechem as idols. Since Jacob's entourage did not include idol worshippers of the local population there had not been anyone who could neutralise these gods before they had come into the tents of Jacob's camp. Once that happened there is no way a Jew can neutralise these gods except by destroying them completely. Avodah Zarah 43 teaches that when one forces a Gentile to renounce his idol or even that belonging to a friend of his, such renunciation is legally valid. Once the idol has become the possession of a Jew, the only way it can be neutralised is by utterly destroying it. The Talmud distinguishes between adult Gentiles and children, however. The reason Jacob or the brothers did not force the surviving women of Shechem to neutralise these gods may have been that those women were halachically in the same category as children, i.e. that their actions had no validity in law. It is also possible that the sons of Jacob had simply not been careful to differentiate between different kinds of the loot. When they examined it at home it was already too late to do anything about neutralising these objects and making them usable for a Jew. Some of these idols may even have been hidden within other larger vessels which the sons of Jacob had captured. Another possibility is that the gods which had been neutralised in time somehow became mixed with others which had not. Jacob instructed the members of his household to purify themselves because contact with idols defiles a person. Maimonides writes in Hilchot Avot Ha-Tumah chapter six that any אב הטומאה, source of serious impurity, which confers impurity through touch or through carrying same, not only confers impurity on any person who touches same but also on anyone touching or carrying objects that have been in touch with the person who is אב הטומאה. Accordingly, Jacob was quite right when he instructed his people to purify themselves and their clothing even if not they personally, but only their clothing had been in contact with the idolatrous trinket. Jacob was also very precise in referring to שמלותיכם, your garments. He meant that the garments worn by the people of Shechem at the time they were slain had to be purified also. You may ask that there should have been no need to change clothing seeing that clothing could have become defiled only through direct contact with the idolatrous object, an אב הטומאה, and even if these garments had been in direct contact with the idolatrous object they could not have conferred impurity on a human being seeing they themselves were not primary sources of impurity. When we read in Psalms 106,28: ויאכלו מזבחי מתים, "they ate sacrifices offered to the dead," the word "dead" is understood to be a reference to idolatry. Idolatry and the dead are equated halachically for the purpose of the transference of impurity. Chulin 3 states that the sword of a slain person is of the same degree of impurity as the person who has been slain with it. [normally it would be of a lesser degree, seeing it is not the original source of that impurity, Ed.] According to Maimonides Hilchot Tum-at met chapter chapter 5 the example of "sword" is applicable to any of the objects that were attached to the slain person at the time he died, including his garments. According to the foregoing the garments of the people of Shechem then were capable of transferring impurity to human beings just as the sword which kills a person.
Chizkuni
הסירו את אלוהי הנכר, “remove the alien deities!” This was required in order to avoid giving the impression that prayers or sacrifices were intended for them. והחליפו שמלתיכם, “Change your garments!” because they were worn when engaging in idol worship.
Rabbeinu Bahya
הסירו את אלוהי הנכר, “remove the alien deities!” These were the various images captured as part of the loot of the town of Shechem which the Torah mentioned as described already by Rashi. In spite of the fact that such artifacts were permissible for use by people prior to the Torah having been given seeing that they had undergone a process of involuntary abandonment by their owners which disqualified them from further use as idols, (Avodah Zarah 52), Yaakov commanded the members of his household to remove these former idols and to sanctify themselves in order for them to qualify to serve G’d. This is what is implied in the words: “let us arise and go to Bet-El.” He meant that he would offer a sacrifice there to G’d. Yaakov based himself on a concept found in Kohelet 4,17: שמור רגלך כאשר תלך אל בית אלוקים, “watch your step when you are on the way to the House of the Lord.” והטהרו, “and become ritually clean!” The verse teaches us that sin itself is called ritual impurity. We have a similar verse in Ezekiel 20,7 where the prophet warns his compatriots ובגלולי מצרים אל תטמאו, “and do not defile yourselves by committing the kind of sins committed by the Egyptians.” On the other hand, anyone who abandons sin is described as ritually pure, as we know from Leviticus 16,30 מכל חטאתיכם לפני ה’ תטהרו, “you will become cleansed (ritually pure) from all your sins against G’d.” Another verse expressing a similar sentiment is found in Joshua 22,17 המעט לנו את עון פעור אשר לא הטהרנו ממנו, “is it perhaps not enough to have committed the sin of Pe-or from which we have not yet been cleansed (completely)?” King David also mentioned such a thought when he said (Psalms 51,9) “Remove my sin by means of hyssop until I am pure.” In verse 4 of the same psalm he said: ”wash me thoroughly of my iniquity so that I may be purified from my sin.” והחליפו שמלותיכם, “and change your garments!” From this we learn that both they and their garments had become defiled through contact with idolatrous images, or through contact with the bodies of the people who had been slain in Shechem.
Kli Yakar
Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst. The text should have said “in your hands,” as it later states and they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. This is because every action is preceded by thought, and contemplation of sin comes before the actual deed. Therefore, he commanded them to first purify the sin of improper thoughts, saying “Remove the foreign gods that are actually within you,” for Jacob said “Perhaps my children have sinned and blessed [cursed] God in their hearts,” and they had been contemplating the idols that were in their hands, “and purify yourselves.” Through this, God will create for you a pure heart. Or it could be said to refer to general sinful thoughts that come from the evil inclination, which is called a “foreign god that is within you,” as our Sages said (Shabbat 105b) regarding the verse There shall be no foreign god within you (Psalms 81:10) - what is the foreign god that is within a person’s body? This refers to the evil inclination. Afterward, he warned them about rectifying the sin of action, saying to remove the filthy garments and clothe themselves in clean garments, for we find in many places that clothing is a metaphor for actions, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 9:8) At all times, let your garments be white. Regarding this, he said and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to Bethel. For one cannot come to the king’s gate in clothing soiled with sin and iniquity until they first rectify both the sin of thought and action. And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. Through this they rectified both the sin of action and thought as one - the action literally through nullifying the idols in their hands, and the removal of the evil inclination [the foreign god that was actually within them] was also alluded to in their saying the foreign gods that were in their hands As our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 34:10), the wicked are under the control of their hearts, but the righteous have their hearts under their control and in their hands. This is the meaning of the foreign gods that were in their hands - indicating that what was within them was now in their hands. This is a correct allusion that makes sense.
and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."
verse value 4297
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·God" (לָאֵ֞ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·there" (וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה־שָּׁ֣ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·let·us·go·up" (וְנַעֲלֶ֖ה), "and·I·will·make·there" (וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה־שָּׁ֣ם), "who·answered" (הָעֹנֶ֤ה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "to·the·God" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). First appearance of the root צרה ("my·distress") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beth-El', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Onkelos
Let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar to God, who accepted my prayer on the day of my distress, and whose Word was at my aid on the road that I traveled.
And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth which was by Shechem.
verse value 5747
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·rings" (וְאֶת־הַנְּזָמִ֖ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which, which. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·gave" (וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ), "all·the·gods·of" (אֵ֣ת כׇּל־אֱלֹהֵ֤י), "and·the·rings" (וְאֶת־הַנְּזָמִ֖ים). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "the·terebinth" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "to·Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·ears', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Onkelos
They gave to Jacob all the idols of the nations that were in their hands, and the consecrated ornaments that were in their ears, and Jacob buried them beneath the terebinth that is near Shechem.
Rashi
האלה THE TEREBINTH — a kind of tree that bears no fruit. עם שכם means by Shechem.
Ramban
AND JACOB HID THEM. An idol and the things that pertain to it are not in the category of objects that require burial and for which burial suffices, but instead they are to be crumbled up and scattered to the wind or thrown into the sea. And if so, why did Jacob bury the idols when they should have been destroyed? It appears to me that the sons of Jacob did not take the idols and the things that pertain to them from Shechem until they had been nullified and had thus become permissible to them, for a heathen can nullify an idol against its worshipper’s will, b. thus making it permissible to them. Jacob, however, for the sake of the purity of holy things, commanded that they remove it so that they should be fit to worship G-d and sacrifice before Him, just as He had commanded them concerning immersion and the changing of garments. here. Burial was thus sufficient for the idols, and therefore he hid them under the terebinth in a location which will neither be tilled nor sown.
Sforno
ויטמון אותם יעקב, he buried them instead of destroying them. Seeing that they no longer had the halachic status of being idolatrous artifacts they did not need to be destroyed.
Chizkuni
אשר באזניהם, “which were in the ears of those idols.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויטמון אותם יעקב, “Yaakov buried them, etc.” The Biblical requirement of disposing of idolatrous objects prescribes not burial but scattering to the winds or throwing such items into the sea. Moses did so when he scattered the dust of the golden calf as we know from Exodus 32,20 “he ground it until it was quite fine particles (of dust) and then he sprinkled it on the face of the water.” The fact that Yaakov contented himself with a lesser degree of destruction of these one time idols proves that actually they were no longer forbidden from a Biblical point of view. Another way of explaining this episode is that even assuming that these artifacts had still retained their status as idolatrous and therefore forbidden objects, the fact that he could not destroy them by throwing them into the Dead Sea, made Yaakov do the next best thing, i.e. to bury them. He was also unable to burn these artifacts so that he would not be unduly delayed giving the people around Shechem a chance to organize themselves against him. Under the circumstances, he did the best he could in order to dispose of them and buried them.
Tur HaArokh
ויטמן אותם, “he buried them there.” The reason that he did not burn these idols [which would have eradicated them, Ed.] was to demonstrate to the Canaanite population that they had violated the covenant G’d made with Noach after the deluge not to practice idolatry. Nachmanides writes that the entourage of Yaakov had not taken as loot or for any other reason, any idolatrous images, nor any chattels that had been used in idolatry so that these would have had to be destroyed utterly. They had not taken anything from Shechem until these items had first completely lost their erstwhile function as objects prohibited because of their having been used in the context of idolatry. When an idolater destroys his deities even under the influence of superior force, i.e. unwillingly, the fact that he destroyed it is sufficient to deprive them of any halachic restriction on account of their former use. What Yaakov did was to enable these chattels that had once served idols to qualify for sacred use on the altar. In order to achieve such status they first had to be interred. Only after these preparations had been made, could he and his family proceed to Beyt El.
And they journeyed; and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
verse value 3328 — אֱלֹהִ֗ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 3328 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·terror·of" (חִתַּ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "around·them" (סְבִיב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "a·terror·of" (חִתַּ֣ת), "upon·the·cities" (עַל־הֶֽעָרִים֙), "around·them" (סְבִיב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·set·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסָּ֑עוּ [and·they·set·out] (152) + וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + חִתַּ֣ת [a·terror·of] (808) + אֱלֹהִ֗ים [God] (86) + עַל־הֶֽעָרִים֙ [upon·the·cities] (425) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [which] (501) + סְבִיב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם [around·them] (535) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + רָֽדְפ֔וּ [they·pursued] (290) + אַחֲרֵ֖י [after] (219) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + יַעֲקֹֽב [Jacob] (182) = 3328.
Onkelos
They journeyed, and a dread of Hashem fell upon the nations that were in the cities surrounding them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
Rashi
חתת means terror.
Ibn Ezra
The dagesh in the tav of חַתַּת is so that the tav should be absorbed.
Sforno
They began their journey. As long as they were behind the walls of Shechem they were safe, but now they were in need of the “terror of Elokim”.
Or HaChaim
ויסעו, ויהי חתת אלוקים על הערים, They departed; the fear of the Lord was on the cities in their region. Perhaps the Torah informs us here of the surprising fact that although the departure of Jacob's family from Shechem must have been perceived by the local inhabitants as a flight, they were so overcome with the fear of the Lord that they did not pursue them. Alternatively: although by the time the local inhabitants became aware of it, Jacob's family had long gone and thereby escaped their determination to attack them, they were so afraid of the Lord that they decided not to give chase.
Targum Yonatan
And they journeyed from thence, offering praise and prayer before the Lord. And there was a tremor from before the Lord upon the people of the cities round about them, and they pursued not after the sons of Jakob.
So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan—the same is Beth-el—he and all the people that were with him.
verse value 2488
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·people" (וְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: she, he. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "to·Luz" (ל֗וּזָה), "and·all·the·people" (וְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "in·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "and·came" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beth-El', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֨א [and·came] (19) + יַעֲקֹ֜ב [Jacob] (182) + ל֗וּזָה [to·Luz] (48) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [which] (501) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·the·land·of] (293) + כְּנַ֔עַן [Canaan] (190) + הִ֖וא [she] (12) + בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל [Beth-El] (443) + ה֖וּא [he] (12) + וְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם [and·all·the·people] (171) + אֲשֶׁר־עִמּֽוֹ [who·were·with·him] (617) = 2488.
Onkelos
Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan — that is Bethel — he and all the people that were with him.
Chizkuni
לוזה אשר בארץ כנען, “towards Luz which is in the land of Canaan.” There was another town called Luz, elsewhere.
