Chapter 34

אבת לאה. וְלֹא בַת יַעֲקֹב? אֶלָּא עַל שֵׁם יְצִיאָתָהּ נִקְרֵאת בַּת לֵאָה, שֶׁאַף הִיא יַצְאָנִית הָיְתָה (בראשית רבה), שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַתֵּצֶא לֵאָה לִקְרָאתוֹ (וְעָלֶיהָ מָשְׁלוּ הַמָּשָׁל כְּאִמָּהּ כְּבִתָּהּ):

1בת לאה THE DAUGHTER OF LEAH — so Scripture calls her. Why not the daughter of Jacob? But just because she “went out” she is called Leah’s daughter, since she, too, was fond “of going out” (Genesis Rabbah 80:1), as it is said (30:16) “and Leah went out to meet him”. With an allusion to her they formulated the proverb: “Like mother, like daughter”.

אוישכב אתה. כְּדַרְכָּהּ:

בויענה. שֶׁלֹּא כְדַרְכָּהּ (בראשית רבה):

אעל לב הנערה. דְּבָרִים הַמִּתְיַשְּׁבִים עַל הַלֵּב; רְאִי, אָבִיךְ בְּחֶלְקַת שָׂדֶה קְטַנָּה כַּמָּה מָמוֹן בִּזְבֵּז, אֲנִי אַשִּׂיאֵךְ וְתִקְנֶה הָעִיר וְכָל שְׂדוֹתֶיהָ:

1על לב הנערה [AND SPAKE] LOVINGLY TO THE DAMSEL (literally, he spoke to the heart of the maiden) words that would appeal to her heart: See how much money your father has lavished for a small plot of field. I will marry you and you will then possess the city and all its fields (Genesis Rabbah 80:7).

אוכן לא יעשה. לְעַנּוֹת אֶת הַבְּתוּלוֹת, שֶׁהָאֻמּוֹת גָּדְרוּ עַצְמָן מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת עַל יְדֵי הַמַּבּוּל (בראשית רבה):

1וכן לא יעשה AND THUS IT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE — viz., to do violence to a maiden, for even the heathens have trained themselves (literally, have fenced themselves round) against unchastity as a consequence of the Flood which had come upon the world as a punishment for this sin (Genesis Rabbah 80:6).

אחשקה. חָפְצָה:

1חשקה means desires.

אמהר. כְּתֻבָּה:

1מהר DOWRY, refers to the Ketuba (the sum settled by the husband on his wife as set forth in the Ketuba — the marriage contract (Genesis Rabbah 80:7).

אבמרמה. בְּחָכְמָה:

1במרמה WITH GUILE — cleverly

באשר טמא. הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה רְמִיָּה, שֶׁהֲרֵי טִמֵּא אֶת דִּינָה אֲחֹתָם (בראשית רבה):

2אשר טמא BECAUSE HE HAD DEFILED — Scripture (the Sacred Historian) says that there was no deception (מרמה) in this because he had defiled Dinah their sister (Genesis Rabbah 80:8).

אחרפה הוא. שֶׁמֶץ פְּסוּל הוּא אֶצְלֵנוּ; הַבָּא לְחָרֵף חֲבֵרוֹ הוּא אוֹמֵר לוֹ עָרֵל אַתָּה אוֹ בֶּן עָרֵל. חֶרְפָּה בְּכָל מָקוֹם גִּדּוּף:

1חרפה הוא THAT WERE A DISGRACE — Amongst us it is somewhat of a blot on our pedigree, for if one wishes to revile another, he says to him: “You are an uncircumcised person”, or “the son of an uncircumcised person”. The word חרפה always means “reviling”.

אנאות לכם. נִתְרַצֶּה לָכֶם, לְשׁוֹן וַיֵּאֹתוּ (מלכים ב י"ב):

1נאות לכם means WE WILL CONSENT UNTO YOU: it has the same meaning as (2 Kings 12:9) ויאותו “and they consented”.

בלהמול. לִהְיוֹת נִמּוֹל. אֵינוֹ לְשׁוֹן לִפְעֹל אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן לְהִפָּעֵל:

2להמול means TO BE CIRCUMCISED — It is not an active infinitive (Kal), but a passive infinitive (Niphal).

