Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 37:14/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ז:י״ד
אוַיִּשְׁלָחֵהוּ מֵעֵמֶק חֶבְרוֹן יַזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ מִשָּׁם לוֹמַר כִּי הָיָה מֶרְחָק רַב בֵּינֵיהֶם וְלָכֵן עָשׂוּ עִמּוֹ רָעָה, כִּי רְחוֹקִים הָיוּ מֵאֲבִיהֶם, וּלְהַגִּיד כִּי יוֹסֵף לִכְבוֹד אָבִיו נִתְאַמֵּץ לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵיהֶם אֶל מָקוֹם רָחוֹק, וְלֹא אָמַר אֵיךְ אֵלֵךְ וְהֵם שׂוֹנְאִים אוֹתִי. וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ עוֹד בָּזֶה מִדְרָשׁ (ב"ר פד יג), לְהַשְׁלִים עֵצָה עֲמֻקָּה שֶׁל חָבֵר הֲנָאָה הַקָּבוּר בְּחֶבְרוֹן:
1AND HE SENT HIM OUT OF THE VALLEY OF HEBRON. Scripture mentions the place from which Joseph was sent, in order to indicate that there was a great distance between father and son, and that this was the reason why the brothers did him evil: they were distant far from their father. It also serves to relate that Joseph, out of respect for his father, strengthened himself to go after them to a distant place, and he did not say, “How shall I go when they hate me?”. Our Rabbis yet have a Midrash concerning this matter, in which they say, “It was to fulfill the profound thought of the ‘seemly companion’56 (Hebron) as if it consisted of the two words: chever na’eh (seemly companion). Thus it refers to Abraham who walked before G-d (above 17:1). The Midrash is in Bereshith Rabbah 84:13. who was buried in Hebron.”57