Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 42:34/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ב:ל״ד

אוְאֶת הָאָרֶץ תִּסְחָרוּ שִׁנּוּ לוֹ בַּדָּבָר מִפְּנֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּשְׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם לְשַׁלֵּחַ אִתָּם בִּנְיָמִין, כִּי בִּרְצוֹנָם מִיָּד הָיוּ חוֹזְרִים, לוּלֵי שֶׁאָמַר "לֹא יֵלֵךְ בְּנִי עִמָּכֶם", וְכֵן אָמְרוּ לוֹ "אֲחִיכֶם הָאֶחָד הַנִּיחוּ אִתִּי", וְלֹא הִגִּידוּ לוֹ מַאֲסָרָם וְלֹא מַאֲסַר שִׁמְעוֹן. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם יוֹסֵף "וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ תִּסְחָרוּ" וְלֹא סִפְּרוֹ הַכָּתוּב, וְטַעְמוֹ שֶׁתָּבִיאוּ סְחוֹרָה כִּרְצוֹנְכֶם לִקְנוֹת הַתְּבוּאָה, וְלֹא אֶקַּח מֶכֶס סְחוֹרַתְכֶם, כִּי אֵיטִיב לָכֶם תַּחַת בָּשְׁתְּכֶם. וְכֵן "שָׁאוֹל שָׁאַל הָאִישׁ לָנוּ וּלְמוֹלַדְתֵּנוּ" (בראשית מ"ג:ז') הִתְנַצְּלוּת לַאֲבִיהֶם, אוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לוֹ "כֻּלָּנוּ בְּנֵי אִישׁ אֶחָד נָחְנוּ", אָמַר לָהֶם, לֹא כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץ בָּאתֶם לִרְאוֹת, וְהַגִּידוּ לִי אִם אֲבִיכֶם חַי וְאִם יֵשׁ לָכֶם עוֹד אָח, כִּי אֶחְקֹר עֲלֵיכֶם וְאֵדַע מָה אַתֶּם. וְאָז עָנוּ, שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אַחִים אֲנַחְנוּ בְּנֵי אִישׁ אֶחָד וְהוּא בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן הַיּוֹם, כִּי עוֹדֶנּוּ חַי, וְהַקָּטָן עִמּוֹ וְהָאֶחָד אֵינֶנּוּ. וְהוּא מָה שֶׁאָמַר יְהוּדָה (בראשית מ"ד:י"ט) "אֲדֹנִי שָׁאַל אֶת עֲבָדָיו לֵאמֹר הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָב אוֹ אָח", וְכֵן בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים יְקַצֵּר בַּמַּעֲשֶׂה אוֹ בַּסִּפּוּר, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְתִּי (לעיל כד כב לא ז). וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית מ"ב:ל"ד) "תִּסְחָרוּ" – תְּסַבְּבוּ, וְכָל לְשׁוֹן סְחוֹרָה וְסוֹחֲרִים עַל שֵׁם שֶׁמְּסַבְּבִים אַחַר פְּרַקְמַטְיָא. נִרְאֶה שֶׁרָצָה הָרַב לְהִזָּהֵר מִזֶּה שֶׁלֹּא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ רַשָּׁאִים לִסְבֹּב הָאָרֶץ וְלִשְׁבֹּר בָּר כִּרְצוֹנָם תָּמִיד, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ כֵּן (בראשית ל"ד:י') "שְׁבוּ וּסְחָרוּהָ", "וְיִסְחֲרוּ אוֹתָהּ" (שם פסוק כא):

1AND YOU SHALL BE FREE (‘TIS’CHARU’) TO TRADE IN THE LAND. They altered it for the sake of peace¹⁵⁷ so that Jacob would consent to send Benjamin along with them. It had been their desire to return immediately were it not that Jacob had said, My son shall not go down with you.¹⁵⁸ Similarly, for the sake of peace, they told him Joseph’s words, ‘Leave’ one of your brothers with me,¹⁵⁹ and they did not tell their father of their imprisonment or of Simeon’s imprisonment.It is possible that Joseph did tell them, And you shall be free to trade in the land, but Scripture does not relate it. If so, the intent of the statement is that “you will be able to bring merchandise at your will for the purpose of purchasing grain, and I will not take it, as compensation for your embarassment.”¹⁶⁰Similarly, their saying, The man persisted in asking about ourselves, and our family,¹⁶¹ constitutes a motivating plea to their father, [but the event never actually took place]. It may be that when they told Joseph, We are all one man’s sons,¹⁶² he said to them, “Not so, but you have truly come to find out the condition of the land.¹⁶³ Now tell me if your father is alive, and if you have another brother, for I will investigate you and know what you are.” Then they said, “We are twelve brethren, the sons of one man who is presently in the land of Canaan, for he is still alive, and the youngest one is with him, and one is gone.” This was what Judah said to Joseph: My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother?¹⁶⁴ In a similar manner Scripture, in many places, is concise about an event or the recounting thereof, as I have mentioned.¹⁶⁵Now Rashi writes: “Tis’charu, you may travel round the land. All expressions of s’chorah (merchandise) and socharim (merchants) are derived from sochar, which means ‘going around,’ because the merchants go round looking for merchandise.”It would seem that the Rabbi [Rashi]¹⁶⁶, Note 139. aimed by this interpretation to guard himself against this difficulty.¹⁶⁷ in the land. Therefore, Rashi explained the word tis’charu as giving them the right to travel around the land and buy grain always without hindrance. He therefore explained their words as reporting only that Joseph had said that they would be permitted to travel around the land and always buy grain at their pleasure. But above, in the story of Shechem, Rashi did not so interpret the same expressions: Settle down ‘us’charuah’ (and engage in trade);¹⁶⁸ ‘v’yis’charu othah’ (and engage in trade in it).¹⁶⁹, Verse 21.