Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 12:20/רמב"ן על דברים י״ב:כ׳

אכִּי יַרְחִיב ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת גְּבֻלְךָ, אֵין טַעַם הַרְחָבָה זֹאת כְּאוֹתָהּ שֶׁיֹּאמַר (להלן יט ח ט) וְאִם יַרְחִיב ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת גְּבוּלְךָ וְגוֹ' וְיָסַפְתָּ לְךָ עוֹד שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים עַל הַשָּׁלֹשׁ הָאֵלֶּה, שֶׁאִם כֵּן לֹא הָיָה בְּשַׂר תַּאֲוָה מֻתָּר בְּבוֹאָם לָאָרֶץ, אֲבָל שָׁם (דברים י"ט:א') נֶאֱמַר כִּי יַכְרִית ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ אֶת אַרְצָם, וְהֵם שִׁבְעָה הַגּוֹיִם שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר בְּכָל מָקוֹם, וְאָז נַבְדִּיל שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים, וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע כ), ואח"כ אָמַר כִּי יַרְחִיב ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת גְּבֻלְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ, וְזֶה יִרְמֹז לַעֲשָׂרָה עֲמָמִין שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ לְאַבְרָהָם. אֲבָל כָּאן אָמַר כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ, וְהֵם הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ אֶת אַרְצָם, כִּי מִיָּד לְאַחַר שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ וְחִלְּקוּ הֻתַּר לָהֶם בְּשַׂר תַּאֲוָה. וְאֵין טַעַם כִּי יִרְחַק מִמְּךָ הַמָּקוֹם, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מֻתָּר בְּהַרְחָקַת הַמָּקוֹם בִּלְבַד, שֶׁאִם כֵּן יִהְיוּ אֲסוּרִים יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם בִּבְשַׂר תַּאֲוָה. אֲבָל עִם כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל יְדַבֵּר, וְיֹאמַר לָהֶם כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יַרְחִיב הַשֵּׁם אֶת גְּבוּלְכֶם וְלֹא תִּהְיוּ כֻּלְּכֶם יוֹשְׁבִים סָבִיב לַמִּשְׁכָּן כַּאֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם בַּמִּדְבָּר, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם בְּשַׂר הַחֻלִּין מֻתָּר, כִּי א"א שֶׁתֵּלְכוּ כֻּלְּכֶם מִמָּקוֹם רָחוֹק אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' וְתִזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים כָּל מָה שֶׁתֹּאכְלוּ:

1WHEN THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL ENLARGE THY BORDER. The meaning of this “enlargement” is not like that which he stated, And if the Eternal thy G-d enlarge thy border⁵⁴ [by giving you the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, and Kadmonites] etc. then shalt thou add three cities more for thee,⁵⁵, Verse 9. for if it were, then meat of desire [meaning a meat meal prepared solely to satisfy the appetite rather than as a product of a peace-offering] would not have been permissible upon coming into the Land [but only after the enlargement of the border, an event that has yet to take place]. But there it is said, When the Eternal thy G-d shall cut off the nations, whose land the Eternal thy G-d giveth thee,⁵⁶, Verse 1. these being the seven nations that he mentions in all places,⁵⁷ and then we are to separate three cities [as cities of refuge], and so Joshua did.⁵⁸ Afterwards he said, when the Eternal thy G-d enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers,⁵⁴ this being a reference to the ten nations that were given to Abraham.⁵⁹ But here he said, as He hath promised thee, meaning these [seven] nations whose land the Eternal your G-d gives you [now], thus indicating that immediately after they captured and apportioned the Land, a secular meal of meat became permitted to them.Now, the purport of the expression If the place which the Eternal thy G-d shall choose to put His Name there be too far from thee⁶⁰ is not that meat of desire [i.e., meat from an animal that has been slaughtered for food rather than as an offering] is permissible only at a distance from the Sanctuary, for if so, dwellers in Jerusalem would have been forbidden to eat meat of desire. Instead he [Moses] speaks to all Israel, saying to them that “when G-d will enlarge your border and not all of you will be dwelling around the Tabernacle as you are today in the wilderness, unconsecrated meat will be permitted, because it will be impossible for all of you to go from a distant place to the place that G-d will choose and slaughter sacrifices of peace-offerings as much as you wish to eat.”