Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 37:2/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ז:ב׳

אאֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב וְאֵלֶּה שֶׁל תּוֹלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, אֵלֶּה יִשּׁוּבֵיהֶן וְגִלְגּוּלֵיהֶן עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ לִכְלַל יִשּׁוּב, סִבָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה – "יוֹסֵף בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה", עַל יְדֵי זֶה נִתְגַּלְגְּלוּ וְיָרְדוּ. זֶהוּ יִשּׁוּב פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא לִהְיוֹת דָּבָר דָּבוּר עַל אָפְנָיו. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ז:ב'). וְאֵין לָשׁוֹן לְתוֹלָדוֹת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עַל הַיִּשּׁוּב. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על בראשית ל"ז:א'), אֵלֶּה הַמְאֹרָעוֹת שֶׁאֵרְעוּ לוֹ וְהַקּוֹרוֹת שֶׁבָּאוּ עָלָיו, כְּטַעַם "מַה יֵּלֶד יוֹם". וְאֵין אָדָם מוֹלִיד קוֹרוֹתָיו, רַק לְיָמִים מְיֻחָסִים שֶׁיּוֹלִידוּם. וְאוּלַי יֹאמַר אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת הַיָּמִים שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב – יוֹסֵף וְאֶחָיו אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר, וְאָחַז הַכָּתוּב דֶּרֶךְ קְצָרָה בִּשְׁמוֹתָם, שֶׁכְּבָר הִזְכִּירָם לְמַעְלָה, אֲבָל אָמַר אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב יוֹסֵף וְאֶחָיו אֲשֶׁר אֵרַע לָהֶם כָּכָה. וְאֶפְשָׁר גַּם כֵּן שֶׁיִּרְמֹז "אֵלֶּה" אֶת כָּל הַנִּזְכָּרִים בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה, שִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ יָרְדוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ מִצְרָיְמָה, כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר בְּ"אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת עֵשָׂו" בָּנִים וּבְנֵי בָנִים מְלָכִים וְאַלּוּפִים כָּל אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בָּהֶם עַד זְמַן הַתּוֹרָה, כֵּן יִמְנֶה בְּתוֹלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב בָּנָיו וּבְנֵי בָנָיו וְכָל זַרְעוֹ, רַק יַזְכִּיר בָּהֶם הַפְּרָטִים בְּתוֹלְדֹתָם:

1THESE ARE THE ‘TOLDOTH’ (GENERATIONS) OF JACOB. And this is an account of the generations of Jacob. These are their settlements and the events which occurred to them until they attained settlement status. The first cause was Joseph, being seventeen years old, etc. It was through this incident that it happened that they descended to Egypt. This is the literal explanation of the text, which permits each detail to fall into its place. These are the words of Rashi. But the word toldoth cannot apply to a settlement.⁶ as having reference to Jacob’s settlement. Mizrachi, however, points out that Rashi’s intent is that the word Eileh (these are) refers to the settlements, while the word toldoth is to be understood in its usual sense as meaning “children.” The sense of the verse thus becomes: “These are the settlements of the children of Jacob.”And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said [that the verse should be interpreted thus]: “These are the events which happened to him, and the occurrences which befell him.” This is similar in meaning to the usage in the verse, For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.⁷ (a day may bring forth). Similarly, according to Ibn Ezra, the word toldoth, which has the same roots as yolad, here means the events which evolved. But a person is not said to bring forth his events; it is only to days that events can be ascribed.⁸ can mean events when it modifies a period of time. However, when referring to a person, as in the present verse, it cannot have this meaning. Ramban thus takes issue with Ibn Ezra’s interpretation. Now perhaps the verse, according to Ibn Ezra, is saying, “These are the events which the days of Jacob brought forth.”The correct interpretation in my opinion is as follows: “These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph and his brothers, whom Scripture will mention further on.” Scripture here adopts a concise approach to their names since it already mentioned them above.⁹ But the intent of the verse is to say that these are the generations of Joseph and his brothers to whom the following happened. It is also possible that the word Eileh (these are) alludes to all those mentioned in this book: Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons.¹⁰ Just as in the chapter, These are the generations of Esau,¹¹ Scripture mentioned sons and sons’ sons, kings and chiefs, including all that there had been among them up to the time the Torah was given,¹² so will Scripture count the generations of Jacob, his sons and grandsons, and all his seed, mentioning only the outstanding details in their generations.

