ד. וַיָּרָץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוָּארָיו כתיב צוארו וַֹיִֹשָֹׁקֵֹהֹוֹּ וַיִּבְכּוּ
4. And Esau ran toward him and embraced him, and he
fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
Rashi says there are dots on this word and there is a disagreement about this matter. Some explain the dots tell us that Esau did not kiss Yaakov full heartedly. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says it is a given law and it is known that Esau hates Jacob. But at this time his mercy was aroused and he kissed him with all his whole heart.
Why would Esav kiss Yaakov full heartedly if he hates him? Does Esav still hate Yaakov after 22 years of not seeing him? What is another opinion on why there are dots above the word וַֹיִֹשָֹׁקֵֹהֹוֹּ?
The Sforno says that at that moment Esav's heart changed because Yaakov had humbled himself by sending gifts instead of killing Esav, something which Esav deserved.
ReplyDeleteHe says that Achia (one of the neviim) did this when he cursed Bnei Yisroel by comparing them to a reed, because even if all the winds come and blow against the reed, it will not move it out of place. The rabbis taught that a person should always be soft like a reed, and humble themselves instead of acting violently. However in contrast, he uses the example that the Romans were the cause of the Beit Hamikdash being destroyed because instead of humbling themselves and being soft like a reed, they fought with the Jews. We learn from this that we have to be willing to humble ourselves even if we are in the right, in order to keep peace and tranquility among our people. Side point: the reference with the Romans is truly connected to Esav because in our tradition we have always said that Rome are decedents of Esav
We are taught by several sources (Avot deRebbe Natan, Rav Hayim David HaLevi, among others) that where dots appear in our Holy writings that it means we are meant to either erase the word from the text altogether, or to apply its opposite meaning.
ReplyDeleteFor example, perhaps the pasuk is meant to read only, "And Esav ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck; and they wept", with no mention of a kiss.
Or, maybe this brotherly kiss was really something else? It is explained by the Rabbis that Esav did not sincerely kiss his brother Ya'akov, rather he would have preferred to give him a נְשִׁיכָה - a bite - these two words have a similar sound. This was not a true reconciliation on Esav's part.
The root of the word "kiss", נִשֵּׁק, can also mean just to meet up with someone, or to get together casually (נָשַׁק). However, it can also mean "weapon", נֶשֶׁק, which is a word you'll be familiar with if you've ever entered an Israeli shopping mall, because the security guards with the metal detectors you have to pass through will search your bag and ask you if you have a neshek, a gun. It can also mean "to sting", like a scorpion.
Sibling rivalry is tough!
Rabbi S.R. HIrsch says here is when Esav is reconnecting to his natural traits of genuine humanity. This embrace is where true justice is happening, because the strong (Esav) puts away his sword and falls on the neck of the week (Yaakov).
ReplyDeleteChazal comments on the dots above the word וישקהו- they see the dots as signals telling us that there is a problem with the word underneath them.
ReplyDeleteRashi says that the dots "detract from the meaning of the word" making the kiss that Eisav gave to Yaakov halfhearted and not genuine. Or that the word has a hypothetical "strike through"/ that the word is supposed to be crossed out.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai sees the dots as an emphasis on the word- to emphasize Eisav's kiss (opposite of Rashi- the kiss was heartfelt).
We will probably never know the true meaning of the dots which is why many people interpret them in a way that doubts the sincerity of the kiss that Eisav gives to his brother.
Going back to the idea that the word was supposed to be crossed out-- in this pasuk the word וישקהו is in between the words hugging and crying, however, in other psukim, where it says hugged and cried, וישקהו is missing- this is the only place where it uses the word.
Midrash Rabbah explains that the dots on top imply that the kiss is not genuine love. Esav did not intend to kiss Yaakov, rather he was trying to bite him, but Yaakov's neck turned to marble and broke Esav's teeth.
ReplyDeleteRashi brings two interpretations of the kiss, one that the kiss was whole hearted and the other that it was not, the dots above the world come to diminish the word making the kiss appear insincere the other opinion is that because esua hated yaakov we would expect the kiss to be insincere but the dots indicate that it was sincere
ReplyDelete