Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 32:27/אור החיים על בראשית ל״ב:כ״ז
אלֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ וְגוֹ׳. זֶה הוּא שֶׁאָמַר ״כִּי שָׂרִיתָ וְגוֹ׳ וַתּוּכָל״, כִּי מָשַׁל בּוֹ וְלֹא הָיָה הַמַּלְאָךְ יָכוֹל לַהֲלוֹךְ זוּלַת רְצוֹנוֹ. וְאָמְרוֹ כִּי אִם בֵּרַכְתָּנִי פֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁלֹּא יוּזַּק מִתְּקִיעַת יְרֵכוֹ. אוֹ לְצַד שֶׁהִכִּיר בּוֹ הֱיוֹתוֹ מַלְאָךְ הִשְׁתַּדֵּל שֶׁיְּבָרְכֵהוּ.
1 לא אשלחך, "I will not let you depart, etc." When the angel said to Jacob that he had struggled with a celestial being and had prevailed, he meant that he now could not depart without Jacob's permission. When Jacob said: "unless you bless me," he meant that he would assure him that the injury he caused to Jacob's hip-joint would not be permanent. It is also possible that the mere fact that Jacob now realised he had wrestled with an angel prompted him to ask for a blessing from that angel.