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Ramban on Deuteronomy 15:11/רמב"ן על דברים ט״ו:י״א

אכִּי לֹא יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ, מְפָרְשִׁים אָמְרוּ שֶׁלֹּא יֶחְדַּל הָאֶבְיוֹן מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ בְּאֶחָד מִכָּל הַזְּמַנִּים, כִּי לְעוֹלָם יִהְיֶה אֶבְיוֹן בָּאָרֶץ, שֶׁגָּלוּי הָיָה לְפָנָיו שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשׂוּ מָה שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם, כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה. וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן לְדַעְתִּי, כִּי הַתּוֹרָה תִּרְמֹז בַּמֶּה שֶׁעָתִיד לִהְיוֹת אֲבָל לֹא יִתְנַבֵּא עֲלֵיהֶם בְּפֵרוּשׁ שֶׁלֹּא יְקַיְּמוּ הַתּוֹרָה וִיצַוֶּה מִצְוָה בְּעָבְרָם עַל הַמִּצְווֹת לְעוֹלָם, וְחָלִילָה, רַק בְּדֶרֶךְ אַזְהָרָה יַזְכִּיר הַדָּבָר. וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁלֹּא יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִמְנָע שֶׁלֹּא יִמָּצֵא עוֹד לְעוֹלָם. וְהִזְכִּיר זֶה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִבְטִיחַ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בָּהֶם אֶבְיוֹן בְּשָׁמְרָם כָּל הַמִּצְוָה, אָמַר אֲבָל יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא יִהְיוּ כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם כֻּלָּם שׁוֹמְרִים כָּל הַמִּצְוָה עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִצְטָרֵךְ כְּלָל לְצַוּוֹת עַל הָאֶבְיוֹן, כִּי אוּלַי בִּקְצַת הַיָּמִים יִמָּצֵא אֶבְיוֹן, וַאֲנִי מְצַוְּךָ עָלָיו אִם יִמָּצֵא. וְאָמַר מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ, לִרְמֹז עַל כָּל הַיִּשּׁוּב, כִּי הַהַבְטָחָה שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בָּנוּ אֶבְיוֹן בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֹתֵן לָנוּ נַחֲלָה אִם נְקַיֵּם שָׁם כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת, וְעַתָּה אָמַר כִּי יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא אֶבְיוֹן בְּאֶחָד מִן הַזְּמַנִּים וּבְאֶחָד מִן הַמְּקוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר תֵּשֵׁב בָּהּ, כִּי טַעַם בְּאַרְצְךָ כְּטַעַם בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם (במדבר לה כט), בָּאָרֶץ וּבְחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ:

1FOR THE POOR SHALL NEVER CEASE OUT OF THE LAND. Commentators³⁰² have said that the meaning thereof is that the poor shall never cease out of the Land at any of all times, for there will always be poor in the Land, for it was apparent before Him that they will not do [to make possible] what he said to them, But there shall be no needy among you,³⁰³ if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the Eternal thy G-d to observe to do all this commandment.³⁰⁴ But it is not correct in my opinion, for the Torah may allude to what will be but it would not explicitly prophesy about them [the Israelites] that they will not fulfill the Torah, nor would he have commanded them [to observe the commandments while foretelling] that they would always transgress them. Forbid it! It is only by way of warning that he mentions [their transgressions].The correct interpretation is that he says that it is impossible for the poor to cease so that none should ever exist. He [Moses] mentioned this because, having assured them that there would be no needy if they observe all the commandments³⁰⁵ he said: “But I know that not all generations forever will observe all the commandments in which case there would be no need to charge you concerning the poor, for perhaps, at some time, there will exist poor and so I command you about him if he will be found.” He states out of the Land [for the poor shall never cease ‘out of the Land’] in order to allude to the entire habitation [anywhere on earth], for the promise that there would not be needy among us applies in the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us for an inheritance³⁰³ if we will fulfill there all the commandments. And now he said that it is possible that, at some period or at some place where you will have settled, there be found a poor man among you. For the meaning of the expression in thy Land³⁰⁵ [If there be among you a needy man … ‘in thy Land’] is like in all your habitations³⁰⁶ — within the Land of Israel and outside of the Land.

בוְטַעַם וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּאַרְצֶךָ, כְּאוֹמֵר לְאָחִיךָ הֶעָנִי וּלְכָל אֶבְיוֹנֵי אַרְצְךָ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהַמִּצְוָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יַזְכִּיר אָחִיךָ וְיִצְטָרֵךְ לְפָרֵשׁ אָחִיךָ וְכָל אֶבְיוֹנֵי אַרְצְךָ, לְצַוּוֹת עַל כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ (ספרי קמב) לְהַקְדִּים הַקּוֹדֵם. וְהִזְכִּיר כִּי עוֹד יֵשׁ שְׁמִטָּה לָעֶבֶד בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית שֶׁלּוֹ, כִּי גַּם הַשְּׁמִטָּה הַהִיא כַּשְּׁמִטָּה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת. וְהַכֹּל לִזְכֹּר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם כַּאֲשֶׁר רָמַזְתִּי בִּמְקוֹמוֹ (ויקרא כה ב), וְשָׁם נִרְמַז כִּי וְהָיָה לְךָ עֶבֶד עוֹלָם (דברים ט"ו:י"ז) כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ. וְהֶחְזִיר הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת לְבָאֵר בָּהּ עִנְיַן הַעֲנָקָה:

2UNTO THY BROTHER, UNTO THY POOR, AND UNTO THY NEEDY IN THY LAND. The meaning thereof is as if he said: “to your poor brother, and to all the needy in your Land.” For because the commandment is addressed to Israel he mentions thy brother, and he joins in explanation “your brother and all the needy in your Land,” to command concerning the whole of Israel. And its homiletic interpretation is as follows:³⁰⁷ 116. “This teaches that [in giving charity] precedence be given to those nearer” [to you so that the poor of your own city or land have priority over the poor of distant places].He mentions that there is also a release for a [Hebrew] servant in his seventh year,³⁰⁸ for that release [of a servant] is also like the release [of loans in the Sabbatical year] mentioned³⁰⁹ [and hence the proximity of the subjects], all of them being to remember the days of old,³¹⁰ as I have hinted in its place.³¹¹, p. 349. There it is alluded that the expression and he shall be thy bondman forever³¹² is to be taken in its plain sense. Now he repeated this commandment in order to explain in it the outfitting of the emancipated servant.³¹³