Rabbeinu Bahya
הוא וכל העם אשר עמו, “he and all the people who were with him.” It is recorded in a Midrash called מלחמות השם, (and quoted by Nachmanides) that the neighbouring towns of Shechem did indeed gather together and fought three battles against he sons of Yaakov. Had it not been for their father Yaakov who personally girded himself with his sword and other weapons, they would indeed all have been in mortal danger. Our sages refer to this when they interpret the words of Yaakov on his deathbed when he described himself as personally having taken the town of Shechem from the Emorite with his sword and bow (Genesis 48,22). It is the custom of the Bible to furnish us with only the barest details of such encounters, seeing that the kind of miracle which G’d employed was a “hidden miracle,” i.e. not a miracle in which known laws of nature have been visibly changed. Another example of the Bible being sparse with information about such encounters is what happened to Avraham in Ur Casdim i.e. when Nimrod threw him into a furnace and he escaped unharmed. The wars fought by the sons of Esau against the people of Chorite (36,21) are similarly not mentioned here. The Torah contents itself by referring to the “hidden” miracle by simply writing that Yaakov and all those with him arrived at their next destination, i.e. that not a single casualty was sustained by Yaakov’s entourage during the attacks upon them by the Emorites.
And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el, because there it was revealed to him by God, when he fled from the face of his brother.
verse value 2492
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁם֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·God" (הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "were·revealed" (נִגְל֤וּ), "when·he·fled" (בְּבׇרְח֖וֹ). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "god" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "there" (root שם, 180x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beth-El', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Onkelos
He built there an altar and called the place El-Bethel, for there Hashem had appeared to him when he fled from before his brother.
Rashi
אל בית אל EL-BETH-EL — the Holy One, blessed be He, is in Beth-El; i.e. His Divine Presence has revealed itself in Bethel. Sometimes the prefix ב “in” is omitted from a word: e.g., (2 Samuel 9:4) “Behold, he is (בית) in the house of Muchir, the son of Ammiel”, which is the same as בבית in the house of Machir; (24:13) בית אביך is the same as בבית אביך,‘in the house of thy father”. נגלו אליו האלהים GOD WAS REVEALED UNTO Him — In many passages terms denoting Divine Power and Lordship are used in the plural e. g., (39:20) “Joseph’s master (אֲדֹנֵי)” (construct plural), and (Exodus 22:14) “If its owner (בעליו) be with it”, where it does not say בַּעֲלוֹ (the singular form). Similarly, forms of אלהים denoting Judge or Authority are expressed in the plural, but you will find none other of the Divine Names in the plural.
Ibn Ezra
The meaning of "for there God was revealed to him" — [the word] 'God' here means the angels, as in: "and behold, angels of God" (Genesis 28:12).
Sforno
ויקרא למקום, to this inn for wayfarers where he had spent the night on his way from home some 34 years ago when the Torah had referred to it as ויפגע במקום (28,11) א-ל בית א-ל, “the sanctuary of Bet El.”
Or HaChaim
ויקראו למקום א־ל בית אל, He named the place El Bet El. Although Jacob had already named this place Bet El when he fled from Esau, he repeated naming the place El Bet El; he meant that G'd specifically associated His name with that site. The reason he thought so was that G'd had revealed Himself to him there. The reason he returned to this place was that G'd had meanwhile fulfilled the promise He made to Jacob at the time of his flight from Esau. The site had therefore assumed an even higher degree of sanctity in Jacob's eyes.
Chizkuni
האלו־הים, the angels (according to Ibn Ezra) scriptural proof: Genesis 32,2: ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלוהים, “angels of G-d met him there.” Also: Genesis 28,12: והנה מלאכי אלו הים, “and lo here there were angels of G-d.” (in his dream)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויקרא למקום אל בית אל, “he called the name of that place ‘El Bet- El.’” According to the plain meaning of the text, the line means: “after G’d had appeared to him, he named the site: ‘the house of G’d.” I have already explained a kabbalistic approach to this verse when I discussed the meaning of Genesis 31,13.
Kli Yakar
“And he built there an altar.” And adjacent to this verse is and Devorah died. The Ramban questioned what the connection is between Devorah’s death between these two verses. I say that this is similar to what our Sages said (Moed Katan 28a): Why is the death of Miriam juxtaposed to the passage of the Red Heifer? To teach you that just as the Red Heifer atones, so too does the death of the righteous atone. Similarly here, where it speaks of the death of Rebecca and Devorah, as they learned from the verse “Allon Bachut [Oak of Weeping], Jacob indicated that their deaths were an altar of atonement. Therefore, he built an altar in the place where he learned of their deaths. And God blessed him — this refers to the blessing of mourners, just as He blessed Isaac after his mother’s death. And what is stated and she was buried beneath Bethel hints that he eulogized her appropriately, for Bethel was on a mountain, and if he had not properly eulogized her, the mountain would have trembled upon them, as they interpreted regarding Mount Gaash (Shabbat 105b). The verse further tells us that he eulogized more than was appropriate, as it says beneath Bethel under the oak. What is meant by beneath? Rather, he began beneath the city, and from there he extended the eulogy until under the oak. This is indicated by the Hebrew letter ”mem“ in mitachat [from beneath], as he moved from place to place and eulogized in several locations. Our Sages said (Moed Katan 27b) that whoever grieves excessively over a dead person will end up weeping over another dead person. Therefore, this place was called Allon Bachut [Oak of Weeping] — referring to another weeping, because it was there that he was told of the death of his mother Rebecca, or it hints at the death of Rachel which also occurred near this place.
And Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.
verse value 6071
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 6071 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֣חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Beth-El" (לְבֵֽית־אֵ֖ל, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "nurse" (מֵינֶ֣קֶת), "the·oak" (הָֽאַלּ֑וֹן), "weeping" (בָּכֽוּת). The root תחת appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·name" (root שם, 180x in Genesis); "and·called" (root קרא, 123x in Genesis); "to·Beth-El" (root בית, 121x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·oak', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֤מׇת [and·died] (846) + דְּבֹרָה֙ [Deborah] (211) + מֵינֶ֣קֶת [nurse] (600) + רִבְקָ֔ה [Rebekah] (307) + וַתִּקָּבֵ֛ר [and·she·was·buried] (708) + מִתַּ֥חַת [from·under] (848) + לְבֵֽית־אֵ֖ל [to·Beth-El] (473) + תַּ֣חַת [under] (808) + הָֽאַלּ֑וֹן [the·oak] (92) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (317) + שְׁמ֖וֹ [his·name] (346) + אַלּ֥וֹן [the·oak] (87) + בָּכֽוּת [weeping] (428) = 6071.
Onkelos
Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died and was buried below Bethel at the foot of the plain, and he called its name the Plain of Weeping.
Rashi
ותמת דבורה AND DEBORAH DIED — How came Deborah to be in Jacob’s house? But the explanation is: because Rebékah had promised Jacob (Gen. 27:45) “then I will send and fetch thee from thence”, she sent Deborah to him to Padan-aram to tell him to leave that place, and she died on the return journey I learnt this from a comment of R. Moses Ha-darshan. מתחת לבית אל BELOW BETHEL — The city was situated on a mountain and she was buried at the foot of the mountain. תחת האלון UNDER THE OAK — The Targum renders it by “on the lower part of the plain” because there was some level ground above on the slope of the hill and her grave was beneath this. The plain of Bethel bore the name of Allon (cf. Rashi on Genesis 14:6). An Agada (Genesis Rabbah 81:5) states that he there received news of another mourning for he was informed that his mother had died. — In Greek allon means “another”. — Because the time of her death was kept secret in order that people might not curse the mother who gave birth to Esau, Scripture also does not make open mention of her death (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 4).
Ramban
AND DEBORAH REBEKAH’s NURSE DIED. I do not know why this verse has been placed between the verse, And he called the place El-beth-el here. and the following verse, And G-d appeared to Jacob again. here. Scripture thus interrupts one subject which occurred at one time and in one place for when Jacob came to Luz, that is Beth-el, here. he built an altar there and he called the place El-beth-el, here. and G-d appeared to him there and He blessed him. here. Why then was this verse concerning Deborah’s death placed in the midst of one subject?A feasible answer is that which our Rabbis have said, namely that the verse alludes to the death of Rebekah, and therefore Jacob called the name of that place, Alon-bachut (the oak of weeping), for the weeping and anguish could not have been such for the passing of the old nurse that the place would have been named on account of it. Instead, Jacob wept and mourned for his righteous mother who had loved him and sent him to Paddan-aram and who was not privileged to see him when he returned. Therefore G-d appeared to him and blessed him, in order to comfort him, just as He had done to his father Isaac following the death of Abraham. With reference to both of them the Sages have said that He gave them the blessing of consolation addressed to mourners. Proof for this is that which is said below, And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, here. for had Rebekah been there, Scripture would have mentioned “unto his father and unto his mother” for it was she who sent him. to Paddan-aram and caused him all the good, for Isaac commanded him to go there at her advice. Now Rashi commented: “Because the time of her death was kept secret in order that people might not curse her — the mother who gave birth to Esau — Scripture also does not make mention of her death.” This is a Midrash of the Sages. But neither does Scripture mention the death of Leah! Instead, we must say that the intent of the Sages was to explain why Scripture mentions Rebekah’s death by allusion, connecting the matter with her nurse. Since Scripture did refer to it, they wondered why the matter was hidden and not revealed. And the justification for the curse stated by Rashi is not clear since Scripture mentioned Esau at the death of Isaac, And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him. here. It is, however, possible to say that Rebekah’s death lacked honor, for Jacob was not there, and Esau hated her and would not attend; Isaac’s eyes were too dim to see, and he did not leave his house. Therefore, Scripture did not want to mention that she was buried by the Hittites.I found a similar explanation in Eileh Hadvarim Rabbah, in the section of Ki Theitzei Lamilchamah, where the Sages say: “You find that when Rebekah died, people said, ‘Who shall go before her? Abraham is dead. Isaac is confined to the house and his eyes are dim. Jacob is gone to Paddan-aram. If wicked Esau shall go before her, people will say, “Cursed be the breast that gave suck to this one.”’ What did they do? They took out her bier at night. Rabbi Yosei bar Chaninah said, ‘Due to the fact that they took out her bier at night the Scriptures mentioned her death only indirectly. It is this which Scripture says, And he called its name Alon-bachut, two weepings, [one for Deborah and one for Rebekah]. Thus Scripture says, And G-d appeared unto Jacob… and blessed him. here. What blessing did He give him? He gave him the blessing of consolation addressed to mourners.’” Thus far the Midrash. Now because Esau was the only one present at her burial, they feared the curse, and they did not view the burial as an honor to her, this being the significance of the Scriptural hint. Deborah was in Jacob’s company because after accompanying Rebekah to the land of Canaan, she had returned to her country, and now she was coming with Jacob in order to see her mistress. It may be that she was engaged in raising Jacob’s children out of respect for Rebekah and due to her love for her, and thus she resided with him. Now it is possible that she is not “the nurse” of whom it is said, And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse,: 59. but that she was another nurse who remained in the house of Laban and Bethuel, and now Jacob brought her with him to support her in her old age out of respect to his mother, for it was the custom among the notables to have many nurses. It is improbable that the old woman would be the messenger whom his mother had dispatched to Jacob [to have him return to the Land of Israel], as Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan would have it. A preacher in the city of Narbonne, Provence, France, who lived in the second half of the eleventh century, Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, compiled a collection of Agadic material on the book of Genesis. The book itself, which had a great influence upon Rashi and other writers, has been lost except for the quotations made by other scholars.
Sforno
אלון בכות. Mourning results in the withdrawal of the Divine Presence as we know from Shabbat 30. Until Yaakov had passed this tree after mourning Deborah the Divine Presence did not return and accompany him. [He was deprived of such a Presence during all the 22 years that he was mourning for his son Joseph, thinking him dead. Ed.].
Chizkuni
ותמת דבורה, “Deborah died;” Rashi explains why the Torah suddenly inserts this statement and how it is relevant. We never knew that she was part of Yaakov’s entourage. After all, Yaakov himself had said that when he crossed the river Jordan the first time he had been accompanied only by his walking stick (Compare Genesis 32,11) Rivkah had told Yaakov (Genesis 27,4445) that she would let him know when it was safe to return, when Esau’s wrath had cooled off. She had dispatched Deborah to Padan Arom to inform Yaakov of this. Yaakov had not been willing to return already. Deborah remained with him in the house of Lavan and passed away on the journey on the way back to the land of Canaan. When she had been mentioned the first time (Genesis 24,59) she had only been described as Rivkah’s nursemaid; now the Torah supplied her name.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ותמת דבורה מינקת רבקה, “Devorah, Rivkah’s nursemaid died.” This verse has been inserted between the report of two appearances by G’d which Yaakov enjoyed. This fact serves to prove the words of our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 81,5 on this verse who see in it a hint to Yaakov that his mother Rivkah had died. This justified the fact that Yaakov named the oak beneath which Devorah was buried “the oak of weeping.” This is the opinion of Nachmanides. He writes that it would not have been appropriate for the Torah to describe Yaakov as grieving thus merely about the death of his mother’s nursemaid, a woman who must have been very old, that the site would be called after her for all future time. Yaakov grieved over the fact that his mother who had promised to send him word when it was safe to return and face Esau was no longer able to do what she had intended to do and that therefore there would not be a reunion between him and Rivkah. According to Nachmanides, the Devorah mentioned here was one who had never accompanied Rivkah when she left her brother’s house to marry Yitzchak. Her death in Yaakov’s presence triggered his awareness that his mother must have died. G’d’s next appearance to Yaakov was intended to console him over this loss of his mother. Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 82,4, explain that the words “G’d blessed him” in our verse represent the blessing given to mourners. We find a similar blessing being bestowed by G’d on Avraham in Genesis 25,11. The Talmud in Sotah 14 reports something similar concerning Genesis 25,11 where G’d is reported as blessing Yitzchak. This occurred immediately after the death of Avraham, Yitzchak’s father. G’d’s blessing is understood as a blessing bestowed on mourners. We find support for this interpretation of the words “G’d blessed Yaakov” in verse 27 in our chapter where the Torah reports Yaakov as returning “to his father Yitzchak in Mamre the city of Arba.” We all knew of the city of Arba and Mamre, so why tell us where Yitzchak lived at that time? The implication of the verse is that Rivkah had died. Had she been alive, surely the Torah would have described Yaakov as returning to both his parents, i.e. Yitzchak and Rivkah, especially so since it had been Rivkah who had promised to call Yaakov back to come home as soon as she thought it was safe for him to do so. Seeing she had died, the Torah did not consider it appropriate, i.e. as in her honor, to mention this fact outright. The Torah concealed the time of her death. Nachmanides quotes a Midrash (Tanchuma Ki Tetze 4) where the matter is explained. Although G’d promised Avraham that he would die of a ripe old age, he died at 175 years of age, 5 years younger than his son Yitzchak. The reason was in order to save him the mental anguish of seeing his grandson Esau become corrupt. In the case of Yitzchak, the latter was blind and could not see what his son Esau was up to. According to this Midrash, both Avraham, Yitzchak, and Rivkah ended their lives experiencing a degree of shame. Rivkah’s funeral lacked the presence of her loving son Yaakov, and presumably the presence of her son Esau who hated her. When she died, people cursed the passing of a woman whose breasts had nursed an evil person such as Esau. For these and other reasons G’d decided to console Yaakov by blessing him at this time. The plural form בכות, “weeping,” is accounted for because as soon as Yaakov was about to weep for the death of Devorah, he received word that his mother had died. His weeping was for the passing of both these women.
