## Tur HaArokh, Genesis

###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:1:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:1:1)

**ושב שם ועשה שם מזבח.**כתב הרמב"ן לא ידעתי מהו ושב שם ויתכן שצוהו לשבת שם תחלה ואח"כ יעשה מזבח לטהר מטומאת ע"ז או מן החללים כענין שנאמר אתם חנו חוץ למחנה שבעת ימים כי לא נצטוו עדיין במי חטאת ויעקב נזדרז במצוה להטהר טרם בואו או שיהי' ונקומה ונעלה בית אל מוקדם במעשה ואולי צוה ושב שם לפנות מחשבתו לדבקה בו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ושב שם ועשה שם מזבח, “and settle there, and erect an altar there.” Nachmanides writes that he does not understand the meaning of the words ושב שם, but he considers it possible that the meaning was that Yaakov should establish a temporary residence at Beyt El before proceeding to erect the altar mentioned in the second half of the verse. The purpose of the altar would be to cleanse themselves of all the ritual impurities connected with various types of idolatry, or the state of defilement incurred through contact with the slain people of Shechem. This is based on the verse (Numbers 31,19) “and you encamp outside the encampment for seven days.” This was necessary as the legislation for such defiled persons to sprinkle water laced with the ashes of the red heifer on themselves, to purify themselves before they could re-enter the camp. had not yet been given. Perhaps G’d commanded Yaakov to shift his focus to matters of a religious nature before building the altar at Beyt El.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:4:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:4:1)

**ויטמן אותם.**ומה שלא ביער כדי להראות שלא קיימו תנאם שהתנו שלא לעבוד ע"ז. והרמ"בן כתב שלא לקחו ע"ז ולא משמשי' שאותם טעונים לפזר לרוח ולהטיל לים שכל מה שלקחו כבר בטלום מעשה שכם ע"י כפי' שכפו אותם וגוי מבטל ע"ז בע"כ והיתה מותרת להם אלא שיעקב צוה להסיר אותם לטהרת הקדש שיהיו ראוין לעבוד השם ית' ולהקריב לפניו קרבן והי' די להם לקבור ולכך טמן אותם תחת האלה מקום שלא יעבד בו ולא יזרע:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויטמן אותם, “he buried them there.” The reason that he did not burn these idols [which would have eradicated them, Ed.] was to demonstrate to the Canaanite population that they had violated the covenant G’d made with Noach after the deluge not to practice idolatry.
 Nachmanides writes that the entourage of Yaakov had not taken as loot or for any other reason, any idolatrous images, nor any chattels that had been used in idolatry so that these would have had to be destroyed utterly. They had not taken anything from Shechem until these items had first completely lost their erstwhile function as objects prohibited because of their having been used in the context of idolatry. When an idolater destroys his deities even under the influence of superior force, i.e. unwillingly, the fact that he destroyed it is sufficient to deprive them of any *halachic* restriction on account of their former use. What Yaakov did was to enable these chattels that had once served idols to qualify for sacred use on the altar. In order to achieve such status they first had to be interred. Only after these preparations had been made, could he and his family proceed to Beyt El.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:8:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:8:1)

