Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 31:44/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״א:מ״ד
אוְהָיָה לְעֵד הקב"ה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"א:מ"ד). וְאֵינֶנּוּ כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, אֲבָל יֹאמַר וְהָיָה הַבְּרִית לְעֵד בֵּינוֹתֵינוּ, כִּי הָעוֹבֵר עָלָיו יְקֻלַּל בְּכָל אָלוֹת הַבְּרִית, כְּטַעַם "וְהָיוּ בְךָ לְאוֹת וּלְמוֹפֵת" (דברים כח מו). אוֹ טַעְמוֹ נִכְרְתָה בְּרִית בְּדָבָר קַיָּם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לְעֵד בֵּינוֹתֵינוּ, עַל כֵּן הֵרִים יַעֲקֹב אֶבֶן, וְהוּא מָה שֶׁאָמַר "עֵד הַגַּל הַזֶּה וְעֵדָה הַמַּצֵּבָה", כְּטַעַם "וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הִנֵּה הָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת תִּהְיֶה בָּנוּ לְעֵדָה" (יהושע כד כז):
1‘VEHAYAH’ FOR A WITNESS. This means, “And let the Holy One, blessed be He, serve as a witness.” These are the words of Rashi. But this is not the usual sense of the expression. Rather, Laban is saying, “And let the covenant be for a witness between us, for he who violates it should be cursed with all the curses of the covenant,”240 similar in meaning to the verse, And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder.241, 28:46. The meaning of the verse here may be: “Let us establish a covenant by a permanent thing which will serve as a witness between us.” For this reason, Jacob set up a stone as a pillar, and this is the meaning of that which he said, This stone-heap be witness, and this pillar be witness.242 A similar meaning is found in the verse, And Joshua said unto all the people: Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us.243