Comentário sobre Gênesis 30:41

המקשרות THE STRONGER—Explain it as the Targum renders it: הבכירות the early-bearing sheep; but I have no evidence in the Scripture (i.e. I have no other example of the use of this word) to prove that this is its meaning. Menachem classifies it under the same root as (2 Samuel 15:31) “Ahitophel is among the conspirators (בקשרים)”, and as (2 Samuel 15:12) “And the conspiracy (הקשר) was strong” — so that the meaning would be those sheep that banded themselves together (mated) in order to accelerate their pregnancy (i.e. in order that they might become בכירות, early-bearing sheep).

THE FLOCKS ‘HAMEKUSHAROTH.’ The correct interpretation of this expression appears to me to be that they are the flocks in which the males follow the females at all times, never leaving them due to their abundant desire, as in the expression, Seeing that his soul is ‘keshurah’ (bound up) with the lad’s soul.¹⁷⁰Further, 44:30. This is also found in the language of our Sages: “a swine karuch (clinging) to a ewe;”¹⁷¹Bechoroth 24a. “clinging to her.”¹⁷²Kiddushin 79b. And the offspring born at that time are called hakeshurim after the name of their father.
But many authorities say¹⁷³P’sikta Zutrata on this verse. that keshurim are “the strong ones” whose limbs are firmly attached to each other with a strong tie, as this is the basis of health, while atuphim¹⁶⁵Verse 42 here. are “the weak ones” whose soul ‘tithataph’ (fainted) in them,¹⁷⁴Psalms 107:5. and who have no desire, as in the expression, ‘ha’atuphim’ (that faint) for hunger.¹⁷⁵Lamentations 2:19. Onkelos translated hamekusharoth as the early-bearing sheep, and atuphim as the late-bearing ones, for such is the fact: [the early-bearing sheep are the stronger ones, and the late-bearing ones are weaker].

המקושרות, during the month of Tishrey.

והיה בכל יחם הצאן, it would be that every time the flocks were in heat, etc..We must understand why Jacob did all this. Granted that originally when he placed those partially peeled rods he was forced to resort to this stratagem out of a feeling of self-preservation, this was no longer the case after he established his own flocks. His continuing to resort to these stratagems would appear to have resulted in his acquiring more than half the total profit whereas under normal circumstances the shepherd is supposed to take one third of the profits as we have explained on 29,15 on the verse הכי אחי אתה.

והיה בכל יחם, during all the periods when the animals were in heat, i.e. at the time when they mated; this is in accordance with Onkelos’ rendering of these words. This is the standard translation every time the word occurs.

המקושרות, “the early-bearing ones,” some commentators understand the word as “the strong ones.” They believe that it refers to those whose limbs were firmly attached to each other. Such firm attachment between the various limbs is considered a sign of good health. By contrast, the עטופים (verse 42) are the ones whose health was more precarious. They were the weak ones. The word occurs in this context in Lamentations 2,19 העטופים ברעב, “the ones weakened by famine.” Nachmanides writes that הקשורים are the male animals which follow the females very close on their heels and never stay far away from them as they are usually in heat. A parallel expression in the Torah would be ונפשו קשורה בנפשו, the manner in which Yehudah describes the spiritual bond between his father and Binyamin. (Genesis 44,30). Ibn Ezra explains that in the month of Nissan, all the young lambs born to the sheep were strong and healthy, to wit מקושרות. Seeing they are so healthy and strong, they have a strong sex drive, always staying close behind the females. On the other hand, the ones born in fall, in Tishrey, are by nature weak, and Yaakov was not particularly interested in them, hence he did not bother with the aspen sticks at that time of year. At least, he refrained from doing so in order to minimize the chance of Lavan learning of his stratagem.

