Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 32:5/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ב:ה׳

אכֹּה תֹאמְרוּן לַאדֹנִי לְעֵשָׂו כֹּה אָמַר עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב צִוָּה אוֹתָם שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ לַאֲדֹנִי לְעֵשָׂו אֲנַחְנוּ, כְּלוֹמַר אֲנַחְנוּ שֶׁלּוֹ אוֹ שְׁלוּחִים אֵלָיו, וְלֵאמֹר לוֹ "כֹּה אָמַר עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי", וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ בַּפָּרָשָׁה (בראשית ל"ב:י"ח) "לְמִי אַתָּה", אוֹ שֶׁקְּרָאוֹ יַעֲקֹב בִּפְנֵיהֶם "אֲדֹנִי עֵשָׂו", לְהַזְהִירָם שֶׁלֹּא יַזְכִּירוּהוּ אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו רַק דֶּרֶךְ כָּבוֹד, בִּרְאוֹתָם כִּי אֲדוֹנָם קוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ "אֲדֹנִי". וְדַע כִּי הַכָּבוֹד הַזֶּה שֶׁהָיָה יַעֲקֹב עוֹשֶׂה לְאָחִיו בְּפַחְדָּתוֹ לֵאמֹר אֲדֹנִי וְעַבְדְּךָ, בַּעֲבוּר כִּי הַמִּנְהָג בַּצָּעִיר לָתֵת מַעֲלָה וְכָבוֹד אֶל הַבְּכוֹר כְּאִלּוּ הוּא אָבִיו, כַּאֲשֶׁר רָמְזָה לָנוּ גַּם הַתּוֹרָה, לְרַבּוֹת אָחִיךָ הַגָּדוֹל. וְהִנֵּה יַעֲקֹב לָקַח בְּכוֹרָתוֹ וְאֶת בִּרְכָתוֹ, וְעֵשָׂו שׂוֹטֵם אוֹתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם, וְעַתָּה הָיָה מַרְאֶה לוֹ כְּאִלּוּ אֵין הַמְּכִירָה הַהִיא אֶצְלוֹ כְּלוּם, וְכִי הוּא נוֹהֵג בּוֹ כִּבְכוֹר וְאָב, לְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַמַּשְׂטֵמָה מִלִּבּוֹ:

1THUS SHALL YE SAY UNTO MY LORD ESAU: THUS SAITH THY SERVANT JACOB. He commanded them that they should say “to my lord Esau we belong,” or “we were sent to him,”¹¹ and to say to him, Thus saith thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban. A similar example in this section is the verse: When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou?¹² It may be that in their presence Jacob called Esau “my lord Esau” in order to caution them not to mention Esau in any other but a respectful way even when not in his presence, inasmuch as their lord calls him “my lord.”Know that this respect which Jacob showed for his brother by fearfully saying “my lord” and “thy servant” was due to it being the custom of the younger brother to give recognition and respect to the firstborn as if he were his father, just as the Torah also hints to us on this matter:¹³ in the expression, ve’eth imecha (“honor thy father ‘and’ thy mother“), our Rabbis said: “This includes your oldest brother!” “This includes your oldest brother.” Now Jacob had taken his birthright and his blessing, for which Esau hated him, and now he is acting towards Esau as if the effect of that sale was nil as far as he was concerned, and he is conducting himself towards him as to a firstborn and father in order to remove the hatred from his heart.