אונתנו. נוּ"ן שְׁנִיָּה מֻדְגֶּשֶׁת לְפִי שֶׁהִיא מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת בִּמְקוֹם שְׁתֵּי נוּנִי"ן, וְנָתַנְנוּ:

1וְנָתַנּוּ THEN WILL WE GIVE — The second נ has a Dagesh because it serves the purpose of two -נs - וְנָתַנְנוּ (cf. Rashi on Genesis חנני 33:11).

בואת בנתיכם נקח לנו. אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בַּתְּנַאי שֶׁאָמַר חֲמוֹר לְיַעֲקֹב וּבִתְשׁוּבַת בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב לַחֲמוֹר, שֶׁתָּלוּ הַחֲשִׁיבוּת בִּבְנֵי יַעֲקֹב לִקַּח בְּנוֹת שְׁכֶם אֶת שֶׁיִּבְחֲרוּ לָהֶם, וּבְנוֹתֵיהֶם יִתְּנוּ לָהֶם לְפִי דַעְתָּם, דִּכְתִיב וְנָתַנּוּ אֶת בְּנֹתֵינוּ – לְפִי דַעְתֵּנוּ, וְאֶת בְּנֹתֵיכֶם נִקַּח לָנוּ – כְּכָל אֲשֶׁר נַחְפֹּץ; וּכְשֶׁדִּבְּרוּ חֲמוֹר וּשְׁכֶם בְּנוֹ אֶל יוֹשְׁבֵי עִירָם הָפְכוּ הַדְּבָרִים, אֶת בְּנֹתָם נִקַּח לָנוּ לְנָשִׁים וְאֶת בְּנֹתֵינוּ נִתֵּן לָהֶם, כְּדֵי לְרַצּוֹתָם שֶׁיֵּאוֹתוּ לְהִמּוֹל:

2ואת בנותיכם נקח לנו AND WE WILL TAKE YOUR DAUGHTERS TO US — You will find that in the proposition which Hamor made to Jacob (Genesis 34:9) and in the reply of Jacob’s sons to Hamor (in this verse) they (both parties to the proposition) regarded the sons of Jacob as being the more important — that they should take of the daughters of Shechem whomsoever they would select for themselves and that they should give their daughters to them (the men of Shechem) as they (Jacob’s sons) would think fit, as it is written, “and we will give our daughters’’ — as we think fit — “and we will take your daughters unto us” — whomsoever we please. When, however, Hamor and his son spoke to the inhabitants of their city (v. 21) they reversed the matter, saying, “their daughters we will take to us for wives, and our daughters we will give unto them", instead of saying “they will give their daughters to us, and they will take our daughters to themselves", in order to induce them to consent to be circumcised.

אשלמים. בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְלֵב שָׁלֵם:

1שלמים means peaceable and whole hearted.

בוהארץ הנה רחבת ידים. כְּאָדָם שֶׁיָּדוֹ רְחָבָה וּוַתְרָנִית; כְּלוֹמַר, אַל תַּפְסִידוּ כְּלוּם – פְּרַקְמַטְיָא הַרְבֵּה בָּאָה לְכָאן וְאֵין לָהּ קוֹנִים:

2והארץ הנה רחבת ידים FOR THE LAND, BEHOLD, IT IS LARGE ENOUGH (literally, wide-handed) — the metaphor is that of a man whose hand is large and generous, and the idea is: “You will lose nothing if they dwell and trade in the land, for much merchandise is brought here and there are no buyers for it”.

אבהמול. בִּהְיוֹת נִמּוֹל:

1בהמול means by every male of us being circumcised (infinitive Niphal).

אאך נאותה להם. לְדָבָר זֶה, וְעַל יְדֵי כֵן יֵשְׁבוּ אִתָּנוּ:

1אך נאותה להם LET US CONSENT UNTO THEM in this matter, and because of this they will dwell with us.

