Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 37:17/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ז:י״ז

אנָסְעוּ מִזֶּה הִסִּיעוּ עַצְמָן מִן הָאַחְוָה. "נֵלְכָה דֹּתָיְנָה", לְבַקֵּשׁ לְךָ נִכְלֵי דָתוֹת שֶׁיְּמִיתוּךָ בָהֶם. וּלְפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֵׁם מָקוֹם הוּא, וְאֵין מִקְרָא יוֹצֵא מִידֵי פְשׁוּטוֹ, לְשׁוֹן ר' שְׁלֹמֹה. וְאֵין הַכַּוָּנָה לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁיְּפָרֵשׁ לוֹ הָאִישׁ נָסְעוּ מִזֶּה מִן הָאַחְוָה וְהָלְכוּ לְעוֹרֵר עָלֶיךָ דִּינִין וְתַרְעוֹמוֹת, שֶׁאִם כֵּן הָיָה נִמְנָע לָלֶכֶת וְלֹא הָיָה מְסַכֵּן בְּעַצְמוֹ. אֲבָל הַכַּוָּנָה לָהֶם כִּי הָאִישׁ גַּבְרִיאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיד לוֹ הִגִּיד אֱמֶת, וְאָמַר לָשׁוֹן מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לִשְׁנֵי פָּנִים וּשְׁנֵיהֶם אֱמֶת, וְהוּא לֹא הֵבִין הַנִּסְתָּר בּוֹ וְהָלַךְ אַחַר הַנִּגְלֶה מִמֶּנּוּ, וַיֵּלֶךְ אַחַר אֶחָיו וַיִּמְצָאֵם בְּדֹתָן כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לוֹ. וְדָרְשׁוּ זֶה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאִישׁ הַזֶּה הוּא מַלְאָךְ, וְאִם כֵּן יוֹדֵעַ הוּא אָנָה הֵם, וְלָמָּה לֹא אָמַר הִנָּם בְּדוֹתָן וְאָמַר כְּמִסְתַּפֵּק שֶׁשָּׁמַע מֵהֶם שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ שָׁם וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ אָנָה הֵם עַתָּה, וְלָכֵן יַעֲשׂוּ מִדְרָשׁ בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ:

1THEY HAVE JOURNEYED HENCE. “They have departed from any feeling of brotherhood. ‘Let us go to Dothan, that is, let us go to seek pretexts of dathoth (laws) with which to put you to death.’ According to the literal sense, however, Dothan is the name of a place, and Scripture never sheds its literal sense.” This is Rabbi Shlomo’s [Rashi’s] language.Now it was not the intent of our Rabbis to say that the man expressly told him, “They have departed hence from any feeling of brotherhood, and they have gone to stir up charges and pretexts against you,” for if so, he would have avoided going there and would not have endangered himself. Instead, their intent is to say that “the man” — Gabriel⁶¹ — who told it to him told the truth, but he spoke words having a double meaning, both of them true. Joseph, however, did not grasp the hidden meaning therein, and he followed the obvious. He thus followed his brothers and found them in Dothan, as he had told him. The Rabbis expounded this on the basis of the fact that the “man” referred to was an angel, and if so, he knew where the brothers were. Why then did he not say, “They are in Dothan,” instead of speaking as if he was in doubt, i.e., that he heard from them that they were going to Dothan but he does not know where they are at present. It is for this reason that they expounded the above Midrash concerning his words.

בכִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי אוֹמְרִים שָׁמַעְתִּי אוֹתָם שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים נֵלְכָה דֹּתָיְנָה, וְכֵן "וְרִבְקָה שׁוֹמַעַת" (בראשית כ"ז:ה') הָיְתָה שׁוֹמַעַת. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיֹּאמַר נָסְעוּ הָרוֹעִים מִזֶּה כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי אֲנָשִׁים אוֹמְרִים נֵלְכָה דֹּתָיְנָה, אוּלַי הֵם אַחֶיךָ, דִּבֵּר עִמּוֹ כְּמַסְתִּיר פָּנִים מִן הָעִנְיָן:

2FOR I HEARD THEY ARE SAYING. “I heard that they were saying.”⁶², literally, “I heard they are saying,” is as if it were written, shamati shehayu omrim, “I heard that they were saying,” thus referring to a past event. Similarly the expression, Rebekah hears,⁶³ means that she heard. It is possible that he is saying: “The shepherds have gone from here for I heard people saying,⁶⁴ ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ Perhaps they were your brothers.” The man thus spoke with him as if he were avoiding the subject.