**ותמת דבורה.**כתב הרמב"ן לא ידעתי למה נכנס פסוק זה בין ויקרא למקום בית אל ובין ויברך אותו והקרוב למה שאמרו רבותינו שרומז למיתת רבקה ולכך קרא שמו אלון בכות כי על המינקת לא הי' מרבה בבכי' אלא שבכה על אמו שלא זכה לראותה בשובו ונראה לו האלהים בשובו לנחמו. ופירש"י שלכך העלימו יום מיתתה שלא יקללו הבריות כרס שיצא עשו ממנו אף הכתוב לא פרסמה אע"ג שגם מיתת לאה לא הוזכר אלא דרשו בכאן משום שהזכיר הכתוב מיתתה ברמז ותלה אותה במניקתה וכיון שדיבר בה למה הסתיר אותו ולא גילהו וע"כ דרשו בו. ומיהו טעם זה אינו מבורר שהרי הזכיר מיתת יצחק ויקברו אותו עשו ויעקב בניו אבל יתכן לומר שלא היתה לה במותה כבוד כי יעקב אינו שם ועשו שונא אותה ויצחק כהו עיניו ואינו יוצא מביתו ולכך לא רצה להזכיר שיקברוה בני חת. והיתה דבורה עם יעקב כי אחרי שבאה עם רבקה שבה אל ארצה ועתה באה עם יעקב לראות גבירתה או שנתעסקה בגידול בני יעקב לכבוד רבקה והיתה בביתו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ותמת דבורה, “Deborah died, etc.” Nachmanides writes that he does not know why this piece of information was included by the Torah at this point between Yaakov naming the site of the altar Beyt El, and the blessing G’d gave Yaakov when he added the name Yisrael to his previous name. Possibly, the reason was, as our sages suggest, that the news of Deborah’s death was meant to tell Yaakov that his mother Rivkah had died, and that this explains why Yaakov called the site of Deborah’s interment אלון בכות,”the oak of mourning.” Yaakov wept tears for his mother’s death when burying Deborah. He was especially saddened by the fact that he had not been granted a reunion with her after all these years. As soon as he had stopped mourning for his mother, G’d appeared to him and complimented him. (verse 9)
 *Rashi* claims that the reason why the precise date of Rivkah’s death has not been revealed was to prevent people to use that date to curse the womb that had produced a person as depraved as Esau, although the date when Leah died has also not been revealed by the Torah. The reason why the sages did not attribute any special reason to the omission by the Torah of the date on which Leah died, was that only the fact that the Torah made a point of mentioning when a servant of Rivkah died, without also at least telling us when her mistress died, calls for further investigation.
 Nonetheless this is not a good enough reason. The Torah did not omit reporting the death of Yitzchok who had sired Esau, but even reports that Esau partook in his father’s funeral. (Genesis 35,29) It is possible that the Torah omitted a direct report of Rivkah’s death and burial as it was not surrounded by honour, seeing that her son Yaakov did not attend the funeral and her son Esau hated her, and her husband Yitzchok who was practically blind, could not perform the rites, probably was even unable to leave his house. The Torah did not want to report that the Hittite neighbours of Rivkah had to bury her. This would have drawn attention to the lack of honour bestowed on her during her funeral.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:10:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:10:1)

**שמך יעקב.**פירש עדיין שמך יעקב אע"פ שהחליף שרו של עשו כי הוא לא נשתלח לך להחליף שמך אבל מעתה לא יקרא עוד שמך יעקב כי אם ישראל יהי' שמך. ופירוש ויקרא שמו ישראל מוסף על יעקב ולא שיאסר להקרא יעקב:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
שמך יעקב, “your name is Yaakov.” Your name is still Yaakov even though the celestial representative of Esau had changed it to “Yisrael,” it had not been that angel’s mission to change your name. However, from now on your name will be Yisrael. The meaning of the apparent repetition ויקרא שמו ישראל, “He called his name “Yisrael,” is hat this was an additional name and it was not forbidden to call him Yaakov.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:12:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:12:1)

**ואת הארץ אשר נתתי לאברהם וליצחק לך אתננה.**אע"פ שכבר נתנה לו לא ניתנה לו בשבועה ועתה בא להוסיף השבועה ולומר כמו שנתתי' להם בשבועה כך אתננה לך:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ואת הארץ אשר נתתי לאברהם וליצחק לך אתננה, “and the land which I have given to Avraham and Yitzchok I will give it to you.” Although the land had already been given to him, it had not been given to him in the form of an oath, i. e. as an irrevocable gift.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:13:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:13:1)

**ויעל מעליו האלהים.**להודיע שלא הי' זה מראה חלום הנבואה לבד אלא ששרתה עליו שכינה במקום אשר הוא עומד:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויעל מעליו האלוקים, “G’d rose from above him.” This verse teaches that this encounter with G’d did not take place at night, in a dream, but that the Divine Presence had manifested itself to Yisrael in a location where he was standing on his feet.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:14:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:14:1)

