Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 32:7/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ב:ז׳

אשְׁאַל אָבִיךָ, רֶמֶז לַמְּבִינִים, וְכֵן זְקֵנֶיךָ, וְהַטַּעַם כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (דברים ד':י"ט) אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֹתָם וְגוֹ', כִּי לְכָל חֵלֶק בְּמַטָּה חֵלֶק לְמַעְלָה, וְטַעַם לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי צוּרַת יַעֲקֹב חֲקוּקָה בְּכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, וְהוּא סוֹד גָּדוֹל. וְהָעֵד, כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּוֹ, וְזֹאת מַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה כֵן לְכָל גּוֹי. עַל כֵּן אָמַר הַלְה' תִּגְמְלוּ זֹאת עַם נָבָל וְלֹא חָכָם, שֶׁנָּפַל מִמַּעֲלָתוֹ בְּאִוַּלְתּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם אָבִיךָ קָּנֶךָ, כִּי קָנָהוּ לִכְבוֹדוֹ וַיְלַמְּדֵהוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר יְפָרֵשׁ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָאָב עִם הַבֵּן, לְשׁוֹן ר"א (אבן עזרא על דברים ל"ב:ח'). וְדִבְרֵי פִי חָכָם חֵן. וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם, שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לֵב לִזְכֹּר שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית, הַטּוֹבָה שֶׁעָשָׂה לָהֶם בְּעֵת הַיְּצִירָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיֹּאמַר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם וְגוֹ', בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּר וָדֹר, שֶׁיָּבִינוּ לָדַעַת מָה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה לָהֶם בַּדּוֹרוֹת מֵעֵת שֶׁשָּׁרְתָה שְׁכִינָה בֵּינֵיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר יְסַפֵּר, יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וְגוֹ'. וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על דברים ל"ב:י') יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר, אוֹתָם מָצָא לוֹ נֶאֱמָנִים בְּאֶרֶץ הַמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם תּוֹרָתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ וְעֻלּוֹ, מָה שֶׁלֹּא עָשׂוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְעֵשָׂו. וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמוֹן, אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה מְקוֹם יִלְלַת תַּנִּינִים וּבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה, אַף שָׁם נִמְשְׁכוּ אַחַר הָאֱמוּנָה, וְלֹא אָמְרוּ לְמֹשֶׁה הֵיאַךְ נֵצֵא לַמִּדְבָּר. וְזֶה אֵינֶנּוּ מִטַּעַם הַפָּרָשָׁה, כִּי הַכָּתוּב מוֹכִיחַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמַזְכִּיר הַטּוֹבוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַשֵּׁם עִמָּהֶם וְהֵם גָּמְלוּ לָהֶם רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה:

1ASK THY FATHER — “this alludes to those who understand [the events of former days], and so thine elders [and they will tell thee — for they too, understand the past]. The purport thereof is, as he stated, which the Eternal thy G-d hath allotted them etc.,³⁷ since for each portion below, [i.e., each nation on earth] there is a [counterpart] portion on high. And the meaning of the expression [He set the borders of the peoples] according to the number of the children of Israel³⁸ is that the image of Jacob is inscribed in the Throne of Glory, this being a great secret. And the proof for this is For the portion of the Eternal is His people,³⁹ this being a great distinction which He hath not dealt so with any nation.⁴⁰ Therefore, he said, Do ye thus requite the Eternal, O foolish people and unwise?⁴¹ — a people that has fallen from its distinction because of its foolishness. And the meaning of the expression thy Father that hath gotten thee⁴¹ is, that He created you for His honor and taught you, as he explains, as a father does for his son.” Thus far is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.⁴²If so, the meaning of Remember the days of old⁴³ is that they apply their hearts to remember the six days of Creation, the good He did them at the time of the formation [of the nations], as he goes on to say When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance etc.³⁸ Consider the years of many generations⁴³ — that they contemplate in order to know what was done for them during the generations since the Divine Presence dwelled among them, as he proceeds to tell: He found him in a desert land etc.⁴⁴Now, Rashi commented: “He found him in a desert land.⁴⁴ He found them [the people of Israel] to be faithful to Him in the desert land when they accepted upon themselves His Torah, His Sovereignty, and His yoke — something that the children of Esau and Ishmael did not do. And in the waste, a howling wilderness⁴⁴ — a land of drought and desolation, a place of the jackals’ and ostriches’ cry. Even there they continued their faith [in Him] and did not say to Moses, ‘How can we go out into the wilderness?’” But this is not the purport of the chapter, for Scripture [here] reproves Israel, mentioning the favors which G-d did for them — and they requited them [the favors] with evil instead of good.