Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 29:32/אור החיים על בראשית כ״ט:ל״ב
אוַתַּהַר לֵאָה וְגוֹ׳ וַתַּהַר עוֹד וְגוֹ׳. רָאִיתִי לָתֵת לֵב בְּסֵדֶר הַשֵּׁמוֹת, כִּי מִן הָרָאוּי לְהַקְדִּים הֲסָרַת הַשִּׂנְאָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ סִבַּת הָאַהֲבָה, וְהִיא אָמְרָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן עַתָּה יֶאֱהָבַנִי וּבַשֵּׁנִי הֲסָרַת הַשִּׂנְאָה. עוֹד, מַה הִיא כַּוָּנָתָהּ בְּאָמְרָהּ (בראשית כט:לד) ״הַפַּעַם יִלָּוֶה״, וְכִי מִקּוֹדֶם לֹא נִתְלַוָּה לָהּ?
1ותהר לאה,…ותהר עוד. Leah gave birth,..she gave birth again. I have paid attention to the meaning of the names. Normally, a name which alludes to removal of hatred should have preceded a name alluding to love. Leah seems to have reversed this sequence by proclaiming: "now my husband will love me" after the birth of Reuben, whereas after the birth of Shimon she proclaimed: "G'd heard that I am hated, therefore He has given me this one too." Another strange thing is Leah's conviction when Levi was born that "now my husband will grow attached to me." Was he then not attached to her previously?
באָכֵן הַצַּדֶּקֶת עָלֶיהָ הַשָּׁלוֹם, לְצַד שֶׁקָּדַם לָהּ הַמַּאֲמָר שֶׁעָלָיו חָלְתָה בְּעֵינֶיהָ כִּי הִיא חֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, וַהֲגַם שֶׁרָאֲתָה שֶׁנִּשֵּׂאת לְיַעֲקֹב, אֵין דָּבָר זֶה מַצְדִּיק בְּלִבָּהּ כִּי הִיא בַּת זוּגוֹ. וְלָזֶה כְּשֶׁרָאֲתָה שֶׁנִּתַּן לָהּ בֵּן אָמְרָה וַדַּאי כִּי לְצַד רַחֲמֵי ה׳ עָלֶיהָ לְצַד שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה אֲהוּבָה, כִּי הַצַּדִּיקִים יְקַיְּמוּ מִצְוַת חֲכָמִים (אבות א:ו) לָדוּן לְכַף זְכוּת, וְלָזֶה הָיְתָה תָּמִיד דָּנָה לְכַף זְכוּת וְלֹא עָלָה עַל דַּעְתָּהּ כִּי הָיְתָה שְׂנוּאָה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בַּפָּסוּק (בראשית כט:לא) ״וַיַּרְא ה׳״ וְגוֹ׳, וְלֹא כֵן הָיְתָה דַּעְתָּהּ, וְזוֹ הִיא מִדַּת הַמְאֻשָּׁרִים. אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן כְּשֶׁנִּתַּן לָהּ בֵּן רִאשׁוֹן אָמְרָה כִּי זֶה בָּא לְהַשְׁלִים הֶחָסֵר שֶׁהִיא הָאַהֲבָה, וּכְשֶׁרָאֲתָה שֶׁהוֹסִיף ה׳ וְנָתַן לָהּ בֵּן שֵׁנִי, אָמְרָה לְמַפְרֵעַ טוֹעָה הָיִיתִי בְּמַה שֶׁחָשַׁבְתִּי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה לִי אֶלָּא מְחֻסַּר הָאַהֲבָה, וַהֲרֵי שָׁמַע ה׳, פֵּרוּשׁ מַה שֶׁלֹּא הֵבַנְתִּי אֲנִי כִּי שְׂנוּאָה אָנֹכִי, לָזֶה נָתַן שְׁנַיִם, אֶחָד לְהָסִיר הַשִּׂנְאָה וְאֶחָד לְהַכְנִיס הָאַהֲבָה, וְלָזֶה אָמְרָה (בראשית כט:לג) כִּי שָׁמַע ה׳ כִּי שְׂנוּאָה וְגוֹ׳. וּכְשֶׁנָּתַן לָהּ בֵּן שְׁלִישִׁי אָמְרָה מֵעַתָּה אֵין טַעַם בַּדָּבָר, אֶלָּא הֲרֵי זֶה בָּא לְלַמֵּד כִּי לֹא בְּדֶרֶךְ טָעוּת הָיוּ נִשּׂוּאֶיהָ כִּי אִם אִשְׁתּוֹ זֹאת, וְהוּא אָמְרָהּ הַפַּעַם יַצְדִּיק לְהִתְלַוּוֹת לָהּ בְּתוֹרַת אִישׁוּת, כִּי אִם צַד הֲסָרַת הַשִּׂנְאָה וּנְתִינַת הָאַהֲבָה מִשּׁוּם כְּלִמָּתִי עָשָׂה ה׳, הָיָה מַסְפִּיק בִּשְׁנֵי בָּנִים, וּמֵעַתָּה בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה הֲוֵי חֲזָקָה כִּי אֲנִי בַּת זוּגוֹ, וְנִשּׂוּאֶיהָ מֵה׳ יָצָא הַדָּבָר.
