Commentaire de citation sur La Genèse 31:46

and he enticed him to go up to Ramoth Gilead as is written in the Book of I Kings (22: 3): “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead is ours,” because when Jacob built the mound [of stones] there and called it Galead, he took possession of it, and our forefathers took Gilead and the heights (רָמוֹת), which are a continuation and an attachment to the city. But when our forefathers in Moses’ time seized Gilead, they were silent and refrained from taking it, because they did not care for it, or perhaps in Moses’ time, they did take it, but later the nations took it from Israel’s hands, but it is [in fact] ours.

חמרים חמרים means IN HEAPS, just as the Targum renders it, דגורין, which means גלין heaps (דגורא is the Targum of הגל in Genesis 31:46).

In Bereshis Rabbah, chapter 74, on the verse, “Jacob said to his brothers, ‘Gather stones!”¹⁶Gen. 31:46. the Midrash comments: “How many brothers had he then but one, and would that he buried him! It refers, however, to his sons, whom he calls brethren in the Holy Tongue. R. Hunia said: ‘They were as valiant as he and as righteous as he.’ R. Judan said: ‘When a man dons his father’s raiment, he is like him. Therefore Jacob referred to his sons as brothers because they participated with him….’”¹⁷The last sentence, partially quoted by the Netziv, is not found in our version of Midrash Rabbah. From the context of the Midrash, the last sentence appears to refer to how Jacob’s sons participated with their father in the performance of good deeds. I offer thanks to God, for He has granted me sons who are not shy about bringing the battle of Torah to the gates, for they were with me in this service with purity. My son, the rabbi, our master, Hayyim Berlin, from the holy community of Shakalov, took with him some of my manuscripts to edit and to remove errors that resulted from conjecture [without proof]. He is also wise and he added some of his own material, analyzing carefully the words of our master [the She’iltos]. His intent was to make his insights known, and there is more that he wrote than what is published in his name, for much was lost in returning the manuscript [to me]. A small amount is all that remains [from his insights], such as from his letters and the like, those thoughts being recorded [in my book] in his name. It was also [my son] who designated, Ha’amek She’elah, as the title for this book, and thus his name should be equally remembered as its title.¹⁸Or that his name should be associated with the title of this book.