We know that Ya?akov was sixty-three when he received his father?s blessing, that he spent fourteen years working for Lavan, until Yosef was born, and that Yosef was thirty when he stood before Par?oh - plus seven years of plenty and two years of famine - a total of a hundred and sixteen years. How could Ya?akov claim to have been a hundred and thirty?
Megilah, 16a: This teacces us that he spent fourteen years in the Yeshivah of Eiver (when he left his father?s house before going to Charan) - for which he was not punished. 1
See Torah Temimah, note 6.
What prompted Yaakov to complain to Pharaoh about his Tzaros?
Ramban, Hadar Zekenim: In answer to Pharaoh's question, he was merely explaining to him why he looked so old. 1
Moshav Zekenim: He explained why he aged quickly, and did not live as long as his fathers. 2
His advanced age plus the Tzaros that he had suffered made him look even older than he really was. Nevertheless, Hashem reprimanded him for complaining - bearing in mind that He saved him from all his troubles. Consequently, he would lose 33 years of his life (his father Yitzchak lived until 180, and Yaakov until 147), corresponding to the 33 words of complaint (Da'as Zekenim).
I.e., therefore I expect to live many more years. (PF)
What was the gist of Yaakov's complaint?
Rashi and Seforno: He complained 1. that he had constantly sojourned in foreign lands that were not his, and 2. that all his years he had suffered Tzaros - he had not enjoyed the trouble-free life 1 that his fathers had. 2
Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: He complained that, wherever he lived, he was always a stranger (never in his own land), and that consequently, despite his appearance, he looked older than he really was, and had not yet reached the age of his fathers. 3
What message was he conveying with the final words of his speech?
Ramban: He was telling Pharaoh not to be surprised at his advanced age, since his fathers had lived even longer than him, 1 and, as he said earlier, he only looked considerably older because of his ongoing suffering.
According to Rashi, he was saying that they lived better lives than him.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "Megurai - 'Geirusi' (my being a stranger)." How else might I have translated this term?
Gur Aryeh: I might have translated "Megurai" as 'Dirasi' (my dwelling, i.e. in a building; as in Tehilim 15:1). [Rather, Yaakov was telling Pharaoh that he had lived in foreign lands all his life.]