Tur HaArokh
ותמת דבורה, “Deborah died, etc.” Nachmanides writes that he does not know why this piece of information was included by the Torah at this point between Yaakov naming the site of the altar Beyt El, and the blessing G’d gave Yaakov when he added the name Yisrael to his previous name. Possibly, the reason was, as our sages suggest, that the news of Deborah’s death was meant to tell Yaakov that his mother Rivkah had died, and that this explains why Yaakov called the site of Deborah’s interment אלון בכות,”the oak of mourning.” Yaakov wept tears for his mother’s death when burying Deborah. He was especially saddened by the fact that he had not been granted a reunion with her after all these years. As soon as he had stopped mourning for his mother, G’d appeared to him and complimented him. (verse 9) Rashi claims that the reason why the precise date of Rivkah’s death has not been revealed was to prevent people to use that date to curse the womb that had produced a person as depraved as Esau, although the date when Leah died has also not been revealed by the Torah. The reason why the sages did not attribute any special reason to the omission by the Torah of the date on which Leah died, was that only the fact that the Torah made a point of mentioning when a servant of Rivkah died, without also at least telling us when her mistress died, calls for further investigation. Nonetheless this is not a good enough reason. The Torah did not omit reporting the death of Yitzchok who had sired Esau, but even reports that Esau partook in his father’s funeral. (Genesis 35,29) It is possible that the Torah omitted a direct report of Rivkah’s death and burial as it was not surrounded by honour, seeing that her son Yaakov did not attend the funeral and her son Esau hated her, and her husband Yitzchok who was practically blind, could not perform the rites, probably was even unable to leave his house. The Torah did not want to report that the Hittite neighbours of Rivkah had to bury her. This would have drawn attention to the lack of honour bestowed on her during her funeral.
And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.
verse value 1667 — אֱלֹהִ֤ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֤ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "still" (ע֔וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jacob" (אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "when·he·came" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis); "to·Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Aram', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּרָ֨א [and·appeared] (217) + אֱלֹהִ֤ים [God] (86) + אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ [to·Jacob] (213) + ע֔וֹד [still] (80) + בְּבֹא֖וֹ [when·he·came] (11) + מִפַּדַּ֣ן [from·Paddan] (174) + אֲרָ֑ם [Aram] (241) + וַיְבָ֖רֶךְ [and·blessed] (238) + אֹתֽוֹ [him] (407) = 1667.
Onkelos
Hashem appeared again to Jacob when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.
Rashi
עוד AGAIN — the second time at this spot: once when he set out on his journey, once when he returned. ויברך אתו AND HE BLESSED HIM. — He gave him the blessing of consolation addressed to mourners (Genesis Rabbah 81:5; cp. Rashi on Genesis 25:11).
Sforno
וירא אלוקים, after the mourning had concluded. The Torah, in retrospect, by using this formulation, tells us that the dream Yaakov had had when in flight, on the way to Charan, had in fact not been merely a dream but a vision. בבאו מפדן ארם. G’d only appeared to him after leaving Lavan. While he was in Lavan’s city he did not rate such visions. The fact that G’d had spoken to him by means of an intermediary, an angel even while still in Padan Aram, is not to be confused with the level of a vision described as “G’d appeared to him.”
Rashbam
וירא אלוקים אל יעקב עוד, after he had moved on from Luz, called now Bet El, he named a second place Bet El, as will be explained forthwith.
And God said to him: "Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name"; and He called his name Israel.
verse value 4492 — אֱלֹהִ֖ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said·to·him" (וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 360: your·name, your·name, your·name. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·said·to·him" (וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ), "shall·no·longer·be·called" (לֹֽא־יִקָּרֵא֩). The root שם appears 4 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said·to·him" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "shall·be" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to him: Your name is Jacob — your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but rather Israel shall be your name. And He called his name Israel.
Rashi
לא יקרא שמך עוד יעקב THY NAME SHALL NOT BE CALLED ANY MORE JACOB— which means a man who comes as a lurker and trickster, but it shall be Israel (ישראל), which signifies Prince and Chief.
Ramban
THY NAME IS JACOB. G-d is saying, “Now you are still called Jacob even though the lord of Esau has changed your name See Rashi, ibid., Verse 24, that it was “the lord of Esau” who strove with Jacob and then finally blessed him. because he was not sent to you to change your name. However, from now on, thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name,” this being the meaning of the end of the verse, and He called his name Israel. It may be that it alludes to the fact that He called his name Israel in addition to the name Jacob, but not that it be forbidden for him to be called Jacob.
Ibn Ezra
"Your name shall no longer be called Jacob" — alone, for Israel [shall be called] as well.
Sforno
שמך יעקב, at this time I make your name Yaakov an eternal name, i.e. after all the other nations will have perished you alone will remain. This will give a positive meaning to the word עקב, “heel,” meaning something that will survive all that precedes it. Compare Jeremiah 46,28 כי אעשה כלה בכל הגוים ואותך לא אעשה כלה, “when I shall put an end to all the nations, I will not put an end to you. לא יקרא עוד שמך יעקב, when the time will come when Yaakov will be the only surviving nation on earth as Bileam said in Numbers 25,9 הן עם לבדד ישכון, “this is a nation which will dwell in solitary splendour,” there will no longer be any significance to the name Yaakov. [as there are no others to relate its meaning to. Ed.] כי אם ישראל יהיה שמך, seeing that you will rule, תשתרר over the remnants of all the nations that have ceased to exist as such. This also corresponds to the previous prophecy of Bileam in Numbers 24,17 וקרקר כל בני שת, “he (Yaakov) will smash all the foundation of the sons of Seth (mankind.) ויקרא את שמו ישראל, He blessed him in that the predictions which were meant for the end of time, were beginning to be implemented already from that time on, and not only while Yaakov was on holy soil in the land of Canaan, but even when he would be outside (as in Egypt). From this time on no one who would attack Yaakov and his family would meet with success. This was the meaning of what our sages said in Sanhedrin 76 that ”wherever Yaakov and his family walked on they became princes over their masters,” and this is what the prophet Jeremiah bewailed in Lamentations 1,1 as what the Jewish people lost as a result of the destruction of the Temple.
Or HaChaim
לא יקרא שמך יעקב כי אם ישראל, "You will not be called Jacob but Israel, etc." We need to understand the difference between when G'd renamed Abram and when he renamed Jacob. Berachot 13 states that anyone who calls Abraham Abram nowadays violates a positive commandment, whereas it is permissible to refer to Jacob as either Jacob or Israel. Although our rabbis in the Talmud there point out that the Torah itself refers to Israel as Jacob after G'd renamed him, in view of the fact that we ignore the words לא יקרא when it comes to Jacob, why should the same rule not apply to Abraham and we should have the choice of calling him by either name? Perhaps the very fact that G'd limited the good news when He renamed Jacob by saying: "your name is Jacob," made this change of name qualitatively different from that of Abraham at the time. There had been no need for G'd to repeat "your name is Jacob." Who did not know this? Surely what G'd meant by this was that Jacob's permanent name would remain Jacob, but that on some occasions he would be referred to by an additional name, i.e. Israel. Why would it bother G'd that we should not refer to Abraham's original name? I believe there is a very good reason. We have to remember that names describe the nature of its bearers' souls, their essence. The Talmud Berachot 7 illustrates this point. Jacob's essence then is described by the name Jacob. Whenever he enjoyed a large measure of Holy Spirit he was referred to as "Israel." There is certainly no reason why Jacob should be deprived of his original name on account of an occasional infusion of רוח הקודש. It was quite different in the case of Abraham who retained all the letters of his original name in his expanded name also. This is why G'd commanded to call him only by his new and expanded name Abraham. By doing so one did not deny his original name at all. Perhaps Chronicles I,1 26 refers to this when it states: "Abram is Abraham." When the Torah said: "your name shall not be called, etc," the meaning is that it should not be called exclusively Jacob but also Israel. This is exactly parallel to Genesis 17,5 where Abraham's name was changed.
Chizkuni
, לא יקרא שמך עוד יעקב'שמך יעקב, “your name has been Yaakov; it will no longer be Yaakov;” The Torah means that henceforth his name would no longer only be “Yaakov,” but the name “Yisrael” would be added to it. If the name “Yaakov” were to be eliminated completely, this would be interpreted as having been a name describing a person with negative character traits up to now. (Compare Esau’s comment in Genesis 27,36) Henceforth the Torah will refer to Yaakov Yisrael sometimes by his original name and sometimes only by his additional name. When G-d changed Avram’s name to Avraham, He had never said that שמך אבדם, “your name is or was Avram.” This is why the sages have said that anyone referring to Avraham as Avram, is equivalent to violating a positive commandment of the Torah. (Talmud B’rachot 13). כי אם ישראל יהיה שמך, “but your name shall be Yisrael.” The name implies that the one possessing it wields authority, as the angel had said to Yaakov: ”you have contended with Divinity and you have prevailed.” (32,29) The name is very appropriate for you as you will be the founding father of kings. Rashi here claims that the reference in this verse is to King Shaul and his son Ish Boshet. Should you ask that we have been taught (in Sanhedrin 20) that Avner was punished for having delayed David’s occupying the throne of the Kingdom for two and a half years, i.e. the years during which Ish Boshet ruled after he appointed him as Shaul’s successor; why would he be punished for this, seeing it has been decreed already in the Torah that he would rule (according to Rashi)? We would have to answer that he was not punished for having crowned Ish Boshet, but because he had crowned Ish Boshet not because he considered him as fit to rule, but that he was motivated exclusively by trying to thwart David from ascending the throne.
Rabbeinu Bahya
שמך יעקב, “your name Yaakov, etc.” According to Nachmanides, although Esau’s guardian angel had already told Yaakov that his name would henceforth be Israel, (32,29) G’d told him that as of this moment his name was still Yaakov. However, from that time on his name would be Israel. This is the meaning of the words: ויקרא שמו ישראל. Thus far Nachmanides’ comment. This then is the meaning of Isaiah 48,12 וישראל מקוראי, ”and Israel whom I have called.” Rabbeinu Chananel explains that the name Israel which G’d bestowed on Yaakov was in addition to the name Yaakov which Yaakov retained. The word עוד in our verse means “only, exclusively.” The correct translation of our verse is: “your name will no longer be Yaakov exclusively, but your name will (also) be Israel.” We find something analogous to this in Jeremiah 3,16 לא יאמרו עוד ארון ברית ה’, “they will no longer refer to the ark of G’d as the only location where G’d can be found, etc.” but the whole of Jerusalem will be so designated.” They will refer to the whole of Jerusalem as כסא ה’, “the throne of the Lord.” Similarly, here; the words כי אם ישראל יהיה שמך, “but Israel shall be your name, i.e. sometimes you will be referred to as “Yaakov,” other times as “Israel.” This is precisely what the prophet had in mind in Isaiah שמע אלי יעקב, ישראל מקוראי. We find something similar in Isaiah 46,28 אל תיראי עבדי יעקב, ואל תחת ישראל, “do not fear My servant Yaakov, do not be scared Israel.”
