בראשית, פרק ל״ה, פסוק כ״ו

As the family of Jacob becomes fully established, a final summary groups his sons together, noting that their birthplace was Paddan-aram. However, this sweeping statement creates a clear factual difficulty. Benjamin, the youngest son, was born in the land of Canaan, not in Paddan-aram. This contradiction sits at the center of the commentary, prompting various explanations to resolve the historical record.

The primary approach among commentators is that the account speaks in general terms, following the majority [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, הטור הארוך, ריב״א, ביאור יש״ר, חזקוני]. Because eleven of the twelve sons were born in Paddan-aram, the location is attributed to the entire group. It is not unusual for biblical accounts to overlook a minor exception in favor of the overwhelming majority. A similar pattern occurs later when seventy members of Jacob's family are described as going down to Egypt, a number that includes individuals who did not actually make the journey but were born after arriving [מחוקקי יהודה, חזקוני].

Other perspectives offer different ways to understand this grouping. One view suggests that the summary intentionally refers only to those who were actually born in Paddan-aram, deliberately excluding Benjamin from this specific geographic category because of his birth in the land of Israel [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A different approach argues that there is a deep, underlying reason to count Benjamin among those born in Paddan-aram. When Rachel previously prayed for another child, asking God to grant her a second son, she was still living in Paddan-aram. Because the prayer that brought him into existence was spoken there, he is considered as if he were physically born there as well [ריב״א, חזקוני].

A subtle detail in the phrasing adds another layer to this discussion. The term used to describe their birth is written in a singular form, despite referring to a large group. While some view this simply as a standard linguistic habit where a singular word describes a collective whole [רד״ק], others see a hidden message. The omission of a letter, which turns a plural word into a singular one, acts as a secret hint. It points directly to that one single son, Benjamin, who was born in Canaan and is technically absent from the true list of those born in Paddan-aram [אבי עזר].