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Ramban on Deuteronomy 32:5/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ב:ה׳

אשִׁחֵת לוֹ לֹא בָּנָיו מוּמָם, הַמּוּם יִקָּרֵא הַשְׁחָתָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כב כה) כִּי מָשְׁחָתָם בָּהֶם מוּם בָּם, וְכֵן וְזוֹבֵחַ מָשְׁחָת לַה' (מלאכי א יד), יֹאמַר כִּי מוּמָם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁחֵת לְצוּר עַמּוֹ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ. וּקְרָאָם לֹא בָּנָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֵם בָּנָיו בְּעֵת רָצוֹן. וְאָמַר כִּי הֵם דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל, כִּי הָעִקְּשׁוּת הֶפֶךְ הַיֹּשֶׁר, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מיכה ג ט) וְאֵת כָּל הַיְשָׁרָה יְעַקֵּשׁוּ, וְהַפְּתַלְתֹּל הֵפֶךְ הַצַּדִּיק, וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר וְהָעָם בְּהֶפֶךְ מִזֶּה, אֵינָם בָּנָיו, אֲבָל הֵם מַשְׁחִיתִים לוֹ. וְשִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב, שִׁחֵת לוֹ מוּמָם אֶת לֹא בָּנָיו דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל. וְהִנֵּה הַטַּעַם שֶׁלֹּא בָּא חֶסְרוֹן מַעֲלָתָם מִפֹּעַל הַצּוּר, כִּי הוּא תָּמִים וְלֹא יָבוֹא בּוֹ חֶסְרוֹן לְעוֹלָם, אֲבָל מוּמָם הוּא הַמַּשְׁחִית אוֹתָם לִפְנֵי אֲבִיהֶם. וְטַעַם לֹא בָּנָיו, כְּמוֹ וְאָמַרְתִּי לְלֹא עַמִּי עַמִּי אַתָּה (הושע ב כה), וְכֵן הֵם קִנְאוּנִי בְלֹא אֵל (דברים ל"ב:כ"א), בְּמִי שֶׁאֵינֶנּוּ אֵל, וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ בְּלֹא אֱלֹהִים (ירמיהו ה ז). אוֹ יֹאמַר שִׁחֵת לוֹ מוּמָם שֶׁאֵינָם בָּנָיו, כִּי הֵם דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל הֵפֶךְ מִמֶּנּוּ:

1THE CORRUPTION WAS TOWARDS HIM; THEY ARE NOT HIS CHILDREN [BECAUSE OF] THEIR BLEMISH. The blemish is called “corruption,” as it is said, their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them,¹² and similarly, and he sacrificeth unto the Eternal ‘a corrupted’ thing,¹³ [which means “a blemished” thing]. He [Moses] thus states that the blemish of Israel is the corruption towards the Rock of His people and His inheritance, and [therefore] he calls them not His children, just as, in an acceptable time¹⁴ [a time when they conduct themselves properly] he calls them “His children.”¹⁵ He states that they are a generation crooked and perverse, for crookedness is the opposite of uprightness, similar to what is said, and they make crooked all equity,¹⁶. The contrast between yashar (straight) and akeish (crooked) is thus clear. and the perverse is the opposite of the righteous. Consequently, since He is just and right¹⁷ and they are the opposite of that, they are not [considered] His children; rather, they are considered by Him to be corrupted. And the sequence of the verse is thus: “their corruption towards Him — which is their blemish — has caused them not to be considered His children, [for they are] a generation crooked and perverse.” The sense thereof is that the dimunition of their status did not result from the deed of the Rock, for He is perfect and there can never be imperfection in Him, but it is their blemish that corrupts them before their Father. And the meaning of the expression not His children is like And I will say to them that were not My people: ‘Thou art My people.’¹⁸ is thus identical with not His ‘people.’ Similarly, They have aroused Me to jealousy with a no-god,¹⁹ meaning, with something that is not a god. So also, and they have sworn by no-gods.²⁰ Or it may be that the verse here states: “The corruption towards Him is their blemish, that they are not His children, for they are a generation crooked and perverse, the opposite of Him.”