בוְהוּא נַעַר אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה שֶׁהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה נַעֲרוּת, מְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בְּעֵינָיו וּמְתַקֵּן בִּשְׂעָרוֹ. "אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה", כְּלוֹמַר וְרָגִיל אֶת בְּנֵי בִּלְהָה, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ אֶחָיו מְבַזִּין אוֹתָן וְהוּא מְקָרְבָן. "אֶת דִּבָּתָם רָעָה", כָּל רָעָה שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה בְּאֶחָיו בְּנֵי לֵאָה הָיָה מַגִּיד לְאָבִיו, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ז:ב'). וְאִם כֵּן לָמָּה לֹא הִצִּילוּהוּ בְּנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְהוּא אוֹהֵב אוֹתָם וּמְקָרְבָן וּמַגִּיד לְאָבִיו עַל הָאַחִים בְּבִזְיוֹנָם, וְאִם נֹאמַר שֶׁיִּירְאוּ מִן הָאַחִים, וְהִנֵּה הֵם ד' וּרְאוּבֵן עִמָּהֶם וְיוֹסֵף עַצְמוֹ, וְתִגְבַּר יָדָם עֲלֵיהֶם, וְאַף כִּי לֹא יָבֹאוּ עִמָּהֶם בְּמִלְחָמָה. וְעוֹד כִּי נִרְאֶה בַּכָּתוּב כִּי כֻּלָּם הִסְכִּימוּ בִּמְכִירָתוֹ. אֲבָל לְדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה פ"ד:ז') עַל כֻּלָּם הָיָה מוֹצִיא הַדִּבָּה. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי זֶה הַכָּתוּב שָׁב לְבָאֵר מָה שֶׁהִזְכִּיר, וְשִׁעוּרוֹ יוֹסֵף וְהוּא נַעַר בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה בַּצֹּאן אֶת אֶחָיו, אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ בַּסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה (בראשית מ':ה') "וַיַּחַלְמוּ חֲלוֹם שְׁנֵיהֶם אִישׁ חֲלֹמוֹ בְּלַיְלָה אֶחָד אִישׁ כְּפִתְרוֹן חֲלֹמוֹ הַמַּשְׁקֶה וְהָאֹפֶה אֲשֶׁר לְמֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר אֲסוּרִים בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר", שָׁב לְפָרֵשׁ מִלַּת "שְׁנֵיהֶם" אֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר, וְשִׁעוּרוֹ וַיַּחַלְמוּ חֲלוֹם שְׁנֵיהֶם הַמַּשְׁקֶה וְהָאֹפֶה אֲשֶׁר לְמֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר אֲסוּרִים בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר אִישׁ כְּפִתְרוֹן חֲלוֹמוֹ, וְכֵן רַבִּים. אוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה "וְהוּא" מוֹשֵׁךְ אַחֵר עִמּוֹ, וּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ וְהוּא נַעַר וְהוּא אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו, יֹאמַר כִּי הוּא נַעַר וְהוּא עִם בְּנֵי בִּלְהָה וְעִם בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו תָּמִיד, לֹא יִפָּרֵד מֵהֶם בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲרוּתוֹ, כִּי לָהֶם צִוָּה אֲבִיהֶם שֶׁיִּשְׁמְרוּהוּ וִישָׁרְתוּהוּ, לֹא לִבְנֵי הַגְּבִירוֹת, וְהוּא מֵבִיא מֵהֶם דִּבָּה רָעָה אֶל אֲבִיהֶם, וְלָכֵן יִשְׂנָאוּהוּ אֵלֶּה הָאַרְבָּעָה הָאַחִים. וְאַחַר כֵּן אָמַר כִּי אָבִיו אֲהֵבוֹ, וַיִּרְאוּ אֶחָיו הָאֲחֵרִים כִּי אֹתוֹ אָהַב אֲבִיהֶם יוֹתֵר מִכֻּלָּם וַיְקַנְאוּ בּוֹ וַיִּשְׂנָאוּהוּ, נִמְצָא שָׂנוּא מִכֻּלָּם, בְּנֵי הַגְּבִירוֹת יְקַנְאוּ בּוֹ לָמָּה יֹאהַב אוֹתוֹ מֵהֶם וְהֵם בְּנֵי גְּבִירָה כָּמוֹהוּ, וּבְנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְקַנְאוּ בָּזֶה לְמַעֲלָתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם יִשְׂנְאוּ בּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתוֹ מֵבִיא דִּבָּתָם אֶל אֲבִיהֶם. וְטַעַם "דִּבָּתָם רָעָה", לְהַפְלִיג, כִּי כָל דִּבָּה רָעָה הִיא. וְעַל דַּעַת רַשִׁ"י (במדבר יד לו) יִתָּכֵן שֶׁתִּהְיֶה דִּבָּה טוֹבָה, וּ"מֵבִיא דִבָּה" הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה יַגִּיד, אֲבָל "מוֹצִיא דִבָּה הוּא כְסִיל" הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁקֶר. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט אֵינֶנּוּ קָשֶׁה שֶׁיִּקְרָאֶנּוּ נַעַר וְהוּא בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתוֹ קָטָן מִכֻּלָּם יִקְרָאֶנּוּ כֵן, לוֹמַר כִּי לֹא הָיָה מִתְחַזֵּק כְּאֶחָיו וְיִצְטָרֵךְ לִהְיוֹתוֹ עִם בְּנֵי בִּלְהָה וְזִלְפָּה מִפְּנֵי נַעֲרוּתוֹ. וּכְתִיב בִּרְחַבְעָם בֶּן שְׁלֹמֹה (דהי"ב יג ז) "וּרְחַבְעָם הָיָה נַעַר וְרַךְ לֵבָב וְלֹא הִתְחַזַּק לִפְנֵיהֶם" וְהוּא בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה בְּמָלְכוֹ, וְכֵן "הֲשָׁלוֹם לַנַּעַר לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם" (שמואל ב יח לב), וּבִנְיָמִן בְּרִדְתּוֹ לְמִצְרַיִם גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ וְיִקְרָאֶנּוּ נַעַר פְּעָמִים רַבִּים. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ל"ז:ב') תִּרְגֵּם "וְהוּא נַעַר" – "וְהוּא מְרַבֵּי עִם בְּנֵי בִּלְהָה", יֹאמַר כִּי מִיּוֹם הֱיוֹתוֹ נַעַר הוּא עִמָּהֶם, הֵם גִּדְּלוּהוּ כְּאָב וְהֵם יְשָׁרְתוּהוּ, גַּם נָכוֹן הוּא, וְעַל הַדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי כִּי הַכָּתוּב יְסַפֵּר כִּי מֵאֵלֶּה יָבִיא הַדִּבָּה וְלִבְנֵי הַגְּבִירוֹת בְּקִנְאָתָם. וְטַעַם "נְשֵׁי אָבִיו", כִּי נָשָׁיו הָיוּ שֶׁלְּקָחָם לְנָשִׁים, וְלֹא יִקְרָא אוֹתָם הַכָּתוּב שְׁפָחוֹת רַק בִּהְיוֹתָן עִם רָחֵל וְלֵאָה שֶׁהֵן גְּבִירוֹת לָהֶן, וְכֵן "וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְאֶת יַלְדֵיהֶן" (בראשית ל"ג:ב'), לוֹמַר כִּי בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתָן שְׁפָחוֹת לְרָחֵל וּלְלֵאָה שָׂם אוֹתָן לִפְנֵיהֶן. וְכֵן "וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת בִּלְהָה פִּלֶגֶשׁ אָבִיו" (בראשית ל"ה:כ"ב), שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיְתָה גְּבֶרֶת לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה כֵן. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי בְּחַיֵּי רָחֵל וְלֵאָה יִקְרָא אוֹתָן שְׁפָחוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים, וְעַתָּה מֵתוּ וּלְקָחָן לְנָשִׁים:

2AND THE LAD WAS WITH THE SONS OF BILHAH. His actions were those of youth: he would touch up his eyes and dress his hair. With the sons of Bilhah, that is to say, he associated with the sons of Bilhah because his brothers slighted them as being the sons of handmaids, and he therefore befriended them. Their evil report — he told his father about every wrong which he discerned in his brothers, the sons of Leah. This is the language of Rashi.But if this be so, why did the children of the handmaids not save him later on, inasmuch as he loved and befriended them, and told his father about his brothers’ slighting them. And if we say that they feared their brothers, they were four,¹³ and Reuben was with them,¹⁴ and, with Joseph himself, [they made a total of six]. Surely they would have prevailed against them especially when considering that the remaining five sons of Leah would not wage war against them. Moreover, it appears from Scripture that all¹⁵ of the brothers concurred in the sale of Joseph. However, according to our Rabbis in Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁶ he uttered slander against all of them.¹⁷In my opinion the correct interpretation is that this verse returns to explain that which it mentioned above, and its purport [is as if the phrases in the verse were transposed as follows]: Joseph being a lad of seventeen years, was feeding the flock together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. A similar case requiring transposition of phrases is found in this Seder:¹⁸ or Parsha (section). And they dreamed a dream both of them in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.¹⁹ The verse returns to explain the word shneihem (both of them) which it had mentioned at the outset. Its purport, [after the phrases have been suitably transposed, is as follows]: And both of them dreamed a dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison, each man according to the interpretation of his dream. There are many similar verses. It may be that the word v’hu (and he was) requires another similar word, as if it were written: “and he was a lad, and he was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, who were his father’s wives.” The verse thus states that because he was a lad he was constantly with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, never