Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 17:16/רמב"ן על דברים י״ז:ט״ז

אלֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ סוּסִים, אֶלָּא כְּדֵי מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָשִׁיב אֶת הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה, שֶׁהַסּוּסִים בָּאִים מִשָּׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א י כט) וַתַּעֲלֶה וַתֵּצֵא מֶרְכָּבָה מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת כֶּסֶף, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים י"ז:ט"ז). וְהֻקְשָׁה לִי בָּזֶה כִּי אָמְרוּ בַּיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי בְּסוֹף סַנְהֶדְרִין (סוף פ"י), לִישִׁיבָה אִי אַתָּה חוֹזֵר אֲבָל אַתָּה חוֹזֵר לִסְחוֹרָה לִפְרַקְמַטְיָא וְלִכְבֹּשׁ הָאָרֶץ. וְאִם יִשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ וְיִקְנֶה מִשָּׁם הַסּוּסִים וְהָרֶכֶב, סְחוֹרָה הִיא זוֹ וּמֻתָּר. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַכָּתוּב כִּי הִזְהִיר לֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ סוּסִים אֲפִלּוּ מֵאַרְצוֹ וּמֵאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר, אוֹ בְּדֶרֶךְ סְחוֹרָה הַמֻּתֶּרֶת, שֶׁלֹּא יִבְטַח עַל רִכְבּוֹ כִּי רַב וְעַל פָּרָשָׁיו כִּי עָצְמוּ מְאוֹד, אֲבָל יִהְיֶה מִבְטַחוֹ בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהָיו. וְאַחַר כָּךְ הִזְהִיר עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁלֹּא יָשִׁיב אֶת הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לוֹ שָׁם מֵעֲבָדָיו וּמֵעַמּוֹ שָׂרֵי מִקְנֶה יוֹשְׁבִים בְּעָרֵי הָרֶכֶב לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת סוּס, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בִּשְׁלֹמֹה (מלכים א ט יט) וְאֵת כָּל עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לִשְׁלֹמֹה וְאֵת עָרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְגוֹ', וְכֵן הָיוּ לוֹ בְּמִצְרַיִם כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם י כח) וּמוֹצָא הַסּוּסִים אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹה מִמִּצְרָיִם וּמִקְוֵה סֹחֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגוֹ', שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לְהוֹצִיא מִמִּצְרַיִם סוּסִים שֶׁלֹּא בִּרְשׁוּת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, וְהָיוּ נוֹתְנִים לוֹ מֶכֶס מֵהֶם וְנָתַן פַּרְעֹה לִשְׁלֹמֹה מוֹצָא הַסּוּסִים, לוֹמַר שֶׁיּוֹצִיא הוּא כִּרְצוֹנוֹ וְהוּא שֶׁיִּתֵּן הָרְשׁוּת לַאֲשֶׁר יִרְצֶה וִיהֵא הַמֶּכֶס שֶׁלּוֹ, וְהָיוּ לוֹ שָׁם הַסּוֹחֲרִים עוֹמְדִים בְּמִצְרַיִם קוֹנִים הַסּוּסִים כֻּלָּם וְשׁוֹלְחִים אֶל אֲדוֹנֵיהֶם כִּרְצוֹנוֹ, וּמוֹכְרִים הָאֲחֵרִים לִשְׁאָר מַלְכֵי הָאָרֶץ, וְהוּא שֶׁאָמַר (שם פסוק כט) וְכֵן לְכָל מַלְכֵי הַחִתִּים וּלְכָל מַלְכֵי אֲרָם בְּיָדָם יוֹצִיאוּ, כְּלוֹמַר עַל יְדֵי סוֹחֲרֵי שְׁלֹמֹה יוֹצִיאוּ אוֹתָם וְלוֹ יִתְּנוּ הַמֶּכֶס:

1HE SHALL NOT MULTIPLY HORSES TO HIMSELF — “except what he needs for his carriage, in order that he cause not the people to return to Egypt, because horses were obtained from Egypt, as it is said, And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.”¹¹¹ This is Rashi’s language. But I have this difficulty regarding it, for the Rabbis have said in Yerushalmi at the end of Tractate Sanhedrin:¹¹² “You may not return there for settlement, but you may return for business, for goods, and for conquest of the land.” And so, if the king should send men and buy horses and chariots there, it would be considered “trading” and would be permissible! It is then possible that Scripture admonishes [the king] not to increase his numbers of horses even from his own Land, or from the land of Shinar, or by way of permissible trading, in order that he should not put his trust in his chariots, because they are many, and in his horsemen, because they are exceedingly mighty,¹¹³ but his trust shall be in the Name of the Eternal.¹¹⁴ Then he admonishes the king not to cause the people to return to Egypt, to have his servants and people there as overseers of cattle dwelling in the cities for the chariots¹¹⁵ to the end that he should multiply horses, similar to what is said of Solomon, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots etc.¹¹⁵ And thus he had in Egypt, as it is said, And the horses which Solomon had, were brought out of Egypt; also out of Keveh, the king’s merchants buying them etc.¹¹⁶ for no one was allowed to export horses from Egypt without permission from the Egyptian king and they paid him a tax for them. To Solomon, however, Pharaoh gave the right to export horses, meaning that he could take them out at will, and he could transfer that right to whomever he wished and keep the tax. He also had merchants stationed in Egypt buying all horses and sending to their lord [Solomon] those that he wanted and selling the others to kings of other countries. Thus it is said and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Aram, did they bring them out by their means,¹¹¹ that is to say, they took them out through Solomon’s merchants, and it was to him that they gave the tax.

