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וישב יעקב AND JACOB ABODE — After it (Scripture) has described to you the settlements of Esau and his descendants in a brief manner — since they were not distinguished and important enough that it should be related in detail how they settled down and that there should be given an account of their wars and how they drove out the Horites (see Deuteronomy 2:12) — it explains clearly and at length the settlements made by Jacob and his descendants and all the events which brought these about, because these are regarded by the Omnipresent as of sufficient importance to speak of them at length. Thus, too, you will find that in the case of the ten generations from Adam to Noah it states “So-and-so begat so-and-so”, but when it reaches Noah it deals with him at length. Similarly, of the ten generations from Noah to Abraham it gives but a brief account, but when it comes to Abraham it speaks of him more fully. It may be compared to the case of a jewel that falls into the sand: a man searches in the sand, sifts it in a sieve until he finds the jewel. When he has found it he throws away the pebbles and keeps the jewel (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 1). Another explanation of וישב יעקב AND JACOB ABODE: The camels of a flax dealer once came into a city laden with flax. A blacksmith asked in wonder where all that flax could be stored, and a clever fellow answered him, “A single spark caused by your bellows can burn up all of it.” “So, too, when Jacob saw (heard of) all these chiefs whose names are written above he said wonderingly, “Who can conquer all these?” What is written after the names of these chieftains? — and in this may be found the reply to Jacob’s question: These are the generations of Jacob — Joseph. For it is written (Obadiah 1:18) “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau, for stubble: one spark issuing from Joseph will burn up all of these (descendants of Esau) (Genesis Rabbah 84:5). The passage beginning “Another explanation” is found in an old Rashi text.

AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHERS. The meaning of the verse is that since Scripture had said that the chiefs of Esau dwelt in the land of their possessions¹Above, 36:43, the concluding verse in the previous Sedra. — that is to say, the land which they took to themselves as a possession forever — it now says that Jacob, however, dwelt as his father had, as a stranger in a land which was not their own but which belonged to the Canaanites. The purport is to relate that they²Isaac and Jacob. elected to dwell in the Chosen Land,³A term denoting the Land of Israel. See Ramban above, 19:5. and that G-d’s words to Abraham, That thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,⁴Above, 15:13. were fulfilled in them but not in Esau, for Jacob alone shall be called their progeny.⁵“Their”: Abraham and Isaac.

וישב יעקב, whereas Esau had moved to another country on account of his brother Yaakov, Yaakov settled near his father in the land in which both he, his father, and his grandfather had only sojourned up until now. He claimed this right as the result of having purchased the birthright from his older brother.

וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען. In the same region of the land of Canaan in which his father had sojourned. Compare a similar verse in 35,27 אשר גר שם אברהם ויצחק, “where Avraham and Yitzchok had sojourned.”

וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען. Jacob settled down in the land where his father sojourned, the land of Canaan. At first glance the entire verse seems superfluous seeing we have read in 35,27 that Jacob returned to Kiryat Arba the town where his father and grandfather had lived. As long as Jacob did not leave that town again, why did the fact that Jacob had settled there have to be repeated? Besides, why did the Torah have to say both: a) in the land his father sojourned, and b) the land of Canaan? If the Torah only wanted to pinpoint the place all that was necessary was the word "in Chevron." We already know that both Abraham and Isaac had lived there.

וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען. We have already commented on the meaning of this on 35,27.

וישב יעקב, “Yaakov settled, etc.” [the author addresses the strange line “in a land in which his father had been a stranger, the land of Canaan.” Ed.] Seeing that the Torah previously had reported that Esau had settled in the mountains of Seir, whereas Yaakov and family had dwelled like strangers in a land in which their fathers had dwelled only as strangers, in a land which was not theirs, and the prediction to Avraham their founder that his descendants would remain strangers for 400 years in a land not theirs had been in effect for a long time already, the Torah reminds us that this prediction had been meant for Yaakov’s descendants specifically, seeing that Yaakov’s father Yitzchok had never left the Holy Land since birth. The Torah had to remind us that the land of Canaan was not yet considered a “homeland” for Yitzchok’s or Yaakov’s descendants.

... And that which he says, "and discards the pebbles," has no relation to the comparison; but it is rather only the end of the parable (a tangential detail). 

After it has written for you concerning the settlements of Eisov and his descendants... Re’m explains that Rashi is answering the question: Why does Scripture not write first ואלה תולדות יעקב..., and then וישב יעקב..., which is the same format that it writes about Eisov. First Eisov’s descendants are enumerated (36:1) and then it tells where they had settled. Rashi answers: “After it has written for you concerning the settlements of Eisov and his descendants...” In other words, Scripture’s purpose is not to enumerate Yaakov’s descendants [as it did with Eisov], but only to explain the settlements of Yaakov and his descendants; and how they settled. [Thus, this section connects to the previous one as regards to settling,] as also the section about Eisov explained his settlement and that of his descendants. For it is written (36:8), “Eisov settled in Mount Seir,” explaining his settlement. Then it describes his descendants, “These are the descendants of Eisov...” and the descendants of his wives. Then it explains the settling of his sons (vs. 40-43), “These are the names of the chiefs of Eisov, each with their families, according to their places... These are the chiefs of Edom according to their places of residence.” Thus for Yaakov, too, Scripture tells about his settlements and that of his descendants, as it is written וישב יעקב..., which means, “Yaakov settled...” Then it is written אלה תולדות יעקב..., meaning: these are the settlements of the descendants of Yaakov, too, like [Scripture explained regarding] the descendants of Eisov. For at this point the Torah begins to recount what happened to them until they came there [to settle the Land]. It begins with “Yoseif at the age of 17,” then his being sold to Egypt and their enslavement there, then the Exodus — this and that happened to them until they came to settle the Land.