(41-42) ובהעטיף ,המקשרות. Für die gewöhnliche Erklärung מקשרות frühwerfende, starke, העטיף, spätwerfende, schwache, gibt es kaum eine Analogie. Die Auffassung des מקשרות wäre ganz ohne Stütze, und für העטיף reichte auch schwerlich die Analogie von התעטף und עני כי יעטף aus, da dies immer zeitlich eingetretene Schwächezustände bezeichnet, nicht aber eine konstitutionelle Schwäche. Dazu kommt, dass מקשרות ja ganz entschieden nicht auf einen Zustand, sondern auf eine Tätigkeit hinweist, die an den Tieren vorgenommen worden. Sabbat 52b. lesen wir in der Mischna: רחלות יוצאות שחוזות כבולות וכבונות und folgt 52b. die Erläuterung: מאי שחוזות שאוחזין באליה שלהן למעלה כדי שיעלו עליהן זכרים. Demnach liegt es nicht fern, in מקשרות die Aufgebundenen zu erkennen und ובהעטיף: "wenn man aber die Tiere bedeckt ließ" wie sie im natürlichen Zustande sind. Wenn also die Tiere künstlich zum Wurf gebracht wurden — was man allerdings wohl vorzüglich mit den besseren tat, von welchen man Junge wünschte — stellte er die Stäbe hin; wenn man sie aber sich selbst und dem natürlichen Wege überließ, nicht.

המקושרות, “the sturdier ones;” According to Rashi the meaning of the word is: מבכירות, “the ones liable to give birth early in the season because they conceived without difficulties.” Although he attributes this interpretation to Targum Onkelos, he was unable to quote proof, and neither did Onkelos quote proof. I believe that the word is connected to the root: קשר, “knot.” It was the custom in those days to tie a knot to the firstborn animal of each mother, in order to be able to identify these animals later on as they were presumed to be stronger, or at any rate preferred by their owners to those born later. This would prevent them from being confused with animals born by the same mother animal in subsequent years. We know from Genesis 38,28, that the midwife of Tamar also tied a knot to the twin that appeared to be born first from its mother’s womb. The author quotes the Maharam from Rotenburg as saying that in his time fathers also displayed preferences for firstborn sons.

ויחם, the reason the infinitive mode is used for the word is in order for it to be connected to the preceding word בכל, which is used in lieu of the word שם, “there, wherever.” When the word does not signify any specific time, i.e. either past, present of future, which would limit its application, then the word בכל is appropriate as it also is a totally inclusive word, not allowing for exceptions. The infinitive is therefore absolutely in place. The sheep give birth twice a year, and the Torah now tells us before which of the cycle of births Yaakov positioned the sticks by the troughs. Yaakov positioned the sticks before the first cycle of births which was numerically much smaller, because Lavan did not bother to check on what was going on during that period. Before the second birthing during that year Yaakov did not position the sticks in order to arouse the imagination of the animals because at that time Lavan would come to inspect his sheep and if he had discovered that Yaakov was using these sticks this would have resulted in a quarrel between them, and Lavan would have stolen from him whatever he thought should be his. Even though Yaakov had never positioned the sticks in front of any animals that were Lavan’s, as I explained on verse 37, in the name of my late father, Lavan would have argued that just as Yaakov placed this sticks before his own animals so he would presumably do also when watering Lavan’s flocks.

Perhaps the flocks described as המקושרות did not give birth only to ankle-striped lambs etc.; in that event Jacob would not have benefited excessively. He probably did not benefit to the extent of two thirds, the amount permissible when dealing with growing animals. Perhaps Jacob only tried to reimburse himself for what Laban had already robbed him of.

The meaning of the words המקושרות, הקשורים and העטופים, as well as the word ובהעטיף, is in accordance with the way Onkelos translates them, descriptions of the time cycle during which certain animals would give birth. My late father of blessed memory, explained that the agreement for the first year called for the result of the first birthing to be Yaakov’s, whereas the result of the second birthing would be Lavan’s.

ליחמנה במקלות, to bring them to heat through their viewing the sticks, as I already explained. The letter ה at the end of the word ליחמנה is appended just as we find this letter appended in such words as אותנה (Exodus 35,26), where we do not know any reason for this addition. The word really should have been ליחמן without the letter ה at the end but with a dagesh in the final ן. Still we do have a similar construction to ours here in Micah 7,7 עיני תיראנה בה as well as in Ezekiel 4,12 תעגנה לעיניהם where the letter נ in תעגנה is “weak,” i.e. without the dagesh we would have expected. Even though, as we explained, the places where these constructions occur are not quite analogous to one another, the fact remains that the entire story is told by the Torah in such detail in order to show the reader to what extent G’d’s providence intervened in order to make sure that Yaakov did not lose out to the crooked Lavan. This once again confirms what we read in Psalms 37,12 and 33 that זומם רשע לצדיק....ה' לא יעזבנו בידו, “when the wicked tries to set a trap the righteous G’d will not abandon the righteous to the devices of the wicked.”