Cytowanie Komentarza do Psalmów 21:9

‘BEN ONI’ (THE SON OF MY SORROW). I am of the opinion that he was so called because he alone was born in the land of Canaan which lies to the south (yamin) as one comes from Aram-naharaim, just as it is said: In the south, in the land of Canaan;²²⁰Numbers 33:40. Going on still toward the south.²²¹Above, 12:9. Binyamin thus means a son of the south, just as in the verse: The north ‘v’yamin’ (and the south) Thou hast created them.²²²Psalms 89:13. For this reason the name Binyamin is here written “full” [with a yud after the mem to indicate that the name is derived from the word yamin (south)]. This is Rashi’s language.
But I do not understand this claim that the Land of Israel lies to the south of Aram-naharaim for Aram is eastward of the Land of Israel, as it is written, And he came to the land of the children of the east,²²³Above, 29:1. and it is further written, From Aram Balak bringeth me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East,²²⁴Numbers 23:7. and Jacob crossed the Jordan which is to the east of the Land of Israel, and he returned by way of Edom which is south of the Land of Israel. Thus you find that Aram is south-east of the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is to its north. However, if Benjamin was born within the border of Bethlehem Ephrathah which is in the land of Judah — as it is written, Bethlehem in Judah,²²⁵Judges 19:2. and it is further written, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratha, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah²¹⁷Micah 5:1. — this was in the south of the Land of Israel, and he was thus born between Beth-el and Bethlehem Ephrath. And if the place was in the hill country of Ephraim, then it is in the north of the Land of Israel, as it is written, Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north.²²⁶Joshua 18:5. And if it was in the portion of Benjamin, it was also not in the south, for it is written, And their border was on the north side.²²⁷Ibid., Verse 12. Thus in any case there was no reason to call Benjamin “a son of the south.”
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that his mother called him ben oni, and she meant to say, “the son of my mourning,” similar in expression to: bread of ‘onim’ (mourners);²²⁸Hosea 9:4. I have not eaten thereof ‘b’oni’ (in my mourning).²²⁹Deuteronomy 26:14. And his father understood the word oni in the sense of “my strength,” similar in expression to: the first-fruits of ‘oni’ (my strength);²³⁰Genesis 49:3. And to those who have no ‘onim’ (power).²³¹Isaiah 40:29. And therefore he called him Binyamin, “the son of power” or “the son of strength,” for in the right hand (yamin) there is strength and success, just as it is written: A wise man’s understanding is at his right hand;²³²Ecclesiastes 10:2. Thy right hand shall overtake all those that hate thee;²³³Psalms 21:9. The right hand of the Eternal is exalted.²³⁴Ibid., 118:16. Jacob wanted to call him by the name his mother had called him, for all his children were called by the names their mothers had called them, and he thus rendered it to good and to strength.
Now I have seen in Bereshith Rabbah:²³⁵82:10. “Ben oni, ‘the son of my sorrow.’ And his father called him Benjamin, i.e., in the Sacred Language.” I do not know what this means for it is all the Sacred Language, and so are the names of all his sons in the Sacred Language. However, the Rabbis have alluded to that which I have said, namely, that Jacob rendered the expression so that it signified good.

אשר מצא את הימים, “who had discovered the mules.” These animals are what we know as mules. Anah discovered this by using his intelligence, succeeding in producing offspring through pairing two different species, i.e. the horse and the donkey. This is the only known example of mating two different species resulting in offspring. His achievement was considered a feat of wisdom, as he matched two species which appeared to him to have much in common genetically, and the product was supposed to combine the advantages of a horse and a donkey. Onkelos translates our verse as Anah “finding courage.” He surmises that a nation known as “yemim” attacked him, wanting to steal his donkeys, while he was alone in the desert. He succeeded in saving the donkeys from the attack of these people. The word מצא would have to be understood as in תמצא ידך לכל אויביך, (Psalms 21,9) “your hand is equal to all your enemies.” Alternately, what happened was that he found, i.e. encountered these “Yemim,” and was saved (miraculously) from their attack. His fame as a warrior was established henceforth.

WHO FOUND THE ‘YEIMIM’ IN THE DESERT. In the opinion of some of our Rabbis in the Talmud,²⁹⁴Pesachim 54a. the yeimim are mules, and this man discovered that an ass and a mare, even though they were unlike species, could breed together as opposed to other unlike species. Scripture says that he found them in the wilderness as he fed the asses, for he had there in the desert many asses seeking she-asses and he mated them with mares, and they begot offspring. It would appear that in his generation it was accounted to him as an act of wisdom in that he knew the various species which are nearly alike in nature and thus can produce offspring by cross-breeding. He was thus known by this deed, and therefore Scripture described him by it. And Onkelos translated yeimim as valiant men. It would appear from his opinion that this Anah was attacked by people from a nation called Emim, as it is said, The Emim… a people great, and many and tall as the Anakim,²⁸³Deuteronomy 2:10. and they wished to rob him of the asses of Zibeon his father. He was in the desert with no one to help him, but he overtook them and saved the asses from their hand. The word matza in matza eth hayeimim is thus to be associated with these expressions: Thine hand ‘timtza’ (shall overtake) all thine enemies;²⁹⁵Psalms 21:9. And I have not delivered thee into the hand of Saul.²⁹⁶II Samuel 3:8. “Saul.” In the verse: “David.” It may be that the word matza means that he found them and they were thus saved, and he came to be known for this prowess. This is correct.