Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 29:18/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ט:י״ח

אוְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר, כְּשֶׁיִּשְׁמַע הָאֲחֵרִים מִתְקַלְּלִים בָּאָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הוּא יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּמַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ וְיֹאמַר בְּלִבּוֹ, שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה לִי מִכָּל אֵלֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵלֵךְ בְּתַאֲוַת לִבִּי. וְהַשֵּׁם לֹא יִסְלַח לוֹ, אֲבָל יֶעְשַׁן עָלָיו אַפּוֹ אָז כְּשֶׁיֶּחְטָא לְדוֹר אוֹ לְדוֹרוֹת. אוֹ יִהְיֶה טַעַם "כִּי" לֵאמֹר יִהְיֶה לִי שָׁלוֹם בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֵינֶנִּי מְקַבֵּל עָלַי הַשְּׁבוּעָה כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ כָּל יָמַי, וְכָל חֶפְצִי אֶעֱשֶׂה. וְלֹא יֹאבֶה ה' בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֵינֶנּוּ מְקַבֵּל אָלָתוֹ לִסְלֹחַ לוֹ, אֲבָל יֶעְשַׁן עָלָיו אַפּוֹ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּא בִּבְרִיתוֹ לְפָנַי עִם כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. הַתַּאֲוָה הַגּוֹבֶרֶת וּמִתְחַזֶּקֶת בַּלֵּב תִּקָּרֵא שְׁרִירוּת, כִּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים (בבא בתרא קס), שָׁרִיר וְקַיָּם, וְכֵן בִּשְׁרִירֵי בִטְנוֹ (איוב מ טז):

1AND HE BLESS HIMSELF IN HIS HEART, SAYING: [‘I SHALL HAVE PEACE’]. When he will hear others imprecating themselves with these oaths, he will in his imagination bless himself, saying in his heart, “I shall have peace from any curse when I follow the desire of my heart.” G-d will not pardon him; instead, His anger will then be kindled against him²⁶ whenever he sins, in that generation or [when his descendants sin] in later generations.²⁷ applies to one who has already been beguiled after the idols; or lest there should be among you an evil root refers to the descendants. It is with reference to these two types of idol-worshippers that Ramban says here that G-d’s anger will be kindled when he sins in that generation, or when his descendants sin in future generations (Kur Zahav). Or the sense of the verses may be as follows: “Because he says [publicly]: I shall have peace, since in my heart I do not accept the oath upon myself, for I shall walk in the stubborness of my heart all my days and carry out all my desires. And the Eternal will not be willing to pardon him²⁶ because he did not accept His imprecation; instead, His anger will be kindled against him²⁶ since he came into the covenant in My presence with all [the people of] Israel.” [Therefore the refusal of an individual to accept the covenant constitutes a punishable defiance.]A desire that grows stronger and more in one’s heart is termed [in Hebrew] shriruth [‘ki bishriruth libi eileich’ — for I shall walk in ‘the stubborness’ of my heart], similar to the expression of the Sages:²⁸ “sharir (strong) and established.” So also, ‘bishrirei’ (in the muscles of) his body.²⁹

בוּפֵרוּשׁ לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת הַצְּמֵאָה, לְהוֹסִיף הַשְּׂבֵעָה עִם הַמִּתְאַוָּה. כִּי נֶפֶשׁ שְׂבֵעָה תִּקָּרֵא רָוָה, כְּעִנְיַן וְרִוֵּיתִי נֶפֶשׁ הַכֹּהֲנִים דָּשֶׁן וְעַמִּי אֶת טוּבִי יִשְׂבָּעוּ (ירמיהו לא יג), וְהָיְתָה נַפְשָׁם כְּגַן רָוֶה (שם פסוק יא); וְהַמִּתְאַוָּה תִּקָּרֵא צְמֵאָה, צָמְאָה לְךָ נַפְשִׁי (תהלים סג ב). וְהַטַּעַם כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם הָרָוָה שֶׁאֵינֶנָּה מִתְאַוָּה לִדְבָרִים הָרָעִים לָהּ, כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּבֹא בְּלִבּוֹ קְצָת הַתַּאֲוָה וְהוּא יְמַלֵּא