Avimelech's Plea: Repay Us with Good
Bereishis 26:29
אִם־תַּעֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ רָעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ וְכַאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂינוּ עִמְּךָ רַק־טוֹב וַנְּשַׁלֵּחֲךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם אַתָּה עַתָּה בְּרוּךְ יְהוָה
That you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you, and just as we have done you only good and sent you away in peace. You are now blessed of Hashem.
13“If you do us harm, as we have not touched you …”1 The Baal HaTurim writes that Avimelech had wanted to harm Yitzchak, but Hashem, blessed be He, turned it to good, for Hashem turns every evil to good.2 It seems that this is what Avimelech meant by “if you do us harm”: if you set out to harm us, it will surely be turned to good. And here is his proof: “as we have not touched you.” We meant to harm you, but Hashem turned it to good, so that “we have done you only good.” Since it is His way to do good, any harm you mean to do us will also be turned to good. So do us good yourself, since in the end it will be good anyway. Understand this.
אִם תַּעֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ רָעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ וְגוֹ' (בראשית כו, כט). נִרְאֶה, כִּי יָדוּעַ מַה שֶׁכָּתַב בַּעַל הַטּוּרִים דַּאֲבִימֶלֶךְ רָצָה לַעֲשׂוֹת רָעָה לְיִצְחָק, אֶפֶס שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ הֶפְכּוֹ לְטוֹבָה דְּהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ מְהַפֵּךְ כָּל הָרָעוֹת לְטוֹבָה עַיֵּין שָׁם. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אִם תַּעֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ רָעָה, שֶׁאִם תִּרְצֶה לְהָרַע לָנוּ וַדַּאי יִתְהַפֵּךְ לְטוֹבָה. וְהָא רְאָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ, שֶׁאָנוּ הָיוּ חוֹשְׁבִים לְהָרַע לְךָ וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ הֶפְכּוֹ לְטוֹבָה וְעָשִׂינוּ עִמְּךָ רַק טוֹב. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁמִּידָּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְהֵטִיב כֵּן אִם אַתָּה תִּרְצֶה לְהָרַע לָנוּ יִתְהַפֵּךְ גַּם כֵּן לְטוֹבָה, לָכֵן עֲשֵׂה אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ טוֹבָה כֵּיוָן שֶׁסּוֹף סוֹף יִהְיֶה טוֹבָה וְהָבֵן:
- In the verse, which is part of an oath, these words mean “that you will do us no harm.” The Berditchever's first explanation reads them as “if you do us harm.” ↩
- Baal HaTurim on Bereishis 26:29. He compares “blessed of Hashem” here with “Come, blessed of Hashem” (Bereishis 24:31): just as Lavan and Besuel meant to kill Eliezer, so Avimelech meant to kill Yitzchak, and “as we have not touched you” means “we did not do you the harm we had in mind.” ↩
In shortAvimelech argues that Hashem turned his plan to harm Yitzchak into good, so any harm Yitzchak plans against him would turn to good too; better, then, to do him good now.
14aOr it may be explained this way: “If you do us harm, as we have not touched you … you are now blessed of Hashem.” Avimelech's claim, it seems, was that Yitzchak should do him good, just as he had done Yitzchak good and never touched him to harm him. At first glance, though, Yitzchak owed him nothing for that good. Hashem, blessed be He, was with Yitzchak, so Avimelech was afraid to harm him and bring harm on himself; for we find that whoever touched the Avos to harm them, “the hand of Hashem was against them,” to confound and destroy them.3 Yet the good Avimelech did still gave Yitzchak satisfaction. Had Avimelech harmed him, Avimelech and his people would have had to be destroyed, and tzaddikim do not want anything destroyed, for they carry something of their Maker's mind. And those who do good to tzaddikim bring good upon themselves as well, and tzaddikim are glad for blessings always to come through them.
