Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 24:64/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ד:ס״ד
אוַתֵּרֶא אֶת יִצְחָק לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"ד:ס"ד), רָאֲתָה אוֹתוֹ הָדוּר וְנִתְבַּיְּשָׁה מִמֶּנּוּ. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם פֵּרֵשׁ כִּי הַפָּסוּק הָאַחֲרוֹן מֻקְדָּם, כִּי "וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל הָעֶבֶד" – וּכְבָר אָמְרָה אֶל הָעֶבֶד, וְרַבִּים בַּתּוֹרָה כֵּן עַל דַּעְתּוֹ. וּבֶאֱמֶת שֶׁיִּמָּצְאוּ מֵהֶם, אֲבָל בְּכָאן אֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ לְעָרֵב שְׁתֵּי הַמִּקְרָאוֹת, וַתִּשָּׂא רִבְקָה אֶת עֵינֶיהָ וַתֵּרֶא אֶת יִצְחָק, וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל הָעֶבֶד מִי הָאִישׁ הַלָּזֶה הַהֹלֵךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִקְרָאתֵנוּ וַיֹּאמֶר הָעֶבֶד הוּא אֲדֹנִי, וַתִּפֹּל מֵעַל הַגָּמָל וַתִּקַּח הַצָּעִיף וַתִּתְכָּס. וּלְדַעְתִּי בִּרְאוֹת רִבְקָה אִישׁ הוֹלֵךְ לִקְרָאתָהּ בַּשָּׂדֶה, שֶׁיָּרַט הַדֶּרֶךְ וְהָלַךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה לְעֻמָּתָם, יָדְעָה כִּי הוּא בָּא לִרְאוֹתָם וְלִקְרֹא לְשָׁלוֹם אוֹ לְהַכְנִיסָם אֶל בֵּיתוֹ לָלוּן, עָשְׂתָה כְּדֶרֶךְ מוּסַר הַנָּשִׁים לַעֲמֹד בְּהֶצְנֵעַ:
1AND SHE SAW ISAAC. Rashi comments: “She saw his lordly appearance and felt abashed139 of him.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the latter verse, [namely, Verse 65, And she said unto the servant, What man is this], preceded Verse 64. Thus the expression, And she said unto the servant, means “And she had already said to the servant.” In Ibn Ezra’s opinion there are many such verses in the Torah.This is truly so, but here it is not correct, for in this case you would have to mix the verses and transpose their parts as follows: And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and she saw Isaac [Verse 64] — and she said unto the servant: What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant said: It is my master [Verse 65] — and she alighted from the camel [Verse 64] — and she took her veil, and covered herself [Verse 65].In my opinion [we need not mix the verses, but the sense thereof is as follows]: When Rebekah saw a man walking in the field towards her, hastening on the road and walking in the field towards them, she knew that he had come to see them and greet them or to bring them into his house for lodging, and so she did as was ethically proper for women, and she stood modestly.