תַּאֲוָתוֹ, אָז יוֹסִיף בְּנַפְשׁוֹ תַּאֲוָה יְתֵרָה, וְתִהְיֶה צְמֵאָה מְאֹד לַדָּבָר הַהוּא שֶׁאָכַל אוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה יוֹתֵר מִבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה, וְתִתְאַוֶּה עוֹד לִדְבָרִים רָעִים שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה מִתְאַוָּה לָהֶם מִתְּחִלָּה. כִּי הַמִּתְאַוֶּה לְזִמַּת הַנָּשִׁים הַיָּפוֹת, כְּשֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁטוּף בְּזִמָּתָן תְּבוֹאֵהוּ תַּאֲוָה לָבוֹא עַל הַזָּכָר וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה בִּשְׁאָר הַתַּאֲווֹת. וּכְעִנְיָן שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים (סוכה נב), מַשְׂבִּיעוֹ רָעֵב מַרְעִיבוֹ שָׂבֵעַ. וּלְכָךְ יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב בְּהוֹלֵךְ בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבּוֹ, שֶׁהוּא אִם יְמַלֵּא נַפְשׁוֹ בְּתַאֲווֹת הַשְּׁרִירוֹת וְהַחֲזָקוֹת עָלָיו אֲשֶׁר הִיא צְמֵאָה לָהֶם, יוֹסִיף נַפְשׁוֹ הָרָוָה עִם הַצְּמֵאָה, כִּי יִתְאַוֶּה וְיִצְמָא לְמָה שֶׁהָיָה שָׂבֵעַ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְלַאֲשֶׁר הִשְׂבִּיעַ נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ. וּלְפִי שֶׁהִזְכִּיר שֹׁרֶשׁ פֹּרֶה, אָמַר בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה, כִּי יוֹסִיף הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, הוּא כִּפָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִיא רָוָה וְרַעֲנָנָה, עִם הַצְּמֵאָה, וְתָשֹׁבְנָה כֻּלָּם צְמֵאוֹת. וְאֵין לְמַעַן בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה טַעַם, שֶׁאֵלֵךְ בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֶסְפֶּה הָרָוָה עִם הַצְּמֵאָה, אֲבָל הוּא כְּמוֹ לִסְפּוֹת, יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי בַּעֲבוּר זֶה יִהְיֶה כָּךְ, כִּי בְּכָל סִבָּה עִם עָלוּל יֹאמַר לְמַעַן, בֵּין שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה אָדָם הַגּוֹרֵם לִרְצוֹתוֹ בֶּעָלוּל, כְּמוֹ לְמַעַן (אשר) יִיטַב לָךְ, בֵּין שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אָדָם הַגּוֹרֵם כֵּן שֶׁלֹּא מִדַּעְתּוֹ, כְּמוֹ לְמַעַן לָמוּג לֵב (יחזקאל כא כ), לְמַעַן יֶאְשְׁמוּ (שם ו ו), כַּסְפָּם וּזְהָבָם עָשׂוּ לִי עֲצַבִּים לְמַעַן יִכָּרֵת (הושע ח ד), וְרַבִּים כָּאֵלֶּה. וְזֶה הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינַי בַּפָּסוּק הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַנִּכְתַּב עָלָיו בְּהַרְבֵּה פָּנִים. גַּם יִתָּכֵן לְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁהוּא שָׁב אֶל שֹׁרֶשׁ פֹּרֶה וְרֹאשׁ וְלַעֲנָה, יֹאמַר כִּי יִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה לִּי, לְמַעַן שֶׁיּוֹסִיף פֹּארָתוֹ הָרָוָה אֲשֶׁר תִּגְדַּל וְתַצְמִיחַ הַלַּעֲנָה וָרֹאשׁ עַל הַצְּמֵאָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיְתָה צוֹמַחַת, אוֹ יִהְיֶה הָרָוָה כִּנּוּי לַלַּעֲנָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת, שֶׁיּוֹסִיף הַלַּעֲנָה הָרָוָה הַצּוֹמַחַת וְגָדְלָה מְאֹד עַל הַצְּמֵאָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיְתָה גְּדֵלָה רַק מְעַט, וְתִהְיֶינָה שְׁתֵּיהֶן צוֹמְחוֹת. וְהַכַּוָּנָה בָּזֶה לוֹמַר כִּי כָל אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמַע הָאָלָה וְיִתְבָּרֵךְ מִמֶּנָּה וְיִתְחַזֵּק בִּשְׁרִירוּתוֹ, סְעִפָּיו יְשִׁיבוּהוּ לַחֲטֹא וְיַצְמִיחוּ פְּשָׁעִים יוֹתֵר מִבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה. וְגַם זֶה פֵּרוּשׁ נָכוֹן:

2L’MA’AN’ (THAT) THE WATERED BE SWEPT AWAY WITH THE THIRSTY. The meaning thereof is “‘to supplement’ the watered with the thirsty,” for the satisfied soul is called ravah (satiated), similar to, And I will ‘satiate the soul’ of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness;³⁰ and their soul shall be as a watered garden,³¹, Verse 11. while the desiring soul is called tz’meiah (thirsty): My ‘soul thirsteth’ for Thee.³² Therefore, the sense of the verse is: when into a person’s satisfied soul — one that does not desire harmful things — there comes a slight craving, and he satisfies his lust, then there will grow in his soul a craving even greater than the original one, for the thing that he ate or that he did, and it [the soul] will lust [even] after evil things for which he never craved at first. Thus, if someone craves for lewdness with beautiful women and becomes carried away in unchastity, his lust will ultimately bring him to sodomy and to bestiality and the like with other forms of lust. This is akin to what the Sages have mentioned [with respect to sexual craving]:³³ “The more one satisfies it, the more it hungers, the more one starves it, the more it is satisfied.” Therefore Scripture states concerning him who follows the stubborness of his heart, that if he will satisfy his soul with those stubborn and overpowering desires for which it thirsts, his soul “will add the watered to the thirsty,” for then he will desire and thirst after things for which he had been satisfied, and with which his soul was satiated [meaning that, up to then, he felt no desire for them]. And, because he used the expression ‘shoresh poreh’ (a root that beareth),³⁴ he follows this usage, saying that this root shall add a branch that will be satiated and leafy to the thirsty one and they will all become thirsty. Thus the word l’ma’an (that) in this place does not refer to the reason [i.e., “so that”]: “I will go in the stubborness of my heart so that I supplement the watered with the thirsty.” Instead its meaning is like “to add” — Scripture is saying that because of his conduct, this will be the result.³⁵ (so that) I supplement the watered etc.” but it is Scripture which declares “L’ma’an etc.” that “to add” the watered etc., will result from his conduct. For in every result of a particular action, Scripture uses the term l’ma’an, whether the responsible person does it intentionally to effect that result, as ‘l’ma’an’ (so that) it may be well with us,³⁶ is not found there in connection with this expression. or whether the person effecting the result does so unintentionally, as in the expressions: ‘l’ma’an’ (that) their heart may melt;³⁷ ‘l’ma’an’ (that) your altars may be laid waste;³⁸, 6:6. Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, ‘l’ma’an’ (that) they may be cut off,³⁹ and many other similar verses. In my opinion this is the best and most correct of all that has been written about this verse from many aspects.It is also possible to explain that the phrase [that the watered …] refers back to the expression a root that beareth gall and wormwood,³³ the verse stating that he will bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace,’ so that his watered branch, on which grow and sprout the wormwood and gall, should be added to the thirsty one on which nothing has grown.⁴⁰ Or the watered may be a surname for the aforementioned wormwood, meaning that the watered wormwood which sprouts and grows exceedingly will be added to the thirsty which until now has grown but little — so that now both will sprout. Thus the intent is to state that anyone who will hear the imprecation and will imagine himself to be immune against it, holding strongly to [this] stubborness, and, as a result, his thoughts will bring him to [further] sin sprouting transgressions greater than the first [the Eternal will not be willing to pardon him etc.].²⁶ This also is a correct interpretation.