Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 35:5/אור החיים על בראשית ל״ה:ה׳

אוַיִּסָּעוּ וַיְהִי וְגוֹ׳. אוּלַי שֶׁחִדּוּשׁ יַשְׁמִיעֵנוּ, כִּי הֲגַם שֶׁנָּסְעוּ מִשָּׁם, וְזֶה יַגִּיד עַל עֲנַף הַבְּרִיחָה, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן ״וַיְהִי חִתַּת״ וְגוֹ׳. אוֹ עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ: הֲגַם שֶׁרָאוּ שֶׁמִּלְּטוּ מִיָּדָם וְהָלְכוּ לָהֶם, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן נָפְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וְלֹא רָדְפוּ, וְהִסְכִּימוּ עַל מְלִיטָתָם.
1 ויסעו, ויהי חתת אלוקים על הערים, They departed; the fear of the Lord was on the cities in their region. Perhaps the Torah informs us here of the surprising fact that although the departure of Jacob's family from Shechem must have been perceived by the local inhabitants as a flight, they were so overcome with the fear of the Lord that they did not pursue them. Alternatively: although by the time the local inhabitants became aware of it, Jacob's family had long gone and thereby escaped their determination to attack them, they were so afraid of the Lord that they decided not to give chase.