룻기 1:7의 인용 해설

“And Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.” Rashi explains that the verse only needed to write “And Jacob went to Haran,” but [by writing left] it tells us that when a righteous person departs from a place, it leaves an impression. This requires contemplation — didn’t Abraham and Isaac also travel from place to place? Why wasn’t the language of “leaving” written regarding them? There are perspectives for both sides. At first glance, one might say that the term left is used here specifically to emphasize something unique, because when Abraham and Isaac departed from places, they didn’t leave behind any righteous person of their caliber in those places. Obviously, their departure made an impression. But here, since Isaac and Rebecca remained behind, one might have thought that Jacob’s departure wouldn’t make an impression — thus the verse teaches us otherwise. Similar to this, it is concluded in Rabbah (68:6), which brings proof from the verse and she left the place said about Ruth. It asks: There it makes sense, as there was only that one righteous woman there, but here Isaac and Rebecca were present! Rabbi Azariah says: The merit of one righteous person cannot be compared to the merit of two righteous people.

ויצא [AND JACOB] WENT OUT—It need have written simply “And Jacob went to Haran’’; why then does it mention his departure from Beersheba? But it intends to tell us that the departure of a righteous person from his city makes an impression. As long as a righteous man is in his city he is its glory and splendour and beauty; when he leaves it, there depart also its glory, its splendour and its beauty. This, too, is the meaning of (Ruth 1:7) “And she went forth out of the place”, stated in reference to Naomi and Ruth (Genesis Rabbah 68:6).