[Avodah] RSRH's Comments on Bereshis 33:4-7

[Zev Sero]

T613K at aol.com wrote:

> Hirsch's source is Rashi 33:4 -- Rashi cites two opinions -- the second 
> of which is "shenichmaru rachamav be'osah sha'ah uneshako bechol libo."  
> And that is the obvious pshat.  Midrashim that twist the pshat into 
> pretzels tend not to be Hirsch's preferred midrashim.

Which pshat is obvious depends on how you view "Esav" in general.  The
dots over "vayishakehu" mean that there's something different about it,
that it should be read in an unusual way, almost as if it weren't there.
The first pshat in Rashi takes things simply: the dots are there because
the kiss wasn't really a kiss, it was an attempt to bite him on the neck,
but when he was miraculously prevented from doing so he covered it up as
a kiss.  RSBY says no, that can't be what the dots mean, that's not an
unusual reading, because that's only what one should expect from Esav.
Halacha hi beyadua she'esav sone leyaacov.  If he comes at your chin area
with his mouth, you should expect a bite, not a kiss.  So what do the dots
mean?  Something unusual - almost unheard of.  On this one occasion, Esav
actually felt something like brotherly love.  On this occasion he truly
kissed him.  And that's unusual enough that the Torah has to put dots over
the word, to prevent us from reading it as we normally would.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas