Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 33:18/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ג:י״ח

אוַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם מִפַּדַּן אֲרָם כְּאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ יָצָא פְּלוֹנִי מִבֵּין שִׁנֵּי אֲרָיוֹת וּבָא שָׁלֵם, אַף כָּאן וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם מִלָּבָן וּמֵעֵשָׂו, זֶה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ג:י"ח). אֲבָל רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם פֵּרֵשׁ שֶׁבָּא בְּשָׁלוֹם וְלֹא אֵרַע לוֹ שׁוּם מְאֹרָע, כִּי עַתָּה יַחֵל לְסַפֵּר מְאֹרַע דִּינָהּ. וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי אָמַר הַכָּתוּב כֵּן כִּי בְּסֻכּוֹת הָיָה מִתְפַּחֵד מֵעֵשָׂו, כִּי סֻכּוֹת בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן מִזְרָח בְּמַלְכוּת סִיחוֹן, אִם הוּא הַמֻּזְכָּר בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יג כז), וְאִם הוּא אַחֵר הִנֵּה הוּא יוֹתֵר קָרוֹב לְשֵׂעִיר, וְעַד הֱיוֹתוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לֹא שָׁקַט לִבּוֹ, כִּי אָז יָדַע שֶׁלֹּא יִגַּע בּוֹ, כִּי אָבִיו קָרוֹב מִשָּׁם, אוֹ שֶׁיַּעַזְרוּהוּ אַנְשֵׁי הָאָרֶץ כִּי אָבִיו נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים בְּתוֹכָם, אוֹ שֶׁזְּכוּת הָאָרֶץ תַּצִּילֵהוּ. וְלָכֵן אָמַר עַתָּה שֶׁבָּא שָׁלֵם אֶל אֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו, כִּי הִצִּילוֹ אֱלֹהִים בַּדֶּרֶךְ מִכַּף כָּל אוֹיְבָיו. וְאָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ע"ח:ט"ז), כָּל אוֹתָן הֶחֳדָשִׁים שֶׁעָשָׂה יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ בְּסֻכּוֹת הָיָה מְכַבֵּד אֶת עֵשָׂו בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹרוֹן, כִּי הָיָה מִתְיָרֵא מִמֶּנּוּ שָׁם, וּמְשַׁלֵּחַ לוֹ כְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹרוֹן בְּכָל חֹדֶשׁ וְחֹדֶשׁ אוֹ פַּעַם אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה:

1AND JACOB CAME IN PEACE … FROM PADDAN-ARAM. [This is stated here in the same manner] as a person says to his friend, “That man there has come from between the teeth of the lions and has arrived unhurt.” Similarly here, And Jacob came in peace, i.e., from Laban and from Esau. This is the language of Rashi. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the sense of the verse is that Jacob arrived in peace from his lengthy journey and nothing happened to him, as Scripture now begins to narrate the event of Dinah.In my opinion Scripture speaks thus since for the length of his sojourn in Succoth⁹⁹ he was fearful of Esau. Succoth — if it be the one mentioned in the book of Joshua¹⁰⁰ — was east of the Jordan, in the kingdom of Sihon, and if it be another city by that name, it was nearer to Se’ir. Thus until he entered the land of Canaan Jacob did not feel safe, for only then did he know that Esau would not touch him for his father was nearby, or because the people of the land would help him as his father was a prince of G-d in their midst, or because the merit of having entered the land would save him. And therefore, Scripture now said that he came in peace into the land of his father’s sojourning¹⁰¹ since G-d delivered him in his travels out of the hand of all his enemies.¹⁰² And the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah¹⁰³ that during all these months that our father Jacob stayed in Succoth he honored Esau with that present enumerated above¹⁰⁴ by Scripture for he was afraid of him there, and monthly or annually he would send him a comparable present.

בוַיִּחַן אֶת פְּנֵי הָעִיר לֹא רָצָה לִהְיוֹת אַכְסְנַאי בָּעִיר אֲבָל רָצָה שֶׁתִּהְיֶה תְּחִלַּת בִּיאָתוֹ בָּאָרֶץ בְּתוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ, וְלָכֵן חָנָה בַּשָּׂדֶה וְקָנָה הַמָּקוֹם, וְזֶה לְהַחֲזִיק בָּאָרֶץ. וְהַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַזֶּה הָיָה רֶמֶז כִּי הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא יִכָּבֵשׁ לְפָנָיו תְּחִלָּה טֶרֶם הוֹרִישׁוֹ יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵי זַרְעוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּאַבְרָהָם (רמב"ן על בראשית י"ב:ו'). וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (ב"ר עט ו) נִכְנַס עִם דִּמְדּוּמֵי חַמָּה וְקָבַע לוֹ תְּחוּמִין. וְעַל דַּעְתָּם לֹא הָיָה בְּכַוָּנָה מִמֶּנּוּ, אֲבָל עַל כָּל פָּנִים הָיָה הַמְּאֹרָע לִרְמֹז עַל הֶעָתִיד שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ. אֲבָל רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על בראשית ל"ג:י"ט), כִּי הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב זֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי מַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ חֵלֶק בָּהּ חָשׁוּב הוּא כְּחֵלֶק הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:

2AND HE ENCAMPED BEFORE THE CITY. He did not wish to be a transient lodger in the city, but rather he wished that his inaugural entrance into the land should be into his own property. Therefore he encamped in the field and bought a place for the purpose of taking possession of the land. This action constituted a hint that this place will be conquered by him first¹⁰⁵ before the dwellers of the land would be driven from before his seed, just as I have explained in the case of Abraham.¹⁰⁶ And our Rabbis have said:¹⁰⁷ “He arrived on Friday close to sundown [and was therefore compelled to encamp before the city as there was no time left to enter the city], and he set Sabbath limits [while it was yet day.” The verse thus teaches us that Jacob observed the Sabbath before it was declared on Sinai]. Now according to this opinion of the Rabbis the act of Jacob encamping there first was unintentional. However, in any case, the event hinted to the future as we have said. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra however said that Scripture mentions this in order to inform us that there is great excellence to the Land of Israel, and he who owns a part thereof has it considered as a portion in the World to Come.