Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 21:22/רמב"ן על דברים כ״א:כ״ב

אוְתָלִיתָ אֹתוֹ, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין מא א), כָּל הַנִּסְקָלִין נִתְלִין. וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי, זִלְזוּלוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ, שֶׁהָאָדָם עָשׂוּי בִּדְמוּת דְּיוֹקָנוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּנָיו הֵם. מָשָׁל לִשְׁנֵי אַחִים דּוֹמִים זֶה לָזֶה וְכוּ', לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים כ"א:כ"ג). וְכָל הַנִּסְקָלִים נִתְלִין דִּבְרֵי יָחִיד הֵם, וַהֲלָכָה כְּדִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים (שם) שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִתְלֶה אֶלָּא הַמְגַדֵּף וְהָעוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. וְזֶה טַעַם (דברים כא כג) כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי, שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ, מִפְּנֵי מָה זֶה תָּלוּי, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֶת הַשֵּׁם אוֹ שֶׁעָבַד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה פְּלוֹנִית בְּכָךְ וְכָךְ עֲבוֹדָה, וְכָךְ וְכָךְ אוֹת וּמוֹפֵת רָאָה בָּהּ. וְהַסִּפּוּר בָּהּ וּבַעֲבוֹדָתָהּ יִקָּרֵא קְלָלָה. אוֹ שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן זִלְזוּל, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר הָרַב, מִן (מלכים א ב ח) וְהוּא קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת, (שמואל א ג יג), כִּי מְקַלְלִים לָהֶם בָּנָיו, בּוֹזִים. וְהַמָּשָׁל בִּשְׁנֵי הָאַחִים הַתְּאוֹמִים יֵשׁ לוֹ סוֹד, אֵינֶנּוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר חָשַׁב הָרַב בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ בָּנִים לַמָּקוֹם. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט יֹאמַר, כִּי יִהְיֶה בְאִישׁ חֵטְא גָּדוֹל שֶׁרָאוּי לַהֲמִיתוֹ עָלָיו וְלִתְלוֹתוֹ עַל עֵץ לְגֹדֶל חֶטְאוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ, כִּי הָאָרוּר מִכָּל הָאָדָם וְהַמְּקֻלָּל בָּהֶם הוּא הַתָּלוּי, אֵין בְּכָל הַמִּיתוֹת מִיתָה מְנֻוֶּלֶת וּבְזוּיָה כָּמוֹהָ, וְאֵין רָאוּי שֶׁנְּטַמֵּא הָאָרֶץ וְתִהְיֶה קִלְלַת הָאֱלֹהִים בָּאָרֶץ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, כִּי שָׁם צִוָּה אֶת הַבְּרָכָה חַיִּים עַד הָעוֹלָם. וְלָכֵן צִוָּה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע י כ) וַיֹּרִידוּם מֵעַל הָעֵצִים. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי הָעִנְיָן בִּבְנֵי שָׁאוּל הַמּוּקָעִים (שמואל ב כא), מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ תְּלוּיִים בְּבֵית דִּין שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא מִיַּד יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּלָל, אֲבָל דָּוִד נְתָנָם לַגִּבְעוֹנִים לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶם כִּרְצוֹנָם, וְהֵם אֲשֶׁר הוֹקִיעוּם וְלֹא רָצוּ לְקָבְרָם, לְפַרְסֵם נִקְמָתָם מֵהֶם וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִירָאוּ. וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִתַּךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מַיִם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם אָז יָדַע דָּוִד שֶׁנִּמְחַל עֲוֹנָם, וְנֶעְתַּר אֱלֹהִים לָאָרֶץ כִּי פָקַד ה' אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּמָטָר וַיִּכְלֶה הָרָעָב, וְאָז צִוָּה וְקָבְרוּ אוֹתָם עִם אֲבוֹתָם לִכְבוֹד הַמַּלְכוּת, לֹא לְחִיּוּבוֹ כְּלָל, שֶׁלֹּא נִצְטַוִּינוּ אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא נְטַמֵּא אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּמִי שֶׁנִּתְלֶה אוֹתוֹ. וְהִנֵּה ה' לֹא רָצָה עֲוֹנָם בִּתְלִיָּתָם מִיָּד, לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי ה' אוֹהֵב גֵּרִים, כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (יבמות עט). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על דברים כ"א:כ"ג) עַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט, כִּי אֱלֹהִים פּוֹעֵל, וְהַקְּלָלָה תָּבוֹא אֶל מָקוֹם קָרוֹב מֵהַתָּלוּי, וְיֵשׁ לוֹ סוֹד מֻדְבָּק בַּנֶּפֶשׁ, עַל כֵּן לֹא תְטַמֵּא אֶת אַדְמָתְךָ. וְהִנֵּה הַמֵּלִין תָּלוּי עַל הָעֵץ עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וַעֲשֵׂה. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין מו) דָּרְשׁוּ כֵן בְּכָל הַמֵּלִין אֶת מֵתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לִכְבוֹדוֹ, מָה עֵץ שֶׁהוּא נִוּוּל אַף כָּל שֶׁהוּא נִוּוּל. וְהִנֵּה לְדַעְתָּם כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי, לוֹמַר אע"פ שֶׁזֶּה רָאוּי לְנַוְּלוֹ לְגֹדֶל חֶטְאוֹ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כֵן, כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי. וְעַל הַמָּשָׁל שֶׁל שְׁנֵי אַחִין יִהְיֶה כָּל הַמֵּלִין בַּטַּעַם הַזֶּה, וְכֵן הַקְּלָלָה שֶׁהִזְכִּיר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם מִמֶּנָּה יִהְיֶה בְּכָל בַּיִת אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה שָׁם מֵת, וְעַל כֵּן יִטְמָא (במדבר יט יד) כָּל הַבָּא אֶל הָאֹהֶל וְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּאֹהֶל.

1AND THOU SHALT HANG HIM. “Our Rabbis have said:¹⁰³ All that have been stoned must be hanged. It is this which is stated, for he that is hanged is a reproach unto G-d,¹⁰⁴ and is a degradation of the King, for man is made in the image of the King, and the Israelites are His children. There is a parable of two brothers who resembled each other etc.”¹⁰⁵ This is Rashi’s language. “All that have been stoned must be hanged” are the words of an individual Sage [i.e., Rabbi Eliezer],¹⁰³ but the law is according to the words of the Sages that no offender [executed by] stoning is hanged save the blasphemer and the idolator. This is the sense of the phrase, for he that is hanged is a reproach unto G-d,¹⁰⁴ — because people will say, “Why was this person hanged? Because he blasphemed G-d or worshipped a particular idol by means of this particular service, and he saw therein this sign or wonder.” The discussion of the idol and the service thereof are considered a k’lalah [“a reproach” to G-d]. Or it is an expression of “degradation” as the Rabbi [Rashi] mentioned, from the expressions and he cursed me with a grievous ‘k’lalah (curse);¹⁰⁶ that his sons did bring ‘a curse’ upon themselves¹⁰⁷ [both verses being expressions of] contempt. And the parable concerning the twin brothers contains a secret; it does not refer, as the Rabbi thought, to the Israelites who are called the children of G-d.¹⁰⁸In line with the simple meaning of Scripture the verse is stating: “If a man has committed a great sin for which he is deserving of death and of hanging on a tree because of the grievous nature of his sin, nevertheless his body shall not remain all night upon the tree,¹⁰⁴ for the most accursed and blasted of all people is the hanged. Among all forms of death, there is none as ugly and despicable like it [this degradation of the human body], and it is not fitting that we defile the Land and that G-d’s curse be within the Holy Land, for there the Eternal commanded the blessing, even life forever.¹⁰⁹ Therefore Joshua commanded and they took them down off the trees.¹¹⁰In my opinion the affair of Saul’s children who were left hanging¹¹¹? The answer follows in the text. — It should also be pointed out that because of their display of cruelty the Gibeonites were forever banned from marrying into Israel (Yebamoth 79a). was because they were not hanged by a court of Israel, nor by any Israelite. Rather, David who turned them [the seven members of Saul’s family] over to the Gibeonites to do as they pleased with them, and it was they who hanged them [Saul’s relatives] and did not wish to bury them in order to demonstrate their vengeance against Saul’s family, and those that remain shall hear, and fear.⁹⁸, 19:20: And those that remain shall hear, and fear. But when water was poured upon them from heaven¹¹² then David knew that their sin had been forgiven, and that G-d was entreated for the Land,¹¹³, Verse 14. that the Eternal had remembered the Land¹¹⁴ with rain and the famine would end. Then he commanded and they [the Israelites] buried them with their fathers¹¹⁵ in honor of their royal status. David bore no guilt at all [in the entire affair], for we were commanded only that we not defile the Land by allowing someone whom we hanged [to remain on a gallows overnight]. Now, G-d did not want to forgive their sin [i.e., the sin of Saul’s conduct towards the Gibeonites] immediately in order to let it be known that G-d loves proselytes, as our Rabbis have said.¹¹⁶ (Joshua 9:26). When Saul smote Nob, the city of the priests (I Samuel 22:19) the Gibeonites were thus deprived of their source of livelihood. It was this grudge that they held against Saul and his family. When they finally satisfied their vengeful feelings against the members of Saul’s family, all the heathens proclaimed “There is no nation as worthy of our allegiance as Israel! See how the G-d of Israel atoned for a wrong inflicted upon wretched proselytes through the sons of kings!” At that time, one hundred and fifty thousand heathens were converted to Judaism, because it was shown that G-d loves proselytes (Yebamoth 79a).And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said by way of the plain meaning of Scripture [that the phrase ki kilelath Elokim talui¹⁰⁴ means] “that it is G-d Who invokes the evil, and the curse will descend upon the place near the hanged person, for there is a secret [in the fact that the contaminated air surrounding the corpse] affects the soul [of the living]. Therefore thou defile not thy Land. ”¹⁰⁴ Thus whoever allows the body [of a criminal] to hang overnight transgresses both a negative commandment [his body shall not remain all night upon the tree]¹⁰⁴ and a positive commandment¹¹⁷ (613) Commandments. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 243-244, and Vol. II, p. 65. [but thou shalt surely bury him the same day].¹⁰⁴ Our Rabbis have likewise interpreted¹¹⁸ that the same law applies to all other dead, that whoever suffers his dead to remain overnight, except in order to render it honor,¹¹⁹). If the burial is delayed for any of these reasons, no transgression is committed. [violates the above commandments]. Just as [leaving the criminal hanging overnight upon] “the tree” is a form of disgrace, so all forms of disrespect [shown to the dead are also forbidden]. Now, according to the opinion of the Rabbis [that this law applies equally to every deceased, we must say] that the phrase ki kilelath Elokim talui¹⁰⁴ states that “although this criminal is deserving of disgrace” because of his great sin, nevertheless you shall not do so. And the parable of the two brothers [mentioned above] applies to everyone who suffers his dead to remain overnight. So also the curse [emanating from a corpse] to which Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra referred, applies to every house where there is a dead person, and therefore he defiles everyone that cometh into the tent, and every thing that is in the tent.¹²⁰