וַיַּכֵּ֣ר יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ צָֽדְקָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נִּי כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֥ן לֹא־נְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְשֵׁלָ֣ה בְנִ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָסַ֥ף ע֖וֹד לְדַעְתָּֽה׃
E Yehudá os reconheceu, e disse: "Ela é mais justa do que eu, porque por isso eu não a dei a Shelá, meu filho." E ele não conheceu mais a ela.
Siftei Chakhamim
Also, in order to relate the narrative of Potiphar’s wife to the narrative of Tamar... You might ask: Why did Rashi not explain this before, at the beginning of the section (38:1)? There, Rashi asks why Scripture interrupted to tell the narrative of Yehudah, and Rashi explains only that “his brothers demoted him,” but he did not bring this alternate explanation. The answer is: Before, one could have objected: how does Rashi know that Tamar had pure motives? But now that Rashi proves that her motive were pure, from the verse, “She is righteous, it is from me,” he therefore brings the explanation here. (Kitzur Mizrachi) Question: According to the first explanation, Scripture should have only interrupted [by telling the narrative of Yehudah] until, “Many days passed ... the wife of Yehudah died...” (38:12), where a different episode begins. Why did it not [return and] finish the narrative of Yoseif at that point? Rashi answers, “In order to connect the narrative of Potiphar’s wife to the narrative of Tamar.” But with this explanation only, [a question arises:] The narrative of Yehudah should begin with, “Many days passed ... the wife of Yehudah died...” Why begin with, “Yehudah descended from his brothers” (38:1)? [The answer is:] Perforce, to indicate that they demoted Yehudah. Accordingly, at the beginning of the section Rashi is explaining only why “Yehudah descended from his brothers” follows after Yoseif’s sale. Thus he wrote only the first explanation. But here Rashi is explaining the reason for the entire interruption, so he brings both explanations. (Gur Aryeh)
Ramban
EVERY MAN SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD, WITH THE SIGNS OF THEIR FATHER’S HOUSE. “Each standard was to have a colored cloth hanging on it, the color of one being unlike the color of another.106There were thus twelve standards, one for each tribe (Maskil l’David in his commentary on Rashi). These twelve standards are not to be confused with the four main standards, around each of which three tribes rallied. The color of each standard corresponded to that of the stone fixed in the breastplate [of the High Priest, on which the name of that tribe was engraved], and by this method everyone would recognize his standard.” This is Rashi’s language. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “There were signs on each of the [four main] standards. Thus the ancient Sages said that on Reuben’s standard there was a figure of a man decorated with mandrakes,107See Genesis 30:14. and on Judah’s standard there was the form of a lion, to which Jacob had compared him,108Ibid., 49:9. and on Ephraim’s standard was the figure of an ox, based upon [the expression that Moses used in speaking of that tribe], the firstborn of his ox,109Deuteronomy 33:17. and on Dan’s standard was the figure of an eagle.110This was because of the expression, as an eagle stirreth up his nest (ibid., 32:11), and of Dan it is written that he was the rearward of all the camps (further, 10:25), who stirred the attention of all the camps to any lurking dangers (Tziyoni). Thus [the four signs on the four main standards] were similar to the four figures that the prophet Ezekiel saw [in the Divine Charriot].”111Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). The Tent of Meeting was in the exact center, with the camps of the Levites surrounding it in the midst of the camps [of the other tribes], as is mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah:112I have not found it in our editions of the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation). On the book itself, see Vol. I, p. 24, Note 41. “And the Holy Temple is placed exactly in the middle.”
Now the directions [in which the standards were to be set up] begin with the east, like the movement of the sun [in its daily course], and afterwards the south, and then the west and finally the north. They put the [main] standard of Judah in the east because he was the first to start journeying as he was the prince,113I Chronicles 28:4. just as G-d commanded, Judah shall go up114Judges 1:2. first,115Ibid., 20:18. and Reuben was [set next to him] in the south to honor him as the firstborn. Thus these two neighboring standards consisted of [the children of] Leah [i.e., Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben Shimon] together with the firstborn of her maidservant who was born upon her [Leah’s] knees [i.e., Gad the son of Zilpah.]. And there was one [main] standard for the children of Rachel [Ephraim, Menasheh, and Benjamin] in the west, and the standard of the [other] children of the maidservants [Dan, Asher, and Naphtali] was last, in the north.
