3

Statement: In Breisheet Parashas Toldos, it says הָבִ֨יאָה לִּ֥י ... וַאֲבָרֶכְכָ֛ה לִפְנֵ֥י ה' לִפְנֵ֥י מוֹתִֽי: .

Question: Why is the word וַאֲבָרֶכְכָ֛ה spelled in such an unusual manner instead of the usual way as וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ (Breisheet 12:2)?

Thoughts: Another similar word of this unusual grammar style is the word: יָ֣דְכָ֔ה (Shemos, Bo 13:16) Usually it is spelled as יָדֶֽךָ , but here it also uses the extra letter ה at the end. Chazal learn from this unusual spelling to mean to put Tefillin on the weaker hand. Could this also be related to the fact that the blessings that Eisav was about to receive were related to earthly items? Between spiritual blessings and physical, the physical is the weaker of the two since spiritual blessings which last longer. We also see a Midrash that states that the physical world was created with the letter Hey (אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם). Even there, the letter is smaller as well. Just my personal thoughts.

5
  • ..........מי כמוכה
    – interested
    Commented Nov 22, 2020 at 9:45
  • Also Bamidbar 22:33 גַּם־אֹתְכָ֥ה הָרַ֖גְתִּי
    – Joel K
    Commented Nov 22, 2020 at 11:25
  • 1
    hebrewbooks.org/…
    – Joel K
    Commented Nov 22, 2020 at 13:54
  • Also in Ashrei וחסידך יברכוכה. I don't know if the answer could apply also there, where the bracha is given to Hashem.
    – Mordechai
    Commented Nov 22, 2020 at 20:50
  • @Mordechai There's a list of the 21 instances on the subsequent page of the book that JoelK linked. Commented Nov 24, 2020 at 7:24

1 Answer 1

6

The Midrash Lekach Tov by R' Tuviah ben Eliezer teaches exactly the idea you have mentioned regarding the additional letter ה:

הביאה לי ציד [וגו'] ואברככה – מלא על שם העולם הזה שנברא בה"א. לכך הוסיף לו ה' ואברככה. שיתברך בזה ולא לעתיד.‏

Bring me some game [...] that I may bless you – [It is written with the] plene orthography, because of this world which was created with the hei. Therefore, he added for him the hei, so that he would be blessed in this world and not in the future one.

The concept of the two letters belonging to the two created worlds is discussed in Menachot 29b.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .