Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 20:18/רמב"ן על דברים כ׳:י״ח

אוְטַעַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְלַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכָל תּוֹעֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, שֶׁיְּלַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם לַעֲבֹד הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד בִּשְׂרֵפַת בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם וְכָל תּוֹעֲבַת ה' אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵא, וַחֲטָאתֶם לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, שֶׁהוּא הִזְהִיר אֶתְכֶם שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר, אֵיכָה יַעַבְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֶעֱשֶׂה כֵּן גַּם אָנִי (דברים י"ב:ל'). וְהִנֵּה הַתּוֹרָה הִזְהִירָה (שמות כג לג) לֹא יֵשְׁבוּ בְּאַרְצְךָ פֶּן יַחֲטִיאוּ אֹתְךָ לִי כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי יִהְיֶה לְךָ לְמוֹקֵשׁ, וְהִיא אַזְהָרָה בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, כִּי אִם תִכְרֹת לָהֶם וְלֵאלֹהֵיהֶם בְּרִית יֵשְׁבוּ בְּאַרְצְךָ, וְרַבִּים מֵהֶם יְפַתּוּךָ לַעֲבֹד ע"ז. וְכָאן הוֹסִיף לְבָאֵר שֶׁלֹּא תְחַיֶּה כָּל נְשָׁמָה, כִּי אֲפִלּוּ הַיָּחִיד הַנִּשְׁאָר בֵּינֵיכֶם לַעֲבֹד לְךָ יַזְכִּיר לְךָ עֲבוֹדָתָם לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, וְאוּלַי תִּתְפַּתֶּה אַתָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן לַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד, וְתֶחֱטָא לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ:

1THAT THEY TEACH YOU NOT TO DO AFTER ALL THEIR ABOMINATIONS, WHICH THEY HAVE DONE UNTO THEIR GODS. The purport thereof is that they will teach you to worship the Glorious Name³⁵³ with the burning of your sons and daughters and every abomination to the Eternal, which He hateth,³⁵⁴ and so ye sin against the Eternal your G-d³⁵⁵ Who has warned you against saying, How used these nations to serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.³⁵⁶ Now the Torah warned them, They shall not dwell in thy Land, lest they make thee sin against Me, for thou wilt serve their gods, for they will be a snare unto thee,³³¹ which is an admonition against idolatry, for if you make a covenant with them and their gods, they will dwell in your Land and many of them will entice you to worship the idols. He added here to explain that thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth,³²¹ for even one of them that remains among you to serve you, will remind you of the worship of their gods and perhaps you will be persuaded to do so to the Glorious Name³⁵³ and you will sin against Him, blessed be He.