Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 39:6/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ט:ו׳

אכִּי אִם הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא אוֹכֵל לָשׁוֹן נְקִיָּה, כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ר פו ו). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על בראשית ל"ט:ו'), כִּי כָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ הָיָה בְּיַד יוֹסֵף חוּץ מִן הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא אוֹכֵל, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה אֲפִלּוּ נוֹגֵעַ בּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתוֹ עִבְרִי, כִּי כֵן הָיָה מִשְׁפַּט הַמִּצְרִים אֶת הָעִבְרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִגְּעוּ בְּמַאֲכָלָם כִּי תּוֹעֵבָה הִיא לְמִצְרַיִם. וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהוּא כֵן, אוֹ יִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב כִּי לֹא יָדַע אֲדוֹנָיו אֶת יוֹסֵף מְאוּמָה שֶׁיִּקַּח מִכָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ, רַק אֶת הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יֹאכַל יוֹסֵף, לֹא לִשְׁאָר הֲנָאוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּ הַבַּחוּרִים, וְלֹא לֶאֱסֹף לוֹ עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א כט ג) "וְלֹא מָצָאתִי בוֹ מְאוּמָה מִיּוֹם נָפְלוֹ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה", וְ"לֹא יָדַע אִתִּי מַה בַּבָּיִת" (בראשית ל"ט:ח') עִנְיָן אַחֵר, שֶׁלֹּא יַשְׁגִּיחַ לָדַעַת מָה אִתּוֹ בַּבַּיִת, כִּי "לֹא יָדַע אִתּוֹ מְאוּמָה" לָשׁוֹן שׁוֹלֵל וּ"מַה בַּבָּיִת" יְקַיֵּם:

1SAVE THE BREAD WHICH HE DID EAT. In the words of our Rabbis, this is a refined expression which refers to his wife.²¹⁹Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said in interpretation of the verse that whatever Potiphar possessed was left in the hands of Joseph excepting the bread which he ate. This he did not even permit him to touch since he was a Hebrew. It was the customary behavior of the Egyptians towards the Hebrews that they not permit the Hebrews to touch their food, because that is abhorrent to the Egyptians.²²⁰Possibly this is so. Perhaps the interpretation of the verse is that his lord did not know of Joseph taking anything from him save only the bread which Joseph ate, but no other pleasures as young people are wont to do. Nor did he gather wealth and property, just as it is said of David, And I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day.²²¹ Now the verse, Having me, he knoweth not what is in the house,²²² expresses another matter, namely, that he [Joseph’s lord] did not trouble himself to know about anything inside the house. But the present verse, Having him, he knew not aught, is an expression of negation; he knew that nothing in the house is [taken by Joseph except the bread which he eats].²²³

בוַיְהִי יוֹסֵף יְפֵה תֹאַר וִיפֵה מַרְאֶה הִזְכִּיר זֶה בְּכָאן לוֹמַר כִּי בַּעֲבוּר יָפְיוֹ נָשְׂאָה אֵשֶׁת אֲדוֹנָיו אֵלָיו אֶת עֵינֶיהָ. וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית ל"ט:ו') כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁרָאָה עַצְמוֹ מוֹשֵׁל הִתְחִיל אוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה וּמְסַלְסֵל בִּשְׂעָרוֹ וְכוּ':

2AND JOSEPH WAS HANDSOME AND GOOD-LOOKING. The verse mentions this here in order to indicate that it was on account of his good looks that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon him. And Rashi wrote that because he saw that he was ruler of the house, he began to eat and drink, and curl his hair, etc.²²⁴