Commento su Genesi 30:43

צאן רבות MANY SHEEP — sheep that multiplied and were fruitful more than other sheep (Genesis Rabbah 73:11).

ויפרץ האיש, he surpassed all the boundaries of what is considered possible in amassing a tremendous fortune in a short time all through shepherding flocks of sheep and goats.

ויפרץ, this refers to financial success, not to the number of offspring. This is also what G’d had promised Yaakov in 28,14 when He said: ופרצת ימה וקדמה וגו'. Yaakov’s wealth is symbolically described as bursting through its fences. There is not enough space to accommodate it. Clearly, this is one of the instances in which the Torah deliberately indulges in exaggeration in order to illustrate its point.

Fruitful and multiply more than other flock. צאן רבות cannot mean what it sounds like, that he had many flocks, for it is already written, “The man became tremendously prosperous” — which surely refers to the flocks mentioned before. Rather it means, “That are fruitful...” (Re’m)

ויפרץ האיש siehe oben Kap.26, 13.

ושפחות ועבדים AND HANDMAIDS, AND MEN-SERVANTS — he used to sell his sheep at a high price and he bought for himself all these (Tanchuma Yashan 1:7:24).

מאד מאד, to emphasise further the quantitative element the Torah speaks of.

He would sell his flock at a high price and buy for himself all these. [Rashi knows it means this] because otherwise, why does Scripture mention slaves while recounting [how the rods increased] the flock? R. Meir Stern writes: [Rashi knows it means this] because otherwise, it should have mentioned people before animals. Moreover, why does Scripture go back and speak of animals, saying: “Camels and donkeys”? Thus Rashi says, “He would sell...” to explain that the flock was mentioned first because he owned it first. Then Scripture mentions what he bought by selling the flock, placing people before animals. And since everything is now in proper order, we need not say, [to explain the order in which they are listed,] that he sold the slaves to buy camels and donkeys, as he did with the flock [to buy the slaves]. Therefore Rashi says, “And buy for himself all these” — all was bought with the money he received from selling the flock.

ויהי לו צאן רבות, the feminine ending in רבות refers to the females of the sheep, the ones producing the lambs. One single ram would service many ewes. Cattle are not mentioned here at all as Yaakov’s work was restricted to raising sheep and goats. He did possess cattle, however.