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Ramban on Deuteronomy 33:12/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ג:י״ב

איְדִיד ה' יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח עָלָיו, יִקְרָא לְבִנְיָמִין יְדִיד ה', יֹאמַר בִּנְיָמִין שֶׁהוּא יְדִיד הַשֵּׁם יִשְׁכֹּן בְּאַרְצוֹ לָבֶטַח עַל הַשֵּׁם, וְהַשֵּׁם יִהְיֶה חוֹפֵף עָלָיו כָּל הַיָּמִים וּמַשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בְּתוֹךְ אַרְצוֹ. וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו, יִרְמֹז לְמָה שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ בּוֹ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (זבחים נד). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת, יְדִיד ה' יִשְׁכֹּן עַל בִּנְיָמִין, וְיִהְיֶה זֶה לָבֶטַח לְבִנְיָמִין, שֶׁיִּבְטְחוּ בַה' עֲדֵי עַד כִּי בְּיָהּ ה' צוּר עוֹלָמִים, וְהוּא יִהְיֶה חוֹפֵף וּמֵגֵן עַל בִּנְיָמִין כָּל הַיּוֹם, וְלֹא יֵבוֹשׁוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה, וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שֶׁל בִּנְיָמִין יִשְׁכֹּן לָעַד. וּמִכָּאן נִקְרָא שְׁלֹמֹה יְדִידְיָהּ בַּעֲבוּר ה' (שמואל ב יב כה), וּבָנָה יְדִידוּת מִשְׁכְּנֹתָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שְׁלֹמֹה גַּם כֵּן, לוֹמַר שֶׁמִּדָּתוֹ שְׁלֵמָה בְּשָׁלוֹם, וּלְפִיכָךְ נִכְתַּב בְּהֵ"א. וְאָמְרוּ בַּמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁל ר' נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן הַקָּנָה, אָמַר לוֹ הקב"ה הוֹאִיל וְשִׁמְךָ כְּשֵׁם כְּבוֹדִי אֶתֵּן לְךָ אֶת בִּתִּי, דִּכְתִיב (מלכים א ה כו) וַה' נָתַן חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ, וְהֵיכָן פֵּרֵשׁ, לְהַלָּן (שם ג כח), כִּי רָאוּ כִּי חָכְמַת אֱלֹהִים בְּקִרְבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְגוֹ'. וְנָכוֹן הַדָּבָר שֶׁיִּרְמֹז בִּשְׁלֹשׁ הַשְּׁכִינוֹת הַלָּלוּ עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה מִקְדָּשִׁים, יֹאמַר בְּמִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח עָלָיו, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דהי"ב ז א) וּכְבוֹד ה' מָלֵא אֶת הַבָּיִת; וְאָמַר עַל בַּיִת שֵׁנִי חֹפֵף עָלָיו כָּל הַיּוֹם, שֶׁלֹּא שָׁרְתָה בּוֹ הַשְּׁכִינָה רַק הָיְתָה מְכַסֶּה וּמְגִנָּה עָלָיו, אוֹ חוֹפֵף מַמָּשׁ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֻזְכַּר בְּפִרְקֵי הֵיכָלוֹת; וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵן לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, כִּי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִקְרְאוּ לִירוּשָׁלִַם כִּסֵּא ה' (ירמיהו ג יז). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה נִדְרָשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי (ברכה שנב):

1THE BELOVED OF THE ETERNAL SHALL DWELL IN SAFETY BY HIM. He called Benjamin the beloved of the Eternal, saying: “Benjamin, who is the beloved of G-d, will dwell in his land in safety relying on G-d and G-d will shelter him always and cause His Divine Presence to rest in his land.” And He dwelleth between his shoulders — this alludes to what the Rabbis have derived from this expression.¹⁹³, and the shoulders are lower than the head. (Zebachim 54 b).By the way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse states: the Beloved, the Eternal,¹⁹⁴ (beloved) does not refer to Benjamin, describing him as “the beloved of G-d.” Instead it is a descriptive noun referring to G-d — “G-d, the beloved” — as in the verse, Let me sing of my Beloved (Isaiah 5:1 — Ha’kthav V’hakabalah). will dwell over Benjamin, and this is the assurance to the Benjaminites that they may trust in the Eternal forever, for the Eternal is G-d, an everlasting Rock.¹⁹⁵ And He will shelter and protect Benjamin all the day, and they shall not be ashamed at the time of trouble,¹⁹⁶ and between the shoulders of Benjamin He will dwell forever. It is from this verse that Solomon was called Yedidiah [i.e., the beloved of the Eternal], for the Eternal’s sake,¹⁹⁷ and he built His lovely dwelling-place,¹⁹⁸ just as he was called Shlomoh, also meaning to say that his nature was perfect (shleimah) in peace (shalom), and therefore it is spelled with the letter hei [at the end, in order to indicate that he is shleimah — “perfect”]. And the Rabbis said in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah:¹⁹⁹ “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Solomon]: Since your name is like the name of My Glory I will give you My daughter, for it is written, And the Eternal gave Solomon wisdom etc.²⁰⁰ But it did not become manifest [to others]. And where did it become manifest? Further on, [where it is said], for they saw that the wisdom of the Eternal was in him, to do justice,²⁰¹, 3:28. etc.”It is correct to interpret that with his three references in this verse to the Divine Presence, Moses alludes to the three Sanctuaries. Of the First Sanctuary he says, He shall dwell in safety by him, similar to what is stated, and the Glory of the Eternal filled the House.²⁰² Of the Second Sanctuary he says, He covereth him all the day, since the Divine Presence did not dwell there,²⁰³ but only sheltered and protected it. Or it may be that it [the Divine Presence] literally “hovered” over it, as is mentioned in Pirkei Heichaloth.²⁰⁴ [The third reference,] and He dwelleth between his shoulders alludes to the days of the Messiah, for at that time they shall call Jerusalem The throne of the Eternal.²⁰⁵ It is interpreted in the Sifre in this manner.²⁰⁶ 352.