Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 24:67/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ד:ס״ז

אוַיְבִאֶהָ יִצְחָק הָאֹהֱלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ חָסֵר הַנִּסְמָךְ, וְכָמוֹהוּ רַבִּים. וְטַעַם הַכָּתוּב כִּי יְסַפֵּר בַּכָּבוֹד שֶׁנָּהַג יִצְחָק בְּאִמּוֹ, כִּי מֵעֵת שֶׁמֵּתָה שָׂרָה לֹא נָטוּ אָהֳלָהּ, כִּי אָמְרוּ לֹא תָּבֹא אִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת אֶל אֹהֶל הַגְּבִירָה הַנִּכְבֶּדֶת, וְכַאֲשֶׁר רָאָה רִבְקָה הֱבִיאָהּ אֶל הָאֹהֶל הַהוּא לִכְבוֹדָהּ, וְשָׁם לְקָחָהּ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיֶּאֱהָבֶהָ וַיִּנָּחֵם", יִרְמֹז שֶׁהָיָה מִצְטַעֵר מְאֹד עַל אִמּוֹ וְרָחַק מִמֶּנּוּ מְנַחֵם, עַד שֶׁנִּחַם בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אוֹתָהּ, כִּי מָה טַעַם שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב אַהֲבַת הָאִישׁ בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית כ"ד:ס"ז) פֵּרֵשׁ, וַיְבִיאֶהָ יִצְחָק הָאֹהֱלָה וְהִנֵּה הִיא שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, וְלָכֵן הִזְכִּיר הָאַהֲבָה, כִּי מִפְּנֵי צִדְקָתָהּ וְכִשְׁרוֹן מַעֲשֶׂיהָ אֲהֵבָהּ וְנִחַם בָּהּ. וְכָךְ הִזְכִּירוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ס':ט"ז), עַד שֶׁלֹּא מֵתָה שָׂרָה הָיְתָה בְּרָכָה מְצוּיָה בָּעִסָּה:

1AND ISAAC BROUGHT HER INTO HIS MOTHER SARAH’s TENT. The construct is missing here [for the noun ohel (tent) appears with the definite article, and in this form it cannot be used in construct with “his mother Sarah.” The verse then should be understood as if it were written, “and Isaac brought her into the tent which was the tent of his mother Sarah.”] There are many cases like this.The purport of the verse is to tell of the honor that Isaac bestowed upon his mother for from the time that Sarah died they did not take down her tent because they said, “Let not another woman come into the tent of the honorable mistress.” But when he saw Rebekah he brought her into that tent in her honor and there he took her as his wife. This is the meaning of the words, and he loved her, and he was comforted, indicating that he was deeply grieved for his mother, finding no comforter until he was comforted by his wife through his love for her. Otherwise, what reason is there for Scripture to mention a man’s love for his wife?But Onkelos explained: And Isaac brought her into the tent and, behold, she was like Sarah his mother. It is for this reason that Scripture mentions the love he had for her because it was on account of her righteousness and the aptness of her deeds that he loved her and was comforted by her. And so the Rabbis mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁴⁹ “Before Sarah died there was a blessing of miraculous increase in the dough. [After her death it stopped, and when Rebekah came the blessing reappeared.”]