2Righteous Leah had shed tears about her fate to become Esau's wife; this is why the Torah mentioned the softness of her eyes. When she now saw that she had become Jacob's wife, she realised that he was not her true בן זוג. When she had a son she attributed this to an act of mercy by G'd who had seen that she was not beloved. The righteous always live according to the imperative of our sages (Avot 1,6) to always interpret everyone else's actions favourably. It therefore did not occur to her that her husband could actually hate her. People who think in that fashion are blessed. When Leah's first son was born she assumed that all she lacked was her husband's love. It was only when her second son was born that she realised retroactively that she had erred; not only had she not been loved but Jacob had actually hated her. When she said: "G'd has heard," she meant that G'd had been aware of something that she herself had not allowed herself to become aware of. When she had her third son she concluded that her previous reasoning that she was not Jacob's intended wife had been wrong too and that she was indeed Jacob's intended wife. She felt that the time had come when her husband would recognise this fact too and that his relationship with her would change for the better.
געוֹד נִתְכַּוְּנָה בְּאָמְרָהּ יִלָּוֶה אִישִׁי, כִּי גַּם בִּזְמַן יְצִיאָתָהּ מֵעוֹלָם הַזֶּה לֹא תִּפָּרֵד מִמֶּנּוּ, לִהְיוֹתָהּ בַּת זוּגוֹ, וּכְמַאֲמָרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (זהר משפטים קב.) כִּי הַזּוּגוֹת יִתְלַוּוּ בָּעוֹלָם הָעֶלְיוֹן בִּתְמִידוּת. וְאָמְרָה הַטַּעַם כִּי יָלַדְתִּי לוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה בָּנִים, וּבִשְׁלֹשָׁה הֲוֵי חֲזָקָה כִּי בַּת זוּגוֹ אֲנִי.
3Leah also thought of the time after she and Jacob would depart this world when she said ילוה אישי, "my husband will remain attached to me." She was now convinced that their souls would not become separated in the Hereafter as she was his true soul-mate. We have been told by the Zohar Mishpatim section 102 that truly matched pairs will remain together in the Hereafter. She underlined the fact that she had borne Jacob three sons as the number three is indicative of something permanent, enduring.
דעוֹד שֶׁצָּפְתָה בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁאַרְבַּע נָשִׁים יִהְיוּ לְיַעֲקֹב, וּכְפִי זֶה עוֹלִים לָהּ כְּפִי הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן שְׁלֹשָׁה, וּכְשֶׁנִּתַּן לָהּ בֵּן רְבִיעִי אָמְרָה (בראשית כט:לה) הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת ה׳, כִּי עַד עַתָּה הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה לָהּ מִשְׁפָּט הַצָּרִיךְ, אֲבָל הַפַּעַם הַזֹּאת אֵין זֶה אֶלָּא הַפְלָגַת טוֹבָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ וּבְרָכָה עַל רֹב טוֹבָה.
4She also foresaw in her prophetic mind that Jacob would have four wives. Accordingly, she had fulfilled her destiny by bearing him three sons. When she bore Jacob a fourth son subsequently, she said: "this time I will thank the Lord" because up to now G'd had treated her on the basis of justice, i.e. she had borne one fourth of Jacob's sons. Now that she had borne him four sons she thanked G'd who had done more for her than was required by justice.