58 —ביאור משמעות 'ישק' בבראשית לתלמידים

B"H, Tuesday, 2nd Adar Sheni, 5715.

Brooklyn.

To the esteemed and honored one, iy"a vavac"h engaged in the work of Hashem cho"n etc. Moreinu HaRav Yosef shiyichyeh

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from last week regarding your explanation to students of Bereishis (41:40) "al pikhah yishak," as meaning "to kiss," and supporting this with Bereishis Rabbah, Ibn Ezra, Baal HaTurim—your reasoning being that one should not confuse a beginner student with a new interpretation for a word that can be explained according to the student's initial understanding. Some object to this since Rashi explains "yishak" as "will provide for," from the root "mashkeh beiti." You did not clarify their reasoning, but it seems it is because Rashi interprets it differently.

It is clear to me that this is not a sufficient reason at all since it only concerns the plain meaning of the verse and is not a matter of halachah. Rashi himself expresses his perspective in his commentary. For example, on Bereishis (33:20): "And words of Torah are like a hammer shattering rock—they divide into many explanations." His grandson the Rashbam testifies about him in his commentary on Bereishis (37:2): "And our teacher Shlomo my mother's father... admitted to me that if he had time he would have made other commentaries according to the new simple meanings that arise each day." There is no need to elaborate on something so obvious. All this relates to whether one may choose Ibn Ezra's interpretation or similar when Rashi explains differently.

But regarding the plain meaning of the verse "al pikhah yishak kol ami," further analysis is needed. Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi, and Rashi interpret "yishak" as "will provide for." The Targum—as understood by Aruch under "nashak"—Ibn Ezra (who says the meaning of kissing is distant even though he brings Tehillim 2:12 about kissing kings; see also Bereishis Rabbah about a kiss of greatness), Rashbam and Radak's roots interpret it as from "nashak"—all these are leading commentators on scripture. As for interpreting it as 'kiss,' I have only found so far in Bereishis Rabbah and Zohar (I:196a), but both interpret allegorically or homiletically. Similarly, what Baal HaTurim writes is an allusion from Masorah that the word "yishak" appears twice in Tanach; this does not require their meanings be identical in both places.

An example from this section: later (43:34) with the word "mas'at," Baal HaTurim brings from Masorah that it appears twice—"vayisa mas'at," "mas'at shav umeduchim"—even though here it means portion or gift and in Eichah prophecy. The reason some objected above to explaining "yishak" as 'kiss' seems because then one must explain the verse two ways: (a) On your command—yishak—to me or Pharaoh—all my people; as stated by Matnos Kehunah on Bereishis Rabbah chapter 91; according to this, the verse lacks the word 'to me.' (b) On your command—to you—yishak all my people; but we do not find in scripture the expression 'al' except for 'vayishak lo,' and in Iyov (31:27) 'vatishaik yadi lefi,' although Chazal use such language in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 2:9 'venashku al rosho,' and Beraisa Berachos 8b 'noshkin al gabe hayad.'

Therefore, I think one should explain 'al pikhah yishak kol ami,' either from mashkeh as Rashi or at least from nashak—even though we do not find elsewhere without a nun. It should be explained to students that only a small remnant remains of our language in Tanach—as Rambam writes in his introduction to Sefer Hamitzvos: 'the language of prophetic books... has become limited for us.' Therefore many words and expressions appear only once. Certainly you know that starting with Rav Saadia Gaon they counted and dealt with unique words found only once in Tanach; see bibliography in Otzar Yisrael vol. II under unique words.

With blessings for immediate teshuvah and immediate redemption,
Rabbi Menachem Schneerson

We hope we will have a few more days here; then we will send you twenty [dollars] according to the address you provided.

Peshitta translates the verse: 'and by your mouth's word all judgment will be taken by all people.' Similarly, Septuagint and Vulgate translate as 'will listen.' Thus they render the intent rather than literal translation of the word—but even so this is closer to mashkeh or nashak than neshikah ('kiss'), since according to the latter it would mean honor rather than obedience.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that when explaining Torah verses with ambiguous words like “yishak,” educators should weigh classical commentaries but also consider clarity for students. Not every interpretation must follow Rashi if context supports another approach within pshat.