Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 21:23/רמב"ן על דברים כ״א:כ״ג
אוְלֹא תְטַמֵּא אֶת אַדְמָתְךָ, עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אֵינֶנּוּ טַעַם בִּלְבַד בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁלֹּא תְטַמֵּא אֶת אַדְמָתְךָ, שֶׁאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה מֻתָּר בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ, אֲבָל הוּא לָאו שֵׁנִי. וְהִנֵּה הַמֵּלִין הַתָּלוּי אוֹ אֲפִלּוּ הַמֵּת בָּאָרֶץ עוֹבֵר בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוִין וַעֲשֵׂה, וּבְחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ בַּעֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה אֶחָד, שֶׁהוּא לָמֵד מִן הַתָּלוּי כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי. וּמִן הַלָּאו הַזֶּה קָבַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מַלְכֵי כְּנַעַן בְּיוֹמָן, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין בִּתְלִיָּתָן הַקְּלָלָה שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּמְגַדֵּף וְעוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, אֲבָל הָיָה בָּהֶם מִשּׁוּם טֻמְאַת הָאָרֶץ. אוֹ שֶׁחָשַׁשׁ לְקִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים מִן הַמָּשָׁל שֶׁל שְׁנֵי הָאַחִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי.
1AND THOU DEFILE NOT THY LAND. In the opinion of our Rabbis this is not merely a reason, meaning [that a corpse may not be left hanging] “in order that you defile not your Land,” for, if so, it would be permissible [to leave the dead overnight] outside the Land. Instead, this is a second negative commandment. Now, whoever leaves overnight the corpse of a criminal hanging, or of any dead body in the Land transgresses two negative commandments [his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, and thou defile not the Land] and a positive commandment [but thou shalt surely bury him the same day]. Outside the Land [whenever someone allows any corpse to remain overnight] he violates the positive commandment [mentioned] and the negative commandment [his body shall not remain all night] which is derived from the law of the hanging corpse, as I have explained. It is by reason of this negative commandment that Joshua buried the Canaanite kings121 during the day of their execution, although, in their hanging, there would not have been the curse which our Rabbis mentioned with regards to the blasphemer and idol-worshipper. Rather, it was on account of the uncleanness of the Land [which their hanging would have caused] or because he was apprehensive of the desecration of G-d on the basis of the parable of the two brothers, as I have mentioned.