בוַתִּפֹּל מֵעַל הַגָּמָל לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"ד:ס"ד) הִשְׁמִיטָה עַצְמָהּ לָאָרֶץ, כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ וְאִתְרְכִינַת, כְּמוֹ "הַטִּי נָא כַדֵּךְ" (בראשית כ"ד:י"ד) – אַרְכִינִי, "וַיֵּט שָׁמַיִם וַיֵּרַד" (תהלים יח י) – וְאַרְכִּין, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ "כִּי יִפֹּל לֹא יוּטָל" (שם לז כד), אִם יִטֶּה לָאָרֶץ לֹא יַגִּיעַ לַקַּרְקַע. וְאֵין דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית כ"ד:ס"ד) שֶׁהִשְׁמִיטָה עַצְמָהּ מִן הַגָּמָל לָאָרֶץ, שֶׁאִם כֵּן הִנֵּה הִיא נוֹפֶלֶת מֵעַל הַגָּמָל מַמָּשׁ, לֹא מֻטָּה מֵעָלָיו, וְכֵן כָּל לְשׁוֹן "הַרְכָּנָה" הַטָּיָה לְצַד אֶחָד בִּלְבַד. אֲבָל כַּוָּנָתוֹ כִּי מֵעַל הַגָּמָל אֲשֶׁר הִיא רוֹכֶבֶת עָלָיו הִטַּת עַצְמָהּ לְצַד אֶחָד, לְהָסֵב פָּנֶיהָ מִמֶּנּוּ. וְכָמוֹהוּ לְדַעְתִּי "וַיִּרְאֶה נַעֲמָן רָץ אַחֲרָיו וַיִּפֹּל מֵעַל הַמֶּרְכָּבָה לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר הֲשָׁלוֹם" (מלכים ב ה כא), שֶׁאֵין עִנְיָנוֹ רַק שֶׁהִשְׁפִּיל עַצְמוֹ בַּמֶּרְכָּבָה לִקְרַאת הָרָץ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בָּאָרֶץ לִשְׁאֹל לוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם. וְכֵן אָמַר (שם כו) "כַּאֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ אִישׁ מֵעַל מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ לִקְרָאתֶךָ". אוֹ יִהְיֶה אֵצֶל אוּנְקְלוֹס "מֵעַל הַגָּמָל" כְּמוֹ "עַל הַגָּמָל", וְכֵן "מֵעַל שָׁמַיִם חַסְדֶּךָ" (תהלים קח ה), וּכְזוֹ הַמֵּ"ם "לֹא יִהְיֶה מִשָּׁם עוֹד עוּל יָמִים וְזָקֵן" (ישעיהו סה כ), וְכֵן "הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל הַשָּׁמָיִם" (תהלים קמח ד). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט הוּא כְּמוֹ "וְהִנֵּה עַם רַב הֹלְכִים מִדֶּרֶךְ אַחֲרָיו" (שמואל ב יג לד), וְכֵן רַבִּים:
2AND SHE ALIGHTED (‘VATIPOL’) FROM THE CAMEL. Rashi comments: “She let herself slide towards the ground, as the Targum renders it, ‘She inclined herself [towards the earth but did not actually reach the ground]. Similarly, Let down thy pitcher140 was translated by Onkelos to mean ‘incline.’ And He bowed down the heavens141 — the Targum translates: ‘and He bent.’ A similar case is the verse, Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,142, 37:24. which means though he bends himself towards the earth, yet he shall not touch the ground.”But Onkelos’ opinion is not that she let herself slide off the camel to the earth, for if so, she actually fell off the camel and did not just incline herself. Similarly, all expressions of “inclining” merely mean a bending towards one side. Onkelos’ opinion, however, is that on the camel upon which she was riding she bent herself towards one side in order to turn her face away from him. A similar case, in my opinion, is the verse: And when Naaman saw one running after him, ‘vayipol’ from upon the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?143 The word vayipol here only means that he bent himself in the chariot towards the runner who was on the ground to ask of him whether all is well. And so indeed it is said there, When the man turned back from his chariot to meet thee.144, Verse 26. It is possible that as far as Onkelos is concerned, the expression, from on the camel, is like “on the camel,” [the letter mem in the word mei’al (from on) being redundant]. A similar case is the verse, For great ‘mei’al’ the heavens is Thy mercy,145 [which means “for great on the heavens is Thy mercy,” and not “from on the heavens”]. A redundant letter mem like this is also found in these verses: There shall be no more ‘misham’ an infant of days, nor an old man,146 [which means “there shall be no more there,” and not “from there”]; Ye waters that are ‘mei’al’ the heavens,147 [which means “ye waters that are on the heavens,” and not “from on the heavens”].In line with the plain meaning [of Scripture, however, the letter mem in the word mei’al is not redundant, but instead] it is like the mem in the verse, And, behold, there came many people ‘miderech’ (from a way) round-about.148 [And thus in the verse before us, mei’al hagamal would mean that she alighted “from on the camel.”] There are many similar verses.