Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 34:12/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ד:י״ב

אמֹהַר וּמַתָּן – מֹהַר, כְּתֻבָּה, שֶׁהוּא הַדָּבָר הַנִּתָּן לִבְתוּלָה, כְּדִכְתִיב (שמות כב טז) "כְּמֹהַר הַבְּתוּלוֹת", וְהֵם סִבְלוֹנוֹת שֶׁהַבַּחוּרִים שׁוֹלְחִים לַבְּתוּלוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׂאוּ אוֹתָן. וּמַתָּן, מִגְדָּנוֹת אוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב לְאָבִיהָ וּלְאַחֶיהָ. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (פ ז) אָמְרוּ מֹהַר – פְּרָאנוּן, "מַתָּן" – פְּרָא פְּרָנוּן, וְהֵם כְּתֻבָּה וְנִכְסֵי מְלוֹג בִּלְשׁוֹן יְרוּשַׁלְמִי. כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁיִּתֵּן לָהּ הוּא מִשֶּׁלּוֹ נְכָסִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שֶׁלָּהּ כְּנִכְסֵי בֵּית אָבִיהָ, וְיִהְיוּ אֶצְלוֹ כְּנִכְסֵי מְלוֹג. וְטַעַם הַפִּיּוּס הַזֶּה כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ אוֹתָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה בְּרָצוֹן, כִּי הַנַּעֲרָה לֹא הָיְתָה מִתְרַצָּה אֵלָיו וְצוֹעֶקֶת וּבוֹכָה תָּמִיד, וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיְדַבֵּר עַל לֵב הַנַּעֲרָה". וּלְכָךְ אָמַר "קַח לִי אֶת הַיַּלְדָּה הַזֹּאת לְאִשָּׁה", שֶׁכְּבָר הִיא בְּבֵיתוֹ וּבְיָדוֹ, וְלֹא יִירָא מֵאַחֶיהָ כִּי הוּא נְשִׂיא הָאָרֶץ, וְאֵיךְ יִגְזְלוּהָ מִמֶּנּוּ לְהוֹצִיאָהּ מִבֵּיתוֹ. וְהַחֵשֶׁק הַגָּדוֹל לִשְׁכֶם כִּי הָיְתָה הַנַּעֲרָה יְפַת תֹּאַר מְאֹד, אֲבָל לֹא סִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב בְּיָפְיָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּשָׂרָהּ וּבְרִבְקָה וּבְרָחֵל, כִּי לֹא יִרְצֶה לְהַזְכִּיר יָפְיָהּ בִּהְיוֹתוֹ אֵלֶיהָ לְמִכְשׁוֹל עָוֹן, וּבִשְׁבַח הַצַּדִּיקוֹת דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב וְלֹא בָּזוֹ. וְכֵן לֹא הִזְכִּיר מָה נַעֲשָׂה בָּהּ אַחֲרֵי כֵן. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט עָמְדָה עִם אַחֶיהָ צְרוּרָה בְּאַלְמְנוּת חַיּוּת, כִּי הָיְתָה טְמֵאָה בְּעֵינֵיהֶם, כְּדִכְתִיב אֲשֶׁר טִמֵּא אֵת דִּינָה אֲחֹתָם. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ נֶחְלְקוּ בָּהּ (ב"ר פ יא), וְהַקָּרוֹב דִּבְרֵי הָאוֹמֵר, נְטָלָהּ שִׁמְעוֹן וּקְבָרָהּ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן. וְהוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ, כִּי הָיְתָה עִמּוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ כְּאַלְמָנָה וְיָרְדָה עִמָּהֶם לְמִצְרַיִם וְשָׁם מֵתָה, וְנִקְבְּרָה בָּאָרֶץ וּקְבוּרָתָהּ יְדוּעָה עַד הַיּוֹם בְּקַבָּלָה וְהִיא בְּעִיר אַרְבֵּאל עִם קֶבֶר נִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי הֶעֱלָה שִׁמְעוֹן עַצְמוֹתֶיהָ בְּחָמְלוֹ עָלֶיהָ, אוֹ שֶׁהֶעֱלוּ אוֹתָם יִשְׂרָאֵל עִם עַצְמוֹת אַחֶיהָ כָּל הַשְּׁבָטִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ר ק יא):

1‘MOHAR’ (DOWRY) ‘UMATAN’ (AND GIFT). Mohar [refers to the bridal gifts given at the time of] the marriage-contract which is given to maidens, as it is written, according to the dowry of virgins,¹²⁹ these being the presents which the young men send to the maidens whom they marry. Umatan are garments or silver and gold which the groom sends to her father and her brothers. In Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis said:¹³⁰ “Mohar is parnon (the wife’s settlement); matan is parapurnon (the additional settlement above the usual dowry),” these being in the language of the Jerusalem Talmud¹³¹ “the regular dowry” and “the usufruct estate,” that is to say, that which he gives her of his properties to be accounted as if she had brought them from her father’s house, the produce of which belongs to him.The reason for this conciliatory gesture is in order that they willingly give her to him as a wife, as the maiden did not consent to him and she steadily protested and cried. This is the sense of the verse, And he spoke comfortingly unto the damsel.¹³² Therefore Shechem said, Take me this young maiden to wife,¹³³ as she was already in his house and in his power, and he feared not her brothers because he was the prince of the country and how could they take her by force out of his house? Now Shechem’s great desire was because the maiden was very beautiful. However, Scripture did not narrate her beauty as it did in the case of Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel because it did not want to mention that which was to her a stumbling-block of iniquity,¹³⁴ while Scripture speaks only in praise of the righteous women but not of this one. Similarly, Scripture does not mention what happened to her after her rescue from Shechem’s house. In line with the simple meaning of Scripture she stayed with her brothers, “shut up, living as widows,”¹³⁵ as she was considered defiled in their sight, as it is written, Because he had defiled Dinah their sister.¹³⁶ Our Rabbis have differed on this matter.¹³⁷ The most feasible opinion is that of he who says¹³⁷ that Simeon took her, and upon her death, he buried her in the land of Canaan, this being in agreement with what we have said, i.e., that she was with him in his house as a widow, and she went down with them to Egypt, and there she died but was buried in the Land of Israel. Her grave is known by tradition to this day as being in the city of Arbel with the grave of Nitai the Arbelite.¹³⁸ It is possible that Simeon brought up her remains from Egypt out of pity for her while the Israelites were still in Egypt or that the children of Israel brought them up together with the bones of her brothers — all the tribes — just as our Rabbis have mentioned.¹³⁹