THE BROTHER OF REBEKAH, JACOB’s AND ESAU’s MOTHER. Because it stated²⁶³, was, “I do not know what this intends to tell us.” Ramban then proceeds to offer an explanation. that Isaac commanded Jacob to get a wife from the daughters of Laban, his mother’s brother, Scripture mentions that he was also the brother of Esau’s mother. It would have been proper for Isaac to have commanded Esau likewise, but since he knew that the blessing of Abraham would apply only to Jacob and his seed, he did so only to Jacob. Now Scripture further mentions that Esau heard that his father had commanded Jacob not to take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan²⁶⁴ and that he should go to his mother’s brother Laban. He [Esau] heeded his father’s will that one not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan, but he did not act properly and take a wife from the daughters of Laban, despite his [Laban’s] being his mother’s brother. Scripture further mentions that he took her²⁶⁵ besides his former wives, and he did not divorce the evil wives since he followed his heart’s desire more than he followed the will of his father. Vayeitzei

footnotes: ²⁶³ It is obvious that Ramban has in mind the words of Rashi, whose comment upon the expression, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother ²⁶⁴ Verse 1 here. ²⁶⁵ Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. (Verse 9 here.)

AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON THE EARTH AND THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN; AND BEHOLD THE ANGELS OF G-D ASCENDING AND DESCENDING ON IT. In a prophetic dream, He showed Jacob that whatever is done on earth is effected by means of the angels, and everything is by decree given to them by the Supreme One. The angels of G-d, whom the Eternal hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth,¹ would not do anything minor or major until they return to present themselves before the Master of the whole earth, saying before Him, “We have traversed the earth,², Verse 11. and behold it dwells in peace, or is steeped in war and blood,” and He commands them to return, to descend to the earth and fulfill His charge. And He further showed him [Jacob] that He, blessed be He, stands above the ladder, and promises Jacob with supreme assurance to inform him that he will not be under the power of the angels, but he will be G-d’s portion,³ and that He will be with him always, as He said, And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee wherever thou goest⁴ for his [Jacob’s] excellence is superior to that of the other righteous ones of whom it is said, For He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.⁵ And in the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer the Great⁶ this vision was akin to the one seen by Abram at the time of the covenant “between the parts”⁷ for He also showed Jacob the dominion of the Four Kingdoms,⁸. Jacob, like Abraham, was thus shown the events that will happen to his descendants during all the generations of their exiles. their ascent and descent. This is the meaning of angels of G-d (mentioned here), just as it is said in the visions of Daniel: the prince of the kingdom of Greece,⁹ and the prince of the kingdom of Persia.¹⁰, Verse 13. Similarly, the angels mentioned in the verse before us are to be understood as the representatives of the various nations. And He promised him that He, exalted be He, will be with him wherever he will go among the nations, and He will guard him and rescue him from them. Thus the Rabbis have said:⁶ “The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the Four Kingdoms, their dominion and their destruction. He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Babylon ascending seventy rungs¹¹ and then descending the ladder. Then He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Media ascending one hundred and eighty rungs¹² and then descending. And then He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Edom ascending and not coming down. Jacob then said to the prince of Edom, Yet thou shalt be brought down to the nether-world.¹³ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to [the prince of Edom], Though thou make thy nest as high as the eagle, etc.”¹⁴.

footnotes: ¹ Zechariah 1:10. ² See ibid. ³ Deuteronomy 32:9. ⁴ Verse 15 here. ⁵ Psalms 91:11. ⁶ Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, 35. ⁷ Above, 15:9-18. ⁸ See Ramban above, 14:1 and 15:12. The Four Kingdoms represent the great world powers seen in a vision by Daniel (Chapter 7), who in succession will subject Israel until such time when Israel’s final and complete deliverance will be effected by the Messiah. The power of the fourth kingdom, that of Rome, is still in sway. See Ramban further at the beginning of Seder Vayechi ⁹ Daniel 10:20. ¹⁰ Ibid. ⁶ Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, 35. ¹¹ Symbolic of the seventy years of the Babylonian exile. ¹² See my Hebrew commentary, (p. 158, n.12), which asserts that the correct reading is: “He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Media going up fifty-two rungs and then descending. And He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Greece going up one hundred-eighty rungs and then descending.” The number of rungs represent the amount of years that these kingdoms held sway over Israel. ¹³ Isaiah 14:15. ¹⁴ Obadiah 1:4. And though thou set it among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Eternal

THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF G-D, AND THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN. This refers to the Sanctuary which is the gate through which the prayers and sacrifices ascend to heaven. Rashi comments, Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Yosei the son of Zimra said, ‘This ladder stood in Beer-sheba and its slope¹⁵ reached unto the Sanctuary in Jerusalem. Beer-sheba is situated in the southern part of Judah, and Jerusalem is to its north on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin, and Beth-el was in the northern portion of Benjamin’s territory, on the boundary between Benjamin’s territory and that of the children of Joseph. It follows, therefore, that a ladder whose base is in Beer-sheba and whose top is in Beth-el has its slope¹⁵ reaching opposite Jerusalem. Now regarding the statement of our Rabbis that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘This righteous man has come to the place where I dwell, [namely, the Sanctuary in Jerusalem, and shall he depart without spending the night?’],¹⁶ and with regard to what they also said, ‘Jacob gave the name Beth-el to Jerusalem’¹⁷ this place which he called Beth-el was Luz and not Jerusalem! And whence did they learn to say so, [implying that Luz is identical with Jerusalem]? I therefore say that Mount Moriah [the Temple site in Jerusalem] was forcibly removed from its place and came here to Luz, and this movement of the Temple site is ‘the springing of the earth’ which is mentioned in Tractate Shechitath Chullin.¹⁸ It means that the site on which the Sanctuary was later to stand came towards Jacob to Beth-el. And this too is what is meant by vayiphga bamakom (and he met the place):¹⁹ [as two people meet, who are moving towards each other]. If you should ask, ‘When our father Jacob passed the site of the Sanctuary [on his way from Beer-sheba to Haran] why did He not detain him there?’ The answer is: If it never entered his mind to pray at the place where his fathers had prayed, should Heaven make him stop there? He had journeyed as far as Haran, as we say in the chapter of Gid Hanasheh,²⁰ and Scripture itself helps us clarify this point by saying, And he went to Haran.²¹ When he arrived at Haran he said, ‘Is it possible that I have passed the place where my fathers prayed without praying there myself?’ He decided to return and had returned as far as Beth-el, whereupon the ground of the Temple site sprang for him until Beth-el.” All these are the words of the Rabbi.²². But I do not agree with them at all for ‘the springing of the earth’ which the Rabbis mention in connection with Jacob is like that which they have said happened to Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, namely, that he reached Haran in one day. As they have said in Tractate Sanhedrin,²³ “The earth sprang for three persons: Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, our father Jacob, and Abishai the son of Zeruiah.”²⁴ And the Rabbis explained: “Eliezer, the servant of Abraham — for it is written, And I came this day unto the fountain,²⁵ which teaches that on that very day he embarked on his journey. Jacob — for it is written, And he met the place.¹⁹ When he arrived at Haran he said, ‘Is it possible that I have passed the place where my fathers prayed without praying there myself?’ As soon as the thought of returning occurred to him, the earth sprang for him, and immediately he met the place.” Thus the Rabbis explicitly say that as soon as the thought to return occurred to him in Haran, the earth sprang for him and he met the place where his fathers prayed, but not that he returned to Beth-el, nor that Mount Moriah sprang and came there to Beth-el. In Bereshith Rabbah²⁶ the Rabbis further equated them both [Eliezer and Jacob] with respect to “the springing of the earth.” Thus they said: “And he arose, and went to Aram-naharaim²⁷ — on the very same day. And I came this day unto the fountain²⁵ — this day I embarked on the journey, and this day I arrived.” With respect to Jacob the Rabbis interpreted in a similar vein: “And he went to Haran²¹ — the Rabbis say on the very same day.” And furthermore, what reason is there for Mount Moriah to “spring” and come to Beth-el, as Rashi claims, after Jacob had troubled himself to return from Haran to Beth-el, a journey of many days?²⁸ Moreover, Beth-el does not lie on the border of the Land of Israel which faces towards Haran for Haran is a land which lies to the east [of the Land of Israel while Beth-el lies in its western part].²⁹ Additionally, the middle part of a ladder is not referred to as its “slope.”³⁰ And, finally, what reason is there for the middle of the ladder to be opposite Beth-el, [where, according to Rashi, the side of the Sanctuary had been transported], when the middle part of an object does not possess significance beyond that of its whole? There is, however, another intent to these Midrashim. The Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah,³¹ “Rabbi Hoshayah said, ‘It has already been stated, And Jacob hearkened to his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram.³² What then does Scripture teach by repeating, *And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba?*²¹ Rather, the redundancy teaches us that Jacob said, “When my father desired to leave the Land of Israel, at what location did he seek permission for it? Was it not in Beer-sheba? I, too, shall go to Beer-sheba to seek this permission. If He grants me permission, I shall leave, and if not, I shall not go.” Therefore Scripture found it necessary to state, And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba.’”²¹ The intent of this Midrash is that the Rabbis were of the opinion that Jacob was blessed by his father in Hebron, the land of his father’s sojournings, and it was to Hebron that he came when he returned to his father from Paddan-aram, as it is said, And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba — the same is Hebron — where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.³³ Now if so, the verse stating, And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba²¹ teaches that when his father commanded him to go to Laban³⁴ he went to Beer-sheba to receive Divine permission, and that is the place wherein he spent the night and saw visions of G-d, and it was there that He gave him permission to exit from the Land of Israel, even as He said, And I will keep thee wherever thou goest and will bring thee back unto this land.⁴ And the ladder which he saw, in the opinion of Rabbi Yosei the son of Zimra, he saw with its feet in Beer-sheba, in the very place where he lay, and with the end of its slope which is the top of the ladder reaching to a point opposite the Sanctuary. It was supported by heaven at the gate through which the angels enter and exit. The revered G-d stood over him, and therefore he knew that Beer-sheba was the gate of heaven, suitable for prayer, and the Sanctuary was the house of G-d. And in the morning Jacob continued his journey from Beer-sheba and arrived at Haran on the same day, and this was “the springing of the earth” mentioned with respect to Jacob. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yosei the son of Zimra who said in Bereshith Rabbah,³⁵ “This ladder stood in Beer-sheba and its slope reached to the Sanctuary, as it is said, *And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba;*²¹ And he was afraid and said, How fearful is this place.”³⁶ And the stone which he erected as a pillar³⁷ he did not erect in the place where he slept, for Beer-sheba is not Beth-el and it was in Beth-el that he erected it, and there he went upon his return from Paddan-aram, as it is said, Arise, go up to Beth-el … and make there an altar unto G-d who appeared unto thee, etc.³⁸ But he erected it [after carrying the stone from Beth-el to Jerusalem]³⁹ opposite the slope, at the place where the head of the ladder stood, which he had called the house of G-d, and this is the city which had previously been called Luz.⁴⁰ Thus in the opinion of Rabbi Yosei the son of Zimra, Luz was Jerusalem which Jacob called Beth-el.⁴⁰ Possibly this may be so, according to the verses in the book of Joshua.⁴¹ It is certainly true that it is not the Beth-el near Ai⁴² for that Beth-el was originally so named in the days of Abraham⁴² and prior to that. But Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shimon differs there⁴³ with Rabbi Yosei the son of Zimra, and he says: “This ladder stood upon the Sanctuary site and its slope reached to Beth-el. What is his reason? And he was afraid, and said,³⁶ etc. And he called the name of that place Beth-el.”⁴⁰ Thus in the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shimon the verse stating, And he lighted upon the place,¹⁹ means Mount Moriah. And he tarried there all night, because the sun was set for him not at its proper time [so that he should spend the night there], for as our Rabbis have stated:¹⁶ “[The Holy One, blessed be He, said], ‘This righteous man has come to the place where I dwell. Shall he then depart without staying there over night?’” And so Jacob saw the ladder with its feet standing in that place, and its slope, which is its top, reached to a point which was opposite that particular Beth-el [which was mentioned in connection with Ai during Abraham’s era],⁴² and that was the city of Luz. And Jacob said that the very place where he spent the night was the house of G-d, and the slope of the ladder was the gate of heaven, thus Mount Moriah is excellent for prayer, and Beth-el also is a suitable place for the worship of G-d. And he erected the pillar in Beth-el, for in the opinion of all Rabbis he erected it opposite the slope of the ladder. The opinion of Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shimon, [i.e., that Jacob slept on Mount Moriah, and he erected the pillar in Beth-el], is in agreement with the Midrash in the Gemara of the chapter concerning Gid Hanasheh,²⁰ and that of Chapter Cheleck,⁴⁴ which states that Jacob left Beer-sheba and came to Haran, and when he reconsidered and decided to return and pray at Mount Moriah, the place where his fathers had prayed, then the earth “sprang” for him and he lighted immediately upon Mount Moriah. Perhaps it is the Rabbis’ opinion that the earth “sprang” for him both when going from Haran to Mount Moriah and when returning from Mount Moriah to Haran. This would be in agreement with the opinion of the Rabbi who says:⁴⁵ “And he went to Haran²¹ — on the same day. And he lighted upon the place¹⁹ — at once, very suddenly.” I found it more explicitly in Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer Hagadol:⁴⁶ “Jacob was seventy-seven years of age when he left his father’s house,⁴⁷ and he followed the well that travelled before him from Beer-sheba to Mount Moriah, a two-day journey, and he arrived there at midday, etc. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Jacob, you have bread in your travelling-bag, the well is before you, enabling you to eat and drink and lie down in this place.’ Jacob replied, ‘Master of all worlds, the sun has yet to descend fifty stages, and shall I lie down to sleep in this place?’ Prematurely, the sun then set in the west. Jacob looked and saw that the sun had set in the west, so he tarried there all night, because the sun was set.¹⁹ Jacob took twelve stones from the stones of the altar upon which his father Isaac had lain bound as a sacrifice⁴⁸ and put them under his head. By the fact that his resting-place contained twelve stones, G-d informed him that twelve tribes were destined to be established from him. But then all twelve stones were transformed into one stone to inform him that all twelve tribes were destined to become one nation in the earth, as it is said, *And who is like Thy people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth?*⁴⁹ In the morning Jacob awoke with great fright, and said, ‘The house of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in this place,’ as it is said, *And he was afraid, and said: How fearful is this place!*³⁶ From here you learn that whosoever prays in Jerusalem is considered as if he prayed before the Throne of Glory, for the gate of heaven is open there to receive the prayer of Israel, as it is said, And this is the gate of heaven.³⁶ Jacob then wanted to collect the stones [which he had used as a resting-place for his head in order to build an altar], but he found them all to be one stone, and so he set it up as a pillar in that place. Thereupon oil flowed down for him from heaven, and he poured it on top of the stone, as it is said, And he poured oil upon the top of it.³⁷ What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? With His right foot He sank the anointed stone unto the depths of the abyss to serve as the key-stone of the earth, just as one inserts a key-stone in an arch. It is for this reason that it is called Even Hashethiyah (The Foundation Stone),⁵⁰ for there is the center of the earth, and from there the earth unfolded, and upon it stands the Temple of G-d, as it is said, And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be G-d’s house.⁵¹ the Temple of G-d” — may either be a reference to the remains of the ancient Sanctuary and its environs, which were still visible in the days when the Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer was composed, or it may preferably indicate that although the Temple is now in ruins the place thereof is still deemed sacred as in the days when the House of G-d was firmly established on the sacred mountain. From there he [Jacob] went on his journey, and in the twinkling of an eye he arrived in Haran.” Thus far [extends the quotation from the Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer Hagadol]. Thus, all Midrashim — despite some minor differences among them — acknowledge that “the springing of the earth” occurred to Jacob through which he travelled a journey of many days in the twinkling of an eye. It is possible that all Midrashim concede to one another, and that on all these journeys of his — when going from Beer-sheba to Haran, when he desired to return to Mount Moriah, and when he left there to go to Haran — the earth “sprang” for him. But there is not one of all these Midrashim which says, as Rashi said, [that Mount Moriah was forcibly removed from its location and was transported to meet him in Beth-el].

footnotes: ¹⁵ “Its slope.” In our text of Rashi: “the middle of its slope.” Ramban will explain later that the reference is to “the end” of the slope, which is the head of the ladder. ¹⁵ “Its slope.” In our text of Rashi: “the middle of its slope.” Ramban will explain later that the reference is to “the end” of the slope, which is the head of the ladder. ¹⁶ Chullin 91b. ¹⁷ Pesachim 88b. ¹⁸ “The slaughtering of unconsecrated beasts.” This tractate is now generally called Chullin (Unconsecrated Beasts). 91b. ¹⁹ Verse 11 here. ²⁰ “The sinew of the hip.” It is the seventh chapter of Tractate Chullin (see Note 18) 91b. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ²² Rashi. See also Note 139, Seder Bereshith ²³ 95a. ²⁴ II Samuel 21:17. In coming to the rescue of David, a miracle occurred, and he reached him at once though he was far away from him. ²⁵ Above, 24:42. ¹⁹ Verse 11 here. ²⁶ 59:15. ²⁷ Above, 24:10. ²⁵ Above, 24:42. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ²⁸ If such a miracle was to be performed, why did not Mount Moriah spring all the way to Haran? ²⁹ Above, 12:8. ³⁰ Thus Rabbi Elazar who said that “its slope” reached to the Sanctuary did not refer to its middle, as Rashi has it. ³¹ 68:6. ³² Above, 28:7. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ³³ Further, 35:27. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ³⁴ Above, 28:5. ⁴ Verse 15 here. ³⁵ 69:5. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ³⁶ Verse 17 here. ³⁷ Verse 18 here. ³⁸ Further, 35:1. ³⁹ Thus comments Rabbi David Luria (R’dal) in explanation of Ramban’s words. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 160. ⁴⁰ Verse 19 here. ⁴⁰ Verse 19 here. ⁴¹ The source intended is not clear to me. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 160, for further discussion of this matter. ⁴² Above, 12:8. Whereas the Beth-el referred to here had previously been called Luz. ⁴² Above, 12:8. Whereas the Beth-el referred to here had previously been called Luz. ⁴³ Bereshith Rabbah 69:7. ³⁶ Verse 17 here. ⁴⁰ Verse 19 here. ¹⁹ Verse 11 here. ¹⁶ Chullin 91b. ⁴² Above, 12:8. Whereas the Beth-el referred to here had previously been called Luz. ²⁰ “The sinew of the hip.” It is the seventh chapter of Tractate Chullin (see Note 18) 91b. ⁴⁴ “Portion,” i.e., in the World to Come. This is the tenth chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin, 95b. ⁴⁵ Bereshith Rabbah 68:9. ²¹ Verse 10 here. ¹⁹ Verse 11 here. ⁴⁶ Chapter 35. ⁴⁷ He was sixty-three when he was blessed by his father (Megillah 16 a), and for the following fourteen years he was secluded in the house of Shem and Eber for the purpose of studying Torah. This makes Jacob seventy-seven years old when he left Haran. The Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer refers to it as “when he left his father’s house,” but the intent is as explained. (Rabbi David Luria.) ¹⁹ Verse 11 here. ⁴⁸ Above, 22:9. ⁴⁹ II Samuel 7:23. ³⁶ Verse 17 here. ³⁶ Verse 17 here. ³⁷ Verse 18 here. ⁵⁰ On this stone, the Ark of G-d, which contained the two Tablets of the Law, rested in the Holy of Holies in the Sanctuary in Jerusalem. (Yoma 53b.) ⁵¹ Verse 22 here. The use of the present tense in the Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer — “and upon it stands

AND HE SET IT UP FOR A PILLAR. Our Rabbis have explained⁵² the difference between a pillar and an altar by saying that a pillar consists of one stone while an altar is composed of many stones. It further appears that a pillar is made for pouring libations of wine upon it and for the pouring of oil upon it, but not for sacrifices and not for offerings, whereas an altar is for bringing Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings thereon. When Israel entered the Land, the pillar was prohibited to them⁵³ because the Canaanites had established it as an ordinance of an idolatrous character to a greater extent than the altars. Even though it is written concerning the altars, Ye shall break down their altars,⁵⁴ [since the altars were not as prevalent as pillars among the Canaanites, He did not prohibit the Israelites from making their own altars]. It may be that He did not want to prohibit all sacrifices, and so He retained the altar as fit for libations and sacrifices.

footnotes: ⁵² Yerushalmi Abodah Zarah IV, 5. ⁵³ Deuteromony 16:22. ⁵⁴ Exodus 34:13.

IF (‘IM’) G-D WILL BE WITH ME. Rashi comments: “If He will keep for me these promises which He made to me.” The reason for the condition is lest the sin cause the abrogation of the promises. And so the Rabbis said in Bereshith Rabbah,⁵⁵ “Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Acha, ‘And behold, I am with thee,⁵⁶ and yet it is written, If G-d will be with me! However, from here you infer that there is no assurance to the righteous in this world.’” In line with the simple meaning of Scripture it is further possible that the word im does not indicate a doubt in the matter, but such is the way of Scripture when referring to future events, such as: until ‘im asithi’ (I have done).⁵⁶ And so also: ‘Ve’im’ there shall be the jubilee of the children of Israel.⁵⁷ In all these cases it means if there will come a time when the condition is satisfied, then the deed will be fulfilled, that is to say, ve’im does not mean “if it occurs,” but rather “when it occurs.”

footnotes: ⁵⁵ 76:2. ⁵⁶ Verse 15 here. ⁵⁶ Verse 15 here. ⁵⁷ Numbers 36:4.

THEN THE ETERNAL SHALL BE MY G-D. This is not a condition, as Rashi would have it. It is rather a vow, and its purport is as follows: “If I will return to my father’s house, I will worship the proper Name of the Eternal in the Chosen Land at the location of this stone which will be for me a house of G-d, and there I will set aside the tithe.” There is in this matter a secret relating to that which the Rabbis have said:⁵⁸ “He who dwells outside the Land of Israel is like one who has no G-d.” [Thus, according to the meaning of the above quotation, the Eternal will be Jacob’s G-d only when he returns to the Land of Israel.]

footnotes: ⁵⁸ Kethuboth 110b.