Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 30:32/רמב"ן על בראשית ל׳:ל״ב

אוְטַעַם נָקֹד וְטָלוּא נָקֹד אוֹ טָלוּא. "וְכָל שֶׂה חוּם", פֵּרְשׁוּ בּוֹ (הראב"ע והרד"ק) שָׁחוֹר, כִּי הַשַּׁחֲרוּת מִפְּנֵי הַחֹם. וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן בְּעֵינַי, כִּי רֹב הַכְּשָׂבִים שְׁחוֹרִים, אַף כִּי בְּאֶרֶץ קֶדֶם שֶׁהִיא חַמָּה, וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיוּ כֻּלָּם לְיַעֲקֹב. וְהַנָּכוֹן דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ל':ל"ב) "שְׁחוֹם", וְהוּא קָרוֹב לְאָדֹם, וְקוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ רו"ש, וְכֵן פרש"י, וְיִהְיֶה חוּם מִגִּזְרַת "וְאוֹר הַחַמָּה" (ישעיהו ל כו) שֶׁהוּא דּוֹמֶה לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִתְאַדֵּם קְצָת:

1SPECKLED AND SPOTTED. This means speckled or spotted. And every ‘chum’ among the sheep — commentators have explained¹⁵⁹ chum as meaning “black,” since blackness comes from heat (cham). But this does not appear to me to be correct since most sheep are black, particularly in the eastern countries where it is warm, and if so, all sheep would then belong to Jacob.The correct interpretation is the rendition of Onkelos, namely, that chum is reddish or brownish, called rouge in Old French, and so did Rashi explain it. Chum would then be from the root; the light of ‘hachamah’ (the sun),¹⁶⁰ since it is like the sun which is somewhat red.

בוְהָיָה שְׂכָרִי לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל':ל"ב), אוֹתָן שֶׁיֵּלְדוּ מִכָּאן וּלְהַבָּא נְקֻדִּים וּטְלוּאִים בָּעִזִּים וּשְׁחוּמִים בַּכְּשָׂבִים יִהְיוּ שֶׁלִּי. וְכֵן דַּעַת רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (אבן עזרא על בראשית ל':ל"ה). וּפֵרוּשׁ "כָּל שֶׂה נָקֹד וְטָלוּא" – תַּיִשׁ, "וְטָלוּא וְנָקֹד בָּעִזִּים" – הַנְּקֵבוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם) "וַיָּסַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת הַתְּיָשִׁים וְאֵת כָּל הָעִזִּים" וּפֵרוּשׁ "כֹּל אֲשֶׁר לָבָן בּוֹ" – בַּנִּזְכָּרִים "וְכָל חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים", וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי כִּי כָל נָקֹד וְטָלוּא בַּכְּשָׂבִים וְכָל חוּם בָּהֶם הָיָה שְׂכָרוֹ, שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא עָשָׂה בַּמַּקְלוֹת מַרְאֶה חוּם וְהָיָה מַפְסִיד שְׂכָרוֹ מִן הַכְּשָׂבִים שֶׁהֵם מֵיטַב הַצֹּאן. וְכֵן בַּחֲלוֹמוֹ הֶרְאוּהוּ הָעֹלִים עַל הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים אֵין בָּהֶם חוּם. וּפֵרוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב הָסֵר מִשָּׁם כָּל שֶׂה נָקֹד וְטָלוּא וְכָל חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים וְהָסֵר טָלוּא וְנָקֹד בָּעִזִּים, וְהָיָה שְׂכָרִי שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַמַּרְאוֹת בַּכְּשָׂבִים וְהַשְּׁנַיִם בָּעִזִּים. וְאָמַר וְעָנְתָה בִּי צִדְקָתִי בְּיוֹם מָחָר כִּי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ נָקֹד וְטָלוּא בָּעִזִּים וְגַם חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים גָּנוּב הוּא אִתִּי:

2AND OF SUCH SHALL BE MY HIRE. Rashi comments: “Those which from now on will be born speckled and spotted among the goats, and the brownish ones amongst the sheep shall belong to me.” And so also is the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. The meaning of the expression, every one among the flock speckled and spotted, is that it refers to the he-goats; and the spotted and speckled among the goats refers to the she-goats, just as Scripture said, And he removed that day the he-goats … and all the she-goats.¹⁶¹ And the meaning of the expression, every one that had white in it,¹⁶¹ is that it refers to those mentioned, [namely, the spotted and the speckled among the he-goats and the she-goats], and all the brownish among the sheep.¹⁶¹ [Thus, according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, Jacob’s hire was to be all spotted and speckled he-goats and she-goats that will henceforth be born, and also the reddish ones among the sheep, but not the spotted and speckled among the sheep.]In my opinion, all the spotted and speckled among the sheep, as well as all brownish ones, were to be Jacob’s hire since he did not make among his sticks any with a brownish color, in which case he caused himself the loss of his hire from among the sheep, which are the best of the flock. Similarly, in his dream, he was shown the rams which went up on the flocks were ringstraked, speckled,¹⁶² there being no brownish ones among them. And the meaning of the verse before us is: removing from there every one of the flock speckled and spotted and all brownish ones among the sheep, and removing the spotted and the speckled among the goats, and they shall be my hire, namely, the three colors among the sheep — speckled, spotted, and brownish — and two among the goats — spotted and speckled. And he further said, So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, that everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and all brownish among the sheep, that shall be accounted stolen with me.¹⁶³