(1-2) ישב und גור sind gewissermaßen Gegensätze. ישב verwandt mit יצב .יצב: feststehen, und zwar, dem צ-Laut gemäß, mit einer Hindernisse überwindenden Energie. ישב, dem ש-Laut gemäß: ein natürliches, ruhiges, hindernisloses Weilen: Sitzen. גור hingegen ist das Weilen an einem Orte, wo man nicht hingehört, keinen Boden hat. (Daher auch, auf Seelenzustände übertragen: Halt verlieren, "sich ent-setzen" fürchten). Da, wo seine Väter nur die flüchtige Wanderstätte gefunden, hoffte Jakob nun, nach so vielen Wanderungen, sich ruhig niederlassen zu können; war es ja das Land Kanaan, das eigentlich für seine ruhige Entfaltung verheißene Land. Allein die Zeit war im Gottesrate noch nicht da. Vielmehr stehen wir hier erst an: תלדות יעקב. Bis hierher, wo er sich als selbständiger Familienvater niederließ, gehörte er selbst noch zumeist zu תולדות יצחק, war mehr passiv, bedingt durch Jizchaks Familiengeschichte. Jetzt erst beginnt der weitere Fortschritt der jüdischen Geschichte durch ihn und sein Haus. —

וישב יעקב, “Yaakov settled down;” this is recorded as something parallel to Esau’ settling down having been reported in Mount Seir in Genesis 36,8. After Esau having settled on what is now ancestral land for him. ( ואתן לעשו את הר שעיר, “I have given to Esau Mount Seir.) (Joshua 24,3) Yaakov is now described as having done something similar on the land promised by G-d to Avraham and his descendants commencing with Yitzchok and Yaakov. G-d had renewed this promise to Yaakov during his first vision in which he saw a ladder to heaven. Both Avraham and Yitzchok had only lived on that soil as sojourners, מגורי אביו; Yaakov’s claim was based on the law of the birthright, something he had purchased from Esau. At this time, when Esau went to the land of Seir, he went as an alien.

However, since the Torah told us in the preceding paragraph that Jacob's brother Esau inherited the land of Se-ir thanks to the merit of his fathers, the Torah also had to tell us what Jacob's heritage was. The entire verse is an acknowledgment of Jacob's goodness. Although he had noted that his brother had inherited the land of Har Se-ir (see my commentary on 35,12), he, Jacob did not do so but was content to continue on the basis of his fathers who had merely considered themselves as sojourning on that land, i.e. he still viewed it as ארץ כנען.

בן שבע עשרה שנה, wir sind alle Söhne unserer zurückgelegten Lebensjahre. Sie sind, bewusst und unbewusst, unsere bildenden Mütter und Erzieher. — בצאן ist nicht Objekt von רעה, sondern Ortsbestimmung: als Hirte befand er sich mit seinen Brüdern bei den Schafen. Nur die Tagesarbeit des "Berufes" führte ihn mit den Brüdern, den Söhnen Leas, zusammen. Aber "Jüngling" war er, sein Jugendleben und Jugendstreben entfaltete er mit den Söhnen der שפחות, die nicht seine "Brüder"; sondern die Söhne "der Frauen seines Vaters" genannt werden. Wir haben also einen mutter- und geschwisterlosen Jüngling vor uns. Alle anderen wuchsen im Verein mit Geschwistern, unter dem Fittig und dem Einflusse mütterlicher Liebe heran. Josef stand allein. Die Mutter war ihm früh dahingegangen und hatte nur ihn zurückgelassen. Benjamin war noch Kind, kein Genosse für den Jüngling. Bei den Stiefbrüdern fühlte er sich nicht recht heimisch, und sich mehr zu den Söhnen der שפחות hingezogen, zu denen — vielleicht — auch Eitelkeit ihn führte. Wir haben schon oben bei dem Entgegentreten zu dem gefürchteten Onkel den Unterschied zwischen den גבירות und שפחות gesehen; wir glaubten wenigstens annehmen zu dürfen, dass bei diesen, wie emporgehoben sie auch als Gattinnen Jakobs waren, sich doch ein Gefühl der Unterordnung nicht ganz verlor. Das mag sich auch auf die Söhne übertragen haben. In Josef steckte der künftige Herrscher. Er war ein bißchen eitel und ein bißchen anmaßend. Natürlich hielt er sich lieber zu den Söhnen der שפחות, die sich ihm vielleicht etwas unterordneten, ihm vielleicht etwas schmeichelten.

בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען, “in the land in which his father sojourned, in the land of Canaan.” The Torah had to write both these details, even though it is common knowledge that Yitzchok never set foot on soil outside the land of Canaan. If the Torah had only mentioned the words מגורי אביו, “where his father had sojourned,” we would not know to which land it referred. In fact I might have thought that the Torah speaks about Ur Casdim where Avraham had sojourned for many years. If the Torah had only written: בארץ כנען, “in the land of Canaan,” I would not have known near which city Yaakov settled.

Another possibility is that it is called here the land of Canaan which had been given to Jacob by G'd as an inheritance although he personally conducted himself there as if he were only an alien until the trouble with Joseph happened. This is one of the meanings of: "These are the developments of Jacob, Joseph." It means that effectively, the history of the development of the Jews as a people began with the sale of Joseph, the subsequent descent into Egypt, how G'd redeemed them from there and kept His promise and how they eventually inherited the land of Caanan.

Es sollten freilich alle diese Gegensätze in einem jüdischen Hause nicht sein, es sollte das Pflichtgefühl und die gemeinsame Unterordnung unter ein göttliches Lebensziel und die gemeinsame Arbeit an der Lösung dieser einen Lebensaufgabe alle Unterschiede ausgleichen. Allein das Ideal eines jüdischen Hauses ist erst Produkt der Erziehung durch das göttliche Gesetz und das jüdische Geschick. Wenn das, seiner Anlage nach עז שבאומות, keineswegs das gefügigste Volk, in dessen Anlage sehr wohl auch das נוקם ונוטר lag, das wir in seinen Uranfängen sogar aus קנאה und שנאה Verbrechen üben sehen, wenn dieses Volk durch die ihm durch Geschick und Lehre gewordene Erziehung so gehoben worden, dass solche grobe Verbrechen wie ש"ד und ג"ע Jahrhunderte herab in seinem Kreise nicht gekannt waren; wenn es das humanste, bruderliebendste Volk geworden; wenn die Vorsehung es wagen konnte, es — wie das die kaum entschwundenen Zeiten erlebt — den Misshandlungen von Gesetzgebungen in die Arme zu werfen, die Jahrhunderte lang ganz geeignet waren, den heftigsten Zwiespalt, die trostloseste קנאה und שנאה in den Schoß des jüdischen Familienlebens zu säen, indem sie Söhne auf den Tod des Vaters, jüngere Brüder auf den Tod der älteren hinwiesen, Kinder zu nichts kommen konnten, so lange die Väter, jüngere Brüder zu nichts, so lange die älteren lebten, und so die natürlichsten Bande in Fluch und Hindernis verkehrten — und doch das jüdische Familienleben mit Eltern-, Kinder- und Geschwisterliebe glänzend wie der Diamant und rein wie die Perle aus solchen heißesten Versuchungen hervorgehen, und die jüdische עזות sich zur Felsentreue und Standhaftigkeit gegen alle Versuchungen und Verlockungen verklären konnte —: so ist das eben ein Triumph der תורה, ein Triumph des göttlichen Gesetzes, das nicht aus uns, sondern an uns gekommen und seinen ersten glorreichsten Sieg in Eroberung unserer selbst feiern sollte. —

וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו. “Yaakov settled in the land his fathers had sojourned in.” The entire line was written in order to show that G-d had kept his promise to both Avraham and Yitzchok, and that one of their descendants had already not only sojourned in this land but had settled in it, and had acquired land in it through purchase. (33,19) In fact the expression ישיבה, referring to being settled did appear in connection with both Avraham and Yitzchok, as we know from 26,12, and 13,18.

דבה .דבתם von דבב, verwandt mit טפף: das Trippeln, das schwankende Gehen des Kindes, verstärkt תפף: die einzelnen, in sich nicht zusammenhängenden Töne des Paukenschlages. Auf Worte übertragen, ist es Gegensatz zu der zusammenhängenden und inhaltsvollen Rede, die תפר ,תור ,טור ,דור) ,דבר) und חמר ,עמר) אמר ausdrücken. Also mehr: Geschwätz, Gerede. Daher auch דובב שפתי ישנים: die schwankende Lippenbewegung der Rede eines aus dem Schlafe Erwachenden. Im engeren Sinne heißt es dann: die Bösrede, der nicht sowohl der innere als biel- mehr der äußere Zusammenhang mit der Wirklichkeit der Thatsachen fehlt. Es ist zweifelhaft, wie hier das דבתם zu verstehen sei. Entweder: Gerede über sie, was er von ihnen sah, hinterbrachte er dem Vater, und zwar nicht in entschuldigender Weise, sondern רעה, ohne sie דן לכף זכות zu sein. Oder: es bezieht sich das Suffix auf die unmittelbar vorhergehenden Söhne Bilhas und Silpas. Deren Geschwätz über die anderen Brüder hinterbrachte er in unfreundlicher Weise dem Vater.