**ויצב יעקב מצבה.**כפשטי' שהציבה עתה. ור' אברהם פי' וכבר הציב מצבה בפעם ראשונה ונסך עלי' נסך ויצק עליה שמן ופי' ג"כ ויסך עליה נסך מים או יין לרחוץ אותה ואח"כ ויצק עליה שמן:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויצב יעקב מצבה, “Yaakov erected a monument.” According to the plain meaning, Yaakov did this now, after the latest manifestation of G’d to him.
 Ibn Ezra explains that Yaakov had already erected this monument previously, after he had dreamt the dream of the ladder. At that time he did not have oil and wine with him to anoint it as a sacred altar, something that he made up for now. It is not clear whether the word ויסך refers to a libation of wine or of water. He poured the libation over the altar in order to physically cleanse it, followed by anointing it with oil to sanctify it.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:15:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:15:1)

**ויקרא וגו' בית אל.**אע"פ שקראו כבר בית אל קראו פעם אחרת להודיע כי הדבר אמת ונכון כי הוא בית האלהים ושם השכינה שורה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויקרא יעקב את שם המקום....בית א-ל, “Yaakov named the site where G’d had spoken to him Beyt El.” Although he had called this place Beyt E-l already 20 years ago when he had had the first revelation, he repeated the naming of it as up until now he had not been certain that what he had dreamt at that time had indeed been a vision and not a dream representing wishful thinking on his part.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:18:1)

**ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מתה ותקרא שמו.**י"מ שלאחר מיתתה קראה לו השם כדמשמע מפשטי' דקרא כי מתה ותקרא שכן יארע לפעמים במת שמתעלף וחוזרת לו הנשמה וכן אירע לה ולאחר שחזרה לה הנשמה קראה לו שם ובהכי ניחא למה שכתוב בה שתי מיתות ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מתה ואח"כ ותמת אלא שמתה ב' פעמים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מתה, ותקרא שמו בן אוני, “it was at the moment when her soul was departing, seeing she was dying, she called him Ben Oni.” Some commentators claim that Ben Oni was named by Rachel after she had “died.” This corresponds to the plain text which first reported Rachel’s death followed by the naming of the baby. It is not unusual for a terminally sick person to pass out and create the impression that she had died, only to briefly regain consciousness before dying completely. This would explain why the Torah seems to speak of two “deaths” which Rachel experienced, i.e. “her soul departed,” and “for she had died.”


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:2
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:18:2)

**בן אוני.**בן צערי:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
בן אוני. “son of my pain.”


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:3
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:18:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:18:3)

**בנימין.**פירש"י לפי שהוא לבדו נולד בארץ כנען שהוא בנגב כשאדם בא מארם נהרים בנימין לשון צפון וימין. והקשה עליו הרמב"ן והוכיח שאין ארץ ישראל דרומית לארם נהרים ופי' הוא לפי שאמו קראתו בן אוני וכונה לומר בן אבלי מלשון לחם אונים לא אכלתי באוני ואביו תרגם אותו לטובה מלשון כח כמו ראשית אוני וע"כ קרא אותו בנימין בן הכח כי הימין הוא הכח וההצלה שרצה לקרותו בשם שקראתו אמו כי כן נקראו כלם בשמם שקראתם אמם אלא שתרגם אותו לטובה לגבורה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
בנימין, “son of my right.”
 *Rashi* explains the name in terms of Binyamin being the only one of Yaakov’s sons who had been born on the soil of the Holy Land. This land is to the south when one comes from Aram Naharayim, i.e. it is on the right hand side of the traveler. Nachmanides objects by proving that the Land of Israel is not situated to the south of Aram Naharayim. He claims that the reason that Yaakov called this son Binyamin was because his mother had called him Ben Oni, a word having a negative connotation, so that his father gave this word a positive connotation, i.e. he did not change the name but the meaning of the name, giving it the same meaning as in Genesis 49,3 where he described Reuven as כוחי וראשית אוני, “my strength and the first of my vigor.” The word בנימין referring to the strength of one’s right hand, is therefore very appropriate [all Biblical atlases have Aram Naharayim north-east of the land of Israel, so that *Rashi* appears correct, from the point of view of Geography, though Nachmanides’ approach that Yaakov did not actually change the name Rachel gave is more appealing. Ed.] Basically, all the sons remained known by the names given them by their mothers. Yaakov simply gave the name Ben Oni a positive connotation.


