Texts and Contexts DRAFT
Vayishlach
Rabbi Eliezer Shemtov
In this week’s parashah, Vaiyshlach, we read about how Jacob, upon arriving at “[the city of] Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan… purchased a plot of land on which he set up his camp… for a hundred kesitah”[1].
Rashi cites the word kesitah and comments: “‘me’a’. Rabbi Akiva said: when I traveled to foreign cities, people would refer to me’a coins as kesitah.”
It is understandable that Rashi saw it necessary to explain the word kesitah because it is not a common word in the Bible. We must understand, however:
1. We find various opinions regarding the meaning of kesitah. Amongst them: 1) pearls; 2) sheep. Why does Rashi choose the interpretation that me'a is called kesitah because that is how the coin was referred to in distant cities?
2. The biblical term for the me’a coin is geirah, which is one-twentieth of the biblical currency shekel. If kesitah is synonymous with me’a, why doesn’t the Torah say “a hundred geirah” instead of “a hundred kesitah”? Furthermore, given that a hundred kesitah equals a hundred me’a, which equals a hundred geirah, which equals five shekels, why doesn’t the Torah simply say that Jacob acquired the field for the value of five shekels? Wouldn’t the use of “a hundred kesitah” instead of “five shekels” to describe the price imply that kesitah does not actually mean me’a (a coin) but instead some valuable item (a pearl/sheep), suggesting that the land was acquired through barter rather than through purchase?
3. Why was it necessary to mention how Rabbi Akiva learned this meaning, rather than simply saying (as Rashi often does): “kesitah means me’a, as explained in tractate Rosh Hashanah”?
4. Generally, Rashi does not cite the source of his commentary unless it adds understanding to the verse. Why was it necessary in this case to know that the source of “kesitah = me’a” is Rabbi Akiva?
The Explanation:
What compels us to say that kesitah means me’a is not Rabbi Akiva’s personal experience during his journey abroad, but certain details in the text itself.
The text tells us that Jacob bought a piece of land where he settled temporarily (for six months). His intention was not to stay there permanently, but to continue his journey until reaching his final destination, namely, his father Isaac’s house in Hebron. Logic suggests that, unlike his grandfather Abraham, who paid a high price (400 shekels) to acquire a plot to bury his wife Sarah, Jacob had no need to pay more than market value. The reason he wanted to buy the land where he stopped for only six months is inferred from the precision in the text: “the city of Shechem, located in the land of Canaan.” The implication here is that he did not buy the land with the intention to settle there permanently, but as a result of his appreciation for the land, his eagerness to acquire a parcel in the land of Canaan, the land promised to him by God, as soon as the opportunity arose.
This is why Rashi dismisses the interpretation of “pearls.” Four hundred pearls represent an enormous value, far more than the 400 shekels that Abraham paid to acquire a burial plot for his deceased wife, Sarah. Rashi therefore opts for the 100 me’a (=5 shekels) interpretation, a much more reasonable price.
According to this, then, the question arises: if the price Jacob paid was not out of the ordinary, why mention it at all? In the case of Abraham, who paid an exorbitant price, it makes sense to mention it, as the Torah wants to document that Abraham owed nobody anything. No one did him any favors in that transaction. But in this case, having paid market price, why is it important?
Logic indicates that “a hundred kesitah” is recorded because it somehow represents a detail in Jacob’s appreciation for the promised land. To explain this, Rashi tells us that kesitah refers to the me’a coin. How does paying a hundred me’a, coins of minimal value, express love for the Promised Land? To understand this, Rashi tells us that Rabbi Akiva reported that when he traveled to foreign cities, he heard people refer to me’a coins as “kesitah.” The term kesitah is related to the Hebrew word kishut, meaning adornment. These were coins that, in addition to their monetary value, had value as jewelry. It is for this reason that Jacob paid with 100 kesitah/me’a coins, rather than the more logical and practical sum of five shekels. By giving coins that, aside from their monetary value, also served as jewelry (at least in foreign cities), he expressed a special love for acquiring land in the Promised Land. For him, this was more than a mere real estate transaction.
One Step Further
An “sharp” student might ask: Ultimately, for Jacob, who was very wealthy, 100 kesitah/me’a was not a significant amount, even if these were coins used as jewelry in certain cities. His love for the land was expressed by the fact that he bought land as soon as he could; not by the price that he paid. Why, then, does the Torah mention the amount and the type of coin used in the transaction?
To answer this concern, Rashi mentions that it was Rabbi Akiva who explained the me’a/kesitah matter. A notable characteristic of Rabbi Akiva was that he customarily sought merits in the people of Israel. So much so that even when it came to something seemingly insignificant —100 simple coins— he sought and found special merit in the terminology (kesitah) , noting that these were coins used in some cities (even if distant ones) as jewelry.
The Mystical Dimension
One may ask:
Wouldn’t it have sufficed for Rashi to say that Rabbi Akiva stated that in distant cities, me’a coins are referred to as kesitah (jewelry)? Why is it relevant for Rashi to mention that Rabbi Akiva learned this detail when he, personally, traveled to those distant cities?
The Talmud [2] also relates another thing that Rabbi Akiva learned on his journey abroad: children were referred to as “pesi” [3]. Based on this, he interpreted a verse in the book of Psalms [4] “G-d guards those that are ‘pesi’” to mean that G-d reserves a place in the world to come for the children of the sinners of Israel. Rashi points out that on that same journey, due to his habit of always seeking merits for the Jewish people, Rabbi Akiva also found merit in the coin with which Jacob paid for the land, kesitah. Kesitah are simple coins, me’a, referred to as kesitah because of their use also as jewelry, expressing —however subtly— Jacob’s special affection for the Promised Land.
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Genesis 33:18-19.
Sanhedrin 110b
The biblical “pesi” or “peti”, is generally translated as “simple” or “foolish”. Rabbi Akiva discovered an additional usage, “children”, which allowed the verse to be interpreted in a novel, meritorious way.
Salmos, 116:6
Synopsis of Likutei Sichot, vol. 25, pages 177-185
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