Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 13:5/רמב"ן על דברים י״ג:ה׳

אאַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם תֵּלֵכוּ, הִיא מִצְוָה שֶׁנֵּלֵךְ אַחַר עֲצָתוֹ וּמִמֶּנּוּ לְבַדּוֹ נִדְרֹשׁ כָּל נֶעֱלָם וְנִשְׁאַל כָּל עָתִיד, כְּעִנְיָן וַתֵּלֶךְ לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת ה' (בראשית כה כב), כִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים (שמות יח טו), וְכֵן יַעֲשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עִם הַנְּבִיאִים, הַאֵין פֹּה נָבִיא לַה' וְנִדְרְשָׁה אֶת ה' מֵאוֹתוֹ (מלכים ב ג יא), וְיַגֶּד לָנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ נֵלֵךְ וְאֶת הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֶׂה (ירמיהו מב ג). וּבְסִפְרֵי, אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, זֶה עָנָן, וְהוּא מָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ, שֶׁנִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל אוֹתוֹתָיו וְנֵלֵךְ אַחֲרֵי עֲצָתוֹ:

1AFTER THE ETERNAL YOUR G-D SHALL YE WALK. This is a commandment that we follow His counsel, and of Him alone shall we inquire concerning every hidden thing and inquire concerning the future, as it is written, and she went to inquire of the Eternal;¹⁴⁵ because the people come unto me to inquire of G-d.¹⁴⁶ And so did the Israelites do with the prophets, [as it is said,] Is there not here a prophet of the Eternal, that we may inquire of the Eternal through him?;¹⁴⁷ that the Eternal thy G-d may tell us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing we should do.¹⁴⁸ And in the Sifre it is stated:¹⁴⁹ 85. “After the Eternal your G-d [shall ye walk] — this refers to the cloud [of Glory].”¹⁵⁰ This is as we have explained, that we are to hearken to the “voice” of His signs and follow His counsel.

בוְאוֹתוֹ תִּירָאוּ שֶׁתַּאֲמִינוּ כִּי הוּא אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי וּבְיָדוֹ לְהָמִית וּלְהַחֲיוֹת וּפוֹקֵד עָוֹן וּמְשַׁלֵּם שָׂכָר:

2AND HIM SHALL YE FEAR. You are to believe that it is He in Whose hand is the soul of every living thing,¹⁵¹ and it is in His power to kill and to make alive,¹⁵² visiting iniquity,¹⁵³ and rewarding for meritorious deeds.

גוְאֶת מִצְוֹתָיו תִּשְׁמֹרוּ תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה:

3AND HIS COMMANDMENTS SHALL YE KEEP. This refers to the Law of Moses.

דוּבְקוֹלוֹ תִּשְׁמָעוּ, לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל מָה שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה אוֹתָנוּ מִלְּבַד הַתּוֹרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל (שמואל א יג יג), נִסְכָּלְתָּ לֹא שָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת מִצְוַת ה'. וְהוּא מָה שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ עוֹד (דברים י"ח:ט"ו), נָבִיא מִקִּרְבְּךָ מֵאַחֶיךָ כָּמֹנִי יָקִים לְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵלָיו תִּשְׁמָעוּן, וְאָמַר (שם פסוק יט), וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמַע אָנֹכִי אֶדְרֹשׁ מֵעִמּוֹ, שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב מִיתָה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁבָּא בְּמִצְוַת הַנָּבִיא, הַכֵּנִי וּפָצְעֵנִי בִּדְבַר ה' (מ"א כ לה לז). וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בְּסִפְרֵי (ראה ס), וּבְקוֹלוֹ תִּשְׁמָעוּ, בְּקוֹל נְבִיאָיו:

4AND UNTO HIS VOICE SHALL YE HEARKEN — to do whatever He commands us to do aside from the Torah, such as Samuel said [to Saul], Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the Eternal thy G-d¹⁵⁴ [referring to a commandment transmitted to Saul by Samuel]. It is this which is explained further, A prophet will the Eternal raise up unto thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken,¹⁵⁵ and it states, And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him¹⁵⁶, Verse 19. meaning that he will be liable to death by the hand of Heaven,¹⁵⁷ and as it happened because of the prophet’s command, “Smite me, and wound me by the word of the Eternal”¹⁵⁸ [and when the man refused to obey he was slain by a lion].¹⁵⁹, Verse 36. And so also the Rabbis said in the Sifre:¹⁴⁹ 85. “And unto His voice shall ye hearken — the voice of His prophets.”

הוְאֹתוֹ תַעֲבֹדוּ וּבוֹ תִדְבָּקוּן, כְּבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּיו (לעיל ו יג יא כב), וְהִנֵּה כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (דברים ו':י"ג) אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּירָא וְאֹתוֹ תַעֲבֹד, אֲבָל הֶחְזִירוֹ בְּכָאן לִשְׁלֹל שֶׁלֹּא נִירָא מִדִּבְרֵי הַנָּבִיא מִפְּנֵי הָאוֹת וְהַמּוֹפֵת וְלֹא נַעֲבֹר עַל עֲבוֹדַת ה' בַּעֲבוּר דְּבָרָיו, כִּי מִן ה' לְבַדּוֹ נִירָא וְלֹא מֵאֵל אַחֵר, וּלְהוֹסִיף וּבְקוֹלוֹ תִּשְׁמָעוּ:

5AND HIM SHALL YE SERVE, AND UNTO HIM SHALL YE CLEAVE. I have already explained this.¹⁶⁰ Now it has already been stated, Thou shalt fear the Eternal thy G-d, and Him shalt thou serve.¹⁶¹, 6:13. But he repeated it here to negate [any consideration of obedience to a false prophet,] that we are not to fear the words of a [false] prophet because of the sign or wonder, and that we should not transgress the service of G-d because of the prophet’s words, for it is the Eternal alone that we are to fear, and no other god. [It was also repeated here] to add, and unto His voice shall ye hearken.