Vayeitzei 29:05 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 29:05

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם הַיְדַעְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־לָבָ֣ן בֶּן־נָח֑וֹר וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ יָדָֽעְנוּ׃

And he said to them, “Do you know Lavan the son of Nachor?” And they said, “We know.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to classical sources on the identification of Lavan.

TT lemma: לבן בן נחור.

Sefaria — Genesis 29:5

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
לָמָּה קְרָאוֹ ״בֶּן נָחוֹר״ וְלֹא ״בֶּן בְּתוּאֵל״? לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁהָרָשָׁע הוּא נִקְרָא עַל שֵׁם אֲבִי אָבִיו הָרָשָׁע.

English: Why did he call him “son of Nachor” and not “son of Besuel”? To teach you that a wicked person is called after his wicked grandfather.

On the daf / in context: The midrash notes the unusual patronymic and derives a principle about naming the wicked after their wicked ancestors.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrashic) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The choice of grandfather rather than father is taken as deliberate characterization.

What Is Learned

A wicked person is identified with his wicked forebear; Lavan is linked to Nachor rather than to Besuel.