Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 30:32/אור החיים על בראשית ל׳:ל״ב
אהָסֵר מִשָּׁם וְגוֹ׳. מִדְּבָרָיו מוּכָח כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה לְחֶלְקוֹ אֶלָּא נְקֻדִּים וּטְלוּאִים בַּכְּשָׂבִים וּבָעִזִּים וְחוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים, אֲבָל עֲקֻדִּים אֵינָם לְחֶלְקוֹ, וּמִמַּה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב בְּסָמוּךְ מַשְׁמַע שֶׁלָּקַח גַּם הָעֲקֻדִּים:
1 הסר משם, "Remove from there, etc." It is evident from Laban's words that Jacob would own only the speckled and spotted sheep and goats as well as the brown ones amongst the sheep; the ankle-striped ones would not be part of his share. From the following verse it appears, however, that Laban also took the ankle-striped ones for himself. Why did he do this?
בוְנִרְאֶה כִּי יַעֲקֹב בִּתְנָאוֹ לֹא רָצָה שֶׁיִּטּוֹל בְּחֶלְקוֹ עֲקֻדִּים. וְטַעֲמוֹ הוּא כִּי אִם יִקַּח גַּם הָעֲקֻדִּים יִצְטָרֵךְ לַהֲסִירוֹ גַּם כֵּן מִצֹּאן לָבָן, וּמֵעַתָּה אֵין סִימַן הַלֹּבֶן בְּכָל הַצֹּאן לְיַחְמֵנָּה הַצֹּאן אֵלָיו וַהֲרֵי הוּא יָגֵעַ לָרִיק, כִּי לֹא עָלָה עַל דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב לְרַמּוֹת לָבָן בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן בָּעוֹלָם, וְחָשַׁב שֶׁבְּאֶמְצָעוּת הֶעָקוֹד יִמָּצֵא שֶׁיֶּחֱמוּ הַצֹּאן לָלֶדֶת גַּם כֵּן הַנָּקוֹד וְהַטָּלוּא שֶׁהוּא לוֹקֵחַ לְעַצְמוֹ. וּכְמוֹ כֵן תִּמְצָא שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (בראשית ל:מ) ״וַיִּתֵּן פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן אֶל עָקוֹד״ וְהָיוּ יוֹלְדוֹת נְקֻדִּים וּטְלוּאִים וְהַחוּם שֶׁיֶּחֱמוּ אֶל הַנִּמּוּר, וְהָרַמַּאי לָבָן נִתְחַכֵּם לְדַעַת זוֹ וְנָטַל הַכֹּל עָקוֹד נָקוֹד וְטָלוּא, עוֹד נִתְחַכֵּם וְהֵסִיר כָּל אֲשֶׁר לָבָן בּוֹ, תִּפַּחְנָה עַצְמוֹתָיו כִּי לֹא כֵן הָיָה הַתְּנַאי, שֶׁאִם כֵּן מִנַּיִן יֵצְאוּ עָקוֹד אוֹ נָקוֹד אוֹ טָלוּא, וּמֵעַתָּה פָּקַע שְׂכָרוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב. מִטַּעַם זֶה נִתְחַכֵּם יַעֲקֹב לָקַחַת שְׂכַר טָרְחוֹ וַיַּצֵּג הַמַּקְלוֹת וְלָקַח לְעַצְמוֹ גַּם הָעֲקֻדִּים, כִּי מִמַּה שֶׁהֱסִירָם לָבָן גִּלָּה דַעְתּוֹ כִּי בְּאֵלֶּה חֵלֶק יַעֲקֹב, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ (בראשית ל:לט) ״וַתֵּלַדְנָה הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים וּטְלוּאִים״ וְכָל שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַמִּינִים בְּחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב, וְעַל לָבָן נֶאֱמַר (משלי ה:כב) ״וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵךְ״.
2It appears that according to the agreement Jacob made he did not want Laban to take the ankle-striped animals. If Laban were to take those Jacob would also have to separate them from the white sheep and he, Jacob, would not be left with white animals which could respond to the stratagem he employed later when the animals were in heat. All his efforts would then have been in vain. It had not occurred to Jacob to deceive Laban in any way whatsoever. He thought that the sight of ankle-striped ones would cause the flocks to become heated and to cause also the speckled and spotted animals to give birth. When you read verse 40 you will find confirmation of what I have said. Crafty Laban was aware of all these implications and took every type, i.e. the עקוד, נקוד וטלוא. In addition he removed every animal that had some white on its pelt. In this way Jacob's potential wages were reduced to almost nothing. This is why Jacob had to resort to the stratagem with the rods; he therefore also took some of the ankle-striped ones for himself. When Laban removed the mother animals he had thereby proved that he considered them as basically Jacob's (the new generation). Proverbs 5,22: "he will be caught in the ropes of his sin" is applicable to what Laban tried to do in this paragraph.