Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 32:6/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ב:ו׳

אעַם נָבָל וְלֹא חָכָם, שֶׁשָּׁכְחוּ הַטּוֹב שֶׁעָשָׂה לָהֶם. וְלֹא חָכָם, לְהָבִין אֶת הַנּוֹלָד, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ לְהֵטִיב וּלְהָרַע, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ל"ב:ו'). וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על דברים ל"ב:ו') תִּרְגֵּם, עַמָּא דְּקַבִּילוּ אוֹרָיְתָא, עֲשָׂאוֹ מִן נָבֹל תִּבֹּל (שמות יח יח), שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ בּוֹ מִלְאָה תִלְאֵה. יֹאמַר, עַם שֶׁנִּלְאוּ בַּעֲשִׂיַּת הַתּוֹרָה, וְלֹא יִתְחַכְּמוּ שֶׁהִיא לְטוֹב לָהֶם כָּל הַיָּמִים. וְכֵן אָמַר בְּגוֹי נָבָל (דברים ל"ב:כ"א), בְּעַמָּא טַפְשָׁא, שֶׁנִּלְאוּ לִהְיוֹת חֲכָמִים אוֹ בַּעֲלֵי דָּת. ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על דברים ל"ב:ו') נָבָל בְּמַעֲשֶׂה, וְלֹא חָכָם בַּלֵּב. וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי הָעוֹשֶׂה טוֹבַת חִנָּם יִקָּרֵא נָדִיב, וּמְשַׁלֵּם רָעָה לְמִי שֶׁהֵטִיב עִמּוֹ יִקָּרֵא נָבָל, וְהוּא שֶׁאָמַר (ישעיהו לב ה) לֹא יִקָּרֵא עוֹד לְנָבָל נָדִיב, כִּי הוּא הֶפְכּוֹ. וּלְכָךְ אָמְרוּ עַל נָבָל הַכַּרְמְלִי (שמואל א כה כה), כִשְׁמוֹ כֶּן הוּא נָבָל שְׁמוֹ וּנְבָלָה עִמּוֹ, כִּי דָּוִד עָשָׂה עִמּוֹ טוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה וְשָׁמַר אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ, וְהוּא לֹא רָצָה לְשַׁלֵּם לוֹ גְּמוּל וַיָּעַט בְּמַלְאָכָיו וַיִּבְזֵהוּ. וְזֶהוּ טַעַם הַכָּתוּב בַּחֲבֵרָיו שֶׁל אִיּוֹב (איוב מב ח), לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת עִמָּכֶם נְבָלָה, כִּי הָיוּ הֵם מְלַמְּדִים זְכוּת עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא שֶׁהוּא בְּמִשְׁפָּט, וְאִם יָרַע לָהֶם תֵּרָאֶה נְבָלָה. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא כֵן בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהוּא נוֹפֵל מִבְּנֵי אָדָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר כְּאֵלָה נֹבֶלֶת עָלֶיהָ (ישעיהו א ל), כְּמוֹ נוֹפֶלֶת עָלֶיהָ, וְיִקְרְאוּ הַמֵּתָה נְבֵלָה, שֶׁנָּפְלָה לָאָרֶץ וּמֵתָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שופטים יד ח) לִרְאוֹת אֵת מַפֶּלֶת הָאַרְיֵה. אִם כֵּן יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב, הֲזֹאת תִּגְמְלוּ אֶת הַשֵּׁם עַל הַטּוֹבוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה עִמָּכֶם, עַם נָבָל שֶׁהוּא מְשַׁלֵּם רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה, וְלֹא חָכָם לָדַעַת כִּי לְנַפְשָׁם גָּמְלוּ הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת, לֹא לָאֵל, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב לה ו ז), אִם חָטָאתָ מַה תִּפְעָל בּוֹ וְרַבּוּ פְשָׁעֶיךָ מַה תַּעֲשֶׂה לּוֹ, אִם צָדַקְתָּ מַה תִּתֶּן לוֹ אוֹ מַה מִיָּדְךָ יִקָּח, הֲלֹא הָאֵל הוּא אָבִיךָ, כִּי הוֹלִידְךָ וְגִדֶּלְךָ, וְהוּא קָנֶךָ, שֶׁשָּׂמְךָ קִנְיָן, כִּי הוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵאַיִן וְהָיִיתָ יֵשׁ, וְכָל יֵשׁ יֵשׁ לוֹ קִנְיָן, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ (משלי ח כב), וְכֵן קוֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ (בראשית יד יט), כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּיו. וְהוּא צוּר עָשְׂךָ וַיְכֹנְנֶךָ, כִּלְשׁוֹן וַיְכֻנֶנּוּ בָּרֶחֶם אֶחָד (איוב לא טו):

