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Ramban on Deuteronomy 29:17/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ט:י״ז

אפֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶם וְגוֹ' לְפִיכָךְ אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לְהַשְׁבִּיעֲכֶם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים כ"ט:י"ז), וְיָפֶה פֵּרֵשׁ. וְהַטַּעַם לוֹמַר אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לַהֲבִיאֲכֶם בְּאָלָה וּבִשְׁבוּעָה עַתָּה בַּבְּרִית הַזֹּאת מִיִּרְאָתִי אוּלַי נִפְתָּה לֵב קְצָתְכֶם לְשִׁקּוּצֵי מִצְרַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם בָּעֵגֶל, אוֹ לְשִׁקּוּצֵי עַמּוֹן וּמוֹאָב אֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם בַּדֶּרֶךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה לָכֶם בְּבַעַל פְּעוֹר, כִּי בַּבְּרִית הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁל שְׁעַת מַתַּן תּוֹרָה לֹא הָיוּ שָׁם אָלוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת. וְהִזְכִּיר אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה דַּעְתָּהּ קַלָּה עָלֶיהָ, וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה בְּעִנְיַן ע"ז (דברים י"ז:ב'). וְהִזְכִּיר יְחִידִים וּמִשְׁפָּחָה וְשֵׁבֶט שֶׁהוּא עַם רַב וְלֹא אָמַר עַל כֻּלָּם, דֶּרֶךְ כָּבוֹד, אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לֵב כֻּלָּם פּוֹנֶה הַיּוֹם לע"ז, כִּי לֹא הָיוּ בָּאִים בִּבְרִית הַשֵּׁם וּבְאָלָתוֹ, כִּי מִי יַכְרִיחֵם, אֲבָל מִשְׁפָּחָה אוֹ שֵׁבֶט יָבוֹאוּ בַּבְּרִית מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד הָרֹב. וְאָמַר פֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶם וְגוֹ' אֲשֶׁר לְבָבוֹ פֹנֶה הַיּוֹם, עַל הַנִּפְתֶּה כְּבָר לע"ז וְהוּא בְּלִבּוֹ מַאֲמִין בָּהּ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, אוֹ פֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶם שֹׁרֶשׁ רַע שֶׁיִּפְרַח וְיִשְׂגֶּה וּבַיָּמִים הַבָּאִים יוֹצִיא פְּרָחִים רָעִים וְיַצְמִיחַ מְרֹרוֹת, וְזֶה עַל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם, כִּי הָאָב שֹׁרֶשׁ וְהַבֵּן נֵצֶר מִשָּׁרָשָׁיו יִפְרֶה, וְהִזְכִּיר הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ לוֹמַר כִּי הוּא יָכוֹל לְהָבִיא בְּאָלָה הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים, שֶׁהַשֹּׁרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר מִמֶּנּוּ יִצְמְחוּ הוּא לְפָנָיו הַיּוֹם וְהוּא בָּא בַּבְּרִית וּבָאָלָה הַזֹּאת. וְאָמַר פֹּרֶה רֹאשׁ, לִרְמֹז כִּי מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ מָתוֹק לֹא יֵצֵא מַר, וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לְבָבוֹ שָׁלֵם עִם הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְלֹא הִרְהֵר כְּלָל בע"ז לֹא יוֹלִיד מוֹדֶה בָּהּ. וְאַל תַּקְשֶׁה עָלַי בָּזֶה מִן הַכָּתוּב (יחזקאל יח י), וְהוֹלִיד בֵּן פָּרִיץ, כִּי אֱמֶת הַדָּבָר וְסוֹד גָּדוֹל לֹא אוּכַל לְפָרֵשׁ בּוֹ:

1LEST THERE SHOULD BE AMONG YOU etc. “Therefore, I must place you under an oath.” Thus far is Rashi’s language. He has commented well. And the purport thereof is to state, “I must bring you now into this covenant with an imprecation and an oath on account of my fear that perhaps the hearts of some of you have been beguiled into following the abominations of Egypt as you did at the [affair of the golden] calf, or the abominations of Ammon and Moab that you saw on the road when you had the affair with Baal-peor,” for at the first covenant at the time of the Giving of the Torah there were no imprecations and curses. He stated [lest there should be among you] man or woman because a woman is frivolous [and can easily be led into idol-worship]. He stated a similar expression in [the chapter dealing with an individual] worshipping the idols.¹⁹ He mentioned individuals, family, and tribe [lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe] meaning a multitude, but he did not say it [lest they should worship the idols] concerning all of them, out of respect [to them]. Or it may be that it was impossible for the hearts of all of them to turn to the idols on that day, because, if so, they would not have come into the covenant of G-d and His oath, for who could have compelled them. A family or tribe, however, might have come into the covenant for fear of the majority. He stated lest there should be among you [man, or woman etc.] whose heart turneth away this day referring to him who has already been beguiled to idol-worship and who secretly believes in them that day. Or lest there should be among you an evil root that will blossom and grow and in the coming days will bring forth poisonous buds and grow bitter herbs. This refers back to him that is not here with us this day,²⁰ for the father is the root and the son is the twig that shall grow forth out of his roots.²¹ He mentioned the root in order to state that he can bring the coming generations into this oath, for the root from which the coming generations will grow is before him this day, and it comes within this covenant and oath. He stated a root that beareth gall to suggest that from a sweet root no bitter plant will issue, and that all those whose hearts are perfect with the Glorious Name²² and gave no thought to the idols, will not give birth to a child, who will avow idolatry. Now, do not refute me in this matter on the basis of the verse If he [a man who is just, and does that which is lawful and right] beget a son that is a robber,²³ for the matter is true, there being a great secret therein which I cannot explain.²⁴

בוְרֹאשׁ וְלַעֲנָה, עֲשָׂבִים מָרִים אוֹ מְמִיתִים, וּשְׁמָם כֵּן בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, אוֹ הֵם כִּנּוּיִים, יִקְרְאוּ הָאֶחָד רֹאשׁ שֶׁהוּא רֹאשׁ הַמְּרוֹרִים מַר מִכֻּלָּם, וְהַשֵּׁנִי יִקְרְאוּ לַעֲנָה מֵעִנְיַן לֵעָנוֹת מִפָּנָי (שמות י ג), כִּי הָאוֹכֵל אוֹתוֹ נִגַּשׂ וְנַעֲנֶה לְעַנּוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ יֹאכְלֶנּוּ:

2‘Rosh v’la’anah’ (gall and wormwood) are bitter or poisonous herbs. These are their names in the Sacred Language. Or it may be that they are surnames, one called rosh (“the head”) because it is the head of the bitter herbs, the bitterest of all, and the second is called la’anah, from the expression ‘lei’anoth’ (to humble thyself) before Me,²⁵ for he who eats it becomes oppressed and is humbled, because he eats it only in order to afflict his soul.