Kli Yakar
“Your name is Jacob, your name shall no longer be called Jacob.” From the fact that it states your name is Jacob it implies that the name Jacob will remain in its place and not be uprooted. Yet afterwards it says your name shall no longer be called Jacob Rather, this certainly comes to tell us not that the name Jacob will be uprooted, but that it will become secondary [to the name Israel]. However, regarding Abraham, our Sages said (Berakhot 13b) that whoever calls Abraham by the name Abram transgresses a negative commandment. The reason for this difference is because with Abram, it was not stated “your name is Abram” as it was stated here your name is Jacob. And by way of allusion, I have a way to explain Jacob’s two names in reference to the two redemptions, since we find in our Rabbis’ teachings that the Exodus from Egypt will not be completely uprooted, but rather the remembrance of the miracles of the Exodus will become secondary, while the remembrance of future miracles will become primary. Similarly here, they said that the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, but will become secondary while the name Israel will be primary. Therefore, both are one matter. And so it says regarding the final redemption, And the crooked shall become straight (Isaiah 40:4). The word akov [crooked] is derived from the name Yaakov [Jacob], and mishor [straight] is derived from the name Yisrael [Israel], meaning “straight to God.” And since it is said As in the days when you left Egypt, I will show you wonders (Micah 7:15), this teaches that the future miracles will not be greater than the miracles of Egypt. So why will the miracles of Egypt become secondary? Because during the redemption from Egypt, their merit was not sufficient to bring them out with an upraised hand, and they needed to proceed with cunning and deception, saying “Let us go sacrifice to the Lord our God.” And every fugitive goes in haste, as it is written you shall eat it in haste (Exodus 12:11). And regarding the Babylonian redemption, it is obvious that it was not a complete redemption but merely a temporary visitation, and there too it is said Flee from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans (Isaiah 48:20). However, in the final redemption, after the sin has been completely purged through the length of this current exile, their merit will be sufficient for them to depart with an upraised hand, on a straight path rather than with cunning/deception [reference to Jacob’s name’s meaning] and not in haste, as it is written For you shall not go out in haste, nor shall you depart in flight (Isaiah 52:14). This is what is meant by “the crooked shall become straight.” Nevertheless, the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, and similarly, the memory of the Exodus from Egypt will not be completely uprooted, so that both redemptions will be remembered together, and they will know and recognize the difference between them which was caused by sin. For without doubt, they were evil and sinful in Egypt, as explained in Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 20:8), which is why it is fitting that it [the first redemption] should be secondary. Similarly, the name Jacob is not completely uprooted for this reason, and additionally because the redemption serves two purposes: the redemption of bodies from subjugation and troubles, and the redemption of the soul in terms of spiritual matters that were given to Israel, as indicated by the names Jacob and Israel — one physical and one spiritual, as explained by Rabbeinu Bachya. And even though the spiritual is primary, nevertheless the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, because a person needs to give a portion to both this and that. However, the name Abram was completely uprooted, because for all generations he remains the father of many nations, as both the tents of Edom and Ishmael are among his descendants.
Tur HaArokh
שמך יעקב, “your name is Yaakov.” Your name is still Yaakov even though the celestial representative of Esau had changed it to “Yisrael,” it had not been that angel’s mission to change your name. However, from now on your name will be Yisrael. The meaning of the apparent repetition ויקרא שמו ישראל, “He called his name “Yisrael,” is hat this was an additional name and it was not forbidden to call him Yaakov.
Cross-references: I Kings 18:31; Genesis 32:29; Genesis 18:1; Amos 1:11
And God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins;
verse value 2083 — ל֨וֹ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֨וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֨וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·kings" (וּמְלָכִ֖ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "be·fertile" (פְּרֵ֣ה), "and·multiply" (וּרְבֵ֔ה), "a·nation" (גּ֛וֹי). The root גוי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "shall·be" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to him: I am God Almighty — be fruitful and multiply; a people and an assembly of tribes shall come from you, and kings who rule over nations shall go forth from you.
Rashi
אני אל שדי I AM GOD, ALMIGHTY, for I have the power to bless because the blessings are Mine. פרה ורבה BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY — God said this in allusion to the fact that Benjamin was not yet born although she (Rachel) was soon to give birth to him (Genesis Rabbah 82:4). גוי A NATION — referring to Benjamin. (Genesis Rabbah 82:4) גוים NATIONS — referring to Manasseh and Ephraim who would come from Joseph — and these actually were counted as tribes. ומלכים AND KINGS — referring to Saul and Ishbosheth who were of the tribe of Benjamin and these were not yet born. This verse Abner explained in this sense when he made Ishbosheth king, and the tribes of Israel also explained it thus and therefore became friendly again with the tribe of Benjamin. For so it is written (Judges 21:1) “They said there shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife”. Afterwards they retracted this, saying, “If, indeed, he was not to be counted among the tribes), the Holy One, blessed be He would not have said to Jacob in reference to Benjamin and kings shall come out of thy loins” (and since there have not yet been kings of the tribe of Benjamin that tribe must not be exterminated). Genesis Rabbah 82:4 גוי וקהל גוים “A NATION AND AN ASSEMBLAGE OF NATIONS” — this means that his sons are destined to become nations the same in number as the nations (of the ancient world) which was seventy. So, too, the whole Sanhedrin consisted of seventy. Another explanation is that it signifies that his children will sacrifice on high places at a time when this practice is forbidden, as other nations always did — this refers to the days of Elijah (Genesis Rabbah 82:5). From “This verse” is found in an old text of Rashi.)
Ibn Ezra
"Be fruitful and multiply" — a blessing, as at the act of Creation (Genesis 1:22).
Sforno
אני א-ל שדי, I swear by My own name when I swear an oath. One such example is found in Deut. 32,40 ואמרתי חי אנכי לעולם, “as I have said, I, the One Who lives forever.” G’d’s oaths to Yaakov were always by the attribute Shadday. Be fruitful and increase. Do not be afraid that your offspring will be destroyed, even if they are imperfect, because the name “Almighty Shakkai” indicates that I keep My word even to the unworthy. ומלכים מחלציך יצאו. This blessing means that the Jewish people would always possess persons who are fit to occupy the throne, as opposed to the Edomites who, as we know from 36,36-37, had to rely repeatedly on outsiders to become their kings.
Cross-references: Genesis 48:4; Genesis 35:13; II Samuel 2:8-10; Exodus 32:13; Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 33:3
and the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you I will give the land."
verse value 4862
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 4862 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֣, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·land" (וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·to·Isaac" (וּלְיִצְחָ֖ק). The root נתן appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "and·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "I·gave" (root נתן, 150x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·give', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ [and·the·land] (703) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + נָתַ֛תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם [to·Abraham] (278) + וּלְיִצְחָ֖ק [and·to·Isaac] (244) + לְךָ֣ [to·you] (50) + אֶתְּנֶ֑נָּה [I·give] (506) + וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֥ [and·to·your·seed] (333) + אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ [after·you] (239) + אֶתֵּ֥ן [will·I·give] (451) + אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (697) = 4862.
Onkelos
The land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac — to you I will give it, and to your children after you I will give the land.
Ramban
AND THE LAND WHICH I GAVE UNTO ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, TO THEE I WILL GIVE IT. “As I have given it to them so will I give it to you.” This alludes to an oath, for the land was given to them with an oath so that sin should not cause annulment of the gift, but to Jacob it was originally given without an oath. It is this which Scripture refers to when it says in all places, the land of which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. and elsewhere. But nowhere do we find that G-d swore to Jacob, except as implied in this verse. It may that the repetition of the prophecy, [mentioned above, 28:13, and repeated here], constitutes an oath, as I have already explained.
Sforno
ולזרעך אחריך אתן את הארץ, in due course, at the end of time, I will give your descendants the entire globe, not only the land of Israel. This was the real meaning of 28,14 “you will spread out to the west to the east and to the north and to the south.” This is also what Bileam prophesied when he said in Numbers 24,17 that Yaakov would uproot all the descendants of Seth, i.e. all of mankind.
Or HaChaim
לאברהם וליצחק, to Abraham and Isaac. Check on what we have written on Genesis 26,3 that the promise G'd made to Isaac concerning inheriting the land of Israel contained an additional dimension to the promise made to Abraham. G'd promised this additional dimension also to Jacob. אתן את הארץ. "I shall give the land." Why did the Torah have to mention the word "the land" once more instead of simply saying "it," as the Torah did at the beginning of this verse? Perhaps the Torah wanted to tell us that G'd would give this land to Jacob in order that he personally should possess it, not merely his descendants. Had the Torah merely written לך אתננה ולזרעך, we would have understood that Jacob could only make the claim to the land over to his children as an inheritance. This is why the Torah speaks of two separate gifts here, one to him and one to his descendants. This had not been the case when G'd promised the land to either Abraham or Isaac.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אתן את הארץ, “I will give the land.” The promise is repeated twice in the same verse. The Torah does not indulge in such repetitions unless there is a compelling reason. If we adopt a kabbalistic approach the word הארץ at the beginning of the verse is a reference to an attribute of G’d, i.e. the attribute with which all three patriarchs were blessed when the Torah categorised these blessings with the words בכל, מכל, כל, respectively. The meaning then would be “that which I have already granted to Avraham and Yitzchak I will grant to you also, i.e. I will give this land to you (in your own right). It would be similar to Kings I 5,26 “and G’d had granted wisdom to Solomon.” [Seeing that verse commences with an unaccounted for letter ו, our author understands the whole word as a reference to the gift of authority, מלכות (in this instance control of the land of Israel) which G’d had bestowed on David’s son Solomon.] The meaning of the repetition of the word ארץ is that Yaakov’s descendants too would receive the gift of that land in their own right at the appropriate time. We also find a repetition in verse 13 where the Torah writes ויעל מעליו אלוקים במקום אשר דבר אתו, “G’d ascended from upon him in the place where He had spoken with him.” This “place” had already been mentioned earlier (verse 9). It is therefore likely that the word refers to an attribute of G’d such as we find in ברוך ה’ ממקומו, (Ezekiel 3,12) or ברוך המקום (Haggadah shel Pessach). Seeing that our sages have said that the patriarchs are the true carriers of the Shechinah, the Torah has to repeat itself on occasion in order for us to know when it refers to them in such a capacity and when not.
Tur HaArokh
ואת הארץ אשר נתתי לאברהם וליצחק לך אתננה, “and the land which I have given to Avraham and Yitzchok I will give it to you.” Although the land had already been given to him, it had not been given to him in the form of an oath, i. e. as an irrevocable gift.
And God went up from him in the place where He spoke with him.
verse value 1660 — אֱלֹהִ֑ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "with·him" (אִתּֽוֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "which·spoke" (אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "from·upon·him" (מֵעָלָ֖יו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "which·spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Genesis); "from·upon·him" (root על, 90x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥עַל [and·went·up] (116) + מֵעָלָ֖יו [from·upon·him] (156) + אֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (86) + בַּמָּק֖וֹם [in·the·place] (188) + אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר [which·spoke] (707) + אִתּֽוֹ [with·him] (407) = 1660.
Onkelos
The Glory of Hashem ascended from above him in the place where He had spoken with him.
Rashi
במקום אשר דבר אתו AT THE PLACE WHERE HE SPAKE WITH HIM — I do not know what this is intended to tell us.
Ramban
AND G-D WENT UP FROM HIM. I.e., just as it said with respect to Abraham, And G-d went up from Abraham 7:22. In both cases, it serves to inform us that this was no mere vision or prophetic dream alone, or something like, And it brought me in the visions of G-d to Jerusalem, but that the Divine Presence rested upon him in the place where he stood. And by way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala], “G-d went up from him,” from the place where He spoke with him, this being similar in purport to that which is said, Blessed be the glory of the Eternal from His place. Scripture is thus stating that which the Sages have mentioned: “It is the patriarchs that constitute the Divine Chariot.”
Sforno
במקום אשר אתו, when he was on his way to Charan (34 years earlier) at that same inn. There G’d appeared to him (verse 9) and there G’d’s Presence departed from him. This is why he erected a monument at that very site.
Kli Yakar
“And God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.” Rashi comments that he doesn’t know what this verse comes to teach us. However, it appears to me that it comes to teach us that the Patriarchs themselves are the [Divine] chariot, and that the Temple below is aligned with the Temple above, as is known. For Jacob was now in Bethel and Luz, and there is the gate of heaven, as these two places were connected with Mount Moriah, as explained above in Parshat Vayetzei (28:16). If the verse had not specified in the place where He had spoken with him, I would have said that the Divine Presence went to another place and from there ascended to its dwelling. Therefore, it needed to specify that God ascended directly from this place, such that Jacob remained below while the Divine Presence ascended above to its dwelling in the heavenly Temple, which is aligned with the place where He spoke with him in the earthly Temple.
Tur HaArokh
ויעל מעליו האלוקים, “G’d rose from above him.” This verse teaches that this encounter with G’d did not take place at night, in a dream, but that the Divine Presence had manifested itself to Yisrael in a location where he was standing on his feet.
And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He spoke with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink-offering on it, and poured oil on it.
verse value 3366
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 55 letters. Verse gematria: 3366 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "with·him" (אִתּ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "which·spoke" (אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: upon·it, upon·it. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·poured·out" (וַיַּסֵּ֤ךְ), "a·libation" (נֶ֔סֶךְ). The root נסך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis); "which·spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Genesis); "upon·it" (root על, 90x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stone', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּצֵּ֨ב [and·set·up] (108) + יַעֲקֹ֜ב [Jacob] (182) + מַצֵּבָ֗ה [a·pillar] (137) + בַּמָּק֛וֹם [in·the·place] (188) + אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר [which·spoke] (707) + אִתּ֖וֹ [with·him] (407) + מַצֶּ֣בֶת [pillar] (532) + אָ֑בֶן [stone] (53) + וַיַּסֵּ֤ךְ [and·poured·out] (96) + עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ [upon·it] (115) + נֶ֔סֶךְ [a·libation] (130) + וַיִּצֹ֥ק [and·poured] (206) + עָלֶ֖יהָ [upon·it] (115) + שָֽׁמֶן [oil] (390) = 3366.