I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the following text]:116Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. “And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four ‘living creatures,’111Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). and high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions. Thus He said to him: In the east, whence comes light to the world, shall Judah the sovereign pitch his camp, and next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, who studies the Torah,117“For it is said, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times (I Chronicles 12:32), and Torah is called ‘light,’ For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9) — Thus, just as the royal House of David is referred to by Scripture in terms of light — as it is said, that David My servant may have ‘a lamp’ always before Me in Jerusalem (I Kings 11:36) — so also is Issachar, student of the Torah which is called light. The position of these two tribes is therefore rightfully in the east whence comes light to the world. And as for Zebulun (see further in text). and next to him the tribe of Zebulun, who is wealthy, just as it is written, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea,118Genesis 49:13. and it is also said [of Zebulun], for they shall suck the abundance of the sea.119Deuteronomy 33:19. And riches are also referred to as “light” (Midrash Rabbah ibid.). Thus the three tribes that pitched on the east — Judah (sovereignty), Isaachar (knowledge), and Zebulun (wealth) — all represented aspects of “light” which originates in the east. They were to be the first to journey, just as it is said, And their king is passed on before them, and the Eternal at the head of them.120Micah 2:13. From the south come the dews and the rains [which bring] blessing for the world, therefore shall Reuben pitch on that side, for he is the master of repentance,121See Sotah 7b and Rashi ibid., that Judah’s repentance in admitting his guilt in the case of Tamar (Genesis 38:26) was motivated by Reuben’s prior repentance in the case of Bilhah (ibid., 35:22). Reuben was also first of the brothers who tried to save Joseph in order to return him to his father (ibid., 37:22). According to a Midrash, G-d then said: “‘You [Reuben] were first in making an effort to bring back a beloved son to his father. By your life! A descendant of yours will be the first [of the prophets] to bring back Israel to their Father in heaven.’ And who was that? Hosea the son of Beeri, as it is written, When the Eternal spoke at first with Hosea (Hosea 1:2) [and it was that prophet who proclaimed: Return, O Israel, unto the Eternal thy G-d, for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity” (ibid. 14: 2)] (Yalkut Shimoni, at the beginning of the Book of Hosea). That Hosea was of the tribe of Reuben is indicated in I Chronicles 5:6, where his father Beerah is counted among the descendants of Reuben. Beeri and Beerah, according to the Rabbis, refer to the same person. which is a good quality, and the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the world when people repent [of their evil ways]. Next to Reuben is Gad, who has the quality of heroism.122Genesis 49:19. In our Bamidbar Rabbah: “master of the troop,” as stated in Genesis ibid: Thus there were [in the south] Reuben with repentance, Gad with heroism, and in between them Shimon in order to atone [for his having caused anguish to his father Jacob].123Ibid., Verses 5-7, and in Chapter 34:30. And they shall set forth second,124Verse 16 here. because repentance is second to Torah [for by studying Torah one is coming to repent of evil ways]. In the west are the storehouses of snow, and the storehouses of hail, cold, and heat, and corresponding to them were [the tribes of] Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, and the Divine Presence is always in the west within the border of Benjamin, as it is said, Of Benjamin he [Moses] said: The beloved of the Eternal shall dwell in safety by Him.125Deuteronomy 33:12. This is an allusion to the fact that the Sanctuary proper, in which the Divine Presence resided, was in Benjamin’s territory. The eastern part of the Temple was in the territory of Judah. These three tribes of Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, to whom G-d grants might (see Psalms 80: 3) are thus the most able to resist the destructive aspects of the natural elements (Eitz Yoseph on Bamidbar Rabbah). And they shall set forth third,126Verse 24 here. for heroism is fitting to Torah and repentance, in order that a person may grow strong in Torah and overcome his [bad] inclinations. From the north comes darkness to the world, and corresponding to it was the tribe of Dan. For what reason? It is because the tribe of Dan darkened the world through the idols which Jeroboam made, as it is said, and the one idol he put in Dan.127I Kings 12:29. Next to him was the tribe of Asher, to illuminate the darkness, as it is said [of Asher], and he shall dip his foot in oil,128Deuteronomy 33:24. and next to him was the tribe of Naphtali who is full of blessings.129As it is said of that tribe, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Eternal (ibid., Verse 23). They shall set forth hindmost,130Verse 31 here. for whoever worships idols goes backward and not forward. ”131Jeremiah 7:24.
There [in Bamidbar Rabbah]116Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of Israel according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels [surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in detail.
Now the directions [in which the standards were to be set up] begin with the east, like the movement of the sun [in its daily course], and afterwards the south, and then the west and finally the north. They put the [main] standard of Judah in the east because he was the first to start journeying as he was the prince,113I Chronicles 28:4. just as G-d commanded, Judah shall go up114Judges 1:2. first,115Ibid., 20:18. and Reuben was [set next to him] in the south to honor him as the firstborn. Thus these two neighboring standards consisted of [the children of] Leah [i.e., Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben Shimon] together with the firstborn of her maidservant who was born upon her [Leah’s] knees [i.e., Gad the son of Zilpah.]. And there was one [main] standard for the children of Rachel [Ephraim, Menasheh, and Benjamin] in the west, and the standard of the [other] children of the maidservants [Dan, Asher, and Naphtali] was last, in the north.
