AND HE HIMSELF PASSED OVER BEFORE THEM, AND BOWED HIMSELF TO THE GROUND SEVEN TIMES, UNTIL HE CAME NEAR TO HIS BROTHER. Said R. Eleazar: It is written, “For thou shalt bow down to no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34, 14). Now, Jacob was the consummation of the patriarchs, who was selected as the choicest portion of the Almighty, and was brought specially near to Him and was perfected above and below. How came it, then, that such a man should bow down to the wicked Esau, who was of the side of another god, so that bowing down to him was the same as bowing down to another god? The proverb, it is true, says, “When a fox is in honour, bow down to him.” This, however, could not apply to Esau, who was like another god, belonging to that side and that portion to whom Jacob would in no way bow down.
A similar difficulty arises with the verse: “And thus ye shall say: All hail! (lehay, lit. to the living one) and peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast” (I Sam. 25, 6). Now, inasmuch as, according to our teaching, it is forbidden to give the first greeting to a wicked man, how could David have sent such a message to Nabal? There, however, the explanation is that David in reality addressed his words to God, as is implied in the expression lehay (to the Living One), although Nabal misunderstood them as addressed to himself.
Similarly, when we read: “And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head” (Gen. 47, 31), we are not to suppose that he bowed down in worship to his son, but that his obeisance was directed towards the spot where the Shekinah rested. So in this passage, the words: “and he himself passed over before them” refer to the celestial Shekinah who went before Jacob in order to afford him the promised protection from on high. When Jacob became aware of this he thought it incumbent on him to make obeisance towards the Holy One, blessed be He, who was going, as it were, in front of him,
and so “he bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother”. Mark that it is not written, “and he bowed down to Esau”, but simply “he bowed down”, implying that he did so because he saw the Holy One, blessed be He, going before him, not that he made obeisance by way of worship to anyone else. Everything was thus in order. Happy are the righteous all of whose actions are for the glory of their Master, and with the object that they themselves should turn neither to the right nor to the left.’
וְהוּא עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים עַד גִּשְׁתּוֹ עַד אָחִיו. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (שמות לה) כִּי לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל אַחֵר כִּי יְיָ קַנָּא שְׁמוֹ. וְכִי יַעֲקֹב דְּאִיהוּ שְׁלֵימָא דְּאֲבָהָן דְּאִתְבְּרִיר חוּלָקָא שְׁלֵימָתָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְאִיהוּ אִתְקְרִיב לְגַבֵּיהּ יַתִּיר, (ס"א ואשתלים לעילא ולתתא) הֵיךְ סָגִיד לֵיהּ לְהַהוּא רָשָׁע דְּעֵשָׂו דְּאִיהוּ בְּסִטְרָא דְאֵל אַחֵר, וּמַאן דְּסָגִיד לֵיהּ סָגִיד לְאֵל אַחֵר. אִי תֵימָא בְּגִין דְּאָמְרוּ תַּעְלָא בְּעִדָנֵיהּ סָגִיד לֵיהּ, לָאו הָכִי. דְּהָא עֵשָׂו כְּאֵל אַחֵר הֲוָה, וְיַעֲקֹב לא יִסְגוֹד לְהַהוּא סִטְרָא וּלְהַהוּא חוּלָקָא כְּלַל.
AND HE HIMSELF PASSED OVER BEFORE THEM, AND BOWED HIMSELF TO THE GROUND SEVEN TIMES, UNTIL HE CAME NEAR TO HIS BROTHER. Said R. Eleazar: It is written, “For thou shalt bow down to no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34, 14). Now, Jacob was the consummation of the patriarchs, who was selected as the choicest portion of the Almighty, and was brought specially near to Him and was perfected above and below. How came it, then, that such a man should bow down to the wicked Esau, who was of the side of another god, so that bowing down to him was the same as bowing down to another god? The proverb, it is true, says, “When a fox is in honour, bow down to him.” This, however, could not apply to Esau, who was like another god, belonging to that side and that portion to whom Jacob would in no way bow down.
(פתח רבי אבא ואמר) אֶלָא כְּתִיב, (שמואל א כ״ה:ו׳) וַאֲמַרְתֶּם כֹּה לֶחָי וְאַתָּה שָׁלוֹם וּבֵיתְךָ שָׁלוֹם וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לְךָ שָׁלוֹם. וְהָא אִתְּמָר דְּאָסִיר (ד"א ל"ג ליה) לְאַקְדוּמֵי לְהוּ שְׁלָם לְרַשִּׁיעַיָא, וְכֵיוָן דְּאָסִיר הֵיכִי אַשְׁכַּחְנָא דְּדָוִד אָמַר הַאי קְרָא לְנָבָל, אֶלָּא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ (שמות כג ב) דִּלְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָאֲמַר, בְּגִין לְקָשְׁרָא לֵיהּ לְחַי. וְחָשִׁיב נָבָל דְּעֲלֵיהּ קָאֲמַר.
A similar difficulty arises with the verse: “And thus ye shall say: All hail! (lehay, lit. to the living one) and peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast” (I Sam. 25, 6). Now, inasmuch as, according to our teaching, it is forbidden to give the first greeting to a wicked man, how could David have sent such a message to Nabal? There, however, the explanation is that David in reality addressed his words to God, as is implied in the expression lehay (to the Living One), although Nabal misunderstood them as addressed to himself.
כְּגַוְונָא דָא (בראשית יב) וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל רֹאשׁ הַמִּטָּה, וְכִי לְגַבֵּי דִבְרֵיהּ סְגִיד. אֶלָּא לְאַתְרֵיהּ דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא קָא כָּרַע וְסָגִיד, אוּף הָכָא, וְהוּא עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם. מַאי וְהוּא, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה דְּהֲוָה אָזְלָא קַמֵּיהּ (כרע), וְדָא הוּא נְטִירוּ עִלָּאָה. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא יַעֲקֹב, אָמַר, הָא עִידָן לְסָגְדָא לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּהֲוָה אָזִיל קַמֵּיהּ.
Similarly, when we read: “And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head” (Gen. 47, 31), we are not to suppose that he bowed down in worship to his son, but that his obeisance was directed towards the spot where the Shekinah rested. So in this passage, the words: “and he himself passed over before them” refer to the celestial Shekinah who went before Jacob in order to afford him the promised protection from on high. When Jacob became aware of this he thought it incumbent on him to make obeisance towards the Holy One, blessed be He, who was going, as it were, in front of him,
כָּרַע וְסָגִיד שְׁבַע זִמְנִין עַד גִּשְׁתּוֹ עַד אָחִיו, וְלָא כְּתִיב וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְעֵשָׂו. אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָזַל קַמֵּיהּ, כְּדֵין סָגִיד לְקֳבְלֵיהּ. בְּגִין דְּלָא לְמֵיהַב יְקָר לְמִסְגַד לְאָחֳרָא בַּר מִנִּיהּ, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. זַכָּאִין אִינוּן צַדִּיקַיָיא דְּכָל עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דְּקָא עָבְדֵי בְּגִין יְקָרָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן אִיהוּ, וּבְגִין דְּלָא יִסְטוּן לִימִינָא וְלִשְׂמָאלָא:
and so “he bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother”. Mark that it is not written, “and he bowed down to Esau”, but simply “he bowed down”, implying that he did so because he saw the Holy One, blessed be He, going before him, not that he made obeisance by way of worship to anyone else. Everything was thus in order. Happy are the righteous all of whose actions are for the glory of their Master, and with the object that they themselves should turn neither to the right nor to the left.’