Vayeira 20:16 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 20:16

The Complete Passuk

וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הִנֵּ֨ה נָתַ֜תִּי אֶ֤לֶף כֶּ֙סֶף֙ לְאָחִ֔יךְ הִנֵּ֤ה הוּא־לָךְ֙ כְּס֣וּת עֵינַ֔יִם לְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתָּ֑ךְ וְאֵ֥ת כֹּ֖ל וְנֹכָֽחַת׃

And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you, and with all you are righted.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Kamma 93a.

TT lemma: כסות עינים.

Sefaria — Bava Kamma 93a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, לְעוֹלָם אַל תְּהֵא בִּרְכַת הֶדְיוֹט קַלָּה בְּעֵינֶיךָ, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֲבִימֶלֶךְ קִלֵּל אֶת שָׂרָה וְנִתְקַיֵּם בְּזַרְעָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הִנֵּה הוּא לָךְ כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם; אָמַר לָהּ, הוֹאִיל וְכִסִּית מִמֶּנִּי שֶׁהוּא אִישֵׁךְ וְגָרַמְתְּ לִי הַצַּעַר הַזֶּה, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָךְ בָּנִים כְּסוּיֵי עֵינַיִם; וְנִתְקַיֵּם בְּזַרְעָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּיִצְחָק וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת.

English: “A covering of the eyes.” Rabbi Yitzchak said: Never take a commoner’s blessing lightly, for Avimelech cursed Sarah and it was fulfilled in her offspring. As it is said, “Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes”—he said to her, “Since you covered from me that he is your husband and caused me this distress, may it be that you have children who are covered of eyes.” And it was fulfilled in her offspring, as it is said of Yitzchak, “And his eyes were dim so that he could not see.”

On the daf / in context: The phrase is read as a curse that later manifested in Yitzchak’s blindness; the episode warns against dismissing even an ordinary person’s words of blessing or curse.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. A polite formula is turned into an effective imprecation whose fulfillment is traced to a later narrative.

What Is Learned

Do not take lightly the blessing or curse of an ordinary person; Avimelech’s “covering of the eyes” was fulfilled in the dimming of Yitzchak’s eyes.