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:22:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:22:1)

**וישמע ישראל.**פי' הרמב"ן סיפר הכתוב ענותנותו ששמע שחילל בנו יצועיו ולא צוה שיוציאוהו מביתו מלפני פניו ולא ינחל עמהם אלא שמנאו עמהם ויהיו שנים עשר ולא עוד אלא שמנאו ראשון וע"כ עשה משתי פרשיות פסוק אחד אע"פ שהוא תחלת הענין שבא למנות השבטים משנולדו כלם רמז כי ראובן לא נדחה בשביל מעשיו שעשה. ועל דרך הפשט יתכן שבלבל ראובן יצועי בלהה מפחדו שלא תלד ליעקב עוד כי הוא הבכור וחשב לקחת ב' חלקים ויפסיד יותר משאר האחים ולא פחד מאמו כי זקנה הית' ואולי זלפה מתה או חשש לכבוד אמו בעבור היותה שפחתה ולכן נטלה ממנו הבכורה מדה כנגד מדה ופי' ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר כי לא הוליד אחרי כן. וי"מ וילך ראובן וישכב את בלהה הרי שהפסיד יעקב רחל ובלהה ואין לחוש כי היו בניו שנים עשר וכבר הוליד כל בניו. וי"מ ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר אבל מתחלה היו י"ג שהי' ראובן בכור וחשוב כב' וניטלה הבכורה ממנו עתה. **וה"ר יהודה חסיד** פי' ויהי בשכון ישראל במקום ההוא וילך ראובן פי' שהלך לו וברח משם ולמה וישכב את בלהה פלגש אביו שרצה אביו לשכב עמה וע"ז נתקנא ראובן וברח וישמע ישראל שבשביל זה ברח ראובן ועשה מטתו באהל לאה ואז חזר ראובן ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר כבתחלה. וי"מ וישכב את בלהה ולא כתיב עם בלהה אלא שעשה מטתו אצל מטתה למנוע לאביו מלבוא אליה וזהו שאמר אז חללת יצועי עלה ולא אמר מטתי אלא יעקב הציע המטה וראובן בלבלה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
וישמע ישראל, “Israel heard about this.” According to Nachmanides, the phrasing of Yaakov’s reaction to the manner in which he reacted to his first born son’s defiling his bedroom is an example of Yaakov’s extreme humility. He could easily have banned Reuven from his house for having been guilty of such a misdemeanour, as well as having disinherited him. Instead, the Torah reports that Reuven continued to be a full member of the 12 sons, as we have been told in verse 23. In fact, the Torah goes further by writing immediately that Reuven ranked first among all his sons. (verse 24) The Torah draws our attention to this by making a single paragraph out of what normally should have been two separate paragraphs.
 Looking at the plain meaning of the text, it is possible that Reuven’s intention in invading his father’s private bedroom which he shared with Bilhah, was to prevent Yaakov siring more children with Bilhah, seeing that as the firstborn, he would receive 2 shares of the eventual inheritance, any additional children Yaakov would sire would result in his share of the inheritance becoming diminished. At the same time, he did not have similar worries about his own mother giving birth to more children, as she was beyond child-bearing age, and Zilpah might have died already. It is also possible that he was simply concerned about the insult endured by his mother who had to now take a back seat not only to her deceased sister Rachel, but even to her maidservant, when he observed that his father made Bilhah’s tent his principal bedroom. It is possible that the verse “Yaakov’s sons were 12,” was meant to alert us to the fact that he sired no more children after this episode.
 Some commentators interpret the line “Reuven went and slept with Bilhah,” to mean that now that Yaakov had lost both Rachel and Bilhah, there was no cause to worry since the twelve sons who were to make up the Jewish people had been born already. 
 Yet another explanation is that the line “Yaakov’s sons numbered 12, etc.,” means that originally there had been 13, seeing that Reuven being the firstborn had been considered equivalent to two sons. Now, in view of his indiscretion, he had lost his superiority *vis*-à-*vis* the other brothers.
 Rabbi Yehudah the pious, explains the episode as follows: at the time when Yaakov had settled in that region, Reuven left that region and set up house by himself, the reason being that he had been guilty of the above-mentioned indiscretion in Bilhah’s tent, where he had been presumed to have had relations with Yaakov’s concubine. He had done so, in order to forestall his father from doing so, now that Rachel had died. When Yaakov heard about the reason why Reuven had fled the scene, he moved his tent to Leah. As soon as Reuven heard this, he returned to the fold, i.e. “the sons of Yaakov were12.”
 Some commentators point to the wording of וישכב את בלהה instead of וישכב עם בלהה, as meaning that all Reuven had done was to put his bed next to that of Bilhah. [the expression את always denotes a lesser degree of intimacy than the expression עם. (compare Genesis 30,16,Samuel II 11,4; ) Ed.] Further proof that Reuven did not actually sleep with Bilhah, is provided by Yaakov himself in Genesis 49,4 when he describes Reuven’s indiscretion with the words: כי עלית משכבי אביך, אז חללת יצועי עלה, “for when you entered your father’s bedroom you desecrated him who ascended the bed that had been made for me.” All Reuven had been guilty of was to disarray the bedclothes, not to lie in them. He spoke about the person lying in the bed in the third person, instead of saying: “you lay in my bed.”


