Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 17:11/רמב"ן על דברים י״ז:י״א

איָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל, אֲפִלּוּ אִם אוֹמֵר לְךָ עַל יָמִין שֶׁהוּא שְׂמֹאל אוֹ עַל שְׂמֹאל שֶׁהוּא יָמִין, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים י"ז:י"א). וְעִנְיָנוֹ אֲפִלּוּ תַּחְשֹׁב בְּלִבְּךָ שֶׁהֵם טוֹעִים, וְהַדָּבָר פָּשׁוּט בְּעֵינֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ בֵּין יְמִינְךָ לִשְׂמֹאלְךָ, תַּעֲשֶׂה כְּמִצְוָתָם, וְאַל תֹּאמַר אֵיךְ אֹכַל הַחֵלֶב הַגָּמוּר הַזֶּה, אוֹ אֶהֱרֹג הָאִישׁ הַנָּקִי הַזֶּה, אֲבָל תֹּאמַר כָּךְ צִוָּה אוֹתִי הָאָדוֹן הַמְצַוֶּה עַל הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁאֶעֱשֶׂה בְּכָל מִצְוֹתָיו כְּכָל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּנִי הָעוֹמְדִים לְפָנָיו בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר, וְעַל מַשְׁמָעוּת דַּעְתָּם נָתַן לִי הַתּוֹרָה, אֲפִלּוּ יִטְעוּ. וְזֶה כְּעִנְיָן רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עִם ר"ג בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹ (ר"ה כה). וְהַצֹּרֶךְ בַּמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, כִּי הַתּוֹרָה נִתְּנָה לָנוּ בִּכְתָב, וְיָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁתַּוּוּ הַדֵּעוֹת בְּכָל הַדְּבָרִים הַנּוֹלָדִים, וְהִנֵּה יִרְבּוּ הַמַּחְלוֹקוֹת וְתֵעָשֶׂה הַתּוֹרָה כַּמָּה תּוֹרוֹת, וְחָתַךְ לָנוּ הַכָּתוּב הַדִּין שֶׁנִּשְׁמַע לְבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל הָעוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר בְּכָל מָה שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ לָנוּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ הַתּוֹרָה, בֵּין שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ פֵּרוּשׁוֹ עֵד מִפִּי עֵד וּמֹשֶׁה מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה, אוֹ שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כֵן לְפִי מַשְׁמָעוּת הַמִּקְרָא אוֹ כַּוָּנָתָהּ, כִּי עַל הַדַּעַת שֶׁלָּהֶם הוּא נוֹתֵן (ס"א לנו) לָהֶם הַתּוֹרָה, אֲפִלּוּ יִהְיֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּמַחְלִיף הַיָּמִין בַּשְּׂמֹאל, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְךָ לַחְשֹׁב שֶׁהֵם אוֹמְרִים עַל יָמִין שֶׁהוּא יָמִין, כִּי רוּחַ הַשֵּׁם עַל מְשָׁרְתֵי מִקְדָּשׁוֹ וְלֹא יַעֲזֹב אֶת חֲסִידָיו לְעוֹלָם נִשְׁמָרוּ מִן הַטָּעוּת וּמִן הַמִּכְשׁוֹל. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי (שופטים קנד) אֲפִלּוּ מַרְאִין בְּעֵינֶיךָ עַל הַיָּמִין שֶׁהוּא שְׂמֹאל וְעַל שְׂמֹאל שֶׁהוּא יָמִין, שְׁמַע לָהֶם:

1THOU SHALT NOT DEPART FROM THE WORD WHICH THEY SHALL TELL THEE, TO THE RIGHT NOR TO THE LEFT. “Even if he [the judge of the Great Sanhedrin] tells you of the right that it is the left, or about the left that it is the right [you must obey him].” This is Rashi’s language. The purport thereof is that even if you think in your heart that they are mistaken, and the matter is simple in your eyes just as you know [the difference] between your right hand and your left hand, you must still do as they command you. You are not to say: “How can I [permit myself to] eat this real forbidden fat, or execute this innocent man;” instead you are to say, “The Lord Who enjoined the commandments commanded that I perform all His commandments in accordance with all that they, who stand before Him in the place that He shall choose, teach me to do. He gave me the Torah as taught by them, even if they were to err.” Such was the case of Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabban Gamaliel [Rabbi Yehoshua being instructed by Rabban Gamaliel to come before him with his walking stick] on the Day of Atonement that occurred according to his reckoning.⁹⁰ reckon to be the Day of Atonement. The order caused Rabbi Yehoshua personal anguish because carrying is forbidden on the Day of Atonement. The affair ended with Rabbi Yehoshua obeying Rabban Gamaliel’s command. When Rabbi Yehoshua arrived, “Rabban Gamaliel stood up and kissed him on the head and said to him; ‘Come in peace, my master and my disciple’ — ‘my master’ in wisdom, and ‘my disciple’ because you accepted my words” (Rosh Hashanah 25a).Now the need for this commandment is very great, for the Torah was given to us in written form and it is known that not all opinions concur on newly arising matters. Disagreements would thus increase and the one Torah would become many Torahs. Scripture, therefore, defined the law that we are to obey the Great Court that stands before G-d in the place that He chose in whatever they tell us with respect to the interpretation of the Torah, whether they received its interpretation by means of witness from witness until Moses [who heard it] from the mouth of the Almighty, or whether they said so based on the implication [of the written words] of the Torah or its intent. For it was subject to their judgment that He gave them the Torah even if it [the judgment] appears to you to exchange right for left. And surely you are obligated to think that they say “right” what is truly right, because G-d’s spirit is upon the ministers of His Sanctuary,⁹¹ and He forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved forever⁹² from error and stumbling. In the language of the Sifre:⁹³ 154. “Even if they show you before your own eyes that right is left and that left is right — obey them!”