Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 33:11/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ג:י״א
אקַח נָא אֶת בִּרְכָתִי הַמִּנְחָה וְכֵן עֲשׂוּ אִתִּי בְרָכָה (מלכים ב יח לא) הָשִׁיבוּ לִי מִנְחָה וְכֵן קַח נָא בְרָכָה מֵאֵת עַבְדֶּךָ (שם ה טו) וְיִקְרְאוּ הַמִּנְחָה שֶׁיִּשְׁלַח הָאָדָם לִרְצוֹנוֹ בְּרָכָה כִּי הוּא שׁוֹלֵחַ מֵאֲשֶׁר בֵּרֵךְ אוֹתוֹ הַשֵּׁם כְּעִנְיַן אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַכְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּתֶּן לוֹ (דברים טו יד) כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לְמַעְלָה (לב יד) מִן הַבָּא בְּיָדוֹ וְהַמִּנְחָה אֲשֶׁר הִתְנוּ בָּהּ לַמֶּלֶךְ בְּדָבָר יָדוּעַ תִּקָּרֵא מַס:
1TAKE, I PRAY THEE, MY BLESSING. I.e., the gift. Likewise, Make your blessing with me88 means “bring me a gift” or “make your peace with me.” So also, Take a blessing of thy servant89, 5:15. means “take a present from thy servant.” They called a gift which a man sends of his own free will “a blessing” because he sends it from that with which G-d had blessed him, just as the verse states, Wherewith the Eternal thy G-d hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him,90 and just as Scripture said above, And he took of that which he had with him.91 However, a specific gift of that which has been agreed upon as due the king is called mas (tribute).