Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 24:17/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ד:י״ז

אוַיָּרָץ הָעֶבֶד לִקְרָאתָהּ לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"ד:י"ז) לְפִי שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁעָלוּ הַמַּיִם לִקְרָאתָהּ. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ס':ה') "וַתְּמַלֵּא כַדָּהּ וַתָּעַל", כָּל הַנָּשִׁים יוֹרְדוֹת וּמְמַלְּאוֹת מִן הָעַיִן, וְזוֹ כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאוּ אוֹתָהּ הַמַּיִם מִיָּד עָלוּ, אָמַר לָהּ הקב"ה, אַתְּ סִימַן בְּרָכָה לְבָנַיִךְ. נִרְאֶה שֶׁדִּקְדְּקוּ כֵן מִלְּשׁוֹן "וַתְּמַלֵּא כַדָּהּ וַתָּעַל", שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר "וַתִּשְׁאַב וַתְּמַלֵּא" וְנַעֲשָׂה לָהּ הַנֵּס בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, כִּי אַחֲרֵי כֵן כָּתוּב "וַתִּשְׁאַב", וְהָעֶבֶד כְּשֶׁסִּפֵּר לָהֶם אָמַר (בראשית כ"ד:מ"ה) "וַתֵּרֶד הָעַיְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָב", אוּלַי לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ:

1AND THE SERVANT RAN TO MEET HER. Rashi comments: “Because he saw that the waters rose in the well when she approached it.” In Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis said,¹¹⁷ “And she filled her pitcher, and came up.¹¹⁸ All the women went down and filled their pitchers from the well. But this one, as the waters saw her they immediately rose. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, ‘You are a sign of blessing to your children.’”¹¹⁹It would appear that the Rabbis derived this interpretation upon observing the language, And she filled her pitcher, and came up,¹¹⁸ for it does not say, “and she drew water and filled [the pitcher].” Now this miracle happened to her only the first time for afterwards it is written, and she drew.¹²⁰ The servant, when recounting the day’s events to them, said: And she went down unto the well, and drew water.¹²¹ That was because he thought that perhaps they would not believe in the miracle.