Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 38:26/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ח:כ״ו

אצָדְקָה מִמֶּנִּי צָדְקָה בִּדְבָרֶיהָ, מִמֶּנִּי הִיא מְעֻבֶּרֶת. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ (סוטה י) שֶׁיָּצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה, מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵאִתִּי יָצְאוּ הַדְּבָרִים, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ח:כ"ו). וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ "צַדִּיקִים וְטוֹבִים מִמֶּנּוּ" (מלכים א ב לב), "וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל דָּוִד צַדִּיק אַתָּה מִמֶּנִּי כִּי אַתָּה גְּמַלְתַּנִי הַטּוֹבָה וַאֲנִי גְּמַלְתִּיךָ הָרָעָה" (שמואל א כד יז), צָדְקָה בְּמַעֲשֶׂיהָ יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנִּי, כִּי הִיא הַצַּדֶּקֶת וַאֲנִי הַחוֹטֵא אֵלֶיהָ שֶׁלֹּא נְתַתִּיהָ לְשֵׁלָה בְנִי. וְהַטַּעַם כִּי שֵׁלָה הוּא הַיָּבָם, וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ לָקַחַת אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ אָבִיו הוּא הַגּוֹאֵל אַחֲרָיו, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי לְמַעְלָה (רמב"ן על בראשית ל"ח:ח') בְּדִין הַיִּבּוּם:

1SHE IS RIGHTEOUS FROM ME. “She is righteous in her words. From me is she with child. Our Rabbis expounded that a bath kol (a Divine voice) came forth and said the word mimeni, i.e., ‘From Me and from My authority did these events unfold.’” This is Rashi’s language.The correct interpretation is that it is similar to the verses: Men more righteous and better than he;¹⁹¹ And he [Saul] said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil.¹⁹² Here too the meaning is: “She is more righteous than I, for she acted righteously and I am the one who sinned against her by not giving her my son Shelah.” The purport of the statement is that Shelah was the brother-in-law, [hence he was the first designated to marry her], and if he did not wish to take her as his wife, his father is next in line to act as the redeemer, as I have explained above¹⁹³ when I discussed the law of marrying a childless brother’s widow.

בוְלֹא יָסַף עוֹד לְדַעְתָּה אַחֲרֵי שֶׁהֵקִים זֶרַע לְבָנָיו לֹא רָצָה לִהְיוֹת עִמָּהּ עוֹד, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהָיָה בִּרְצוֹנוֹ, כִּי אֵינֶנָּה אֲסוּרָה עָלָיו וְהָיְתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַיְּבָמִים. וְזֶה טַעַם הָאוֹמֵר (סוטה י) לֹא פָּסַק, כְּתִיב הָכָא "וְלֹא יָסַף", וּכְתִיב הָתָם (דברים ה יט) "קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְלֹא יָסָף":

2AND HE KNEW HER AGAIN NO MORE (‘v’lo yasaph’). After having established progeny for his children, he did not wish to be with her again even though this was dependent upon his wish as she was not forbidden to him, being, in fact, considered as his wife, as is the law when the widow of a childless man has relations with a relative. This is the reason for the explanation given by a certain Sage,¹⁹⁴ who explains the verse as saying, “And he did not cease to know her,”¹⁹⁵ since here the expression used is, v’lo yasaph, and elsewhere it is written, A great voice ‘v’lo yasaph’.¹⁹⁶ [with a kamatz], meaning “and it did not cease,” or “it did not diminish in strength,” unlike the human voice which decreases and eventually stops completely. Here also the identical expression, v’lo yasaph [with a patach], means “and he did not cease.”