Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 46:2/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ו:ב׳

אוַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב יַעֲקֹב אַחַר שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַשֵּׁם "לֹא יִקָּרֵא שִׁמְךָ עוֹד יַעֲקֹב כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה שְׁמֶךָ" הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיִּקְרָאֶנּוּ בַּשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד הַהוּא, וְכֵן הוּא נִזְכָּר בַּפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת שְׁלֹשָׁה פְּעָמִים, אֲבָל קְרָאוֹ יַעֲקֹב לִרְמֹז כִּי עַתָּה לֹא יָשׂוֹר עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וְיוּכָל, אֲבָל יִהְיֶה בְּבֵית עֲבָדִים עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶנּוּ גַּם עָלֹה, כִּי מֵעַתָּה הַגָּלוּת תַּתְחִיל בּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרַיְמָה יַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו" (בראשית מ"ו:ח'), כִּי בְּשֵׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יָבֹאוּ שָׁמָּה, כִּי יִפְרוּ הַבָּנִים וְיִרְבּוּ וְיִגְדַּל שְׁמָם וּכְבוֹדָם, אֲבָל יַעֲקֹב הוּא עַתָּה בְּרִדְתּוֹ שָׁם. וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב עֵר וְאוֹנָן עִם שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרַיְמָה לְסוֹד יָדוּעַ מִדְּבָרֵינוּ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ כְּבָר (רמב"ן על בראשית ל"ח:ח'), וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין זֶה וְטַעַם כָּל הַפָּסוּק. וְכֵן הִזְכִּירָם בַּפְּקוּדִים (במדבר כו יט-כ), "בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה עֵר וְאוֹנָן וַיָּמָת עֵר וְאוֹנָן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וַיִּהְיוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם", וּבְדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים (א ב ג-ד) מְנָאָם בְּמִסְפָּר, אָמַר "בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה עֵר וְאוֹנָן וְשֵׁלָה שְׁלוֹשָׁה נוֹלַד לוֹ מִבַּת שׁוּעַ הַכְּנַעֲנִית וְתָמָר כַּלָּתוֹ יָלְדָה לוֹ אֶת פֶּרֶץ וְאֶת זָרַח כָּל בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה חֲמִשָּׁה":

1AND HE SAID, JACOB, JACOB. After G-d had told him, Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name,¹⁷² it would be proper that He call him by this glorious name, and so he is indeed mentioned three times in this section.¹⁷³ However, He called him Jacob in order to hint that now he will not contend with G-d and men and prevail, [as the name Israel indicates],¹⁷⁴ but he will be in a house of bondage until He will also bring him up again, since the exile now begins with him. This is the meaning of the verse, And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons,¹⁷⁵ for they would come there with the appellation, “children of Israel,” since the children would multiply and increase there and their name and glory would extend. However, he is “Jacob” when descending thereto.The reason why Scripture mentions Er and Onan¹⁷⁶ together with the children of Israel who came into Egypt,¹⁷⁵ [although they had already died, as clearly stated in Verse 12]; is due to a secret which can be known from the words we have already written.¹⁷⁷ The learned student [of the mystic lore of the Cabala] will understand this, as well as the meaning of the entire Verse [12]. Scripture likewise mentioned them among those numbered¹⁷⁸ in the desert: The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Judah after their families were, etc.¹⁷⁹ And there, in the book of Chronicles, Scripture enumerates them in another count: The sons of Judah: Er, and Onan and Shelah; which were born unto him of Bath-shua the Canaanitess…And Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.¹⁸⁰