Toldos 27:28 · unit 2

Parashas Toldos · Passuk 27:28

The Complete Passuk

וְיִֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים מִטַּל֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּמִשְׁמַנֵּ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ וְרֹ֥ב דָּגָ֖ן וְתִירֹֽשׁ׃

“May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, abundance of new grain and wine.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Yoma 76b.

TT lemma: ותירש.

Sefaria — Yoma 76b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אֶלָּא: יָלֵיף ״שֵׁכָר״ ״שֵׁכָר״ מִנָּזִיר, מָה לְהַלָּן — יַיִן, אַף כָּאן יַיִן. וְתִירוֹשׁ חַמְרָא הוּא? וְהָתַנְיָא: הַנּוֹדֵר מִן הַתִּירוֹשׁ — אָסוּר בְּכׇל מִינֵי מְתִיקָה וּמוּתָּר בְּיַיִן! וְלָאו חַמְרָא הוּא? וְהָכְתִיב: ״וְתִירוֹשׁ יְנוֹבֵב בְּתוּלוֹת״, דָּבָר הַבָּא מִן הַתִּירוֹשׁ — יְנוֹבֵב בְּתוּלוֹת. וְהָכְתִיב: ״וְתִירוֹשׁ יְקָבֶיךָ יִפְרוֹצוּ״! דָּבָר הַבָּא מִן הַתִּירוֹשׁ — יְקָבֶיךָ יִפְרוֹצוּ.

English: Rav Kahana posed a contradiction: It is written “tirash” but we read “tirosh.” If one merits, he becomes a head (rosh); if he does not merit, he becomes poor (rash).

On the daf / in context: The ketiv/keri of the word for wine is taken as a moral lesson about the dual potential of wine: wisdom or poverty, depending on how it is used.

Type of Learning

Custom (Bavli — dual potential of wine: rosh or rash)

What Is Learned

Wine can make a person a “head” (wise and clear) or a “pauper,” according to whether one uses it properly; the dual spelling of tirosh/tirash is the source.