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Ramban on Deuteronomy 20:1/רמב"ן על דברים כ׳:א׳
אכִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה וְגוֹ' וְרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב וְגוֹ', זוֹ מִצְוָה מְחֻדֶּשֶׁת, אֲמָרָהּ לָהֶם עַתָּה בְּבוֹאָם בַּמִּלְחָמוֹת. וְטַעַם כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם, יַזְהִירֵם שֶׁלֹּא יֵרַךְ לְבָבָם וְלֹא יִירְאוּ מִן הָאוֹיְבִים, וְיֹאמַר שֶׁלֹּא יִבְטְחוּ בָּזֶה בִּגְבוּרָתָם לַחְשֹׁב בְּלִבָּם גִּבּוֹרִים אֲנָחְנוּ וְאַנְשֵׁי חַיִל לַמִּלְחָמָה, רַק שֶׁיָּשִׁיבוּ לִבָּם אֶל הַשֵּׁם וְיִבְטְחוּ בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ, וְיַחְשְׁבוּ כִּי לֹא בִגְבוּרַת הַסּוּס יֶחְפָּץ וְלֹא בְשׁוֹקֵי הָאִישׁ יִרְצֶה, כִּי רוֹצֶה ה' אֶת יְרֵאָיו אֶת הַמְיַחֲלִים לְחַסְדּוֹ. וְאָמַר לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם, כִּי יַפִּילֵם לִפְנֵיכֶם לֶחָרֶב. וְאָמַר לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁהֵם יִנָּצְלוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא יִפָּקֵד מֵהֶם אִישׁ, כִּי יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיְּנַצְּחוּ אֶת אוֹיְבֵיהֶם וְיָמוּתוּ גַּם מֵהֶם רַבִּים כְּדֶרֶךְ הַמִּלְחָמוֹת, וְעַל כֵּן צָעַק יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּנְפֹל מֵהֶם בָּעַי כִּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְשִׁשָּׁה אִישׁ (יהושע ז ז-ט), כִּי בְּמִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה שֶׁלּוֹ לֹא הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיִּפֹּל מִשַּׂעֲרַת רֹאשָׁם אַרְצָה, כִּי לַה' הַמִּלְחָמָה. וְהִנֵּה הַכֹּהֵן שֶׁהוּא הָעוֹבֵד אֶת הַשֵּׁם יַזְהִירֵם בְּיִרְאָתוֹ וְיַבְטִיחֵם, אֲבָל הַשּׁוֹטְרִים יְדַבְּרוּ בְּנֹהַג שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, פֶּן יָמוּת בַּמִּלְחָמָה, כִּי בְּדֶרֶךְ הָאֶרֶץ בְּכָל הַמִּלְחָמוֹת יָמוּתוּ אֲנָשִׁים גַּם מִכַּת הַנּוֹצְחִים. וְצִוָּה עַל הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה הָאֵלֶּה לָשׁוּב, כִּי לִבּוֹ עַל בֵּיתוֹ וְכַרְמוֹ וְעַל אִשְׁתּוֹ וְיָנוּס:
1WHEN THOU GOEST FORTH TO BATTLE AGAINST THINE ENEMIES, AND SEEST HORSES, AND CHARIOTS etc. This is a new commandment which he now declared to them as they came into battles. The purport of the verse, For the Eternal your G-d is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you293 is to admonish them against becoming faint-hearted and that they should not fear their enemies. He states that they are not to rely in this matter on their own strength, thinking in their hearts: We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war,294 but instead they are to turn their hearts only to G-d and rely on His help, thinking that He delighteth not in the strength of the horse, and He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man,295 for The Eternal taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that wait for His mercy.296, Verse 11. He states to fight for you against your enemies293 meaning that He will make them fall before you by the sword. He states to save you293 meaning that they will be spared in battle and that not a man among them will be missing,297 for it would be possible that they vanquish their enemies and that many of them, too, would die, as is the way of battles. Therefore Joshua cried out298 when about thirty and six men299, Verse 5. fell in [the battle of] Ai, for in His commandatory war not one hair of their heads should have fallen to the ground,300 for the battle is the Eternal’s.301, 17:47. Now the priest who serves G-d is to admonish [the warriors] to fear Him, and give them assurance [of His help]. The officers, however, speak in the customary way of the world, lest he die in the battle,302 for in the normal course of events even some people of the group of the victors die. He commanded that these three categories [of people] return303 because one’s heart is on his [new] house, vineyard, and wife and he will [be the first to] flee.