Kommentar zu Bereschit 31:20
וַיִּגְנֹ֣ב יַעֲקֹ֔ב אֶת־לֵ֥ב לָבָ֖ן הָאֲרַמִּ֑י עַל־בְּלִי֙ הִגִּ֣יד ל֔וֹ כִּ֥י בֹרֵ֖חַ הֽוּא׃
Und Jakob stahl — das Herz des Aramäers Laban, indem er ihn nicht merken ließ, dass er entfliehen wolle.
Sforno on Genesis
Yaakov fooled Lavan. He did not give any sign that he knew that Lavan had accepted the slander about him.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
ויגנב יעקב את לב לבן הארמי, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramite, etc. It is difficult to justify the expression "fled" which is applied here to a departure without previous good-byes. Perhaps what is meant is that when Jacob gave Laban an accounting about all that he had done, etc., he concealed the fact that he intended to leave him. He presumably asked Laban to dismiss him, thus in effect telling Laban that he had no intention of leaving without a proper ceremony. Had Laban had the slightest notion that Jacob intended to take his family and leave without a send-off, he would have had him watched day and night. The successful flight was possible only because Jacob "stole" Laban's heart. Basically, our verse wanted to explain how it was that Jacob succeeded to depart unnoticed with all his family, herds and flocks.
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Radak on Genesis
ויגנב יעקב את לב לבן, he misled him seeing that Lavan thought that Yaakov was in the city, whereas in fact he had left the city.
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Sforno on Genesis
The Aramean. Besides indicating his nationality, which is irrelevant here, this hints that he was an experienced swindler (ramai). Thus if he had realized that Yaakov knew of the change in his attitude he would not have left him any escape.
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Radak on Genesis
על בלי הגיד לו, in that he had not told him his route. Not having told Lavan what route he was going to travel turned his leaving Lavan into a flight. Obviously, Yaakov was not expected by Lavan to announce: “I am fleeing;” the word בורח has to be linked to the word ויגנב. Deceiving Lavan as a sin of omission, i.e. not giving Lavan false information, but failing to give him relevant information, turned Yaakov’s sudden departure into what Lavan perceived to be a flight.
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Sforno on Genesis
על בלי הגיד לו, the word על here is used as in על עולת התמיד in Numbers 28,10 where it means: “with, in addition to.” Yaakov acted as if unaware of Lavan’s hatred in addition to not informing him of his intended departure. All of this was not exactly in accordance with accepted norms of conduct, but as dictated by sheer necessity, his survival instinct.
כי בורח הוא; out of fear that Lavan would rob him with the aid of the people of his town. He said so to Lavan later when explaining his decision and his actions.
כי בורח הוא; out of fear that Lavan would rob him with the aid of the people of his town. He said so to Lavan later when explaining his decision and his actions.
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