Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 32:26/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ב:כ״ו

אוַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא יָכוֹל לוֹ הַמַּלְאָךְ לְהַזִּיקוֹ, כִּי לֹא הֻרְשָׁה רַק בַּמֶּה שֶׁעָשָׂה עִמּוֹ לְהָקֵעַ כַּף יְרֵכוֹ. וְאָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ע"ז:ג'), נָגַע בְּכָל הַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁעֲתִידִין לִהְיוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ, זֶה דּוֹרוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמָד. וְהָעִנְיָן כִּי הַמְּאֹרָע כֻּלּוֹ רֶמֶז לְדוֹרוֹתָיו, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה דּוֹר בְּזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב יִתְגַּבֵּר עֵשָׂו עֲלֵיהֶם עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה קָרוֹב לְקַעְקֵעַ בֵּיצָתָן, וְהָיָה זֶה דּוֹר אֶחָד בִּימֵי חַכְמֵי הַמִּשְׁנָה, כַּדּוֹר שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (שיר השירים רבה ב ז), אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר אַבָּא, אִם יֹאמַר לִי אָדָם תֵּן נַפְשְׁךָ עַל קְדֻשַּׁת שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הקב"ה, אֲנִי נוֹתֵן, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיַּהַרְגוּנִי מִיָּד, אֲבָל בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמָד אֵינִי יָכוֹל לִסְבֹּל. וּמָה הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמָד, הָיוּ מְבִיאִין כַּדּוּרִיּוֹת שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל וּמְלַבְּנִין אוֹתָן בָּאוּר וְנוֹתְנִין אוֹתָן תַּחַת שֶׁחְיֵיהֶן וּמַשִּׂיאִין נַפְשׁוֹתֵיהֶן מֵהֶן. וְיֵשׁ דּוֹרוֹת אֲחֵרִים שֶׁעָשׂוּ עִמָּנוּ כָּזֶה וְיוֹתֵר רַע מִזֶּה, וְהַכֹּל סָבַלְנוּ וְעָבַר עָלֵינוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁרָמַז וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם:

1AND HE SAW THAT HE PREVAILED NOT AGAINST HIM. Ye angels of His, ye mighty in strength, that fulfill His word.⁶⁹ Because of this⁷⁰ the angel could not prevail against him to harm him for it was not permitted to him to do other than that which he did to him, namely, to disjoint the hollow of his thigh. Now the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:⁷¹ “He touched all the righteous people who were destined to come from Jacob. This refers to the generation of religious persecution.”⁷² The purport of this Midrash is that this entire event constitutes a hint to his generations, indicating that there will be a generation from the seed of Jacob against whom Esau [Rome] will prevail to the extent of almost uprooting his seed. This occurred in one generation during the period of the Sages of the Mishnah, which was the generation of Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba⁷³ and his companions.⁷⁴, the Ten great Rabbis who endured martyrdom rather than abide by the Hadrianic regulations. As they said:⁷⁵ “Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said, ‘If a person were to tell me, “Give your life for the sanctification of the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” I would give it, providing only that they slay me immediately. But in the generation of religious persecution I could not endure!’ And what did the Romans do in that generation? They would bring iron balls and heat them in fire and then place them under their arm-pits and cause their death.” And there are other generations in which they have done to us such things as these and even worse, but we have endured and it has passed over us, just as it is hinted in the verse, And Jacob came in peace.⁷⁶