בוְטַעַם רַק, לוֹמַר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ, רַק לֹא יִהְיֶה כְּמַלְכֵיהֶם, שֶׁלֹּא יַרְבֶּה סוּסִים כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּ הֵם, שֶׁכָּל חֶפְצָם בַּמְּלָכִים לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת לָהֶם סוּסִים וּפָרָשִׁים:

2RAK’ (ONLY) — [‘Only’ he shall not multiply horses to himself]. The purport of the word only is to state, “although you will set a king over you like all the nations that are around you — only he shall not be like their kings. He should not multiply horses as they do,” for the main desire of kings is to increase horses and horsemen for themselves.

גוְטַעַם וַה' אָמַר לָכֶם, כִּי הַשֵּׁם אוֹמֵר לָכֶם שֶׁלֹּא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בְּדֶרֶךְ מִצְרַיִם. וְכֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ (דברים ה':ט"ז), שֶׁהוּא מְצַוֶּה אוֹתְךָ כֵּן, אוֹ אָמַר לָכֶם, שֶׁאָמַר לִי כֵּן לְצַוּוֹת אֶתְכֶם, כְּדֶרֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה כֹּה אָמַר ה' כַּחֲצֹת הַלַּיְלָה וְגוֹ' (שמות יא ד). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ירושלמי סוכה פ"ה ה"א), כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם אֶת מִצְרַיִם הַיּוֹם לֹא תֹסִיפוּ לִרְאֹתָם עוֹד עַד עוֹלָם (שמות יד יג), מִצְוָה. וּמֹשֶׁה הִזְכִּיר וַה' אָמַר לָכֶם שֶׁלֹּא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה עוֹד, וּכְבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּיו (שם). וְטַעַם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיוּ הַמִּצְרִים וְהַכְּנַעֲנִים רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים לַה' מְאֹד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (ויקרא יח ג) כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וְגוֹ'. וְהִנֵּה רָצָה ה' שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמַּעֲשֵׂיהֶם, וְהִכְרִית בַּכְּנַעֲנִים כָּל נְשָׁמָה (דברים כ':ט"ז), וְאָמַר (שמות כג לג) לֹא יֵשְׁבוּ בְּאַרְצְךָ, וְהִזְהִיר בְּמִצְרַיִם שֶׁלֹּא נֵשֵׁב אֲנַחְנוּ שָׁם בְּאַרְצָם:

3SINCE THE ETERNAL HATH SAID UNTO YOU. The meaning thereof is that “since G-d is telling you¹¹⁷ (He said) is in past tense. Nevertheless Ramban is compelled to define it in the present tense because we find no preceding text wherein G-d prohibited the return to Egypt. Hence we must interpret the word amar in the present tense, “since G-d is saying to you …” Further, Ramban will explain amar in the ordinary past tense. that you are henceforth not to return by the way of Egypt.” Similarly, as the Eternal thy G-d ‘commanded’ thee¹¹⁸ which means “as He is thus commanding you.” Or it may be that the expression He hath said unto you means “He had said to me to command you,” similar to the verse, And Moses said, ‘Thus saith the Eternal: About midnight etc.’¹¹⁹ And by way of our Rabbis,¹²⁰ the verse, for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians today, ye shall see them again no more¹²¹ constitutes a [negative] commandment [for all times], and Moses is thus here reminding them that the Eternal ‘hath said’ unto you [at the Red Sea] that ye shall henceforth return no more that way. I have already explained it.¹²¹ And the reason for this commandment is because the Egyptians and Canaanites were wicked and sinners against the Eternal exceedingly,¹²² just as He said, After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan etc.¹²³ Now the Eternal desired that the Israelites not learn from their deeds and so He ordered that all living things, from among the Canaanites be destroyed, saying, They shall not dwell in thy Land,¹²⁴ and he warned with respect to the Egyptians that we are not to settle there in their land.