Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 30

14Reuben was taking a walk during the season of the wheat harvest and found some jasmine in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel, having witnessed this, said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s jasmine.”   ידוַיֵּ֨לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֜ן בִּימֵ֣י קְצִֽיר־חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּמְצָ֤א דֽוּדָאִים֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיָּבֵ֣א אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־לֵאָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רָחֵל֨ אֶל־לֵאָ֔ה תְּנִי־נָ֣א לִ֔י מִדּֽוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנֵֽךְ:
בִּימֵי קְצִֽיר־חִטִּים - During the season of the wheat harvest. This is mentioned in order to recount the praise of the tribes: It was harvest-time, yet Reuben did not venture to steal by taking wheat or barley, but took only ownerless things about which no one cares.   בִּימֵי קְצִֽיר־חִטִּים.  לְהַגִּיד שִׁבְחָן שֶׁל שְׁבָטִים; שְׁעַת הַקָּצִיר הָיָה וְלֹא פָשַׁט יָדוֹ בַגֶּזֶל לְהָבִיא חִטִּים וּשְׂעוֹרִים, אֶלָּא דְּבַר הַהֶפְקֵר, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם מַקְפִּיד בּוֹ:
דֽוּדָאִים - are siglei (violets). It is a plant, and in Arabic it is called “yasmin.”   דֽוּדָאִים.  סִיגְלִי, עֵשֶׂב הוּא (סנהדרין צ"ט), וּבִלְשׁוֹן יִשְׁמָעֵאל יַסְמִי"ן:
15She answered her, “Is it not bad enough that you have taken away my husband? Do you have to also take away my son’s jasmine?” Rachel replied, “Therefore, I propose that Jacob sleep with you tonight, in exchange for your son’s jasmine.”   טווַתֹּ֣אמֶר לָ֗הּ הַֽמְעַט֙ קַחְתֵּ֣ךְ אֶת־אִישִׁ֔י וְלָקַ֕חַת גַּ֥ם אֶת־דּֽוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנִ֑י וַתֹּ֣אמֶר רָחֵ֗ל לָכֵן֙ יִשְׁכַּ֤ב עִמָּךְ֙ הַלַּ֔יְלָה תַּ֖חַת דּֽוּדָאֵ֥י בְנֵֽךְ:
וְלָקַחַת גַּם אֶת־דּֽוּדָאֵי בְּנִי - This is a question: “And this, too, you wish to do to me, to take away my son’s jasmine as well?” The Aramaic translation is וּלְמִסַּב (the equivalent infinitive).   וְלָקַחַת גַּם אֶת־דּֽוּדָאֵי בְּנִי.  בִּתְמִיהָ, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד זֹאת לִקַּח גַם אֶת דּוּדָאֵי בְּנִי; וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ וּלְמֵיסַב:
לָכֵן יִשְׁכַּב עִמָּךְ הַלַּיְלָה - Therefore he will sleep with you tonight. I had the right to lie with Jacob tonight, but I am giving it to you in exchange for your son’s jasmine. And because she treated the privilege of lying with this righteous man lightly, she did not merit to be buried with him.   לָכֵן יִשְׁכַּב עִמָּךְ הַלַּיְלָה.  שֶׁלִּי הָיְתָה שְׁכִיבַת לַיְלָה זוֹ, וַאֲנִי נוֹתְנָה לָךְ תַּחַת דּוּדָאֵי בְנֵךְ, וּלְפִי שֶׁזִּלְזְלָה בְּמִשְׁכַּב הַצַּדִּיק לֹא זָכְתָה לְהִקָּבֵר עִמּוֹ (נדה ל"א):
16When Jacob returned from the field at nightfall, Leah went out to greet him and said, “You are to come to me tonight, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” He engaged in marital relations with her that night.   טזוַיָּבֹ֨א יַֽעֲקֹ֥ב מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֘ בָּעֶ֒רֶב֒ וַתֵּצֵ֨א לֵאָ֜ה לִקְרָאת֗וֹ וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֵלַ֣י תָּב֔וֹא כִּ֚י שָׂכֹ֣ר שְׂכַרְתִּ֔יךָ בְּדֽוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנִ֑י וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב עִמָּ֖הּ בַּלַּ֥יְלָה הֽוּא:
שָׂכֹר שְׂכַרְתִּיךָ - I have hired you - i.e., I have given Rachel the payment she demanded.   שָׂכֹר שְׂכַרְתִּיךָ.  נָתַתִּי לְרָחֵל שְׂכָרָהּ:
בַּלַּיְלָה הֽוּא - That night. The word הוּא, which can also mean “He,” indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, helped Issachar be born from this union.   בַּלַּיְלָה הֽוּא.  הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא סִיְּעוֹ, שֶׁיָּצָא מִשָּׁם יִשָּׂשכָר (בראשית רבה):
17God listened to Leah. She conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.   יזוַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־לֵאָ֑ה וַתַּ֛הַר וַתֵּ֥לֶד לְיַֽעֲקֹ֖ב בֵּ֥ן חֲמִישִֽׁי:
וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל־לֵאָה - God listened to Leah - i.e., He took note that she desired and was exerting effort to increase her number of tribes.   וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל־לֵאָה.  שֶׁהָיְתָה מִתְאַוָּה וּמְחַזֶּרֶת לְהַרְבּוֹת שְׁבָטִים:
18Leah said, “God has granted me my reward [sachar] for having given my bondwoman to my husband,” so she named him Issachar.   יחוַתֹּ֣אמֶר לֵאָ֗ה נָתַ֤ן אֱלֹהִים֙ שְׂכָרִ֔י אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תִּי שִׁפְחָתִ֖י לְאִישִׁ֑י וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יִשָּׂשכָֽר:
19Leah once again conceived and bore Jacob a sixth son.   יטוַתַּ֥הַר ע֖וֹד לֵאָ֑ה וַתֵּ֥לֶד בֵּֽן־שִׁשִּׁ֖י לְיַֽעֲקֹֽב:
20Leah said, “God has indeed given me a superlative portion in my husband’s household: I myself have borne him six sons. Now my husband will surely make his chief abode [zevul] with me,” and so she named him Zebulun.   כוַתֹּ֣אמֶר לֵאָ֗ה זְבָדַ֨נִי אֱלֹהִ֥ים | אֹתִי֘ זֶ֣בֶד טוֹב֒ הַפַּ֨עַם֙ יִזְבְּלֵ֣נִי אִישִׁ֔י כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי ל֖וֹ שִׁשָּׁ֣ה בָנִ֑ים וַתִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ זְבֻלֽוּן:
זֶבֶד טוֹב - Its meaning is as Onkelos translates it: חֳלָק טַב – “A good portion.”   זֶבֶד טוֹב.  כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ:
יִזְבְּלֵנִי - He will make his abode with me. This word is of the same root as: “a dwelling house (בֵּית זְבֻל)”; 1 “herberjerie” in Old French – a permanent home. From now on, his main dwelling-place will be only with me, for I have as many sons as all his other wives together.   יִזְבְּלֵנִי.  לְ' בֵּית זְבֻל (מלכים א ח' י"ג), הירבריי"א בְּלַעַז, בֵּית מָדוֹר, מֵעַתָּה לֹא תְהֵא עִקַּר דִּירָתוֹ אֶלָּא עִמִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִי בָנִים כְּנֶגֶד כָּל נָשָׁיו:
21After that, she gave birth to a daughter, and she named her Dinah.   כאוְאַחַ֖ר יָ֣לְדָה בַּ֑ת וַתִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמָ֖הּ דִּינָֽה:
דִּינָֽה - Dinah. Our rabbis explained that she was so called because Leah passed judgment (דָּנָה) on herself saying: “If this one is a male, my sister Rachel will not be even like one of the bondwomen.” So she prayed for the embryo and it changed into a female.   דִּינָֽה.  פֵּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁדָּנָה לֵאָה דִּין בְּעַצְמָהּ, אִם זֶה זָכָר לֹא תְהֵא רָחֵל אֲחוֹתִי כְּאַחַת הַשְּׁפָחוֹת, וְהִתְפַּלְּלָה עָלָיו וְנֶהְפַּךְ לִנְקֵבָה (ברכות ס'):
22Then God remembered Rachel. God hearkened to her prayers and opened her womb (i.e., made her fertile).   כבוַיִּזְכֹּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־רָחֵ֑ל וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע אֵלֶ֨יהָ֙ אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח אֶת־רַחְמָֽהּ:
ויזכור אֱלֹהִים אֶת־רָחֵל - God remembered Rachel. He took account of her merit, namely, that she had disclosed her secret signs to her sister, and that she was distressed that she might fall to Esau’s lot, because Jacob might divorce her since she had not borne him any children. And indeed, this had entered the wicked Esau’s mind when he heard that she had no children. This is expressed by the poet Elazar HaKalir: “When the ruddy one (Esau) saw that Rachel had not given birth, he wished to take her as his wife, and she was terrified.”   ויזכור אֱלֹהִים אֶת־רָחֵל.  זָכַר לָהּ שֶׁמָּסְרָה סִימָנֶיהָ לַאֲחוֹתָהּ וְשֶׁהָיְתָה מְצֵרָה שֶׁמָּא תַּעֲלֶה בְּגוֹרָלוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, שֶׁמָּא יְגָרְשֶׁנָּה יַעֲקֹב לְפִי שֶׁאֵין לָהּ בָּנִים, וְאַף עֵשָׂו הָרָשָׁע כָּךְ עָלָה בְּלִבּוֹ כְּשֶׁשָּׁמַע שֶׁאֵין לָהּ בָּנִים; הוּא שֶׁיִּסֵּד הַפַּיָּט הָאַדְמוֹן כְּבָט שֶׁלֹּא חָלָה, צָבָה לְקַחְתָּהּ לוֹ וְנִתְבֶּהָלָה:
23She conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “God has taken away [asaf] my disgrace.”   כגוַתַּ֖הַר וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֑ן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר אָסַ֥ף אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־חֶרְפָּתִֽי:
אָסַף - (lit.) Gathered - means here: He has gathered my disgrace into a place where it cannot be seen. Similarly we find: “hide away (אֱסֹף) our disgrace”; 2 “and will not be brought (יֵאָסֵף) indoors”; 3 “have withdrawn (אָסְפוּ) their glow”; 4 “and your moon will not be gathered in (יֵאָסֵף),” 5 which means “it will not be concealed.”   אָסַף.  הִכְנִיסָהּ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁלֹּא תֵרָאֶה, וְכֵן אֱסֹף חֶרְפָּתֵנוּ (ישעיהו ד'), וְלֹא יֵאָסֵף הַבַּיתָה (שמות ט'), אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם (יואל ד'), וִירֵחֵךְ לֹא יֵאָסֵף (ישעיהו ס') – לֹא יִטָּמֵן:
חֶרְפָּתִֽי - My disgrace - for I was in disgrace because I was barren, and therefore people were saying about me that I would fall to the lot of the wicked Esau. And the aggadic explanation is: As long as a woman has no child, she has no one to blame for her mishaps, but once she has a child, she blames him. When her husband asks: “Who broke this object?” she can answer: “Your son!”; “Who ate these figs?” “Your son!”   חֶרְפָּתִֽי.  שֶׁהָיִיתִי לְחֶרְפָּה שֶׁאֲנִי עֲקָרָה וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים עָלַי שֶׁאֱעֶלֶה לְחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו הָרָשָׁע. וְאַגָּדָה: כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֵין לָאִשָּׁה בֵּן, אֵין לָהּ בְּמִי לִתְלוֹת סִרְחוֹנָהּ, מִשֶּׁיֵשׁ לָהּ בֵּן תּוֹלָה בוֹ: מִי שִׁבֵּר כְּלִי זֶה? בִּנְךָ. מִי אָכַל תְּאֵנִים אֵלּוּ? בִּנְךָ:
24She named him Joseph [“May He add”], saying, “May God add [yosef] another son for me.”   כדוַתִּקְרָ֧א אֶת־שְׁמ֛וֹ יוֹסֵ֖ף לֵאמֹ֑ר יֹסֵ֧ף יְהֹוָ֛ה לִ֖י בֵּ֥ן אַחֵֽר:
יֹסֵף ה' לִי בֵּן אַחֵֽר - May God add another son for me. She knew prophetically that Jacob would produce only 12 tribes. She therefore said: “May it be God’s will that the one whom he is destined still to produce come from me.” Therefore, she prayed only for one other son.   יֹסֵף ה' לִי בֵּן אַחֵֽר.  יוֹדַעַת הָיְתָה בִנְבוּאָה שֶׁאֵין יַעֲקֹב עָתִיד לְהַעֲמִיד אֶלָּא שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים, אָמְרָה יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁאוֹתוֹ שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהַעֲמִיד יְהֵא מִמֶּנִּי, לְכָךְ לֹא נִתְפַּלְּלָה אֶלָּא עַל בֵּן אַחֵר:
25When Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please send me on my way, and I will go to my home and to my land.   כהוַיְהִ֕י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר יָֽלְדָ֥ה רָחֵ֖ל אֶת־יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַֽעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־לָבָ֔ן שַׁלְּחֵ֨נִי֙ וְאֵ֣לְכָ֔ה אֶל־מְקוֹמִ֖י וּלְאַרְצִֽי:
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר יָֽלְדָה רָחֵל אֶת־יוֹסֵף - When Rachel gave birth to Joseph - i.e., when the adversary of Esau had been born, as it says: “The House of Jacob will be a fire, the House of Joseph a flame, and the House of Esau will be stubble.” 6 Fire without a flame does not have effect over a long distance, but once Joseph was born, Jacob put his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, to protect him from Esau in Joseph’s merit, and therefore wished to return home.   כַּֽאֲשֶׁר יָֽלְדָה רָחֵל אֶת־יוֹסֵף.  מִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד שְׂטָנוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְהָיָה בֵית יַעֲקֹב אֵשׁ וּבֵית יוֹסֵף לֶהָבָה וּבֵית עֵשָׂו לְקַשׁ (עובדיה א'), אֵשׁ בְּלֹא לֶהָבָה אֵינוֹ שׁוֹלֵט לְמֵרָחוֹק, מִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד יוֹסֵף בָּטַח יַעֲקֹב בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְרָצָה לָשׁוּב:
26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and I will go, for you know that during the time I worked for you I completely fulfilled the terms of my contract.”   כותְּנָ֞ה אֶת־נָשַׁ֣י וְאֶת־יְלָדַ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַ֧דְתִּי אֹֽתְךָ֛ בָּהֵ֖ן וְאֵלֵ֑כָה כִּ֚י אַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתָּ אֶת־עֲבֹֽדָתִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲבַדְתִּֽיךָ:
תְּנָה אֶת־נָשַׁי וגו' - Give me my wives…. for I do not wish to leave except with your permission.   תְּנָה אֶת־נָשַׁי וגו'.  אֵינִי רוֹצֶה לָצֵאת כִּי אִם בִּרְשׁוּת:
27Laban said to him, “If only I would find favor in your eyes and you would stay! I have learned by divination that it is on your account that God blessed me.”   כזוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ לָבָ֔ן אִם־נָ֛א מָצָ֥אתִי חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ נִחַ֕שְׁתִּי וַיְבָֽרֲכֵ֥נִי יְהֹוָ֖ה בִּגְלָלֶֽךָ:
נִחַשְׁתִּי - I have learned by divination. He was a diviner. He said: “I have investigated with my divination and discovered that blessing came to me through you; when you arrived here I had no sons.” For it says: “and here is his daughter Rachel, approaching with the flocks” 7 – is it possible that, if he had sons, he would send his daughter to be among the shepherds? But now he had sons, as it says: “He then heard what was being said by Laban’s sons.” 8   נִחַשְׁתִּי.  מְנַחֵשׁ הָיָה, נִסִּיתִי בְּנִחוּשׁ שֶׁלִּי שֶׁעַל יָדְךָ בָּאָה לִי בְרָכָה; כְּשֶׁבָּאתָ לְכָאן לֹא הָיוּ לִי בָנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְהִנֵּה רָחֵל בִּתּוֹ בָּאָה עִם הַצֹּאן (בראשית כ״ט:ו׳), אֶפְשַׁר יֵשׁ לוֹ בָנִים וְהוּא שׁוֹלֵחַ בִתּוֹ אֵצֶל הָרוֹעִים? עַכְשָׁיו הָיוּ לוֹ בָנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶת דִּבְרֵי בְנֵי לָבָן (שם ל"א):