אשני בני יעקב. בָּנָיו הָיוּ, וְאַעַ"פִּ כֵן נָהֲגוּ עַצְמָן שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי כִּשְׁאָר אֲנָשִׁים שֶׁאֵינָם בָּנָיו, שֶׁלֹּא נָטְלוּ עֵצָה הֵימֶנּוּ (בראשית רבה):

1שני בני יעקב TWO OF THE SONS OF JACOB — They were his sons (the sons of Jacob, a wise and clever man), but they acted as any man named Simeon and Levi would do — as other people would do who were not his sons — for they did not take counsel with him (Genesis Rabbah 80:10).

באחי דינה. לְפִי שֶׁמָּסְרוּ עַצְמָן עָלֶיהָ נִקְרְאוּ אַחֶיהָ:

2אחי דינה DINAH’S BROTHERS — because they risked their lives for her they are designated as her brothers (Genesis Rabbah 80:10)

גבטח. שֶׁהָיוּ כוֹאֲבִים וּמִ"אַ בְּטוּחִים הָיוּ עַל כֹּחוֹ שֶׁל זָקֵן (בראשית רבה):

3בטח IN SECURITY — because they (the men of Shechom) were ill. The Midrashic explanation, taking בטח in the sense of confident, is: that they relied upon the strength (i.e. the merits) of the old man (Jacob) (Genesis Rabbah 80:10).

אעל החללים. לְפַשֵּׁט הַחֲלָלִים:

1על החללים UPON THE SLAIN — to strip the slain.

אחילם. מָמוֹנָם וְכֵן עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה (דברים ח'), וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֶׂה חָיִל (במדבר כ"ד), וְעָזְבוּ לַאֲחֵרִים חֵילָם (תהילים מ"ט):

1חילם means THEIR WEALTH. Examples are: (Deuteronomy 8:17) “hath gotten me this (חיל) wealth”; (Numbers 19:18) “and Israel acquireth (חיל) wealth”; (Psalms 49:11) “and they leave (חילם) their wealth to others”.

בשבו. לְשׁוֹן שְׁבִיָּה, לְפִיכָךְ טַעֲמוֹ מִלְּרָע:

2שבו has the meaning of taking captive (i.e. it is the Kal. perfect, 3rd pl. of the root שבה and means “they took captive”), and therefore it is accented on the last syllable (whereas שָׁבוּ, accented on the first syllable, is the same form of the verb שוב and means “they returned”).

אעכרתם. לְשׁוֹן מַיִם עֲכוּרִים, אֵין דַּעְתִּי צְלוּלָה עַכְשָׁו (ברכות כ"ה). וְאַגָּדָה, צְלוּלָה הָיְתָה הֶחָבִית וַעֲכַרְתֶּם אוֹתָהּ (בראשית רבה) – מָסֹרֶת הָיְתָה בְּיַד כְּנַעֲנִים שֶׁיִּפְּלוּ בְּיַד בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים עַד אֲשֶׁר תִּפְרֶה וְנָחַלְתָּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ (שמות כ"ג), לְפִיכָךְ הָיוּ שׁוֹתְקִין:

1עכרתם YE HAVE TROUBLED ME — This has the same meaning as (Berakhot 25b) “troubled (עכורים) waters” (i.e. waters that are disturbed, not clear). He meant “Now my mind will never be clear (without worry)”. There is an Agada, (Genesis Rabbah 80:12) “He said: the wine in the cask was clear but you have troubled it”. The Canaanites had a tradition that they would fall by the hands of the sons of Jacob, but they thought that this would happen only when the condition was fulfilled as expressed in the verse (Exodus 23:30) “when thou shalt in-crease, then shalt thou inherit the land”; consequently they had been silent until now (i.e. they had not attacked them).

במתי מספר. אֲנָשִׁים מוּעָטִים:

2מתי מספר means A FEW MEN.

אהכזונה. הֶפְקֵר:

1הכזונה implies as one unprotected.

באת אחותנו. יָת אֲחָתָנָא:

2אחותנו The Targum renders it as an accusative — ית אחתנא “our sister”,) so that the meaning is: Should one (be permitted to) make our sister become as a woman who has no-one to protect her (Genesis Rabbah 80:12).

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org