אוֹ יְבוֹאַר, אִם תַּעֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ רָעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ כּוּ' אַתָּה עַתָּה בְּרוּךְ ה'. נִרְאֶה דְּטַעֲנוֹת אֲבִימֶלֶךְ הָיָה דְּיִצְחָק יַעֲשֶׂה עִמּוֹ טוֹבוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא גָּמַל אִתּוֹ טוֹבוֹת וְלֹא נָגַע בּוֹ לְרָעָה. וְלִכְאוֹרָה אֵין יִצְחָק מְחוּיָּב לִגְמוֹל לוֹ טוֹבָה עַל גְּמוּלוֹ אוֹתוֹ טוֹבָה כֵּיוָן שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ הָיָה עִם יִצְחָק הָיָה אֲבִימֶלֶךְ יָרֵא לִיגַע בּוֹ לְרָעָה שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא גּוֹמֵל לְנַפְשׁוֹ רָעָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּאָבוֹת שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁנָּגַע בָּהֶם לְרָעָה יַד ה' הָיְתָה בָּם לְהוּמָּם וּלְאַבְּדָם, אַךְ אַף עַל פִּי כֵן נִמְשַׁךְ מֵהַטּוֹבוֹת שֶׁגְּמָלוֹ אֲבִימֶלֶךְ נַחַת רוּחַ לְיִצְחָק שֶׁאִם הָיָה נוֹגֵעַ בּוֹ לְרָעָה הָיָה הַהֶכְרֵחַ לְהַשְׁחִיתָם וְהַצַּדִּיקִים אֵינָם חֲפֵצִים בְּהַשְׁחָתַת שׁוּם דָּבָר, כִּי מִדַּעַת קוֹנָם יֵשׁ בָּהֶם וְכָל מִי שֶׁגּוֹמֵל לַצַּדִּיקִים טוֹבוֹת גּוֹרְמִים שֶׁיָּבֹא עֲלֵיהֶם גַּם כֵּן טוֹבוֹת וּבָזֶה דַּעַת צַדִּיקִים נוֹחָה שֶׁיָּבוֹאוּ בְּרָכוֹת עַל יְדֵיהֶם לְעוֹלָם.
- The wording echoes Devarim 2:15. ↩
In shortYitzchak owed Avimelech nothing for good done out of fear, yet it still pleased him, for tzaddikim want nothing destroyed and are glad for blessing always to come through them.
14bThat is what Avimelech was saying: just as “we have not touched you” and “have done you only good,” so “you now” should repay us with good, and not with harm. And so that you will not say we were forced to do you good, afraid of being burned by your coals,4 he ends with “blessed of Hashem.” He means: even so, the good we did you, and not harm, gives you satisfaction, for you are called “blessed of Hashem.” You always receive only blessings from Hashem, blessed be He, and never receive anything bad from Above, like a punishment falling on someone because of you; that is the way of tzaddikim. And for this very reason it is fitting for you to do us good.
וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אִם תַּעֲשֵׂה וְכוּ', כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ וְכַאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂינוּ עִמְּךָ רַק טוֹב וְכוּ', אַתָּה עַתָּה, פֵּירוּשׁ גַּם אַתָּה גּוֹמֵל אוֹתָנוּ טוֹב וְלֹא רָעָה שֶׁלֹּא תֹּאמַר כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ הָיוּ מוּכְרָחִים לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמְּךָ טוֹב, דְּהַיְינוּ מִתְיָרְאִים שֶׁלֹּא לְכַוּוֹת בְּגַחַלְתֶּךָ, לָזֶה גּוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ ה', פֵּירוּשׁ אַף עַל פִּי כֵן יֵשׁ לְךָ נַחַת רוּחַ מֵהַטּוֹב שֶׁגָּמַלְנוּ לְךָ וְלֹא רָעָה שֶׁאַתָּה נִקְרָא בָּרוּךְ ה' שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל רַק בְּרָכוֹת מֵהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְעוֹלָם וְאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל שׁוּם רָעָה מִלְמַעְלָה לְהַעֲנִישׁ שׁוּם אָדָם בְּסִיבָּתוֹ, כִּי כֵן דַּרְכֵיהֶם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים וּמֵחֲמַת זֶה גּוּפָא מֵהָרָאוּי לְהֵטִיב עִמָּנוּ:
- The phrase echoes Avos 2:10: “Be careful with their coals, so that you are not burned.” ↩
In shortCalling Yitzchak “blessed of Hashem,” Avimelech answers the charge of fear: a tzaddik wants only blessing, never punishment, to come through him, so Yitzchak should repay good with good.
Takeaway
A kindness done to us out of fear is still a kindness. Like Yitzchak, we can be glad of it and repay it with good, wanting only blessing, never harm, to come to anyone through us. And when someone means us harm, we can remember that it is Hashem's way to turn even that to good.
Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. His yahrzeit and life ›
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