From where did Yaakov obtain maidservants and slaves, camels and donkeys?
Rashi: He ran a highly lucrative business 1 selling sheep and goats for a high price, and with the proceeds, he purchased them.
Bechor Shor: He sold the milk and wool of his flock, and used the money to buy them.
Seforno.
Why does the Torah list Shefachos before Avadim? In other instances (12:16; 24:35), it mentions Avadim first!
Oznayim la'Torah: Since the vast majority of Yaakov's household consisted of males, he placed a priority on purchasing Shefachos in order to perform the tasks that women normally perform.
Ha'amek Davar: For Tzon, Shefachos are more useful for milking and shearing them. Avadim are more useful for cattle.
Having stated "va'Yifrotz ha'Ish..." (See Sifsei Chachamim), why does the Torah need to write "Tzon Rabos"?
Rashi: The Pasuk means that Yaakov's flock multiplied more than anybody else's. 1
Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: It means simply that he had a vast amount of sheep (but not of the other species mentioned in the Pasuk).
Tosfos ha'Shalem (5) infers this, for "Rabos" was written after Tzon, and not at the end. (Perhaps he had few slaves, camels and donkeys! His gift to Esav (shortly after this) included 40 cows. Why didn't the verse say here that he had cattle? Perhaps we must say that he had relatively few cattle, and much of everything mentioned in this verse - PF).
Why is Yaakov called "ha'Ish"?
Hadar Zekenim: This is an expression of importance. 1
As in the verse, "Mi ha'Ish he'Chacham" (Yirmeyah 9:11).
How many flocks did Yaakov have?
Bereishis Rabah (73:11): One opinion says that he had 600,000 flocks, and one says 1,200,000. 1 These are also the two opinions about the number of dogs to guard his flocks.
Tosfos ha'Shalem (1,3): They learn from Me'od Me'od. There were 600,000 Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim, and also there it says "bi'Me'od Me'od" (Shemos 1:7). The latter opinion learns from Shemos 1:20, which says only "Me'od." (There were also women, children and millions who died in Makas Choshech! We learn from what is written explicitly. - PF)
Why does it say "Tzon Rabos," and not 'Tzon Rav'?
Gur Aryeh: This is why Rashi derives that they multiplied (Paros v'Ravos) more than other sheep. "Rabos" teaches that they were constantly increasing.
Ha'amek Davar: The animals were huge, so he could sell them easily for a great price. We find that lambs for the Temidim were put on camels, and their feet dragged on the floor (Yerushalmi Pe'ah 7:3).
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'Maidservants and slaves' - He would sell his sheep for a high price, and purchase all of these." Why explain this way?
Gur Aryeh #1: Otherwise, how are the slaves relevant to the story about the sheep?
Gur Aryeh #2: In the next verse, Lavan's sons complained that "Yaakov amassed all his wealth from our father" (31:1). Even the slaves were purchased with the extra profits from the sheep.
