Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 26:15/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ו:ט״ו

אאֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ לָנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ לָתֵת לָנוּ וְקִיַּמְתָּ, אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים כ"ו:ט"ו). וְאִם כֵּן שִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב, וְאֵת הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ לָנוּ אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ. ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על דברים כ"ו:ט"ו) כִּי טַעְמוֹ לִהְיוֹתָהּ כֵּן תָּמִיד, כְּלוֹמַר וּבָרֵךְ אֶת הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ לָנוּ לִהְיוֹתָהּ אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ. וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ בְּכָל זֶה, כִּי בִּכְלַל הַדִּבּוּר אוֹ הַשְּׁבוּעָה הַנְּתִינָה, אוֹמֵר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לִי שָׂדֶה שֶׁלְּךָ, אָמַרְתָּ לִי מָנֶה. וְכֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֶיךָ לָךְ אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ (דברים ו':ג'), וּכְבָר פֵּרַשְׁנוּ (שם). וְכֵן וַיִּתֶּן לוֹ בַיִת וְלֶחֶם אָמַר לוֹ וְאֶרֶץ נָתַן לוֹ (מלכים א יא יח). וְלֹא יִקְשֶׁה בְּעֵינֶיךָ בְּכָאן כִּי לֹא נִזְכַּר בִּשְׁבוּעוֹת הָאָבוֹת אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, כִּי מֵאַחַר שֶׁהָאָרֶץ הַהִיא בָּעֵת הַהִיא אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הִנֵּה נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶם בְּאֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ. אוֹ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ, יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לָהֶם (שמות ג ח) אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, כְּעִנְיַן וַיָּרֵעוּ לָנוּ מִצְרַיִם וְלַאֲבֹתֵינוּ (במדבר כ טו):

1WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN US, AS THOU DIDST SWEAR UNTO OUR FATHERS — “to give it³⁶] lack a connecting word or phrase. Ramban will point out that “giving” is implicit in “swearing.” to us and Thou hast fulfilled [Thy promise by] giving us A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.” This is Rashi’s language. If so, the order of the verse is [to be inverted as follows]: “and the Land which Thou hast given us, a Land flowing with milk and honey, as Thou didst swear unto our father.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the meaning thereof is, may it always be so, that is to say, “and bless the Land which You have given us to be [always] a Land flowing with milk and honey.” But there is no need for all this, for included in the term “speaking” or “swearing” is the act of “giving.” Thus a man may say to his fellow, “You have sworn me your field” [which means: “you have sworn to give me your field”], or “You have told me a hundred” [which means “you have sworn to give me a hundred dinars”]. Similarly, as the Eternal, the G-d of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee — a Land flowing with milk and honey³⁷ [the term “hath spoken” means “hath spoken that He would give thee”]. We have already explained it [there].³⁷ So also, and he gave him a house, and food he told him, and gave him land³⁸ [which means “and food he promised to give him”]. Now, do not find it difficult here that in the oaths made to the patriarchs “a Land flowing with milk and honey” is not mentioned. Since at that time the Land was a Land flowing with milk and honey, [it would have been redundant to describe it explicitly. Therefore it was as if] He swore to them by a Land flowing with milk and honey. Or it may be that unto our fathers [here does not mean the patriarchs] but those who came forth from Egypt, for it was to them that it was said, unto a Land flowing with milk and honey,³⁹ similar to the expression, and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers⁴⁰ [which refers to “our fathers” who came forth from Egypt].