Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 4:22/רמב"ן על בראשית ד׳:כ״ב

אלֹטֵשׁ כָּל חֹרֵשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל שִׁעוּרוֹ הוּא הָיָה לוֹטֵשׁ וְחוֹרֵשׁ כָּל נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל. יֹאמַר כִּי הוּא הָיָה מְחַדֵּד וְחוֹרֵשׁ כָּל מְלֶאכֶת נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל, וְכָמֹהוּ "כָּל תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן וְקַח טוֹב" (הושע יד ג). וְעַל דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ד':כ"ב) דָּבֵק בַּכְּתוּבִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, הוּא הָיָה אֲבִי לֹטֵשׁ כָּל חֹרֵשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל:

1FORGER OF EVERY CUTTING INSTRUMENT OF BRASS AND IRON. He was a forger and cutter of all brass and iron.⁴⁵⁵ Scripture thus states that he was a forger and cutter in all works of brass and iron. A similar [usage in transposing a word is found in the verse]: Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good.⁴⁵⁶ In the opinion of Onkelos, however, this is connected with the first verses, meaning he was the father of every forger and cutter in brass and iron.

בוַאֲחוֹת תּוּבַל קַיִן נַעֲמָה כְּאוֹמֵר וְנוֹלְדָה לוֹ אָחוֹת וּשְׁמָהּ נַעֲמָה. וְכֵן "וַאֲחוֹת לוֹטָן תִּמְנָע" (בראשית ל"ו:כ"ב) "וְאֵת מִרְיָם אֲחוֹתָם" (במדבר כו נט), "וְשֵׁם אֲחוֹתוֹ מַעֲכָה" (דהי"א ז טו). וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה כ"ג:ג') יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל נֹחַ הָיְתָה, וְלָמָּה הָיוּ קוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ נַעֲמָה שֶׁהָיוּ מַעֲשֶׂיהָ נָאִים וּנְעִימִים. נִתְכַּוְּנוּ לוֹמַר שֶׁהָיָה לָהּ שֵׁם בַּדּוֹרוֹת הָהֵם כִּי הָיְתָה צַדֶּקֶת וְהוֹלִידָה צַדִּיקִים, וְלָכֵן יַזְכִּירֶנָּה הַכָּתוּב, וְאִם כֵּן נִשְׁאַר לְקַיִן זֵכֶר מְעַט בָּעוֹלָם. וְאִם נֹאמַר שֶׁאֵינָהּ הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁהוֹלִיד נֹחַ מִמֶּנָּה שְׁלֹשֶׁת בָּנָיו, אִם כֵּן אֵין בָּזֶה טַעַם לְהַזְכִּירָהּ. וּמִדְרָשׁ אַחֵר לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהִיא הָאִשָּׁה הַיָּפָה הִיא מְאֹד שֶׁמִּמֶּנָּה תָּעוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, וְהִיא הַנִּרְמֶזֶת בְּפָסוּק "וַיִּרְאוּ בְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם" (בראשית ו':ב'), כְּמוֹ שֶׁמֻּזְכָּר בְּפִרְקֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר (כב). וַאֲחֵרִים אָמְרוּ (זהר חדש א יט ב) כִּי הִיא הָיְתָה אֵשֶׁת שִׁמְדוֹן אֵם אַשְׁמְדַאי, וּמִמֶּנָּה נוֹלְדוּ הַשֵּׁדִים, כִּי כֵן יִמָּצֵא שְׁמָהּ בְּכִתְבֵי שִׁמּוּשֵׁי הַשֵּׁדִים. וְהַכָּתוּב יִרְמֹז וִיקַצֵּר בְּתַעֲלוּמוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה:

2AND THE SISTER OF TUBAL-CAIN WAS NAAMAH. This is as if Scripture would say: “and a sister was born to him and her name was Naamah.” A similar sense is found in the verses: And Lotan’s sister was Timnah;⁴⁵⁷ And Miriam their sister;⁴⁵⁸ His sister’s name was Maacah.⁴⁵⁹In Bereshith Rabbah⁴⁶⁰ there are some Rabbis who say that Naamah was Noah’s wife. “And why did they call her Naamah [which means lovely]? Because her deeds were lovely and pleasant.” By this the Rabbis meant to say that she was famous in those generations because she was a righteous woman and she gave birth to righteous children. This was why Scripture mentioned her. If so, a small remembrance of Cain was left in the world. However, if we say that she was not the woman from whom Noah begot his three sons, there is no reason for Scripture mentioning her. However, our Rabbis have another Midrash⁴⁶¹ concerning her which states that she was the very beautiful woman in whom the bnei ha’elohim⁴⁶² erred. This is hinted in the verse, And the ‘bnei ha’elohim’ saw the daughters of men,⁴⁶³, Verse 2. as mentioned in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer.⁴⁶¹ But other sources⁴⁶⁴ have it that Naamah was the wife of Shamdon, the mother of Ashmedai,⁴⁶⁵ and it is from her that the demons were born for her name is indeed found in the writings of “the use of the demons.” Scripture hints and deals briefly with such hidden matters.