1AM NAVAL’ (A FOOLISH PEOPLE), AND NOT WISE. “A foolish people — that has forgotten [all] the good that He has done for them. And not wise to understand the result [of their actions], that it is in His power to do them good or evil.” This is Rashi’s language. Now, Onkelos rendered [am naval]: “a people that has received the Torah, [and who are not wise],” deriving it from [the expression] navol tibol²¹ which he translated milah thilei (“thou wilt surely become weary”). Thus the verse here states: “it is a people weary of the observance of the Torah and they are not wise [enough to realize] that it is for their eternal good.” Similarly Onkelos rendered b’goi naval²² — “with a foolish people,” apathetic in becoming wise or people of faith. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra interpreted: “Naval (foolish) in deeds, and not wise in heart.”In my opinion he who performs an unrequired act [of goodness or kindness] is called nadiv (generous), while he who repays his benefactor with evil is called naval (a vile person). And so it is stated, ‘L’naval’ (the vile person) will no longer be called ‘nadiv’ (generous),²³ for one is the opposite of the other. Therefore it was said of Nabal the Carmelite, for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and ‘n’valah’ (vileness) is with him.²⁴ For David did him a great favor — he guarded all his belongings — and he [Nabal] did not want to pay him any recompense; instead, he shouted at his [David’s] messengers²⁵, Verse 14. and disgraced them. And this is the sense of the verse concerning [G-d’s words to] the friends of Job: [And my servant Job shall pray for you; for him alone will I receive favorably,] so as not to do unto you ‘n’valah’ (an unseemly act) [because you have not spoken of Me properly, as My servant Job hath;]²⁶ if they were to be punished, although they were to be blamed for having spoken certain things which were not right nor true. since they had defended the deed of the glorious and fearful Name,²⁷ saying it was done justly, and if He were to punish them now, it would appear as n’valah (an unseemly act).²⁶ if they were to be punished, although they were to be blamed for having spoken certain things which were not right nor true.It is possible that the term naval is used [for a vile person] because he is an inferior type of a human being, just as the expression as an oak whose leaf ‘noveleth’²⁸ which means “falls” [because it withered. Thus, the word noveleth (withers), spelled with a beth, is related to nofeleth (falls) spelled with a fei. Similarly, a person who is nofel, “falls” short of acceptable standards of conduct, is referred to as naval.] A dead animal is called n’veilah because “it falls” upon the earth and dies, just as it is said, to see the ‘mapeleth’ (carcass) of the lion.²⁹ If so, Scripture states here: “Do you thus requite G-d for all the good He has done for you? It is an am naval that repays evil for good, and unwise not to know that they have wrought this evil unto themselves,”³⁰ and not to G-d. It is similar to what is stated, If thou hast sinned, what doest thou against Him? And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto Him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? or what receiveth He of thy hand?³¹ For G-d is thy Father,³² Who brought you forth and raised you; and He is ‘konecha,’³² Who made you a kinyan (a possession), for He brought you forth from nothingness and you became a being, and every tangible reality can be acquired as a possession. [Therefore, the word koneh is used interchangeably to mean “make” or “create” and “acquire” as shown in the following examples.] It is similar to what is said, The Eternal ‘kanani’ (made) me as the beginning of His way;³³ likewise, ‘Koneih’ (Maker) of heaven and earth,³⁴ as I have explained.³⁵, (Vol. I, pp. 190-191). And He created you, made thee, and established thee,³² similar to the expression, and One fashioned us in the womb.³⁶