Onkelos
Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured libations upon it and poured oil upon it.
Ramban
AND JACOB SET UP A PILLAR. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it as meaning: “And Jacob had previously, Verse 17. set up a pillar, and now he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon.” This is correct.
Ibn Ezra
It is possible to interpret "he set up" as meaning: he had already set it up the first time [and this refers back to that]; or alternatively, that he did so a second time. The first explanation is closer to me. "He poured upon it a libation" — of water or wine. The meaning is that he washed it, and afterward poured oil upon it. And at Beth-El he fulfilled his vow and gave a tithe of his wealth in honor of Hashem, to whoever in that generation was worthy of receiving it.
Sforno
ויסך עליו נסך, he poured a libation of wine on it. Thereby he completed paying his vow in which he had vowed to make out of the stone which had served as his pillow a monument, meaning “a house of G’d.” (28,22). By anointing this monument he had, so to speak, laid the foundation of the house of G’d to be built there in the future. What he did here was similar to what David did in his time when he prepared the foundation for the Temple his son Solomon was to build after his death in accordance with what the angel had told him at the threshing ground of Arona the Jebusite.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויצב יעקב מצבה במקום אשר דבר אתו אלוקים, "Yaakov erected a monument in the place where G’d had spoken with him." The Torah repeats the words “where G’d had spoken with him,” with which the last verse had ended. The meaning is that G’d had spoken to Yaakov at that place already on a previous occasion at Bet El. At that time Yaakov had erected a monument. When the Torah makes reference to Yaakov erecting a monument at this point, it meant to tell us that this monument had already been erected by Yaakov many years ago; he did not now erect a second monument (compare Genesis 28,18). The difference between the meaning of the terms מזבח and מצבה respectively, is that the word מצבה refers to an altar consisting of a single stone, whereas מזבח is an altar consisting of a number of stones. Both structures serve the purpose of offering sacrifices. The מצבה serves the purpose of offering drink-offerings and the anointing with oil, whereas the מזבח is suitable for any kind of offering acceptable to G‘d. Seeing that G’d had just told Yaakov that he would no longer be called Yaakov but Israel, it is surprising that the Torah describes the person erecting the monument as Yaakov instead of as Israel. The fact that the Torah here refers to Yaakov by his original name is further proof that the name Israel was an additional name and not a substitute for the name Yaakov. We will find from now on that the Torah uses both these names on different occasions.
Tur HaArokh
ויצב יעקב מצבה, “Yaakov erected a monument.” According to the plain meaning, Yaakov did this now, after the latest manifestation of G’d to him. Ibn Ezra explains that Yaakov had already erected this monument previously, after he had dreamt the dream of the ladder. At that time he did not have oil and wine with him to anoint it as a sacred altar, something that he made up for now. It is not clear whether the word ויסך refers to a libation of wine or of water. He poured the libation over the altar in order to physically cleanse it, followed by anointing it with oil to sanctify it.
And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Beth-el.
verse value 3414 — אֱלֹהִ֖ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֛ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·called" (וַיִּקְרָ֨א, 5 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis). Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֨א [and·called] (317) + יַעֲקֹ֜ב [Jacob] (182) + אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם [the·name·of] (741) + הַמָּק֗וֹם [the·place] (191) + אֲשֶׁר֩ [which] (501) + דִּבֶּ֨ר [spoke] (206) + אִתּ֥וֹ [with·him] (407) + שָׁ֛ם [there] (340) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + בֵּֽית־אֵֽל [Bethel] (443) = 3414.
Onkelos
Jacob called the name of the place where Hashem had spoken with him there, Bethel.
Ramban
AND JACOB CALLED THE NAME OF THE PLACE…BETH-EL (HOUSE OF G-D). He called it so time after time [since he had previously called it by that name]. This is to inform us that it is truthfully and properly a House of G-d, and there the Divine Presence will ever be. The same was true with the name of Beer-sheba, [which was so called by both Abraham and Isaac.; 26:33. Here too it could not refer to naming the city but rather to calling it by its name.]
Or HaChaim
ויקרא יעקב….בית אל. Jacob called… it Bet El. This is difficult. We had been told this previously; even the additional word "El" had already been mentioned in verse 4. Perhaps the Torah means that at this time Jacob enlarged the area which he had previously named Bet El. Perhaps this is alluded to in the otherwise superfluous words "the name of the place that G'd spoke to him." He clearly referred to the difference between having experienced a dream with a divine message many years ago, and the present revelation where G'd appears to have addressed Jacob when he was awake.
Tur HaArokh
ויקרא יעקב את שם המקום... בית א-ל, “Yaakov named the site where G’d had spoken to him Beyt El.” Although he had called this place Beyt E-l already 20 years ago when he had had the first revelation, he repeated the naming of it as up until now he had not been certain that what he had dreamt at that time had indeed been a vision and not a dream representing wishful thinking on his part.
Rashbam
המקום אשר דבר אתו. This precise expression has been repeated several times in our paragraph, seeing that in each instance the place where G’d spoke to Yaakov was in the middle of the path, not while he was in a town.
And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.
verse value 4314
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "Bethel" (אֵ֔ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "a·distance·of·land" (כִּבְרַת־הָאָ֖רֶץ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·was·still" (וַֽיְהִי־ע֥וֹד), "a·distance·of·land" (כִּבְרַת־הָאָ֖רֶץ), "and·had·hard·labor" (וַתְּקַ֥שׁ). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·was·still" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "to·come" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis); "and·she·bore" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis). First appearance of the root אפרת ("Ephrath") in Genesis. First appearance of the root קשה ("and·had·hard·labor") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ephrath', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסְעוּ֙ [and·set·out] (152) + מִבֵּ֣ית [from·Beth] (452) + אֵ֔ל [Bethel] (31) + וַֽיְהִי־ע֥וֹד [and·was·still] (111) + כִּבְרַת־הָאָ֖רֶץ [a·distance·of·land] (918) + לָב֣וֹא [to·come] (39) + אֶפְרָ֑תָה [Ephrath] (686) + וַתֵּ֥לֶד [and·she·bore] (440) + רָחֵ֖ל [Rachel] (238) + וַתְּקַ֥שׁ [and·had·hard·labor] (806) + בְּלִדְתָּֽהּ [in·her·labor] (441) = 4314.
Onkelos
They journeyed from Bethel, and when there was still a stretch of land to go before reaching Ephrath, Rachel gave birth, and she had difficulty in her labor.
Rashi
כברת הארץ A KIBRATH OF LAND — Menachem ben Seruk explains the word כברת to have the meaning of כביר “much” and that the phrase means a great distance. A Midrashic explanation is: at the time when the ground was full of holes and was riddled like a sieve (כברה) (cf. Rashi on Genesis 48:7) — when there was plenty of ploughed ground; the winter was passed, but the dry season had not yet come. This, however, cannot be the literal sense of the verse, for in the case of Naaman we find (2 Kings 5:19) “So he departed from him כברת ארץ” (which cannot possibly have this meaning). I think that it is a name for a measure of land, the distance of a Parsa or more, just as you say (Isaiah 5:10) “acres (צמדי) of vineyard” and (33:19) “the parcel (חלקת) of field”: In the same way in reference to a man’s journey Scripture mentions the name of a measure — viz., a כברת ארץ, a כברה of land.
Ramban
A ‘KIVRATH’ OF LAND. Menachem ben Saruk explained the word as having the meaning of kabir (much), i.e., great distance. A Midrashic explanation is: “At the time when the ground is full of holes like a sieve, when there was plenty of ploughed ground. The winter was past, but the dry season had not yet come.” This, however, cannot be the literal sense of the verse, for in the case of Naaman we find, And he departed from him a ‘kivrath’ of land, [which cannot possibly have this meaning since the sense there is that he had walked away but a small distance from Naaman when Gehazi immediately ran after him]. I think that it is a name for a measure of land. This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation is that which Rabbi David Kimchi He also wrote a Hebrew grammar and lexicography. Ramban was influenced by his works. has advanced, i.e., that the letter kaph in the word kivrath is the kaph of comparison and is not a root letter of the word, the basic word being as in the verses: They were their ‘levaruth’ (food); ‘Vethavreini’ (and give me to eat) bread, meaning a small amount of food in the morning. And here the meaning of kivrath is the distance a pedestrian covers from morning to the time of eating, for all travellers measure distances in this manner. This I originally wrote when still in Spain, but now that I was worthy and came to Jerusalem See my biography of Ramban (Hebrew, pp. 194-5; English p. 14 and 117). See also Note 361, Seder Noach and Note 25 in Seder Lech Lecha. — praise to G-d Who is kind and deals kindly! — I saw with my eyes that there is not even a mile between Rachel’s grave and Bethlehem. This explanation of Rabbi David Kimchi has thus been refuted, as have the words of Menachem [ben Saruk, who said that there was a great distance between the grave and Bethlehem]. Rather kivrath is a name for a measure of land, as Rashi has said, and there is no adjectival part in the word but only a substantive as in most nouns, with the kaph serving a formative purpose to indicate that it was not an exact measure. And if the word be adjectival, modifying eretz, it is possible that brath is like bath, as in the expression, What ‘bri’ (my son)? and what “bar” (O son) of my womb? The word bath is thus the name for a small measure of land by which travellers measure the way, similar to the present day mile. It is called “bath of the land” for this small measure is as “a daughter” to the Persian mile or some other measure known in those days. And I have also seen that Rachel’s grave is not in Ramah nor near it, [as the plain meaning of the verse in Jeremiah, 31:15, would seem to indicate: A voice is heard in Ramah… Rachel weeping for her children]. Instead, Ramah which is in Benjamin is about four Persian miles distant from it, and Ramah of the hill-country of Ephraim is more than two days’ travel from it. Therefore, I say that the verse stating, A voice is heard in Ramah, is a metaphor, in the manner of rhetorical expression, meaning to say that Rachel wept so loudly and bitterly that her voice was heard from afar in Ramah, which was on top of the mountain of [the territory of] her son Benjamin. [She cried for her children who went into exile] because they were not there, and she was desolate of them. Thus Scripture does not say, “In Ramah, Rachel weeps for her children.” but it says that the voice was heard there. It appears to me that Jacob buried Rachel on the road and did not bring her into Bethlehem in Judah, which was near there, because he saw by the prophetic spirit that Bethlehem Ephrathah will belong to Judah, and he wished to bury her only within the border of her son Benjamin, and the road on which the monument over Rachel’s grave stands is near to Beth-el in the border of Benjamin. And so the Rabbis have said in the Sifre: “Rachel died in the portion of Benjamin,” as it is found in the Parshath V’zoth Habrachah. Now I have seen in the Targum of Yonathan ben Uziel See Tractate Megillah 3a. See also Note 128, Seder Vayeitzei, on the three Targumim of the Pentateuch. that he discerned this, and he translated: “A voice is heard high in the world.” [He thus interpreted Ramah, not as the name of a place, since Rachel was not buried in Ramah, as explained above, but rather on the basis of its root ram (high)], and he thus translated the whole verse as applying to the congregation of Israel rather than Rachel.
Ibn Ezra
"Kivrat ha-aretz" — it is possible that the kaf is [used] for comparison, and that "brat" is a unit of royal measure; it has no parallel in Scripture.
Chizkuni
ויהי עוד כברת ארץ לבא אפרתה, “it was still a short distance from Efrat;” the prefix ב is missing here before the word: עוד, the meaning of the phrase is as if it had been present. כברת ארץ, according to Rash’bam, the word is similar to Job 34,24 הביריה, and means “a considerable amount.” It is also compared to Isaiah 10,13, ואוריד כביר יושבים, “I have deposed those who have ruled for many years.” [The prophet quotes the boast of the King of Ashur. Ed.] In our verse the line means that Yaakov was still a considerable distance from the nearest human settlement where he could bury Rachel. ותלד רחל, She did not have enough time to travel to Efrat because it was a long distance away.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויסעו מבית אל ויהי עוד כברת דרך לבא אפרתה, “they journeyed from Bet-El, and there still remained a tract of land before their arrival at Efrat, etc.” Efrat is another name for Bethlehem. The Torah spells this out in verse 19 where Rachel’s being buried is being described. Nachmanides explains that he personally had measured that the distance between the tomb of Rachel and Bethlehem is less than a mile. He concludes therefore that the commentators who want to derive the word כברת as stemming from כביר, “something major,” are in error. Yaakov could not have excused his burying Rachel there because the distance to Bethlehem was too great. The word כברת describes a certain land measure just as Rashi has said. The three letters ברת are root letters, the letter כ is not. The measure was one which was well known in those days.
And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her: "Fear not; for this also is a son for you."
verse value 3294
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 3294 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֤הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "in·her·hard·labor" (בְהַקְשֹׁתָ֖הּ), "for·this·also" (כִּֽי־גַם־זֶ֥ה). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "do·not·fear" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'when·she·bore', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + בְהַקְשֹׁתָ֖הּ [in·her·hard·labor] (812) + בְּלִדְתָּ֑הּ [when·she·bore] (441) + וַתֹּ֨אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + לָ֤הּ [to·her] (35) + הַמְיַלֶּ֙דֶת֙ [the·midwife] (489) + אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י [do·not·fear] (652) + כִּֽי־גַם־זֶ֥ה [for·this·also] (85) + לָ֖ךְ [to·you] (50) + בֵּֽן [son] (52) = 3294.