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:26:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:26:1)

**אשר ילד לו בפדן ארם.**פי' הרוב מהם שהרי בנימן לא נולד שם וכן דרך המקראות:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
אשר ילד לו בפדן ארם, “who were born to him at Padan Aram.” What is meant is that the majority were born there, seeing we have read just recently that Binyamin was born on Holy Soil in the Land of Israel


###### Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:28:1
[Tur HaArokh, Genesis 35:28:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Genesis/r/35:28:1)

**ויהיו ימי יצחק.**פירש"י אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה שהרי מכירתו של יוסף קדמה למיתתו של יצחק. והרמ"בן פי' כי כן מנהגו בכל מקומות שמספר ענין האדם ותולדותיו ומיתתו ואח"כ מתחיל הדור האחר והי' ראוי להקדים מיתת יצחק לתולדת יעקב כשעשה לאברהם ובשאר הדורות אלא שהמתין עד כאן לומר שמת בשיבה טובה זקן ושבע ושב אליו בנו המבורך הנוחל מעלתו וקברו עשו ויעקב בניו ולא הוצרך לומר שקברוהו במערת המכפלה בעבור שהזכיר שהי' יושב בעיר ההוא ואנה יקברוהו אם לא בקבורת אבותיו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויהיו ימי יצחק, וגו', “Yitzchok lived to a total of 180 years.” *Rashi* reminds us that the Torah is not obligated to narrate in chronological order, seeing that the sale of Joseph had preceded the death of Yitzchok.
 Nachmanides explains that it was an accepted custom when relating someone’s biography, to complete that person’s biography, and only then to begin to describe details of the next generation and the characters that are important during that generation. Actually, the death of Yitzchok should have been reported still earlier, just as the Torah reported the death of Avraham or other generations before proceeding to inform us about the activities of Yitzchok. The reason why the Torah had delayed reporting Yitzchok’s death until now needs explanation. We have to justify the delay displayed by the Torah in reporting Yitzchok‘s death only now as reflecting the Torah’s intent to show us that he lived to a ripe old age, long enough for his son Esau to return to the parental home and take part in the funeral of his father. There was no need to tell us that Yitzchok was buried in the cave of Machpelah, seeing that he lived in Kiryat Arba, right next door to that cave.