The Brilliance of the Vilna Gaon

The Vilna Gaon was known for his exceptional brilliance. He often came up with novel ideas in his interpretation of the Torah.

One such example came from the discussion between Rivka and Yakov, when she convinced him to disguise himself as Eisav.

Rivka assures her son that, עלי קללתך בני, that if there is a curse, it’s on me. The word, עלי, means, “it’s on me.”

The Gaon went on to explain that the word, “עלי” was actually an abbreviation for the three men that would ultimately cause Yakov, a great deal of grief. This referred to עשו, Esau, לבן, Lavan, and יוסף, Joseph. (The grief refers to his brothers selling him, etc.)

Later in the Torah when Yosef demands that his brother, Binyamin, be brought to Egypt, Yakov says, עלי היו כלנה, “All of this is on me.”

In this case, Yakov is telling his sons that his mother promised him with the word, עלי, that he would only have grief from three individuals.

If you take Binyamin from me, I will have grief from a fourth person. This is not what my mother promised.

We see the brilliance of the Vilna Gaon in the manner that he connected these two words found in different places in the Torah. Absolute brilliance!