I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the following text]:116Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. “And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four ‘living creatures,’111Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). and high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions. Thus He said to him: In the east, whence comes light to the world, shall Judah the sovereign pitch his camp, and next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, who studies the Torah,117“For it is said, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times (I Chronicles 12:32), and Torah is called ‘light,’ For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9) — Thus, just as the royal House of David is referred to by Scripture in terms of light — as it is said, that David My servant may have ‘a lamp’ always before Me in Jerusalem (I Kings 11:36) — so also is Issachar, student of the Torah which is called light. The position of these two tribes is therefore rightfully in the east whence comes light to the world. And as for Zebulun (see further in text). and next to him the tribe of Zebulun, who is wealthy, just as it is written, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea,118Genesis 49:13. and it is also said [of Zebulun], for they shall suck the abundance of the sea.119Deuteronomy 33:19. And riches are also referred to as “light” (Midrash Rabbah ibid.). Thus the three tribes that pitched on the east — Judah (sovereignty), Isaachar (knowledge), and Zebulun (wealth) — all represented aspects of “light” which originates in the east. They were to be the first to journey, just as it is said, And their king is passed on before them, and the Eternal at the head of them.120Micah 2:13. From the south come the dews and the rains [which bring] blessing for the world, therefore shall Reuben pitch on that side, for he is the master of repentance,121See Sotah 7b and Rashi ibid., that Judah’s repentance in admitting his guilt in the case of Tamar (Genesis 38:26) was motivated by Reuben’s prior repentance in the case of Bilhah (ibid., 35:22). Reuben was also first of the brothers who tried to save Joseph in order to return him to his father (ibid., 37:22). According to a Midrash, G-d then said: “‘You [Reuben] were first in making an effort to bring back a beloved son to his father. By your life! A descendant of yours will be the first [of the prophets] to bring back Israel to their Father in heaven.’ And who was that? Hosea the son of Beeri, as it is written, When the Eternal spoke at first with Hosea (Hosea 1:2) [and it was that prophet who proclaimed: Return, O Israel, unto the Eternal thy G-d, for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity” (ibid. 14: 2)] (Yalkut Shimoni, at the beginning of the Book of Hosea). That Hosea was of the tribe of Reuben is indicated in I Chronicles 5:6, where his father Beerah is counted among the descendants of Reuben. Beeri and Beerah, according to the Rabbis, refer to the same person. which is a good quality, and the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the world when people repent [of their evil ways]. Next to Reuben is Gad, who has the quality of heroism.122Genesis 49:19. In our Bamidbar Rabbah: “master of the troop,” as stated in Genesis ibid: Thus there were [in the south] Reuben with repentance, Gad with heroism, and in between them Shimon in order to atone [for his having caused anguish to his father Jacob].123Ibid., Verses 5-7, and in Chapter 34:30. And they shall set forth second,124Verse 16 here. because repentance is second to Torah [for by studying Torah one is coming to repent of evil ways]. In the west are the storehouses of snow, and the storehouses of hail, cold, and heat, and corresponding to them were [the tribes of] Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, and the Divine Presence is always in the west within the border of Benjamin, as it is said, Of Benjamin he [Moses] said: The beloved of the Eternal shall dwell in safety by Him.125Deuteronomy 33:12. This is an allusion to the fact that the Sanctuary proper, in which the Divine Presence resided, was in Benjamin’s territory. The eastern part of the Temple was in the territory of Judah. These three tribes of Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, to whom G-d grants might (see Psalms 80: 3) are thus the most able to resist the destructive aspects of the natural elements (Eitz Yoseph on Bamidbar Rabbah). And they shall set forth third,126Verse 24 here. for heroism is fitting to Torah and repentance, in order that a person may grow strong in Torah and overcome his [bad] inclinations. From the north comes darkness to the world, and corresponding to it was the tribe of Dan. For what reason? It is because the tribe of Dan darkened the world through the idols which Jeroboam made, as it is said, and the one idol he put in Dan.127I Kings 12:29. Next to him was the tribe of Asher, to illuminate the darkness, as it is said [of Asher], and he shall dip his foot in oil,128Deuteronomy 33:24. and next to him was the tribe of Naphtali who is full of blessings.129As it is said of that tribe, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Eternal (ibid., Verse 23). They shall set forth hindmost,130Verse 31 here. for whoever worships idols goes backward and not forward. ”131Jeremiah 7:24.
There [in Bamidbar Rabbah]116Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of Israel according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels [surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in detail.
Or HaChaim
As to Yehudah sleeping with Tamar- something which suggests something less than 100% chaste behaviour by a son of Jacob- there are two answers. 1) First of all, he had no idea that she was his daughter-in-law; 2) the fact that an angel arranged things in such a way that he was actually acting under some kind of duress as explained by our sages in Makkot 23 on Genesis 38,26. The word ממני in that verse is understood by our sages as referring to a heavenly voice which claimed that the whole incident had been engineered by heaven. Since we do not have an allusion to such heavenly intervention in the case of Reuben, we are entitled to blame him for his act.
Rav Hirsch
Disponível apenas para membros PremiumRashi
Because Heb. עַל-כֵּן. Like עַל אֲשֶׁר, because of that which. Comp. (Gen. 33:10) “Because (כִּי עַל-כֵּן) I saw your face”; (ibid. 27:36) “because (כִּי עַל-כֵּן) I did not give her to Shelah my son.”
Rashi
“For (כי) you ought to do this because that (על כן) I have seen thy face”; (Genesis 38:26) “for (כי) she has done right because that (על כן) I gave her not”; (Numbers 10:31) “for (כי) thou ought to accompany us because that (על כן) thou knowest how we are to encamp”.