Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 3:23/רמב"ן על דברים ג׳:כ״ג
אוָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה' בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר כִּבּוּשׁ אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וְאָמַר (דברים ג':כ"א) וְאֶת יְהוֹשׁוּעַ צִוֵּיתִי בָּעֵת הַהִיא, הִזְכִּיר כִּי אֲנִי לֹא אֶעֱבֹר שָׁם, כִּי הִתְחַנַּנְתִּי אֶל הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלַי, וְצִוָּה אוֹתִי לְחַזֵּק אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי הוּא יַעֲבֹר. וְטַעַם בָּעֵת הַהִיא, רֶמֶז לְעֵת הַגְּזֵרָה שֶׁהִזְכִּיר (דברים א':ל"ז) גַּם בִּי הִתְאַנַּף ה', וְלֹא נִזְכְּרָה שָׁם הַתְּחִנָּה בְּיוֹם הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְהַנָּכוֹן כִּי בָּעֵת הַהִיא בָּעֵת הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת שֶׁכָּבַשְׁתִּי סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וְהִתְחַלְתִּי לְהִלָּחֵם בָּעֲמָמִין שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְחִלַּקְתִּי הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁנֵי הַשְּׁבָטִים, וְהָיָה זֶה כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר לוֹ (במדבר כז יב) עֲלֵה אֶל הַר הָעֲבָרִים הַזֶּה, כִּי אָז בִּקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עַל הַדָּבָר וְהִתְחַנֵּן הַתְּחִנָּה הַזֹּאת, וְכַאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׁמַע הַשֵּׁם בְּקוֹלוֹ חָזַר וְהִתְפַּלֵּל, יִפְקֹד ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל בָּשָׂר אִישׁ עַל הָעֵדָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּזְכַּר שָׁם (דברים ג':ט"ז), וְזֶהוּ וְצַו אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (דברים ג':כ"ח). אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר שָׁם הַתְּפִלָּה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲנָה עָלֶיהָ, וְכָאן הִזְכִּיר זֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי הָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עָלָיו מְאֹד וְלֹא זָכָה אֵלֶיהָ בַּעֲבוּרָם, וְכָל זֶה מִתּוֹכְחוֹתָיו:
1AND I BESOUGHT THE ETERNAL AT THAT TIME, SAYING. [The time referred to, is] when Moses mentioned the conquest of the lands of Sihon and Og. He said, And I commanded Joshua at that time,1 intimating, that “I [Moses] will not go over there, for I besought the Glorious Name2 [to rescind the decree forbidding me to enter the Land], but He hearkened not to me and He commanded me to charge Joshua, for he shall go over before this people.”3The purport of the expression at that time is that it alludes to the time of the decree that he mentioned, Also the Eternal was angry with me [for your sakes, saying: ‘Thou shalt not go in thither’],4 though [Moses’] supplication is not mentioned there on the day of that event. The correct interpretation, however, is that the expression at that time refers to the time mentioned: “when I conquered Sihon and Og and I began to war against the nations given to Israel and I allocated the land to the two tribes [Reuben and Gad].” In that case, this supplication [referred to here] was offered when it was said to Moses, Get thee up into this mountain of A barim,5 for it was then that he sought mercy in the matter and entreated this supplication. And when G-d did not hearken to his voice, he again prayed, Let the Eternal, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,6, Verse 16. as is mentioned there. It is this verse, And charge Joshua3 [that constitutes the answer to Moses’ second request]. Now, there [in the Book of Numbers] Scripture mentioned the prayer on which he was affirmatively answered [namely, the appointment of a successor]7, Verses 18-21. and here he mentioned this [unsuccessful prayer] in order to inform the people that, although the Land was beloved to him, he did not merit [to enter] it because of them. All this was part of his reproof.