Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 11:24/רמב"ן על דברים י״א:כ״ד
אכָּל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרֹךְ כַּף רַגְלְכֶם בּוֹ לָכֶם יִהְיֶה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וְגוֹ', עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִנֵּה הֵם שְׁתֵּי הַבְטָחוֹת, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִרְצוּ לִכְבֹּשׁ בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וְאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר וְזוּלָתָם יִהְיֶה שֶׁלָּהֶם, וְהַמִּצְוֹת כֻּלָּן נוֹהֲגוֹת בָּהֶם, כִּי הַכֹּל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמִן הַמִּדְבָּר וְהַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן יִהְיֶה גְּבֻלְכֶם שֶׁאַתֶּם חַיָּבִים לְכָבְשׁוֹ וּלְאַבֵּד מִשָּׁם הָעַמִּים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר כָּאן (דברים י"א:כ"ג) וִירִשְׁתֶּם גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִכֶּם, וְלַעֲקֹר ע"ז וּמְשַׁמְּשֶׁיהָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּיר לְמַעְלָה (ז ה כה), וְהִבְטִיחַ כִּי לֹא יִתְיַצֵּב אִישׁ בִּפְנֵיכֶם בֵּין בָּאָרֶץ הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת בֵּין בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרֹךְ כַּף רַגְלְכֶם בּוֹ. וּמִכָּאן יָצָא לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ (חלה פ"ד מ"ז) הַמַּחְלֹקֶת בְּסוּרְיָא שֶׁקּוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ כִּבּוּשׁ יָחִיד, וְהַטַּעַם כִּי דָּוִד כָּבַשׁ אוֹתָהּ בִּרְצוֹן נַפְשׁוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא שָׁאַל בָּאוּרִים וְתֻמִּים וְלֹא נִמְלַךְ בַּסַּנְהֶדְרִין, כִּי הָיָה חַיָּב לְהוֹרִישׁ כָּל שִׁבְעַת הַגּוֹיִם בַּתְּחִלָּה וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אִם יִרְצֶה יֵלֵךְ אֶל אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִבְטִיחַ הַשֵּׁם בְּכָאן, וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשָׂה הַכִּבּוּשׁ הַהוּא כְּמִצְוַת הַתּוֹרָה, אָמְרוּ מִקְצָתָם לָא שְׁמֵהּ כִּבּוּשׁ, וְדִינוֹ בַּמִּצְוֹת כְּדִין חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ, וְכָךְ הִיא שְׁנוּיָה בְסִפְרֵי (עקב כד). וּמִקְצָתָם יֹאמְרוּ בַּתַּלְמוּד (ע"ז כא) דִּשְׁמֵהּ כִּבּוּשׁ, כִּי אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשָׂה כַּסֵּדֶר, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָלַךְ שָׁם וּכְבָשָׁהּ נִתְקַיֵּם בּוֹ לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, וְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא:
1EVERY PLACE WHEREON THE SOLE OF YOUR FOOT SHALL TREAD SHALL BE YOURS: FROM THE WILDERNESS etc. In the opinion of our Rabbis351 51. they constitute two assurances: [First,] that whatever place in the land of Shinar and the land of Assyria and elsewhere they want to conquer, shall be theirs; and that all the commandments are applicable there, because they all are [part of] the Land of Israel [as Scripture says], from the wilderness and Lebanon etc. even unto the Back Sea shall be your border, meaning that you are obligated to conquer it and to extirpate the peoples from it, just as he said here, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves,352 and to uproot the idols and their appurtenance, as he mentioned above.353 And [secondly] he assured them that there shall no man be able to stand against you354 whether in the land mentioned or in every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread.It is from here that there originated a division of opinion among our Rabbis355 regarding Syria which they called “the conquest of an individual” [and not a national conquest]. The reason is that David conquered it of his own will, not asking [authorization] of the Urim and Thummim356 and not consulting the Sanhedrin. For he was obligated to dispossess all the seven nations first, and afterwards if he wished, he could go to another land as G-d promised here.357 And because that conquest [of Syria] was not done in accordance with the commandment of the Torah, some of the Rabbis said that it is not considered “a [legal] conquest” [in the sense that it is annexed to the Land], and regarding the commandments [applicable exclusively to the Land], it has the legal status of outside of the Land of Israel. So it is taught in the Sifre.351 51. But some Rabbis say in the Talmud355 that it is termed “a [legal] conquest,” because, although it was not carried out properly, since David went there and conquered it, the Divine assurance it shall be yours was fulfilled and it is [part of] the Land of Israel.R’eih