Onkelos
And it was, in the difficulty of her labor, that the midwife said to her: Do not fear, for this one too is a son for you.
Rashi
כי גם זה FOR THIS ALSO — also means additional to you, over and above Joseph. Our Rabbis explained that with each of Jacob’s sons a twin-sister was born, whilst with Benjamin an additional twin sister was born (Genesis Rabbah 82:8).
Ibn Ezra
"In her laboring hard" [בְּהַקְשֹׁתָהּ] is from the heavy-added binyan [i.e., the Hif'il]. The meaning is that the birth weighed heavily upon her. Similarly, "and she labored hard" [וַתִּקַשׁ] (Genesis 35:16), except that form is from the heavy-doubled binyan [i.e., the Pi'el]. And it is like "and she finished giving him drink" (Genesis 24:19).
Sforno
אל תראי, do not be afraid that the infant about to be born will be a girl although your pains are so great that there is reason for suspecting this. The Talmud in Niddah 31 claims that the birth pangs associated with the birth of female children are greater than those associated with the birth of male children. כי גם זה לך בן, even though you are experiencing all these pains, the child is a male.
Or HaChaim
אל תיראי כי גם זה לך בן. "Do not fear, for this one too is a son for you." What exactly was Rachel's fear which the midwife tried to alleviate? Assuming that Rachel was afraid to die, how did the midwife's words relieve Rachel's fears by saying "this one too is a son for you?" We also have to analyse the midwife's use of the word גם, "also." In order to understand this we must refer to Bereshit Rabbah 82,8 that whereas a twin sister was born with all the other sons of Jacob, Benjamin's birth was accompanied by the birth of two twin sisters. This is why the midwife told Rachel that she should not be afraid to die but that her special difficulties were due to her giving birth to triplets, something that had not been the case when she gave birth to Joseph. The word גם was a reference to the births which would accompany the birth of Benjamin. She may also have hinted at the statement we find in Niddah 31 that if a mother experiences difficulties when giving birth to a male child this does not threaten her life, whereas if she experiences similar difficulties when giving birth to a female child this does endanger her life. This is why the midwife reassured Rachel saying that the baby about to be born was definitely a boy.
Chizkuni
כי גם זה לך בן, “for this child will also be a son for you;” Rashi writes that the midwife referred by the word גם “also” to Joseph. She meant that Rachel’s prayer at the time when she gave birth to Joseph that she would be granted to give birth to another son had been fulfilled. (Compare 30,24) She encouraged Rachel with her words suggesting that it was not G-d’s intention to let her die at this time.
And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing—for she died—that she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
verse value 3130
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Ben-oni" (בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "as·departing" (בְּצֵ֤את), "her·life" (נַפְשָׁהּ֙), "Ben-oni" (בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י). The root קרא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "and·his·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis); "his·name" (root שם, 180x in Genesis). First appearance of the root בנימן ("Benjamin") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ben-oni', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֞י [and·it·was] (31) + בְּצֵ֤את [as·departing] (493) + נַפְשָׁהּ֙ [her·life] (435) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + מֵ֔תָה [she·died] (445) + וַתִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (707) + שְׁמ֖וֹ [his·name] (346) + בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י [Ben-oni] (119) + וְאָבִ֖יו [and·his·father] (25) + קָֽרָא־ל֥וֹ [called·him] (337) + בִנְיָמִֽין [Benjamin] (162) = 3130.
Onkelos
And it was, as her soul was departing — for she was dying — she called his name Bar-Devai; but his father called him Benjamin.
Rashi
בן אוני means SON OF MY SORROW (Genesis Rabbah 82:9). בנימין BENJAMIN — I am of opinion that he was so called because he alone was born in the land of Canaan which is in the South (ימין) as one comes from Aram-Naharaim, as it is said (Numbers 33:40) “in the South, in the Land of Canaan”, and (12:9) “going on still towards the South”. בנימין therefore means בן ימין where ימין has the same meaning as in (Psalms 89:13) “The North and the South (ימין) Thou hast created them”. For this reason the word is here written plene (with a י after the מ). Another explanation of בנימין is that it means “son of his old days (ימים)”, only that it is written with ן (instead of ם), like (Daniel 12:13) “at the end of days.
Ramban
‘BEN ONI’ (THE SON OF MY SORROW). I am of the opinion that he was so called because he alone was born in the land of Canaan which lies to the south (yamin) as one comes from Aram-naharaim, just as it is said: In the south, in the land of Canaan; Going on still toward the south. Binyamin thus means a son of the south, just as in the verse: The north ‘v’yamin’ (and the south) Thou hast created them. For this reason the name Binyamin is here written “full” [with a yud after the mem to indicate that the name is derived from the word yamin (south)]. This is Rashi’s language. But I do not understand this claim that the Land of Israel lies to the south of Aram-naharaim for Aram is eastward of the Land of Israel, as it is written, And he came to the land of the children of the east, and it is further written, From Aram Balak bringeth me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East, and Jacob crossed the Jordan which is to the east of the Land of Israel, and he returned by way of Edom which is south of the Land of Israel. Thus you find that Aram is south-east of the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is to its north. However, if Benjamin was born within the border of Bethlehem Ephrathah which is in the land of Judah — as it is written, Bethlehem in Judah, and it is further written, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratha, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah — this was in the south of the Land of Israel, and he was thus born between Beth-el and Bethlehem Ephrath. And if the place was in the hill country of Ephraim, then it is in the north of the Land of Israel, as it is written, Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north. And if it was in the portion of Benjamin, it was also not in the south, for it is written, And their border was on the north side. Thus in any case there was no reason to call Benjamin “a son of the south.”The correct interpretation appears to me to be that his mother called him ben oni, and she meant to say, “the son of my mourning,” similar in expression to: bread of ‘onim’ (mourners); I have not eaten thereof ‘b’oni’ (in my mourning). And his father understood the word oni in the sense of “my strength,” similar in expression to: the first-fruits of ‘oni’ (my strength); And to those who have no ‘onim’ (power). And therefore he called him Binyamin, “the son of power” or “the son of strength,” for in the right hand (yamin) there is strength and success, just as it is written: A wise man’s understanding is at his right hand; Thy right hand shall overtake all those that hate thee; The right hand of the Eternal is exalted. Jacob wanted to call him by the name his mother had called him, for all his children were called by the names their mothers had called them, and he thus rendered it to good and to strength. Now I have seen in Bereshith Rabbah:10. “Ben oni, ‘the son of my sorrow.’ And his father called him Benjamin, i.e., in the Sacred Language.” I do not know what this means for it is all the Sacred Language, and so are the names of all his sons in the Sacred Language. However, the Rabbis have alluded to that which I have said, namely, that Jacob rendered the expression so that it signified good.
Ibn Ezra
"Ben-oni" — son of my mourning. So too: "bread of mourning" (Hosea 9:4); "I have not eaten thereof in my mourning" (Deuteronomy 26:14).
Chizkuni
בצאת נפשה כי מתה, ”when her soul departed as she was dying;” she was both dying and not dying; בנימין, the name is spelled with two letters י, as if it meant בן ימין, “the son of my right hand.” (Compare Kimchi J) Alternate version: the last letter in the word is the letter ם, i.e. ימים, “days” or “years,” and means that Yaakov considered Benjamin as a son who would assist him in his old age, seeing that he was the youngest. We find support for this interpretation in Isaiah 51,18, אין מחזיק בידה מכל בנים גדלה, “no one takes her by the hand of all the sons she raised.”
Tur HaArokh
ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מתה, ותקרא שמו בן אוני, “it was at the moment when her soul was departing, seeing she was dying, she called him Ben Oni.” Some commentators claim that Ben Oni was named by Rachel after she had “died.” This corresponds to the plain text which first reported Rachel’s death followed by the naming of the baby. It is not unusual for a terminally sick person to pass out and create the impression that she had died, only to briefly regain consciousness before dying completely. This would explain why the Torah seems to speak of two “deaths” which Rachel experienced, i.e. “her soul departed,” and “for she had died.” בן אוני. “son of my pain.” בנימין, “son of my right.” Rashi explains the name in terms of Binyamin being the only one of Yaakov’s sons who had been born on the soil of the Holy Land. This land is to the south when one comes from Aram Naharayim, i.e. it is on the right hand side of the traveler. Nachmanides objects by proving that the Land of Israel is not situated to the south of Aram Naharayim. He claims that the reason that Yaakov called this son Binyamin was because his mother had called him Ben Oni, a word having a negative connotation, so that his father gave this word a positive connotation, i.e. he did not change the name but the meaning of the name, giving it the same meaning as in Genesis 49,3 where he described Reuven as כוחי וראשית אוני, “my strength and the first of my vigor.” The word בנימין referring to the strength of one’s right hand, is therefore very appropriate [all Biblical atlases have Aram Naharayim north-east of the land of Israel, so that Rashi appears correct, from the point of view of Geography, though Nachmanides’ approach that Yaakov did not actually change the name Rachel gave is more appealing. Ed.] Basically, all the sons remained known by the names given them by their mothers. Yaakov simply gave the name Ben Oni a positive connotation.
And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath—the same is Beth-lehem.
verse value 3206
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "Rachel" (רָחֵ֑ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·she·was·buried" (וַתִּקָּבֵר֙, 5 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Bethlehem" (root בית, 121x in Genesis); "and·died" (root מות, 86x in Genesis); "Rachel" (root רחל, 44x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Rachel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֖מׇת [and·died] (846) + רָחֵ֑ל [Rachel] (238) + וַתִּקָּבֵר֙ [and·she·was·buried] (708) + בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ [on·the·road] (226) + אֶפְרָ֔תָה [Ephrath] (686) + הִ֖וא [she] (12) + בֵּ֥ית [Bethlehem] (412) + לָֽחֶם [bread] (78) = 3206.
Onkelos
Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath — that is Bethlehem.
Chizkuni
ותקבר בדרך אפרתה, “she was buried on the way to Efrat.” Rachel had lost so much blood during giving birth that Yaakov was not able to bring her to the cave of Machpelah.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ותמת רחל ותקבר בדרך אפרתה, “Rachel died and was buried on the way to Efrat.” Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah claim that the dignity of women requires that they be buried at the place they die. [not found in my edition of Bereshit Rabbah. Ed.] They use the example of Rachel being buried at the site she died as the precedent for their statement. We also find that Sarah was buried at the site she died as the Torah wrote: “Sarah died at Kiryat Arba which is presently called Hebron,” i.e. she died in Hebron and was buried in Hebron as the Torah reports in Genesis 23,19 “afterwards (after the purchase of the local burial ground) Avraham buried his wife Sarah.” We also find that Miriam was buried where she died (Numbers 20,1)
And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; the same is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
verse value 2853
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "she" (הִ֛וא, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·her·grave" (עַל־קְבֻרָתָ֑הּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "over·her·grave" (עַל־קְבֻרָתָ֑הּ), "the·grave·of·Rachel" (קְבֻֽרַת־רָחֵ֖ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis); "to·this·day" (root יום, 126x in Genesis); "the·grave·of·Rachel" (root רחל, 44x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·her·grave', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּצֵּ֧ב [and·set·up] (108) + יַעֲקֹ֛ב [Jacob] (182) + מַצֵּבָ֖ה [a·pillar] (137) + עַל־קְבֻרָתָ֑הּ [over·her·grave] (807) + הִ֛וא [she] (12) + מַצֶּ֥בֶת [pillar] (532) + קְבֻֽרַת־רָחֵ֖ל [the·grave·of·Rachel] (940) + עַד־הַיּֽוֹם [to·this·day] (135) = 2853.
Onkelos
Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
Ibn Ezra
"Kevuratah" and "kivrah" are equivalent [in meaning].
Sforno
מצבה על קבורתה, this was for protection against the grave being damaged or exhumed by people doing this for nefarious purposes, as it was located at the crossroads where there is a lot of traffic. [I presume it could not be in a field as Yaakov would not violate private property to bury his dead. Ed.]
Rashbam
היא מצבת קבורת רחל, the one Samuel referred to after the latter departed from him, having been anointed king over Israel. (Samuel I 10,2)
And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond Migdal-eder.
verse value 1215
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "and·pitched" (וַיֵּ֣ט, 3 letters) and the longest is "Migdal-eder" (לְמִגְדַּל־עֵֽדֶר, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "beyond" (מֵהָ֖לְאָה), "Migdal-eder" (לְמִגְדַּל־עֵֽדֶר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "tent" (root אהל, 24x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסַּ֖ע [and·journeyed] (146) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וַיֵּ֣ט [and·pitched] (25) + אׇֽהֳלֹ֔ה [tent] (41) + מֵהָ֖לְאָה [beyond] (81) + לְמִגְדַּל־עֵֽדֶר [Migdal-eder] (381) = 1215.
Onkelos
Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.
