Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 38:5/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ח:ה׳

אוַתִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ שֵׁלָה וְהָיָה בִכְזִיב בְּלִדְתָּהּ אֹתוֹ כָּתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ח:ה') אוֹמֵר אֲנִי עַל שֶׁפָּסְקָה מִלֶּדֶת נִקְרָא כְזִיב, לְשׁוֹן "הָיֹה תִהְיֶה לִי כְּמוֹ אַכְזָב" (ירמיהו טו יח), שֶׁאִם כֵּן מָה בָּא לְלַמְּדֵנוּ. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי לָמָּה יִקָּרֵא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם עַל זֶה, וְאֵין בַּמְּאֹרָע הַהוּא כָּל חָדָשׁ, כִּי דַּי לָהּ שֶׁתֵּלֵד שְׁלֹשָׁה בָּנִים, וּבְעֵת לֵדָתָהּ לֹא נוֹדַע אִם פָּסְקָה אוֹ תּוֹלִיד אַחֲרֵי כֵן, רַק בְּעֵת מוֹתָהּ נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים (הרד"ק ומהר"ם מרוטנברג), כִּי הָיָה דַּרְכָּם שֶׁיִּקְרָא הָאָב שֵׁם הַבְּכוֹר וְתִקְרָא הָאֵם שֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִי, עַל כֵּן הָרִאשׁוֹן "וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ" וְהַשֵּׁנִי "וַתִּקְרָא", וְאָמַר בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי "וַתִּקְרָא", כִּי יְהוּדָה הָיָה בִּכְזִיב בְּלִדְתָּהּ אוֹתוֹ, וְאֵינֶנּוּ שָׁם שֶׁיִּקְרָא לוֹ שֵׁם. וְאֵין בָּזֶה טַעַם אוֹ רֵיחַ. וְדַעַת רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁסִּפֵּר הַכָּתוּב אָנָה נוֹלְדוּ, וְאָמַר "בְּלִדְתָּהּ אוֹתוֹ", כְּאִלּוּ אָמַר בְּלִדְתָּהּ אוֹתָם, כִּי בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד נוֹלְדוּ כֻּלָּם. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי שֵׁלָה לְשׁוֹן דָּבָר הַפּוֹסֵק וְהַכּוֹזֵב, וְכֵן "לֹא תַשְׁלֶה אוֹתִי" (מלכים ב ד כח), אָמַר בּוֹ הַתַּרְגּוּם "לָא תְכַדֵּב פִּתְגָמָךְ בְּאַמְתָּךְ", וְאוּלַי יִתְיַחֵס לִלְשׁוֹן שְׁגָגָה "שָׁלוּ", כִּי הַשּׁוֹגֵג כּוֹזֵב בְּמַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ. וְאָמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי קְרָאַתּוּ שֵׁלָה עַל שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם, כִּי הָיָה בִּכְזִיב בְּלִדְתָּהּ אוֹתוֹ, כְּדֶרֶךְ "וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָה" (בראשית כ"ד:י"ד). וְזֶה מַאֲמָרָם בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה, פְּסַקַת:

1AND SHE CALLED HIS NAME SHELAH, AND HE [Judah] WAS AT CHEZIB, WHEN SHE BORE HIM. Rashi wrote: “I am of the opinion that because it was there that she ceased bearing children, the place was called Chezib (deceit). It is similar in expression to the verse, Wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful (‘achzav’) brook.¹³⁹ If this be not so, what is the verse teaching us by mentioning that Judah was in Chezib?”Now I do not know why a place should be named for that reason, [i.e., because there she ceased bearing children], there being nothing outstanding in such an event as three sons were sufficient for her.¹⁴⁰ Moreover, at the time she gave birth to the third son it was not yet known whether she had ceased bearing or would give birth afterwards. Only at the time of her demise did it become established [that she had ceased bearing with the third son].¹⁴¹Now some scholars¹⁴² say that it was their custom for the father to name the firstborn, and the mother the second one. It is for this reason that Scripture states concerning the first son, And he called his name,¹⁴³ and concerning the second one, And she called.¹⁴⁴ Now concerning the third son, [the naming of whom was the father’s prerogative, Scripture nevertheless] says, And she called, explaining that this was because Judah was in Chezib when she gave birth to him, and he was not there to name him. This interpretation lacks rhyme or reason.In the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra Scripture relates where they were born; the statement, when she bore ‘him,’ is as if it had said ‘them,’ as all three sons were born in one place.In my opinion, the name Shelah is an expression meaning a thing which stops and deceives. Thus, do not ‘thashleh’ (deceive) me,¹⁴⁵ which the Targum there renders as, “Let not your word deceive your handmaid.” Perhaps it is related to the concept of error, for he who commits an error deceives his thinking. Thus Scripture is saying that she called him Shelah, [a word which is traceable to the root of the Hebrew word meaning ‘error,’] because of the name of the place, as he was in Chezib — [a word which means ‘deceive’] — when she bore him. And [the word v’hayah (and he was), although it should really be saying, v’haytha, (and she was), is identical with the expression ‘V’hayah hana’arah’ (And the damsel shall be).¹⁴⁶ in the feminine, except that the word v’haya does not refer to na’arah but to the event itself and is therefore to be understood as: “And it shall come to pass that the damsel, etc.” Here, likewise, it is to be so understood. This is the intent of the saying of the Rabbis in Bereshith Rabbah:¹³⁷ “Paskath was the name of the place.”¹⁴⁷