Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 27:33/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ז:ל״ג

אבְּטֶרֶם תָּבֹא וָאֲבָרֲכֵהוּ גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה אֵין דֶּרֶךְ הֶחָרֵד חֲרָדָה גְּדֹלָה עַד מְאֹד וְצוֹעֵק "מִי הוּא אֲשֶׁר רִמַּנִי לְבָרֵךְ אוֹתוֹ" שֶׁיַּשְׁלִים צַעֲקָתוֹ לֵאמֹר מִיָּד "גַּם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה", אֲבָל הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיְּקַלְּלֵהוּ. וְעוֹד כִּי הָיָה עֵשָׂו צוֹעֵק עָלָיו לֵאמֹר "וְלָמָּה תְּבָרְכֵהוּ עַתָּה אָבִי", וְאֵיךְ יַאֲמִין עֵשָׂו כִּי בְּמִרְמָה הָיָה מִתְּחִלָּה בִּרְאוֹתוֹ כִּי עַתָּה יְבָרֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בִּרְצוֹנוֹ. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי שֶׁהוּא לָשׁוֹן הוֹוֶה, יֹאמַר מִי אֵפוֹא הוּא הַצָּד צַיִד אֲשֶׁר הָיָה יָכוֹל לְרַמּוֹתִי שֶׁאֲבָרְכֵהוּ וְגַם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בָּרוּךְ עַל כָּל פָּנִים, כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי בָּרוּךְ הוּא. אוֹ טַעְמוֹ וְגַם בָּרוּךְ יִהְיֶה עַל כָּרְחִי, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִי לְהַעֲבִיר הַבְּרָכָה מִמֶּנּוּ, כִּי מֵאָז שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אוֹתוֹ יָדַע בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁחָלָה בִּרְכָתוֹ עָלָיו. וְזֶהוּ טַעַם הַחֲרָדָה הַגְּדוֹלָה אֲשֶׁר חָרַד, כִּי יָדַע שֶׁאִבֵּד בְּנוֹ הָאָהוּב לוֹ בִּרְכָתוֹ לְעוֹלָם. וְזֶה טַעַם "בָּא אָחִיךָ בְּמִרְמָה", כִּי אַחַר שֶׁאָמַר "מִי אֵפוֹא", נָתַן דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁהַבָּא אֵלָיו הָיָה יַעֲקֹב, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁתָּחוּל הַבְּרָכָה רַק בְּזַרְעוֹ:

1AND ISAAC TREMBLED VERY EXCEEDINGLY, AND SAID, WHO THEN IS HE THAT HATH TAKEN VENISON AND BROUGHT IT TO ME, AND I HAVE EATEN OF ALL BEFORE THOU COMEST AND HAVE BLESSED HIM? YEA, AND HE SHALL BE BLESSED. It is not natural for a person who just trembled violently and complained, “Who was it that subtly made me bless him?” to conclude his complaint by immediately saying, Yea, and he shall be blessed! Rather, it would have been proper that he curse him! Moreover, Esau would then complain to his father, saying, “But why do you bless him now, my father?” And how would Esau believe his father that it was originally done through subtlety²²⁹ when he saw that he was now blessing him willingly!The correct interpretation appears to me to be that it is in the present tense.²³⁰, generally understood as a future tense — and he shall be blessed — is here to be understood as a present tense, as explained below in the text. Isaac is saying, “Who then is he that hath hunted venison, who could have beguiled me so that I should bless him and that he should remain blessed under all circumstances for I knew that he is a blessed one?” Or it may be that the expression, Yea, and he shall be blessed, means “against my will, since it is impossible for me to transfer the blessing from him.” From the moment he blessed him, Isaac knew by Ruach Hakodesh²³¹ that his blessings indeed rested upon Jacob. This then is the reason for his violent trembling for he knew that his beloved son Esau had lost his blessing forever. This also is the explanation for his saying, Thy brother came with subtlety,²²⁹ meaning that after he said, Who then is he etc. he realized that Jacob had been the one who came before him to receive the blessing for it would have been impossible for the blessing to rest on any but his offspring, [and, as mentioned above, Isaac knew by Ruach Hakodesh that the blessing had taken effect. Hence he was sure that it was Jacob who had come before him.]