Vayeitzei 28:20 · unit 2

Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 28:20

The Complete Passuk

וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים עִמָּדִ֗י וּשְׁמָרַ֙נִי֙ בַּדֶּ֤רֶךְ הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י הוֹלֵ֔ךְ וְנָֽתַן־לִ֥י לֶ֛חֶם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וּבֶ֥גֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ׃

And Yaakov vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will guard me on this way that I am going, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to sources on the conditional form of the neder.

TT lemma: אם יהיה אלהים עמדי.

Sefaria — Genesis 28:20

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמְרוּ: לֹא הִתְנָה יַעֲקֹב עַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא בִּקֵּשׁ שֶׁיִּתְקַיְּמוּ לוֹ הַהַבְטָחוֹת שֶׁכְּבָר נֶאֶמְרוּ לוֹ.

English: They said: Yaakov did not set a condition upon the Holy One, blessed be He; rather he asked that the promises already given to him be fulfilled.

On the daf / in context: The “if” of the neder is read as a request for the realization of the existing Divine promises rather than a bargain.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrashic) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The conditional language is softened into a plea for fulfillment of prior promises.

What Is Learned

Yaakov’s neder is not a commercial condition but a request that Hashem’s already-given promises be kept.