Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 30:9/רמב"ן על בראשית ל׳:ט׳
אוַתֵּרֶא לֵאָה כִּי עָמְדָה מִלֶּדֶת לֹא יָדַעְתִּי מָה הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַזֶּה לְלֵאָה, וְלָמָּה נָתְנָה שִׁפְחָתָהּ לְבַעְלָהּ וְהִיא לֹא הָיְתָה עֲקָרָה שֶׁתִּבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ הַנָּשִׁים לְהַרְבּוֹת נָשִׁים לְבַעֲלֵיהֶן. אֲבָל נִצְטָרֵךְ לוֹמַר כִּי הָיוּ נְבִיאוֹת (ב"ר עב ו), יוֹדְעוֹת שֶׁעָתִיד יַעֲקֹב לְהַעֲמִיד י"ב שְׁבָטִים, וְרָצְתָה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לוֹ רֹב הַבָּנִים מִמֶּנָּה אוֹ מִשִּׁפְחָתָהּ שֶׁהִיא בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ, וְלֹא תִּתְגַּבֵּר אֲחוֹתָהּ עָלֶיהָ בְּבָנִים. וּלְכָךְ אָמְרָה "נָתַן אֱלֹהִים שְׂכָרִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי לְאִישִׁי" (ראה זוהר ויצא קנז), וְכֵן יַעֲקֹב בַּעֲבוּר זֶה שָׁמַע אֵלֶיהָ שֶׁיַּעֲמִיד בָּנִים רַבִּים, כִּי יָדַע כֵּן כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ר סח יא). וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי מִדַּעְתָּם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה הָאָרֶץ לְזַרְעָם, וְאַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק לֹא הִרְבּוּ בָּנִים, הָיָה חָפֵץ יַעֲקֹב בְּנָשִׁים רַבּוֹת לְהַרְבּוֹת זַרְעוֹ לִנְחֹל אֶת הָאָרֶץ, כִּי דּוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה. וְלָכֵן רָצְתָה לִתֵּן לוֹ שִׁפְחָתָהּ שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׂא נָכְרִית:
1WHEN LEAH SAW THAT SHE HAD LEFT OFF BEARING SHE TOOK ZILPAH HER HANDMAID, etc. I do not know what motivated this deed of Leah and why she gave her handmaid to her husband for she was not barren that she should hope to have children through Zilpah, and it is not natural for women to increase the number of their husbands’ wives. We must, however, say that the matriarchs were prophetesses,108 who knew that Jacob was destined to establish twelve tribes, and Leah desired that the majority of his sons be from her or from her handmaid, who was in her power, so that her sister Rachel would not prevail over her with respect to the number of her sons. Therefore, she said, G-d hath given me my share, because I have given my handmaid to my husband.109 Jacob also came unto her on account of this, i.e., that he raise many sons for he knew it to be so, as our Rabbis have said.110It is possible that knowing that the Land had been given to their children, and realizing that Abraham and Isaac had not had many children, Jacob wanted to have many wives in order to increase his progeny so as to inherit the Land, for a fourth generation shall come hither again,111 and so Leah wanted to give him her handmaid so that he would not wed a stranger.