Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 23:3/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ג:ג׳

אמַמְזֵר, שֵׁם לְאִישׁ מוּזָר מֵאֶחָיו וְיוֹדְעָיו, שֶׁלֹּא יִוָּדַע מֵאַיִן בָּא, כִּלְשׁוֹן וְיָשַׁב מַמְזֵר בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד וְהִכְרַתִּי גְּאוֹן פְּלִשְׁתִּים (זכריה ט ו), יֹאמַר שֶׁלֹּא יֵשֵׁב בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד זוּלָתִי אִישׁ נָכְרִי וְזָר שֶׁיַּעֲבֹר בּוֹ, כִּי יַכְרִית גְּאוֹן פְּלִשְׁתִּים מִמֶּנּוּ. וְהִנֵּה הַנּוֹלָד לְאִישׁ מֵאֵשֶׁת אָבִיו הוּא יַרְחִיק אוֹתוֹ וְלֹא יוֹדֶה בּוֹ לְבָשְׁתּוֹ וְלִכְלִמָּתוֹ מִן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הָרַע שֶׁעָשָׂה, וְגַם אִמּוֹ תַּשְׁלִיכֶנּוּ בַּלַּיְלָה, כְּעִנְיָן הָאֲסוּפִי הַנִּזְכָּר בַּתַּלְמוּד (קידושין סט), וְהִנֵּה הוּא מַמְזֵר בְּעִיר מוֹלַדְתּוֹ. וְכֵן כָּל הָעֲרָיוֹת, כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּקִדּוּשִׁין יְרוּשַׁלְמִי (פ"ג הי"ד), אָמַר ר' אַבְהוּ מַהוּ מַמְזֵר מוּם זָר:

1MAMZEIR’ (BASTARD). The term signifies a man who is muzar (estranged) from his brothers and his friends, for it is not known whence he comes. This is similar to the verse, And a ‘mamzeir’ shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines,²²³ the verse stating that no one will dwell in Ashdod save a foreigner or a stranger who will chance to pass by, for the pride of the Philistines will have been cut off from it [Ashdod]. Now, if a child is born to a man from his father’s wife, he [the father] will put him far away and not acknowledge him because of his shame and disgrace [resulting] from the evil deed that he committed. His mother also will cast him away by night, like the asufi (any cast-off child whose father and mother are unknown) that is mentioned in the Talmud.²²⁴ Thus the mamzeir is “estranged” in his native city, and so also the offspring of any of the forbidden relations as our Rabbis have said in Yerushalmi Kiddushin:²²⁵ “Rabbi Abahu said: What is the meaning of mamzeir? Mum zar (a strange blemish”).