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Ramban on Deuteronomy 19:14/רמב"ן על דברים י״ט:י״ד

אלֹא תַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ, אַזְהָרָה שֶׁלֹּא יְשַׁנֶּה תְּחוּם הַחֲלֻקָּה שֶׁחִלְּקוּ הַנְּשִׂיאִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ לַשְּׁבָטִים אוֹ לְיָחִיד מֵהֶם, וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר אֲשֶׁר גָּבְלוּ רִאשׁוֹנִים, הֵם אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן וּנְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטּוֹת, וּלְכָךְ הִזְכִּיר בְּנַחֲלָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּנְחַל וְגוֹ'. וְטַעַם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁלֹּא יַחְשֹׁב אָדָם לוֹמַר, אֵין חֶלְקִי אֲשֶׁר נָתְנוּ לִי שָׁוֶה כְּמוֹ חֵלֶק חֲבֵרִי, כִּי טָעוּ הַחוֹלְקִים, אוֹ שֶׁיּוֹצִיא בְּלִבּוֹ לַעַז עַל הַגּוֹרָלוֹת, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה זֶה בְּעֵינָיו גֶּזֶל כְּלָל, עַל כֵּן צִוָּה בְּכָאן שֶׁלֹּא יַחְלֹק אָדָם עַל הַחֲלֻקָּה הַהִיא וְלֹא יְשַׁנֶּה הַגְּבוּלִין כְּלָל, לֹא בַּסֵּתֶר וְלֹא בַּגָּלוּי. וְזוֹ מִצְוָה מְבֹאֶרֶת מִמָּה שֶׁצִּוָּה (במדבר כו נו) עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל תֵּחָלֵק נַחֲלָתוֹ בֵּין רַב לִמְעָט, וְאָמַר (שם לד יז) אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יִנְחֲלוּ לָכֶם וְגוֹ'. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי שופטים קפח) שֶׁהוּא אַזְהָרָה לְעוֹקֵר תְּחוּמוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ בָּאָרֶץ שֶׁעוֹבֵר בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוִין, יִהְיֶה טַעַם אֲשֶׁר גָּבְלוּ רִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁלֹּא יְשַׁנֶּה הַתְּחוּם הַיָּשָׁן בַּסֵּתֶר וְיֹאמַר בְּכָאן הָיָה מֵעוֹלָם. וְהִזְהִיר הַכָּתוּב בַּהוֹוֶה, כִּי הַתְּחוּם הֶחָדָשׁ נִכָּר וְיָדוּעַ הוּא וְאֵין אָדָם מְשַׁנֶּה אוֹתוֹ. וְגַם רַבּוֹתֵינוּ עַצְמָם הִזְכִּירוּ (שם), מִנַּיִן לְעוֹקֵר תְּחוּמִין שֶׁל שְׁבָטִים שֶׁעוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לֹא תַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ, וְהוּא בֶּאֱמֶת פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא:

1THOU SHALT NOT REMOVE THY NEIGHBOR’S LANDMARK. This is a warning against changing the boundaries of the division by which the princes apportioned the Land to the tribes²⁷⁵ or to any individual among them. Therefore he stated, which they of old time have set,²⁷⁶ these being Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the princes of the tribes,²⁷⁵ and therefore he mentioned in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit etc.²⁷⁶ And the reason for this commandment is that no one should contemplate to say, “My portion which they gave me is not as valuable as the portion of my friend, because the dividers erred,” or he may feel suspicious of the lots, thus he will not consider it [his removal of the boundary marker] to be robbery at all. Therefore he commanded here that no one should controvert that division, and he may not make any change in the boundaries, either secretly or openly. Now this is an explanatory commandment, deriving from what He commanded, According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer,²⁷⁷ and He further stated, These are the names of the men that shall take possession of the Land for you.²⁷⁸, 34:17. And in the opinion of our Rabbis²⁷⁹ 188. that this verse is an admonition, teaching us that one who encroaches on his neighbor’s land in the Land of Israel transgresses two commandments,²⁸⁰ (Leviticus 19:13), and the verse before us. Outside the Land of Israel he transgresses only the commandment against committing robbery. See “The Commandments,” Vol. II, pp. 234-235. the meaning of the expression which they of old time have set means that one is not to secretly change an old boundary and say “It was always here.” Scripture admonishes [concerning an old boundary] because it speaks of what usually happens, for a new boundary is recognized and known and no one changes it. Our Rabbis themselves have mentioned [the first interpretation, for thus they said in the Sifre]:²⁷⁹ 188. “Whence do we know that one who uproots the boundaries of the tribes transgresses a negative commandment? Because Scripture states, Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, [which they of old time have set].” This is truly the plain meaning of Scripture.