Chizkuni
למגדל עדר, a tower not far from Efrat. We find a reference to this place in Micah 5,1: ואתה בית לחם אפרתה, and immediately afterwards: ואתה מגדל עדר. An alternate interpretation: the reason why Yaakov did not bury Rachel in that cave was that Esau had still not given up his claim that he would be buried there. After the reconciliation between the brothers, Esau not only renounced this claim but eventually moved out of the land of Canaan altogether, leaving it for the descendants of Yaakov.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויט אהלו ההלאה למגדל עדר, “and he pitched his tent to beyond Migdal Eder.” The meaning of the word מהלאה is “close to.” The same word occurs in the same sense in Genesis 19,9 where it means “come closer.” We also find the word having this meaning when Jonathan told his lad in Samuel I 20,22 החצים ממך והלאה, “the arrows are closer to you.” So here too the meaning of the word is that Yaakov pitched his tent opposite the place called Migdal Eder. This was the place where the number of the twelve tribes had become complete with the birth of Binyamin. In commemoration of that event we read in Micah 4,8: “and you O Migdal-Eder, outpost of Fair Zion.”
Targum Yonatan
And Jakob proceeded and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder, the place from whence, it is to be, the King Meshiha will be revealed at the end of the days.
And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
verse value 5020
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָֽׂר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel·and·there·were" (יִשְׂרָאֵֽ֑לוַיִּֽהְי֥וּ, 10 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "while·dwelt" (בִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן), "Israel·and·there·were" (יִשְׂרָאֵֽ֑לוַיִּֽהְי֥וּ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "his·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Onkelos
And it was, while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, the concubine of his father, and Israel heard. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
Rashi
בשכן ישראל בארץ ההוא WHEN ISRAEL DWELT IN THAT LAND — before he came to Isaac at Hebron, all these troubles happened to him. וישכב AND HE LAY — Because he had disturbed his couch Scripture accounts it to him as though he had actually sinned in this manner. But why did he disturb his couch? When Rachel died Jacob removed to Bilhah’s tent and Reuben came and protested against the slight thus inflicted on his mother (Leah). He said: “If my mother’s sister was her rival, is that any reason why the handmaid of my mother’s sister should become a rival to her!” On this account he disturbed the couch (Shabbat 55b). ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר NOW THE SONS OF JACOB WERE TWELVE — Scripture begins again where it left off the previous narrative (i.e. the birth of Benjamin): when Benjamin was born the destined number of his sons was complete and it was proper that they should then be enumerated; and therefore it enumerates them. Our Rabbis explained that these words are intended to tell us that Jacob’s twelve sons were all equal — they were all equally righteous, for Reuben had committed no actual sin (Shabbat 55b).
Ramban
AND ISRAEL HEARD OF IT. Scripture relates Jacob’s humility. He heard that his son had profaned his couch, but yet he did not command them to remove him from his house and from inclusion among his sons so that he should not inherit with them. Instead, he is counted among them, as it is written, And the sons of Jacob, were twelve, and he is counted first. It is for this reason that Scripture has combined the two sections of the Torah Then a new section begins, And the sons of Jacob were twelve. Ramban explains why the Masorah combines them into one verse. through one verse. For although this is the beginning of a subject wherein Scripture commences to count the tribes now that they were all born, it hints that Reuben was not rejected on account of his deed. In line with the simple meaning of Scripture it is possible that Reuben disturbed the couch of Bilhah [Rachel’s handmaid] because he feared that she might give birth again from Jacob, for he, being the first-born and thinking of taking two portions of the inheritance, would thus lose more than all the brothers. He had no fear of his mother for she was elderly. Zilpah had perhaps died, or it may be that he had concern for his mother’s honor, and since Zilpah was her handmaid, he did not disturb her. It was for this reason that the right of the first-born was taken away from Reuben, measure for measure. And this is the purport of the verse, And the sons of Jacob were twelve, meaning that he did not beget children after that.
Ibn Ezra
"And Reuben went" — our Sages of blessed memory interpreted this well; "a prudent man conceals disgrace" (Proverbs 12:16).
Sforno
And Yisrael heard. Nevertheless, he did not cease to count Reuvein among his sons because he had no doubt that he repented immediately.
Chizkuni
וישכב את בלהה, “he slept with Bilhah.” This is not to be understood literally, but he invaded her privacy and messed up the linen on her bedstead, or simply moved her bed from its normal position. This was a protest against her trying to replace Rachel. Reuven, Leah’s oldest son, felt that now that Rachel had died, his mother should outrank any of the other wives of his father. Rashi points out that this is not the only instance when the Torah to make its point exaggerates the indiscretion committed by some people, or when it rounds up numbers. An example of such an exaggeration quoted is the injury that the angel had caused Yaakov in their nocturnal struggle. He had not made Yaakov’s hip joint useless, but had only dislocated it. (32,26) וישמע ישראל, “Israel heard about this;” about Reuven’s indiscretion. ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר, “the sons of Yaakov remained 12.” Yaakov had no more sons after this. The reason was that he no longer carried on marital relations with any of his wives. Our sages derive this from the line: אז חללת יצועי עלה, “then you desecrated Him who abode on my bed.” (Genesis 49,4) Yaakov meant that ever since the sanctity which had distinguished his marital bed had ceased to exist and been profaned. (Compare Rash’bam on that verse) The reason why here we have the words: וישמע ישראל, “Israel heard,” (instead of “Yaakov” heard) is so that when you read that verse in chapter 49 you will not ask: ‘how did Yaakov ever find out about Reuven’s indiscretion?’An alternate interpretation: the reason why the line that Yaakov’s sons were and remained 12, is inserted here where reference is made to Reuven’s indiscretion, is in order not to allow anyone to think that possibly some of Yaakov’s sons might not have been his but Reuven’s, but it refers to the most recently born son born for him by Rachel. Yaakov together with all of his twelve sons returned to their father’s home.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וישכב את בלהה, “he slept with Bilhah.” Our sages in Shabbat 55, describe this act as בלבל מצעו של אביו, “he disturbed the couch of his father.” When his father referred to the incident on his deathbed (Genesis 49,4), he too used the same expression, saying אז חללת יצועי עלה, “then you desecrated Him who mounted my couch.” Yaakov did not criticize Reuven for sleeping with Bilhah but for mounting the couch on which his father used to sleep with. her. You find something similar in Samuel I 2,22 where the sons of the High Priest Eli are accused of sleeping with the women (married women) who performed certain tasks at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Eli reprimanded his sons after the rumors had come to his attention. The Talmud in Shabbat there also explains that this verse is not to be taken at face value but that what the sons of Eli did made them subject to such accusations being leveled against them. What is described there as the severe sin of the sons of Eli is the fact that they delayed offering the bird-offerings of women who had either been ritually impure through having given birth or had suffered the disease known as זבה. By delaying these offerings, these women’s husbands were effectively prevented from sleeping with their wives until the matter of the offerings had been taken care of. The prophet Samuel accounts this for the sons of Eli as if they had prevented these husbands from sleeping with their wives because they themselves had slept with these wives. If you will count the words from ויסע ישראל until שנים עשר, you will find that the number of words in this verse amounts to 26, the numerical value of the four-lettered name of G’d י-ה-ו-ה. Perhaps this is the way of the Torah hinting that Reuven did not in fact commit a culpable offense as otherwise G’d would not have associated His Holy Name with him by including him in the twelve sons of Yaakov, [a reference to their loyalty to their father’s religious principles, Ed.] We have mentioned elsewhere that when he tribes were counted in Numbers 26,7 the ancestor of the tribe of Reuven is described as הראובני, a description which is the same as that of Shimon. In both of these instances the addition of the letters ה-י in the case of these two tribes was meant to stress that they (the tribal ancestors) were not considered morally or religiously inferior to their brothers of whom no negative deeds are recorded in the Torah. Nachmanides writes that the reason the Torah stated “the sons of Yaakov were twelve,” is meant to tell us that Yaakov did not later beget any other sons. Reuven disturbed the couch of his father precisely because he was afraid that his father wanted to sire more children with Bilhah as their mother. The Torah therefore saw fit to inform us that Yaakov did not beget any more children at all after this episode. An additional reason for the Torah making this statement at this point was to reassure us that all of his sons were equally worthy of being sons of their illustrious father. Just as the other sons were not guilty of culpable sins neither was Reuven.
Tur HaArokh
וישמע ישראל, “Israel heard about this.” According to Nachmanides, the phrasing of Yaakov’s reaction to the manner in which he reacted to his first born son’s defiling his bedroom is an example of Yaakov’s extreme humility. He could easily have banned Reuven from his house for having been guilty of such a misdemeanour, as well as having disinherited him. Instead, the Torah reports that Reuven continued to be a full member of the 12 sons, as we have been told in verse 23. In fact, the Torah goes further by writing immediately that Reuven ranked first among all his sons. (verse 24) The Torah draws our attention to this by making a single paragraph out of what normally should have been two separate paragraphs. Looking at the plain meaning of the text, it is possible that Reuven’s intention in invading his father’s private bedroom which he shared with Bilhah, was to prevent Yaakov siring more children with Bilhah, seeing that as the firstborn, he would receive 2 shares of the eventual inheritance, any additional children Yaakov would sire would result in his share of the inheritance becoming diminished. At the same time, he did not have similar worries about his own mother giving birth to more children, as she was beyond child-bearing age, and Zilpah might have died already. It is also possible that he was simply concerned about the insult endured by his mother who had to now take a back seat not only to her deceased sister Rachel, but even to her maidservant, when he observed that his father made Bilhah’s tent his principal bedroom. It is possible that the verse “Yaakov’s sons were 12,” was meant to alert us to the fact that he sired no more children after this episode. Some commentators interpret the line “Reuven went and slept with Bilhah,” to mean that now that Yaakov had lost both Rachel and Bilhah, there was no cause to worry since the twelve sons who were to make up the Jewish people had been born already. Yet another explanation is that the line “Yaakov’s sons numbered 12, etc.,” means that originally there had been 13, seeing that Reuven being the firstborn had been considered equivalent to two sons. Now, in view of his indiscretion, he had lost his superiority vis-à-vis the other brothers. Rabbi Yehudah the pious, explains the episode as follows: at the time when Yaakov had settled in that region, Reuven left that region and set up house by himself, the reason being that he had been guilty of the above-mentioned indiscretion in Bilhah’s tent, where he had been presumed to have had relations with Yaakov’s concubine. He had done so, in order to forestall his father from doing so, now that Rachel had died. When Yaakov heard about the reason why Reuven had fled the scene, he moved his tent to Leah. As soon as Reuven heard this, he returned to the fold, i.e. “the sons of Yaakov were12.” Some commentators point to the wording of וישכב את בלהה instead of וישכב עם בלהה, as meaning that all Reuven had done was to put his bed next to that of Bilhah. [the expression את always denotes a lesser degree of intimacy than the expression עם. (compare Genesis 30,16, Samuel II 11,4;) Ed.] Further proof that Reuven did not actually sleep with Bilhah, is provided by Yaakov himself in Genesis 49,4 when he describes Reuven’s indiscretion with the words: כי עלית משכבי אביך, אז חללת יצועי עלה, “for when you entered your father’s bedroom you desecrated him who ascended the bed that had been made for me.” All Reuven had been guilty of was to disarray the bedclothes, not to lie in them. He spoke about the person lying in the bed in the third person, instead of saying: “you lay in my bed.”
Cross-references: Genesis 49:4; II Samuel 16:21; Genesis 37:25; Deuteronomy 33:6
the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun;
verse value 2264 — לֵאָ֔ה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Leah" (לֵאָ֔ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Simeon" (וְשִׁמְעוֹן֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: Leah, and·Judah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·Judah" (וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה), "and·Issachar" (וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖ר), "and·Zebulun" (וּזְבֻלֽוּן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis); "Leah" (root לאה, 34x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Reuben', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + לֵאָ֔ה [Leah] (36) + בְּכ֥וֹר [first-born] (228) + יַעֲקֹ֖ב [Jacob] (182) + רְאוּבֵ֑ן [Reuben] (259) + וְשִׁמְעוֹן֙ [and·Simeon] (472) + וְלֵוִ֣י [and·Levi] (52) + וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה [and·Judah] (36) + וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖ר [and·Issachar] (836) + וּזְבֻלֽוּן [and·Zebulun] (101) = 2264.
Onkelos
The sons of Leah: Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
Rashi
בכור יעקב JACOB’S FIRSTBORN — even when it speaks of his corrupt action Scripture calls him firstborn (Genesis Rabbah 82:11). בכור יעקב JACOB’S FIRSTBORN — firstborn with regard to heritage, firstborn with regard to Divine Service (for before the Levites were appointed to minister to God the duty devolved upon the oldest son in each family), firstborn in any enumeration of the twelve tribes; for the right of a firstborn son was given to Joseph only in respect of the tribes — in that he founded two tribes (just as a firstborn son received a double portion in his father’s property) (Genesis Rabbah 82:11).
Sforno
בכור יעקב ראובן, as far as Heaven was concerned Reuven did not suffer consequences because he had repented forthwith. He also did not suffer really in this world, i.e. on earth, until on his deathbed Yaakov punished him by depriving him of the material benefits enjoyed by the first born in that he inherits an extra share of his father’s estate. This punishment was withheld in accordance with the principle that anyone guilty of being ostracised by the community is not actually ostracised until the leading sage of the generation declares him to be so. (Moed Katan 16) This is based on Judges 5,23 where Devorah, the ruling judge of Israel, curses the inhabitants of a certain place called מרוז who had failed to answer her call to arms against the army of Siserah, general of Yavin, King of the Canaanites who had been oppressing the Israelites. The מלאך ה' she quotes in that verse is the leader of the generation, herself in this instance.
