Receiving blessing while bound to the Giver

ויתן לך פירש"י יתן ויחזור ויתן.

"And may He give you" — Rashi explains: may He give, and give again.

On Yitzchak's blessing "vayitein lecha" (Bereishis 27:28), Rashi notes the unusual "vav" prefix and reads it as a promise of continual giving — Hashem should give, and then give yet again. The Sefas Emes will uncover the deeper meaning of this repeated giving.

כי לכאורה אין הפרש כ"כ בין ברכת יעקב לעשו שג"כ כ' משמני הארץ ומטל כו' ואיתא כי ההפרש בין יתן ליהי' ע"ש בזוה"ק.

For seemingly there is not so much difference between the blessing of Yaakov and that of Esav, for there too it is written "from the fat of the land and from the dew, etc." — and it is brought that the difference is between "may He give" and "it shall be"; see there in the Zohar.

Yaakov and Esav received nearly identical wording — both blessed with "the fat of the land" and "the dew." The Zohar locates the difference in a single word: Yaakov's blessing says "vayitein" ("may He give"), while Esav's says "yihyeh" ("it shall be"). The Sefas Emes will explain the significance of "He gives" versus "it shall be."

והפי' הפשוט כי בוודאי מה שבירך יצחק ליעקב בעניני עוה"ז הוא אחר השלימות.

And the simple explanation is that surely the blessing Yitzchak gave Yaakov in matters of this world is after completeness.

The plain meaning is that the material blessing given to Yaakov comes only after spiritual shleimus (completeness). For Yaakov, worldly abundance is not an end in itself but something granted once his avodah is whole.

כי אין יעקב מבקש עוה"ז קודם שמתקן עצמו כראוי בעבודת הש"י.

For Yaakov does not request this world before he has properly perfected himself in the service of Hashem.

Yaakov, the tzaddik, does not seek olam hazeh prematurely. He asks for nothing of this world until he has first set himself right through avodas Hashem — the spiritual work always precedes any material request.

כדאיתא וישב יעקב ביקש כו' ואמר הקב"ה לא דיין שמתוקן להם עוה"ב כו'.

As it is brought, "And Yaakov dwelled" — he sought [to dwell in tranquility], and the Holy One said: "Is it not enough for the tzaddikim that the World to Come is prepared for them, etc."

The Midrash on "Vayeishev Yaakov" relates that when Yaakov sought to settle in peace, Hashem responded that the tzaddikim should be satisfied with Olam Haba and not seek tranquility in this world too. This shows the proper order: a tzaddik's primary aim is the eternal world.

הרי שאין צדיק מבקש עוה"ז קודם שמתקן עצמו לעוה"ב.

This shows that a tzaddik does not request this world before he has perfected himself for the World to Come.

The lesson drawn is clear: the tzaddik orders his priorities so that he does not pursue olam hazeh until he has prepared himself for Olam Haba. The eternal comes first; the material follows only as a consequence.

וז"ש ראה ריח כו' ויתן כו' פי' אחר שיהי' לו שלימות הראוי ובירך אותו שיוכל לקבל גם עוה"ז שיהי' דבוק בכח הנותן.

And this is the meaning of "See, the fragrance, etc., and may He give, etc." — meaning, after he has the fitting completeness, he blessed him that he should be able to receive even this world while remaining attached to the power of the Giver.

Yitzchak's words "see, the fragrance... and may He give" follow this order: once Yaakov has attained the proper shleimus, the blessing enables him to receive even worldly bounty while staying bound in dveikus to the Giver — Hashem Himself — rather than to the gift.

וז"ש ויתן ולא יתן שיהי' לעולם אצל הנותן שיהי' דבוק בשורש השי"ת שממנו הברכה וז"ש ויחזור ויתן כי המקבל מתנת השי"ת כראוי מעלה נ"ר ליוצרו ועי"ז נותן לו יותר.

And this is the meaning of "vayitein" and not "yitein" — that he should always remain by the Giver, attached to the root, Hashem, from whom the blessing comes. And this is the meaning of "and give again," for one who receives Hashem's gift properly brings up nachas ruach (spiritual pleasure) to his Maker, and through this He gives him more.

The "vav" of "vayitein" indicates that Yaakov stays permanently connected to the Giver, cleaving to the root, Hashem, from whom all blessing flows. This explains Rashi's "give again": when a person receives Hashem's gift the right way — keeping it bound to its Source — he gives nachas ruach to his Creator, which causes Hashem to give him still more.

וזה פי' ויחזור ויתן שיבא בחזרה הקבלה אל השי"ת הנותן והבן:

And this is the meaning of "and give again" — that the receiving returns back to Hashem, the Giver; understand this.

The "second giving" is really a circle: the gift, received properly, flows back to Hashem as nachas ruach, which in turn opens the channel for renewed giving. The blessing and its return form an unbroken loop between the receiver and the Giver.

Summary: Yaakov's blessing "vayitein lecha" differs from Esav's because, as a tzaddik, Yaakov receives worldly bounty only after attaining spiritual completeness and always while cleaving to Hashem the Giver rather than to the gift itself; receiving Hashem's gift in this proper way gives nachas ruach to the Creator, which draws down still more blessing — so the gift and its return form a continual cycle of "give and give again."