Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 31:10/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״א:י׳

אוַיְהִי בְּעֵת יַחֵם הַצֹּאן זֶה הָיָה אַחַר שֶׁהֶחֱלִיף אֶת מַשְׂכֻּרְתּוֹ, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר "כִּי רָאִיתִי אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לָבָן עֹשֶׂה לָּךְ":

1AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE TIME THAT THE FLOCK CONCEIVED. This was after Laban changed his wages, and therefore the angel said to Jacob, For I have seen all that Laban does unto thee.¹⁸⁰

בוְטַעַם וְהִנֵּה הָעַתֻּדִים הָעֹלִים עַל הַצֹּאן הֶרְאָה לוֹ בַּחֲלוֹם כִּי יַעֲלוּ עַל הַצֹּאן הָעַתּוּדִים וְכֻלָּם עֲקֻדִּים, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן הָיוּ כֻּלָּם נְקֻדִּים, וְשׁוּב הָיוּ כֻּלָּם בְּרֻדִּים, וְהִגִּיד כִּי הוּא רוֹאֶה הֶחָמָס שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה לוֹ לָבָן לְהַחֲלִיף אֶת מַשְׂכֻּרְתּוֹ, וְיַעֲשֶׂה הַנּוֹלָדִים כַּמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר יִצְטָרֵךְ אֵלָיו יַעֲקֹב, וּמִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה יַעֲקֹב מַקְלוֹת כִּי בּוֹטֵחַ בַּה' יְשֻׂגַּב (משלי כט כה):

2AND, BEHOLD THE HE-GOATS WHICH WENT UP ON THE FLOCKS [WERE RINGSTRAKED, SPECKLED, AND GRIZZLED]. The meaning thereof is that it was shown to Jacob in a dream that the he-goats which mounted the flocks were all ringstraked, and afterwards they were all speckled, and still later they were all grizzled. And the angel told him that in view of the injustice which Laban does him by changing his wages, the future offspring will have the appearance which Jacob will need, and that henceforth Jacob should not make the sticks, for Whoso putteth his trust in the Eternal shall be set up on high.¹⁸¹

גוְהִנֵּה הָעַתּוּדִים הָעֹלִים עַל הַצֹּאן הַתְּיָשִׁים וְהָאֵילִים יִקָּרְאוּ עַתּוּדִים, כִּי כָל גָּדוֹל בַּצֹּאן יִקָּרֵא כֵן, אַף בִּגְדוֹלֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים "כָּל עַתּוּדֵי אָרֶץ" (ישעיהו יד ט). וְכָתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"א:י') אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִבְדִּילָם לָבָן כֻּלָּם שֶׁלֹּא יִתְעַבְּרוּ הַצֹּאן דֻּגְמָתָן, הָיוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים מְבִיאִים אוֹתָן מֵעֵדֶר הַמָּסוּר לִבְנֵי לָבָן לָעֵדֶר שֶׁבְּיַד יַעֲקֹב. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט הָיָה זֶה מַרְאֶה לְהַבְטִיחוֹ כִּי יוֹלִידוּ כָּהֵם. וְהָעֵד מִלַּת "וְהִנֵּה", כִּי בְּכָל הַחֲלוֹם יֹאמַר כֵּן (לעיל כח יב יג להלן מ ט טז), כְּטַעַם כְּאִלּוּ הַדָּבָר לְפָנָיו. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ע"ד:ג') לֹא הִזְכִּירוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים אֶלָּא מִמִּדְרָשׁ, אָמְרוּ, "עוֹלִים" אֵין כָּתוּב כָּאן אֶלָּא "הָעוֹלִים", כִּי פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ:

3AND, BEHOLD, ‘HA’ATUDIM’ WHICH WENT UP ON THE FLOCKS. He-goats and rams are called atudim for all the adults in the flocks are so called. This applies also to the mighty ones among men, as in: ‘atudei’ (the chief ones) of the earth.¹⁸²And Rashi comments: “Although Laban had separated all these so that the sheep should not give birth to young marked similarly to them, angels brought them from the flock which had been placed in charge of Laban’s sons to the flock in Jacob’s charge.”In line with the simple meaning of Scripture this was a vision assuring Jacob that the flocks would give birth to young similar to the marked rams and he-goats, and the proof of it is the word vehinei (and behold), for this expression is used with respect to all dreams, indicating that it is as if the action is in the presence of the dreamer. In Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁸³ the Sages did not mention the angels [bringing the marked ones from the flocks of Laban], but it may be inferred by exegesis. Thus they said: “It is not written here olim (went up) but ha’olim (those that mounted),” [meaning those which actually mounted. Thus the dream only indicated the action of the atudim which came from Laban’s flocks and that they were ringstraked, speckled, etc. However, the fact that they came was not part of the dream. This really occurred since the angels brought them]. But the plain sense of the verse is as we have said.