Or HaChaim
בני לאה, בכור יעקב ראובן the sons of Leah Jacob's firstborn Reuben. The reason that the Torah had to repeat here that Reuben was Jacob's firstborn was in order that we should not think that Reuben's misconduct with Bilhah had disqualified him from being the firstborn. This also proves that when the Torah described Reuben as having slept with Bilhah this was not meant literally. When the number of Jacob's sons is described as 12, this too is proof that Reuben had not committed an act by which he forfeited being included in that count. Inasmuch as Reuben represented the first drop of semen Jacob ever ejaculated, the idea that he could have been guilty of such a horrendous crime as actually sleeping with one of his father's wives is quite impossible. This is why the Torah emphasises בכור יעקב, he was Jacob's firstborn.
Rabbeinu Bahya
בכור יעקב ראובן, “Yaakov’s firstborn was Reuven.” The distinctive title “firstborn” is accorded to Reuven at the very place where his misdemeanour has been recorded. The Torah informs us that although as a result of this misdemeanour Reuven lost the distinction of being looked up to by his brothers as the firstborn, the Torah implies that what Reuven lost to Joseph as a result was only the double share in the father’s inheritance that the firstborn is entitled to and possibly the respect normally accorded to the firstborn by his younger siblings. The status of being a “firstborn” in matters of genealogy, etc. remained unchanged. This is why the Torah underlined: “Reuven was the firstborn of Yaakov.” We find this confirmed in Bereshit Rabbah 82,11. The Midrash uses the words ויהי בשכון ישראל in verse 22 to elaborate on this theme. Rabbi Simon is quoted as saying that it is difficult for G’d to uproot genealogical facts. The Torah proves this when describing Reuven as the firstborn immediately after having recorded his misdemeanour. Rabbi Yudon added that Reuven remained the firstborn in respect to officiating as the family’s priest (as was customary prior to the sin of the golden calf); he remained officially the oldest; and he remained the firstborn in respect of תשובה, (i.e. that his repentance was accepted assuring him his claim to his former title). Rabbi Azariah added that he also remained the firstborn in respect of prophecy as we read in Hoseah 1,2 that G’d communicated first with Hoseah (seeing he enjoyed the privilege of being senior to the other prophets who were his contemporaries).
and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram.
verse value 2766 — לֵאָ֖ה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Leah" (לֵאָ֖ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "Gad" (גָּ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "was·born·to·him" (יֻלַּד־ל֖וֹ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: Leah, these. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "was·born·to·him" (יֻלַּד־ל֖וֹ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Asher" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "these" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "and·sons·of" (root בן, 248x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Asher', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + זִלְפָּ֛ה [Zilpah] (122) + שִׁפְחַ֥ת [the·maid·of] (788) + לֵאָ֖ה [Leah] (36) + גָּ֣ד [Gad] (7) + וְאָשֵׁ֑ר [and·Asher] (507) + אֵ֚לֶּה [these] (36) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + יַעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [who] (501) + יֻלַּד־ל֖וֹ [was·born·to·him] (80) + בְּפַדַּ֥ן [in·Paddan] (136) + אֲרָֽם [Aram] (241) = 2766.
Onkelos
The sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
Ibn Ezra
"Who were born to him in Paddan-aram" — eleven were born to him there, for Benjamin was born in the land of Canaan; and Scripture wrote according to the majority. And many [more examples] like it I will show you.
Chizkuni
אשר יולד לו בפדן ארם, “that had been born for him in Padan Arom.” This statement begs the question that as we have just heard, Binyamin had not been born in Padan Arom? We have to understand the verse as meaning that Binyamin had been born as a result of Rachel’s having prayed to G-d to give her another son while she had still been in Padan Arom (Compare Genesis 30,23. This is why the Torah here, 7 years later, describes Binyamin’s birth as dating back to that time.) A different exegesis of this puzzling statement: Seeing that almost all of Yaakov’s children had been born while he was in Padan Arom, the Torah applies the Talmudic statement of רובם ככולם, “if the majority had been distinguished by a certain detail we view all of the ones referred to in that context as if they possessed the same distinguishing features.” We find this principle applied by the Torah also in Genesis 46,27, where 70 people are reported to have been brought to Egypt by Yaakov, although only 69 names are listed, three of them being Joseph and his two sons. The Midrash (B‘reshit Rabbah 94,9) claims that seeing that Moses’ mother was born at the border of Egypt, her birth completes the number 70.
Tur HaArokh
אשר ילד לו בפדן ארם, “who were born to him at Padan Aram.” What is meant is that the majority were born there, seeing we have read just recently that Binyamin was born on Holy Soil in the Land of Israel.
And Jacob came to Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriatharba—the same is Hebron—where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
verse value 3512
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "it" (הִ֣וא, 3 letters) and the longest is "which·dwelt·there" (אֲשֶׁר־גָּֽר־שָׁ֥ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: and·came, his·father. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "Kiriath" (קִרְיַ֣ת), "Arba" (הָֽאַרְבַּ֑ע), "which·dwelt·there" (אֲשֶׁר־גָּֽר־שָׁ֥ם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·dwelt·there" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "and·came" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis); "his·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Arba', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + יַעֲקֹב֙ [Jacob] (182) + אֶל־יִצְחָ֣ק [to·Isaac] (239) + אָבִ֔יו [his·father] (19) + מַמְרֵ֖א [Mamre] (281) + קִרְיַ֣ת [Kiriath] (710) + הָֽאַרְבַּ֑ע [Arba] (278) + הִ֣וא [it] (12) + חֶבְר֔וֹן [Hebron] (266) + אֲשֶׁר־גָּֽר־שָׁ֥ם [which·dwelt·there] (1044) + אַבְרָהָ֖ם [Abraham] (248) + וְיִצְחָֽק [and·Isaac] (214) = 3512.
Onkelos
Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, Kiriath-arba — that is Hebron — where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.
Rashi
ממרא MAMRE — the name of the plain. קרית הארבע KIRIATH-ARBA— the name of the city. ממרא קרית הארבע therefore means “to the plain of Kiriath-arba”. If you say that it should have written ממרא הקרית ארבע (that Kirjath-arba being one name the definite article should be placed in front of it) then I reply that this is the rule in Biblical Hebrew: in every case of a name compounded of two words, such as this, and such as בית לחם and אבי עזר and בית אל, when it is necessary to prefix the definite article (in order to determine the name) it is prefixed to the second element of the name — thus (1 Samuel 16:1)בית הלחמי the Bethlehemite; (Judges 6:24) “in Ophrah (אבי העזרי) of the Abiezrites”; (1 Kings 16:34) “did Hiel the Bethelite (בית האלי) build”.
Sforno
Where Avraham and Yitzchok lived. Righteous forebears stand a person in good stead among his neighbors.
And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.
verse value 1902
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "days·of" (יְמֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "eighty" (וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Isaac', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְי֖וּ [and·were] (37) + יְמֵ֣י [days·of] (60) + יִצְחָ֑ק [Isaac] (208) + מְאַ֥ת [hundred] (441) + שָׁנָ֖ה [year] (355) + וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים [eighty] (446) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 1902.
Onkelos
The days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
Ramban
AND THE DAYS OF ISAAC WERE. There is no strict chronological order in the narrative of the Torah. The sale of Joseph preceded Isaac’s death. This is Rashi’s language. Now I have already written that such is the customary way of Scripture with respect to all generations: it tells of a person and his children and his death and then begins with the account of the next generation even though the generations overlapped. Now it would have been proper for Scripture to present Isaac’s death prior to the experiences of Jacob, just as it did in the case of Abraham and all former generations. But by this delay, Scripture intended to state that Isaac died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years — [just as is said of Abraham] — after his blessed son Jacob, the inheritor of his high rank, returned to him, and his sons Esau and Jacob, great men of the world, buried him. here. It was not necessary for Scripture to mention that they buried him in the cave of Machpelah since it mentioned that Isaac was in the city of Hebron, here. and where should they bury him if not near the gravesite of his father?
Or HaChaim
ויהיו ימי יצחק מאת שנה ושמונים שנה, Isaac lived to be one hundred and eighty years old. The reason that the Torah does not add אשר חי, "which he lived," as it did when reporting Abraham's death or Jacob's death or even Joseph's death, may have been that from the day of his birth until the time he was bound on the altar no wife had been assigned to Isaac; our sages in Kohelet Rabbah section 9 state that anyone who lives without a wife is not really considered as "living." On the other hand, our sages also say that as a result of the עקדה Isaac began to lose his eyesight (Bereshit Rabbah 65,10). A person who is deprived of his eyesight cannot be described as truly "alive." Alternatively: since he did not bring חיים with him on his way to the עקדה, the Torah did not see fit to mention the word חיים in his connection.
Tur HaArokh
ויהיו ימי יצחק, וגו', “Yitzchok lived to a total of 180 years.” Rashi reminds us that the Torah is not obligated to narrate in chronological order, seeing that the sale of Joseph had preceded the death of Yitzchok. Nachmanides explains that it was an accepted custom when relating someone’s biography, to complete that person’s biography, and only then to begin to describe details of the next generation and the characters that are important during that generation. Actually, the death of Yitzchok should have been reported still earlier, just as the Torah reported the death of Avraham or other generations before proceeding to inform us about the activities of Yitzchok. The reason why the Torah had delayed reporting Yitzchok’s death until now needs explanation. We have to justify the delay displayed by the Torah in reporting Yitzchok‘s death only now as reflecting the Torah’s intent to show us that he lived to a ripe old age, long enough for his son Esau to return to the parental home and take part in the funeral of his father. There was no need to tell us that Yitzchok was buried in the cave of Machpelah, seeing that he lived in Kiryat Arba, right next door to that cave.
And Isaac expired, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.
verse value 3071
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "old" (זָקֵ֖ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·kin" (אֶל־עַמָּ֔יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 157: and·was·gathered, to·his·kin, old. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·sons" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "and·Jacob" (root יעקב, 180x in Genesis); "and·full·of" (root שבע, 117x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'days', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְוַ֨ע [and·breathed·his·last] (95) + יִצְחָ֤ק [Isaac] (208) + וַיָּ֙מׇת֙ [and·died] (456) + וַיֵּאָ֣סֶף [and·was·gathered] (157) + אֶל־עַמָּ֔יו [to·his·kin] (157) + זָקֵ֖ן [old] (157) + וּשְׂבַ֣ע [and·full·of] (378) + יָמִ֑ים [days] (100) + וַיִּקְבְּר֣וּ [and·buried] (324) + אֹת֔וֹ [him] (407) + עֵשָׂ֥ו [Esau] (376) + וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב [and·Jacob] (188) + בָּנָֽיו [his·sons] (68) = 3071.
Onkelos
Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, aged and full of days; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Rashi
ויגוע יצחק AND ISAAC EXPIRED — There is no such thing as “earlier’’ or “later” (chronological order) in the narratives of the Torah (Pesachim 6b), and the sale of Joseph preceded Isaac’s death by twelve years. Thus: at Jacob’s birth Isaac was sixty years old — as it is said (25:26) “And Isaac was sixty years old [when he bore them]” (Esau and Jacob). Isaac died when Jacob was 120, for if you deduct 60 from 180 (Isaac’s age when he died), you have left 120. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold, and that year was the one hundred and eighth of Jacob’s life. How is this? Jacob was 63 when he received the blessing of his father; 14 years he hid himself in Eber’s School — making 77 — and 14 years “he served for his wives” (Rashi borrows a phrase from Hosea 12:13 “And Israel served for a wife”; but he means for both wives), and at the expiration of these 14 years Joseph was born as it is said (30:25) “and it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph” (that Jacob wished to return home and he would not have desired to do this if his fourteen years of service were not completed) making 91. Add to this the seventeen years of Joseph’s life before he was sold, and you have 108. This may also be derived more directly from Scripture thus: from the time when Joseph was sold until the time when Jacob came to Egypt was 22 years, for it is said (41:46) “And Joseph was 30 years old [when he stood before Pharaoh]” (and therefore he had been in Egypt 13 years, as he was 17 when he was sold) and the seven years of plenty and two of famine had elapsed before Jacob came to Egypt (cf. 45:6), making 22 years. And as it is written (47:9) that Jacob on his arrival in Egypt said to Pharaoh “The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years”, it follows that at the time when Joseph was sold Jacob was one hundred and eight years old.
Ibn Ezra
"And Isaac breathed his last" — when Isaac died and was gathered to his people, Esau and Jacob buried him, as they were born [i.e., in birth order]. Above (Genesis 25:9) it says "Isaac and Ishmael," because Ishmael was the son of the maidservant.
Chizkuni
ויקברו אותו עשו ויעקב בניו, “and his sons Esau and Yaakov buried him.” Esau is mentioned first seeing that biologically, he remained the firstborn. Yaakov also treated him with the honour due to a firstborn. When the Torah describes the burial of Avraham, in which both his sons also participated, Yitzchok is mentioned first although he was 14 junior to Yishmael, seeing Yishmael was the son of a slavewoman. (Compare Rash’bam).
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Chizkuni
Rabbeinu Bahya
Tur HaArokh