(א) לך לך. להנאתך ולטובתך, ושם אעשך לגוי גדול, וכאן אי אתה זוכה לבנים ועוד שאודיע טבעך בעולם:
(1) "Go, yourself" - For your benefit, and for your own good, and there I will make you into a great nation. Here you will not merit children. And what's more, I will let the world know all about you.
(ג) והיה ברכה. הברכות נתנות בידך, עד עכשיו היו בידי, ברכתי את אדם ואת נח ואותך, ומעכשיו אתה תברך את אשר תחפוץ דבר אחר ואעשך לגוי גדול זהו שאומרים אלהי אברהם, ואברכך זהו שאומרים אלהי יצחק, ואגדלה שמך זהו שאומרים אלהי יעקב. יכול יהיו חותמין בכלן, תלמוד לומר והיה ברכה, בך חותמין ולא בהם:
(3) "and you will be a blessing". The [rights to give] blessings are given into your hand. Until now, [the rights to give blessings] were in my hands. I blessed Adam, Noah, and You. From now on, you will bless whoever you want. Another understanding [of the idea behind "and you will be a blessing"]: "and I will make you into a great nation" [refers] to that which is said [in the Shmoneh Esreh prayer] "the God of Abraham". "and I will bless you" [refers] to that which is said [in the Shmoneh Esreh prayer] "the God of Isaac". "and I will make your name great" [refers] to that which is said [in the Shmoneh Esreh prayer] "the God of Jacob". [You might think that the first paragraph of the Shmoneh Esreh] should be concluded [with a blessing formulated to include mention of] all [of the forefathers], [but really the Torah] says "and YOU will be a blessing", [meaning] [the nation of Israel] will conclude [first paragraph of the Shmoneh Esreh] with you, but not with them (i.e. the other forefathers).
(א) ונברכו בך כל משפחת האדמה. יש אגדות רבות, וזהו פשוטו אדם אומר לבנו תהא כאברהם, וכן כל ונברכו בך שבמקרא, וזה מוכיח (בראשית מח כ) בך יברך ישראל לאמר ישימך אלהים כאפרים וכמנשה:
(1) "And be blessed through you" - there are many Legends and Traditions on this idea and this is their essence: A man will say to his son 'Be like Avraham'. And this is the meaning of all expressions of 'be blessed through you' in Scripture. And the proof is (Genesis 48) 'Through you shall Israel be blessed, May God make you like Ephraim and Menasheh'.
(א) הלוך ונסוע. לפרקים, יושב כאן חדש או יותר ונוסע משם ונוטה אהלו במקום אחר, וכל מסעיו הנגבה ללכת לדרומה של ארץ ישראל והוא לצד ירושלים שהיא בחלקו של יהודה, שנטלו בדרומה של ארץ ישראל הר המוריה שהיא נחלתו:
(1) Continually traveling: lit. going and traveling. [He traveled] in intervals, staying here for a month or more, traveling from there, and pitching his tent elsewhere. And all his travels were southward, to go to the south of the Land of Israel, and that is to the direction of Jerusalem, which is in the territory of Judah, who took [his portion] in the south of the Land of Israel, to Mount Moriah, which was his [Judah’s] heritage. (Gen. Rabbah 39:16).