being separated from them on account of his youth, for their father had commanded them to watch over him and serve him, not the sons of the mistresses, and he brought an evil report concerning them²⁰ to their father. It was for this reason that these four brothers¹³ hated Joseph. Following that, the verse says that his father loved him. Now when the other brothers²¹ saw that their father loved him more than all, they became jealous of him and they hated him. Thus Joseph is found to be hated by all: the sons of the mistresses were jealous of him because Jacob loved him more than them although they were also sons of a mistress as he was, and the sons of the handmaids, who would otherwise not have been jealous of his superior position over them, hated him because he brought their evil report to their father.The purpose of the redundant expression, dibatham ra’ah (their evil report), is to magnify,²² for dibah itself connotes evil.²³ (evil)? It does so in order to magnify the evil nature of the report. Now according to the opinion of Rashi it is possible for dibah to be a good report. Thus when Scripture uses the expression, “he brings dibah“, it means that he tells what he sees,²⁴ but when it uses the term, he bringeth forth ‘dibah,’ it refers to the fool who speaks falsehood.²⁵ connotes evil only when used in conjunction with the word motzi (bring forth) is borne out by Numbers 13:32.In line with the literal meaning of Scripture, the fact that it calls one a na’ar (lad) when he was seventeen years of age²⁶, which is that his actions were those of a youth. presents no difficulty for since he was the youngest among them, it calls him by that name, indicating that he was not as sturdy as his brothers and therefore needed to be with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah on account of his youth. Now of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, it is written, And Rehoboam was young and faint-hearted and could not withstand them,²⁷ yet he was forty-one years old when he began to reign.²⁸, 12:13. Similarly the verse: Is it well with the lad Absalom?²⁹, 3:3-5), and David ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem. The rebellion of Absalom occurred three years before David’s death (see Seder Hadoroth, year 2921). Hence Absalom, at his death, was at least thirty years old, yet David calls him na’ar. And Benjamin, upon going down to Egypt, was older than Joseph was now,³⁰ and yet Scripture frequently refers to him as na’ar.³¹Now Onkelos translated v’hu na’ar as “he grew up with the sons of Bilhah.” Thus the verse states that from the time he was a lad he was in their company. They raised him as a father would, and they served him. This interpretation is also correct according to the literal interpretation of Scripture, which I offered as an explanation, namely that Scripture relates that he brought evil report concerning [the sons of the handmaids, who, according to Onkelos, raised him. This is why they hated him, whereas] the sons of the mistresses hated him because of their jealousy, as explained above.³²The meaning of the expression, His father’s wives, is that they were his “wives” for he took them as such. Scripture calls them “handmaids” only when they are mentioned together with Rachel and Leah, who were their mistresses. Similarly, And he put the handmaids and their children foremost,³³ as if to say that because they were handmaids of Rachel and Leah, Jacob placed them before them in a more exposed position. Similarly, And he lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.³⁴ [The word “concubine” is used to indicate] that if she were a mistress it would not have occurred. It is possible that during the lifetime of Rachel and Leah, Scripture calls them “handmaids” and “concubines,” but now that they had died [Jacob] took them as wives.