Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 12:5/רמב"ן על דברים י״ב:ה׳
אוְטַעַם לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ, שֶׁתֵּלְכוּ לוֹ מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחַקִּים וְתִשְׁאֲלוּ אָנָה דֶּרֶךְ בֵּית הַשֵּׁם, וְתֹאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ, לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל הַר ה' אֶל בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב (ישעיהו ב ג), כִּלְשׁוֹן צִיּוֹן יִשְׁאָלוּ דֶּרֶךְ הֵנָּה פְנֵיהֶם (ירמיהו נ ה). וּבְסִפְרֵי (ראה ח) תִּדְרְשׁוּ, דְּרֹשׁ עַל פִּי הַנָּבִיא. יָכוֹל תַּמְתִּין עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר לְךָ נָבִיא, ת"ל לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ וּבָאתָ שָׁמָּה, דְּרֹשׁ וּמְצָא ואח"כ יֹאמַר לְךָ נָבִיא. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּדָוִד וְכוּ'. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ, לִכְבוֹדוֹ תִּדְרְשׁוּ. וּבָאתָ שָּׁמָּה, לִרְאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּמִמֶּנּוּ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים "שְׁכִינָה":
1UNTO HIS HABITATION SHALL YE SEEK. The meaning thereof is that you are to come from distant countries asking, “Where is the road leading to the House of G-d?,” and you should say to one another, ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, to the House of the G-d of Jacob,’23 similar to the expression, They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces hit herward.24 And in the Sifre it is stated:25 62. “Ye shall seek — seek [the place where G-d intended that His House be built] through the command of the prophet. I might think that you are to wait until the prophet tells you [when and where to build it]; Scripture therefore states, unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come — seek and find [the place], and afterwards the prophet will tell you [whether your choice is the correct one]. And so you find it in the case of David etc.”26” (Psalms 132:1-5). And whence do you know that he did it only by command of the prophet? Because it says, And Gad [the prophet] came that day to David, and said unto him: ‘Go up, rear an altar on the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite.’ (II Samuel 24:18) (Sifre, R’eih 62).And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], l’shichno (unto His habitation) shall ye seek means that you are to inquire after His Glory [that abides there]; and thither thou shalt come to appear before the Lord, Eternal G-d, the G-d of Israel.27 It is on the basis of this expression here [l’shichno — unto His habitation] that the Sages have spoken of the Shechinah (“Divine Presence”).