Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 11:10/רמב"ן על דברים י״א:י׳

אלֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִיא, אֶלָּא טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה, וְנֶאֶמְרָה הַבְטָחָה זוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּיצִיאָתָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁמָּא לֹא נָבֹא אֶל אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה וְיָפָה כָּזֹאת. יָכוֹל בִּגְנוּתָהּ הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, וְכָךְ אָמַר לָהֶם, לֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִיא אֶלָּא רָעָה הֵימֶנָּה, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְחֶבְרוֹן שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים נִבְנְתָה (במדבר יג כב), אָדָם אֶחָד בְּנָאָן, דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ אָדָם בּוֹנֶה אֶת הַנָּאֶה וְאַחַר כָּךְ אֶת הַגָּרוּעַ וְכוּ', לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים י"א:י') מִסִּפְרֵי (עקב יא). וְעוֹד הֵבִיא מָה שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ בַּגְּמָרָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת כְּתֻבּוֹת (כתובות קי"ב) בְּעִנְיָן אַחֵר, אֶפְשָׁר אָדָם בּוֹנֶה בַּיִת לִבְנוֹ קָטָן וְאַחַר כָּךְ לִבְנוֹ גָּדוֹל, אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבֻנָּה אֶחָד מִשִּׁבְעָה בְּצֹעַן. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא בְּדֶרֶךְ הָאַזְהָרוֹת נֶאֱמַר, שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, כִּי ה' יִתֵּן מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ וְהָאָרֶץ תִּתֵּן יְבוּלָהּ, אֲבָל דְּעוּ לָכֶם שֶׁאֵינָהּ כְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְהַשְׁקוֹת אוֹתָהּ בָּרֶגֶל מִן הַיְּאוֹרִים וּמִן הָאֲגַמִּים כְּגַן הַיָּרָק, רַק הִיא אֶרֶץ הָרִים וּבְקָעֹת לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה מָּיִם, לֹא בְּעִנְיָן אַחֵר, וּצְרִיכָה שֶׁיִּדְרֹשׁ ה' אוֹתָהּ תָּמִיד בְּמָטָר, כִּי הִיא אֶרֶץ צְמֵאָה מְאֹד וּצְרִיכָה מָטָר כָּל הַשָּׁנָה, וְאִם תַּעַבְרוּ עַל רְצוֹן ה' וְלֹא יִדְרֹשׁ אוֹתָהּ בְּגִשְׁמֵי רָצוֹן, הִנֵּה הִיא רָעָה מְאֹד, לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ וְלֹא יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל עֵשֶׂב בְּהָרֶיהָ. וְיַחְזֹר וִיפָרֵשׁ כָּל זֶה בַּפָּרָשָׁה הַשְּׁנִיָּה (להלן פסוקים יג-יז), כִּי אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֹתַי וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ תָּמִיד, וְאִם לֹא תִּשְׁמְעוּ וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ' וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה בָּרָעָב מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה, שֶׁלֹּא תּוּכְלוּ לִחְיוֹת בָּהּ בְּלֹא מָטָר. וְהִנֵּה הַפָּרָשָׁה הַזּוֹ תַּזְהִיר בְּמִנְהָגוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, וּמִמֶּנָּה נִלְמַד כִּי אע"פ שֶׁהַכֹּל בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ וְנָקֵל בְּעֵינֵי ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ לְהַאֲבִיד יוֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וּלְהוֹבִישׁ נַהֲרוֹתָם וִיאוֹרֵיהֶם, אֲבָל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן תֹּאבַד יוֹתֵר מְהֵרָה, שֶׁלֹּא יִתֵּן בָּהּ מִטְרוֹת עֻזּוֹ, הַחוֹלֶה צָרִיךְ זְכוּת וּתְפִלָּה שֶׁיְּרַפְּאֵהוּ הַשֵּׁם יוֹתֵר מִן הַבָּרִיא שֶׁלֹּא בָּא עָלָיו הַחֹלִי, וְכָךְ הַמִּדָּה בְּעָנִי וּבְעָשִׁיר וּמֵאִיר עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם ה'. וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמַר (דברים י"א:י"ב) אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ, וְרָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר וְלִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה מַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִדְרֹשׁ אוֹתָהּ, יִהְיֶה מִדְרַשׁ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי עקב יב) נִרְמָז בַּכָּתוּב, וַהֲלֹא כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת הוּא דּוֹרֵשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב לח כו) לְהַמְטִיר עַל אֶרֶץ לֹא אִישׁ, כִּבְיָכוֹל אֵינוֹ דּוֹרֵשׁ אֶלָּא אוֹתָהּ וְעַל יְדֵי אוֹתָהּ דְּרִישָׁה שֶׁדּוֹרֵשׁ אוֹתָהּ דּוֹרֵשׁ כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת. תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ, לִרְאוֹת מַה הִיא צְרִיכָה וּלְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהּ גְּזֵרוֹת, עִתִּים לְטוֹבָה וְעִתִּים לְרָעָה כוּ', כִּדְאִיתָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת ר"ה (יז). וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ סוֹד עָמֹק, כִּי הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת נִדְרֶשֶׁת בַּכֹּל, וְהִיא הַכֹּל, וְכָל הָאֲרָצוֹת מִתְפַּרְנְסוֹת מִמֶּנָּה בֶּאֱמֶת:

1[FOR THE LAND, WHITHER THOU GOEST IN TO POSSESS IT, IS] NOT AS THE LAND OF EGYPT — “but better than it. This assurance was given to Israel upon their departure from Egypt, for they said, ‘Perhaps we will not come to a Land as good and beautiful as this’ [hence they were assured that the Land whither they were going was far better than Egypt]. One might, however, think that Scripture speaks in disdain of the Land, and Moses said thus to them: ‘It is not as the land of Egypt — but worse than it!’ Scripture states, therefore, Behold, Hebron ‘nivnethah’ (was built) seven years before Zoan in Egypt.³⁰¹ One person [Ham] built [both] of them. Usually, a person builds the better city first and afterwards the inferior one etc.”³⁰² This is Rashi’s language from the Sifre.³⁰³ 37. And he further quoted what the Rabbis have interpreted in the Gemara of Tractate Kethuboth³⁰⁴ with a different point of view: “Is it possible that a man would build a house for his younger son first and afterwards for his elder son?³⁰⁴ But the meaning of the expression, Behold, Hebron ‘nivnethah’ seven years³⁰¹ is that it was ‘built up’ superior to Zoan sevenfold.”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture the verse here is said by way of the warnings [with which Moses has been admonishing the Israelites]. For he said to them, “Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments etc. that you may possess the Land etc. a Land flowing with milk and honey,³⁰⁵ since G-d will give the rain of your Land in its season³⁰⁶ and the Land shall yield her produce. But know you that it is not like the land of Egypt [where one can find sufficient water] to irrigate it with his feet from the streams and the pools as a garden of herbs.³⁰⁷ Instead, it is a Land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water as, the rain of heaven cometh down,³⁰⁸ not in any other way. Therefore it requires that G-d care for it always by giving it rain because it is a very thirsty Land and needs rain all year. If you transgress G-d’s Will and He does not care for it [the Land] with ‘rains of benevolence’³⁰⁹ it is a very bad one, it cannot be sown, nor beareth, nor any herb groweth³¹⁰ on its mountains.” All this he reviews and explains in the following section, that if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments,³¹¹ then I shall give the rain of your Land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain³¹² always, and if you will not listen He shall shut up the heaven etc.³¹³ and ye shall perish by famine from off the good Land,³¹³ since you will not be able to live therein without rain.Thus this section warns in terms of the laws of nature. From it we learn that although everything is within His authority and it was but a light thing in the sight of the Eternal,³¹⁴ blessed be He, to destroy the inhabitants of the land of Egypt and to dry up their rivers and streams, the land of Canaan, however, could be destroyed more quickly, by His not providing the showers of His mighty rain.³¹⁵, it is more vulnerable to destruction by lack of rain (Bachya). The sick person needs merits and prayer in order that G-d heal him more than the healthy one who is not struck by illness, and such is also the way with the poor and the rich, [although] the Eternal giveth light to the eyes of them both.³¹⁶And because he said, a Land which the Eternal thy G-d careth for, when he should have said, “and it drinketh water as the rain of heaven cometh down ‘whenever’ the Eternal thy G-d careth for it,” the following interpretation of our Rabbis³¹⁷ 40. is alluded to in the text: “But does He not care for all lands, as it is said, to cause it to rain on a land where no man is?³¹⁸ [The answer is that the verse tells us] as it were, He exercises care for that Land alone, but through the particular care that He bestows on it, He cares also for all lands. The eyes of the Eternal thy G-d are always upon it³¹⁹ to see what it requires and to enact new decrees for it, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad etc.”³²⁰ as it is written in Tractate Rosh Hashanah.³²⁰ There is also in this verse a profound secret, being that this Land is cared for “in all things” which is [called] Kol (All),³²¹ and all lands are sustained from it in truth.