Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 32:6/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ב:ו׳
אוָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁאֲנִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ, שֶׁאֲנִי שָׁלֵם עִמְּךָ וּמְבַקֵּשׁ אַהֲבָתְךָ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ב:ו'). רָצָה לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוּסָב לְמַעְלָה, אֲבָל יֹאמַר וָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי כִּי אֲנִי בָּא לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֲדֹנִי. וְיוֹתֵר נָכוֹן שֶׁיּוּסַב לְמַעְלָה, וָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִי עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ חֶפְצְךָ וּרְצוֹנְךָ, יִרְמֹז שֶׁיִּשְׁלַח לוֹ דּוֹרוֹן מֵהֶם אוֹ שֶׁיִּקַּח הוּא מִשֶּׁלּוֹ מָה שֶׁיַּחְפֹּץ. וְכֵן אָמַר (בראשית ל"ג:ח') "מִי לְךָ כָּל הַמַּחֲנֶה הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר פָּגָשְׁתִּי וַיֹּאמֶר לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי אֲדֹנִי":
1AND I HAVE SENT TO TELL MY LORD. I.e., “to announce that I am coming to you. That I may find favour in thy sight for I am at peace with you and seek your friendship.” These are Rashi’s words. Rashi’s intent is that the verse; I have sent to tell my lord, does not refer to the previous verse, I have sojourned with Laban, etc. but, instead, it says, “And I have sent to tell my lord that I have come to find favour in thy sight and to do whatever my lord will command.”But it is more correct to say that it refers to the verse above: “And I have sent to tell my lord that I have wealth, belongings, and precious things, to do with them according to your desire and will.” He thus hinted to him that he would send him a present from them, or that Esau may take from him whatever he desires. And so, when Esau asked Jacob, What meanest thou by all this camp which I met? he [Jacob] said: To find favour in the sight of my lord.14