Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 30:23/רמב"ן על בראשית ל׳:כ״ג
אאָסַף אֱלֹהִים אֶת חֶרְפָּתִי הִכְנִיסָהּ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁלֹּא תֵרָאֶה, וְכֵן "וְלֹא יֵאָסֵף הַבַּיְתָה" (שמות ט יט), "וְכוֹכָבִים אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם" (יואל ב י), "וִירֵחֵךְ לֹא יֵאָסֵף" (ישעיהו ס כ), לֹא יִטָּמֵן, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל':כ"ג). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על בראשית ל':כ"ג) כְּטַעַם כָּרַת, "וְנֶאֶסְפָה שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל". וְהַנָּכוֹן דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ל':כ"ג) שֶׁעֲשָׂאָן כֻּלָּן לְשׁוֹן קִבּוּץ וְכִנּוּס כִּפְשׁוּטָם, מִלְּשׁוֹן "וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת הַשְּׂלָו" (במדבר יא לב), "כִּי מְאַסְפָיו יֹאכְלוּהוּ" (ישעיהו סב ט), וְנִקְרֵאת הַמִּיתָה אֲסִיפָה בִּהְיוֹתוֹ נִקְבָּץ אֶל אֲבוֹתָיו הַמֵּתִים, "וְלֹא יֵאָסֵף הַבַּיְתָה" לְהִקָּבֵץ לְאַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ, וְ"אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם", שֶׁקִּבְּצוּ הָאוֹר בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא הוֹצִיאוּ אוֹרָם לַחוּץ, אוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֶסְפוּ אֶל הָאֹהֶל אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם. וְיֹאמְרוּ אֲסִיפָה בַּחֶרְפָּה, שֶׁתִּתְקַבֵּץ וְלֹא תִּתְפַּזֵּר בֵּין בְּנֵי אָדָם לִהְיוֹת נִדְבָּרִים בָּהּ עוֹד בַּחוּצוֹת:
1G-D ‘OSAPH’ (HATH TAKEN AWAY) MY DISGRACE. I.e., “He has laid it up somewhere where it cannot be seen.” Similar examples are: And it shall not ‘yei’aseph’ (have been taken away) into the house;144 And the stars ‘asphu’ (withdraw) their shining;145 Neither shall thy moon ‘yei’aseph’ (withdraw itself),146 meaning it shall not hide itself. This is the language of Rashi. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that asaph has the same meaning as “vanish,” as in, ‘Vene’esaph’ (And vanish) will joy and gladness.147, 16:10.The correct opinion is that of Onkelos, who made them all expressions of gathering and assembling, as is their plain sense, derived from the verses: ‘Vaya’asphu’ (And they gathered) the quails;148 But ‘me’asphav’ (they who have garnered it) shall eat it.149 Death is called asiphah150 because the dying person is gathered to his dead ancestors. And it shall not ‘yei’aseph’ into the house144 means to be gathered to his household. And the stars ‘asphu’ their shining145 means that they will gather the light within them and not give forth their light outside, or that they will be gathered into their tent, which is in the firmament of the heaven.151 The word asiphah is used in connection with disgrace, meaning that the disgraced person should be gathered and not spread among people, i.e., to be discussed further in the streets.