| 5And Isaac sent Jacob, and he went to Padan aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau. |
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הוַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יִצְחָק֙ אֶת־יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ פַּדֶּ֣נָֽה אֲרָ֑ם אֶל־לָבָ֤ן בֶּן־בְּתוּאֵל֙ הָֽאֲרַמִּ֔י אֲחִ֣י רִבְקָ֔ה אֵ֥ם יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב וְעֵשָֽׂו: |
| the mother of Jacob and Esau: I do not know what this teaches us. [I.e., We already know from the narrative that Rebecca was their mother.] |
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אֵם יַֽעֲקֹב וְעֵשָֽׂו:
אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה מְּלַמְּדֵנוּ:
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| 6And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan aram, to take himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him, he commanded him, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan." |
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ווַיַּ֣רְא עֵשָׂ֗ו כִּֽי־בֵרַ֣ךְ יִצְחָק֘ אֶת־יַֽעֲקֹב֒ וְשִׁלַּ֤ח אֹתוֹ֙ פַּדֶּ֣נָֽה אֲרָ֔ם לָקַֽחַת־ל֥וֹ מִשָּׁ֖ם אִשָּׁ֑ה בְּבָֽרֲכ֣וֹ אֹת֔וֹ וַיְצַ֤ו עָלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹֽא־תִקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה מִבְּנ֥וֹת כְּנָֽעַן: |
| 7And Jacob listened to his father and his mother, and he went to Padan aram. |
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זוַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אֶל־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶל־אִמּ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ פַּדֶּ֣נָֽה אֲרָֽם: |
| And Jacob listened: This is connected to the aforementioned topic: When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed [Jacob] and that he had sent him off to Padan-aram, and that Jacob listened to his father and went to Padan-aram, and that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing [to his father], then he, too, went to Ishmael. |
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וַיִּשְׁמַע יַֽעֲקֹב:
מְחֻבָּר לָעִנְיָן שֶׁל מַעְלָה, וַיַּרְא עֵשָׂו כִּי בֵרַךְ יִצְחָק וְגוֹ' וְכִי שִׁלַּח אוֹתוֹ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם, וְכִי שָׁמַע יַעֲקֹב אֶל אָבִיו וְהָלַךְ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם, וְכִי רָעוֹת בְּנוֹת כְּנַעַן, וְהָלַךְ גַּם הוּא אֶל יִשְׁמָעֵאל:
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| 8And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing to his father Isaac. |
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חוַיַּ֣רְא עֵשָׂ֔ו כִּ֥י רָע֖וֹת בְּנ֣וֹת כְּנָ֑עַן בְּעֵינֵ֖י יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִֽיו: |
| 9So Esau went to Ishmael, and he took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, the sister of Nebaioth, in addition to his other wives as a wife. |
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טוַיֵּ֥לֶךְ עֵשָׂ֖ו אֶל־יִשְׁמָעֵ֑אל וַיִּקַּ֡ח אֶת־מָֽחֲלַ֣ת | בַּת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֨אל בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֲח֧וֹת נְבָי֛וֹת עַל־נָשָׁ֖יו ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה: |
| the sister of Nebaioth: Since it says, “the daughter of Ishmael,” do I not know that she was the sister of Nebaioth? But this teaches us that Ishmael died after he had betrothed her to Esau, before her marriage, and her brother Nebaioth gave her hand in marriage. This also teaches us that Jacob was sixty-three years old at that time, for Ishmael was seventy-four years old when Jacob was born. Ishmael was fourteen years older than Isaac, and Isaac was sixty years old when they were born, hence [Ishmael was] seventy-four. He lived one hundred and thirty seven years, as it is stated (above 25:17): “and these are the years of the life of Ishmael,” etc. Consequently, Jacob was sixty-three at Ishmael’s death. We learn from here that he hid for fourteen years in the house of Eber and afterwards went to Haran. [This can be deduced from the fact that] he stayed in Laban’s house before Joseph’s birth only fourteen years, as it is said (below 31:41): “I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your sheep,” and the payment for the sheep took place after Joseph was born, as it is said (below 30:25): “And it came to pass when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, etc.,” and Joseph was thirty years old when he became ruler, and from then until Jacob descended to Egypt were nine years: seven of plenty and two of famine. And Jacob said to Pharaoh (below 47:9): “The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years.” Go forth and figure 14 years before Joseph was born, plus the 30 years of Joseph’s age, plus the 9 years from the time he became ruler until Jacob came. The total is 53. And when he [Jacob] left his father, he was 63, totaling 116. Yet he said [to Pharaoh, “I am] one hundred and thirty years old.” Hence, there are fourteen years missing. Thus, you learn that after he had received the blessings, he hid in the house of Eber for fourteen years. [From Meg. 17:a.] (However, he was not punished [for these fourteen years] because of the merit [of having studied] Torah, for Joseph was separated from his father only twenty-two years, i.e., from age seventeen until age thirty-nine, corresponding to the twenty-two years that Jacob was separated from his father [when] he did not honor him. These are the twenty years in Laban’s house, plus the two years that he spent traveling [home], as it is written (below 33:17): “And he built himself a house, and for his cattle he made booths.” Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory inferred from this verse that he spent eighteen months on the road, for the house was for the rainy season, and the booths were for the summer. And, according to the calculation of the verses, which we calculated above, from the time he left his father until he went down to Egypt, at the age of one hundred and thirty, we find an additional fourteen years, therefore, it is certain that he hid in the house of Eber to learn Torah while on his way to the house of Laban. And because of the merit of the Torah, he was not punished for them [those fourteen years], and Joseph was separated from him for only twenty-two years-measure for measure. The above is from an old Rashi text). |
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אֲחוֹת נְבָיוֹת:
מִמַּשְׁמָע שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהִיא אֲחוֹת נְבָיוֹת? אֶלָּא לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁמֵּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל מִשֶּׁיְּעָדָהּ לְעֵשָׂו קֹדֶם נִשּׂוּאֶיהָ וְהִשִּׂיאָהּ נְבָיוֹת אָחִיהָ, וְלָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהָיָה יַעֲקֹב בְּאוֹתוֹ הַפֶּרֶק בֶּן ס"ג שָׁנִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן ע"ד שָׁנִים הָיָה כְּשֶׁנּוֹלַד יַעֲקֹב, י"ד שָׁנָה הָיָה גָדוֹל יִשְׁמָעֵאל מִיִּצְחָק, וְיִצְחָק בֶּן ס' שָׁנָה בְּלֶדֶת אוֹתָם הֲרֵי ע"ד, וּשְׁנוֹתָיו הָיוּ קל"ז, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאֵלֶּה שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְגוֹ', נִמְצָא יַעֲקֹב כְּשֶׁמֵּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן ס"ג שָׁנִים הָיָה, וְלָמַדְנוּ מִכָּאן שֶׁנִּטְמַן בְּבֵית עֵבֶר י"ד שָׁנָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ הָלַךְ לְחָרָן, שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא שָׁהָה בְּבֵית לָבָן לִפְנֵי לֵדָתוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף אֶלָּא י"ד שָׁנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עֲבַדְתִּיךָ אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בִּשְׁתֵּי בְנֹתֶיךָ וְשֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים בְּצֹאנֶךָ, וּשְׂכַר הַצֹּאן מִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד יוֹסֵף הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה רָחֵל אֶת יוֹסֵף וְגוֹ'; וְיוֹסֵף בֶּן ל' שָׁנָה הָיָה כְּשֶׁמָּלַךְ, וּמִשָּׁם עַד שֶׁיָּרַד יַעֲקֹב לְמִצְרַיִם ט' שָׁנִים, ז' שֶׁל שָׂבָע וּב' שֶׁל רָעָב, וְיַעֲקֹב אָמַר לְפַרְעֹה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה – צֵא וַחֲשֹׁב י"ד שֶׁלִּפְנֵי לֵדַת יוֹסֵף וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שֶׁל יוֹסֵף וְתֵשַׁע מִשֶּׁמָּלַךְ עַד שֶׁבָּא יַעֲקֹב, הֲרֵי נ"ג, וּכְשֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ מֵאָבִיו הָיָה בֶּן ס"ג, הֲרֵי קי"ו, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, הֲרֵי חֲסֵרִים י"ד שָׁנִים, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁקִּבֵּל הַבְּרָכוֹת נִטְמַן בְּבֵית עֵבֶר י"ד שָׁנִים, אֲבָל לֹא נֶעֱנַשׁ בִּזְכוּת הַתּוֹרָה; שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא פֵּרֵשׁ יוֹסֵף מֵאָבִיו אֶלָּא כ"ב שָׁנָה, דְּהַיְנוּ מִי"ז עַד ל"ט, כְּנֶגֶד כ"ב שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ יַעֲקֹב מֵאָבִיו וְלֹא כִבְּדוֹ, וְהֵם כ' שָׁנִים בְּבֵית לָבָן וּשְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים שֶׁשָּׁהָה בַדֶּרֶךְ, כְּדִכְתִיב וַיִּבֶן לוֹ בָּיִת וּלְמִקְנֵהוּ עָשָׂה סֻכֹּת, וּפֵר' רבותינו זִכָּרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה מִזֶּה הַפָּסוּק שֶׁשָּׁהָה י"ח חֳדָשִׁים בַּדֶּרֶךְ – דְּבַיִת הֲוָה בִּימוֹת הַגְּשָׁמִים וְסֻכֹּת הֲווּ בִּימוֹת הַחַמָּה – וּלְחֶשְׁבּוֹן הַפְּסוּקִים שֶׁחָשַׁבְנוּ לְעֵיל מִשֶּׁפֵּרֵשׁ מֵאָבִיו עַד שֶׁיָּרַד לְמִצְרַיִם שֶׁהָיָה בֶּן ק"ל שָׁנִים, שֶׁשָּׁם אָנוּ מוֹצְאִים עוֹד י"ד שָׁנִים – אֶלָּא וַדַּאי נִטְמַן בְּבֵית עֵבֶר בַּהֲלִיכָתוֹ לְבֵית לָבָן לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה מִמֶּנּוּ, וּבִשְׁבִיל זְכוּת הַתּוֹרָה לֹא נֶעֱנַשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ יוֹסֵף מִמֶּנּוּ אֶלָּא כ"ב שָׁנָה – מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה – עַד כָּאן בְּרַשִׁ"י יָשָׁן:
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| to his other wives: He added wickedness upon his wickedness, for he did not divorce the first ones. [From Gen. Rabbah 67:13] |
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עַל־נָשָׁיו:
הוֹסִיף רִשְׁעָה עַל רִשְׁעָתוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא גֵרֵשׁ אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת:
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