Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 29:26/אור החיים על בראשית כ״ט:כ״ו
אוַיֹּאמֶר לָבָן לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה כֵן וְגוֹ׳. צָרִיךְ לָדַעַת מַה מַעֲנֶה בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ ״לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה״ וְגוֹ׳, וַהֲלֹא תְּנַאי הָיָה הַדָּבָר ״אֶעֱבָדְךָ בְּרָחֵל״, וּמַה עִנְיַן הַמִּנְהָג לְכָאן בְּדָבָר שֶׁהָיָה תְּנַאי גָּמוּר?
1 ויאמר לבן לא יעשה כן במקומנו. Laban said: "This is not the way things are done in our place, etc." How could Laban expect now to get away with such an explanation when he and Jacob had entered into a specific agreement that Rachel was to be given to Jacob? Why would local customs override such an agreement?
באָכֵן נִתְכַּוֵּן לוֹמַר כִּי אַנְשֵׁי הַמָּקוֹם מִיחוּ בְּיָדוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה כֵן בִּמְקוֹמֵנוּ כִּי הִיא טַעֲנַת רַבִּים.
2Actually, Laban argued that the local inhabitants had protested what he had agreed to. Inasmuch as the inhabitants were the majority and he was only a single individual, he Laban, had to bow to their wishes. This is why he spoke about במקומנו, "in our place."
געוֹד נִרְאֶה כִּי טַעֲנָתוֹ הִיא כִּי לֹא הָיָה בְּפֵרוּשׁ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּנַאי שֶׁהֲגַם שֶׁלֹּא תִּנָּשֵׂא לֵאָה יִתֵּן לוֹ רָחֵל, וּבָזֶה אֵין סְתִירָה לַמִּנְהָג מֵהַתְּנַאי, כִּי לְעוֹלָם תַּקְדִּים לֵאָה לְהִנָּשֵׂא, וּבִמְלֹאת שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שֶׁיַּעֲבֹד יַעֲקֹב, אִם קָדְמָה לֵאָה וְנִשֵּׂאת – תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד יִקַּח רָחֵל, וְאִם לָאו יִהְיֶה יוֹשֵׁב וּמְצַפֶּה עַד שֶׁתַּקְדִּים הַבְּכִירָה כְּמִשְׁפְּטֵי הָאָרֶץ, כִּי אֵין בַּתְּנַאי דָּבָר מַגִּיד שֶׁהִתְנוּ לְבַטֵּל הַמִּנְהָג. וּמֵעַתָּה כְּשֶׁשָּׁאַלְתָּ ״הָבָה אֶת אִשְׁתִּי״, חָשַׁבְתִּי שֶׁעַל לֵאָה אַתָּה אוֹמֵר, כִּי הַמִּנְהָג מִנְהָג יָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁאֵין לָתֵת הַצְּעִירָה קֹדֶם, וּמִן הַסְּתָם עַל לֵאָה אָמַרְתָּ, וְאֵין בָּזֶה רַמָּאוּת, וּלְךָ הָיָה מוּטָל לָדַעַת כִּי הִיא לֵאָה מִבְּלִי צֹרֶךְ הוֹדָעָה, וּבָזֶה בִּטֵּל טַעֲנַת ״רִמִּיתָנִי״. וּלְצַד שֶׁתַּחְשׁוֹב כִּי יֵשׁ הֶפְרֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם, לֹא כֵן הוּא, כִּי שְׁקוּלִים הֵם אֶצְלִי וְלֹא אֶשְׁאַל בְּעַד רָחֵל כִּי אִם שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים. וְאִם לְצַד חֶשְׁקְךָ בְּרָחֵל וְתַקְפִּיד עַל הָעַכָּבָה, הִנֵּה הִיא נְתוּנָה לְךָ תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד אַחַר עֲבוֹר שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי מִשְׁתֶּה שֶׁל לֵאָה, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ מַלֵּא שְׁבוּעַ זֹאת, פֵּרוּשׁ שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי מִשְׁתֶּה, וְתֵכֶף אֶתֵּן לְךָ רָחֵל בַּמֻּקְדָּם בְּעַד עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁתַּעֲבֹד עוֹד שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים, וְזֶה הָיָה מְבֻקָּשׁוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו לֹא לְהַחְזִיר לֵאָה חָס וְשָׁלוֹם.
3He may also have argued that at the time he made the deal with Jacob there had not been a paragraph saying that he would receive Rachel as a wife without also marrying Leah. Their agreement therefore never violated the local custom that the elder daughter be married off first. It had been obvious that Jacob would first receive Leah. As soon as he had completed seven years of labour he would receive Rachel immediately after having married Leah. He, Laban, had taken it for granted that Jacob would first stay with him long enough to conform to the local custom and marry Leah. When Jacob had said: "give me my wife!" Laban had naturally understood that Jacob referred to Leah. After all, the local customs were no secret. Laban rejected the accusation that he had acted with subterfuge. Should Jacob be of the opinion that Laban differentiated between his two daughters, this was not so. He loved both equally and treated them both equally. To prove this, he would not ask a higher price for Rachel than he had been willing to accept for Leah. If Jacob was indeed so enamoured of Rachel that he could not wait another seven years, he would show his understanding by letting him have Rachel in another week, as soon as the wedding festivities in honour of Leah had been concluded, i.e. מלא שבוע זאת, when he had completed a week with this wife.
דוְיֵשׁ לָנוּ לָדַעַת אֵיךְ לֹא חָשׁ יַעֲקֹב מִקּוֹדֶם לְטַעֲנָה זוֹ שֶׁאֵין דֶּרֶךְ לָתֵת הַצְּעִירָה וְכוּ׳? יֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁחָשַׁב שֶׁעַל לָבָן לְגַלּוֹת לוֹ הַדָּבָר, וְזוּלַת זֶה אֵין דָּבָר זֶה מֵהַהַקְפָּדָה הַמְעַכֶּבֶת כְּשֶׁיִּרְצֶה הָאָב לָתֵת הַצְּעִירָה. וּכְשֶׁשָּׁאַל ״הָבָה אֶת אִשְׁתִּי״ מִן הַסְּתָם עַל רָחֵל הוּא אוֹמֵר, וְהָיָה לוֹ לְלָבָן לוֹמַר אֵלָיו כִּי לֹא יָכוֹל לָתֵת לוֹ רָחֵל קוֹדֶם שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לֵאָה, וְהָיָה הַדָּבָר תָּלוּי בְּיַד יַעֲקֹב: אוֹ לְהַמְתִּין עַד שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לֵאָה אוֹ לָקַחַת לֵאָה. וְאֵין זֶה אֶלָּא מִן הַשֵּׁם ״לָבָן הָאֲרַמִּי״, וְכָל טַעֲנוֹתָיו שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי יֵשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם סְתִירָה וּשְׁמוֹ יַגִּיד עָלָיו.
4In view of Laban's argument we need to understand why the extremely careful Jacob had not even considered the local customs in this matter. Jacob considered that it was Laban's duty to tell him about such customs. If Laban failed to do so it was proof he did not care about the local customs. Therefore, when he asked Laban to hand over his wife he had naturally referred to Rachel. It had been up to Laban to tell him at least at that moment that he could not hand over Rachel as long as Leah was not married, and that it was up to Jacob either to wait till Leah was married or to marry her himself. By failing to do so, Jacob maintained that Laban had lived up to his reputation as a swindler.