Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 1:2/רמב"ן על דברים א׳:ב׳
אוְטַעַם אַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם מֵחֹרֵב, יוֹדִיעֵנוּ הַכָּתוּב שִׁעוּר הַמִּדְבָּר, כִּי מֵחוֹרֵב שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִשָּׁם עַד קָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ מַהֲלַךְ אַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם בִּלְבַד, כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא בְּדֶרֶךְ הַר שֵׂעִיר, וְקָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ הוּא סוֹף הַמִּדְבָּר בִּגְבוּל הַר הָאֱמוֹרִי שֶׁהוּא נַחֲלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְשָׁם אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בֵּאֵר הַתּוֹרָה בַּגַּיְא מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אָמַר שֶׁהֵם הָלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַר הָאֱמוֹרִי כָּל הַמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יְסַפֵּר כִּי בְּקָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ שֶׁהוּא בִּתְחוּם נַחֲלָתָם בִּקְשׁוּ מְרַגְּלִים וְנִשְׁתַּבֵּשׁ דַּרְכָּם, וְהָלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ יַם סוּף לְאָחוֹר וְלֹא לְפָנִים עַד מְלֹאת אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה. וּבַעֲבוּר שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַתָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי כְּבָר נִכְנְסוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת דָּרַשׁ אוּנְקְלוֹס כִּי בַּמִּדְבָּר בַּעֲרָבָה רְמוּזִים הֵם לְתוֹכָחוֹת. וְעוֹד כִּי מַדּוּעַ יַזְכִּיר כָּל אֵלֶּה הַמְּקוֹמוֹת וְיִתֵּן סִימָנִים וּמְצָרִים יוֹתֵר מִן הַמּוֹכֵר שָׂדֶה. וְשִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב לְדַעְתּוֹ אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, דִּבֵּר בַּמִּדְבָּר בַּעֲרָבָה וּבְמוֹל סוּף בֵּין פָּארָן וּבֵין תֹּפֶל וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת וְדִי זָהָב וְאַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם מֵחֹרֵב, כִּי הִזְכִּיר לָהֶם כָּל מָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ בַּמְּקוֹמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, וְאַחַר כֵּן אָמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי שָׁם בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן הַנִּזְכָּר הוֹאִיל לְבָאֵר הַתּוֹרָה אַחַר הוֹכִיחוֹ אוֹתָם, וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר, ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ דִּבֶּר אֵלֵינוּ בְּחֹרֵב לֵאמֹר. וְכָךְ הוּא נִדְרָשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי (דברים א) עַל דַּעַת רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. אֲבָל רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן דּוּרְמַסְקִית עָשָׂה אוֹתָן מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ כֵן:
1IT IS ELEVEN DAYS’ JOURNEY BY THE WAY OF SEIR UNTO KADESH-BARNEA. The meaning thereof is that Scripture informs us of the vastness of the wilderness, that from Horeb, which they left, to Kadesh-barnea is a journey of only eleven days, since by way of Mount Seir it is near. Kadesh-barnea is at the end of the wilderness at the border of the hill-country of the Amorites31 which is the inheritance of Israel. There are the lands of Sihon and Og where Moses explained the Torah in the valley over against Beth-peor.32 Afterwards Scripture says, they went by way of the mountain of the Amorites all that great and fearful wilderness,33 and, following that, it narrates that in Kadesh-barnea,33 which is at the boundary of their inheritance, they requested spies [to see the Land]. As a result, their journey was disrupted and they went [into the wilderness] toward the Red Sea34 — backward and not forward35 — until the completion of forty years. And because Israel was presently not in the wilderness, since they had already entered the land of Moab, earlier mentioned [i.e., the part which they took from Sihon and Og], Onkelos interpreted the expression in the wilderness, in the plain [These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan ‘in the wilderness, in the plain’]36 as being allusions to reproof [thus rendering: he reproved them “on account of that which they provoked Him in the wilderness, etc.”]. Moreover, why should Scripture mention all these places [in the wilderness, in the plain, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab]36 and specify signs and borders more than [the law requires] in selling a field! [Therefore these place-names were interpreted by Onkelos as being allusions to certain deeds about which Moses reproved them.] And the sense of the Scripture according to Onkelos’ opinion is: “These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; he spoke of [that which they did] in the wilderness, in the plain, and over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab, and the eleven days’ journey from Horeb,” because he mentioned to them all that they had done in these places. Afterwards Scripture states that there, beyond the previously mentioned Jordan, Moses wanted37 to explain the Torah after he reproved them, and he spoke and said, The Eternal our G-d spoke unto us in Horeb, saying.17 And so it is interpreted in the Sifre38 1. according to the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Yosei ben Durmaskis, however, holds that they were actual places called by these names.