Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 34:1/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ד:א׳

אוַיַּרְאֵהוּ ה' אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ, כָּל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְדֵּן. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן הִזְכִּיר שֶׁהֶרְאָה לוֹ אֶת גִּלְעָד עַד דָּן, וְהִנֵּה מֹשֶׁה הָיָה בְּחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל רְאוּבֵן, וַחֲצִי הַר הַגִּלְעָד וְעָרָיו הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְהַחֲצִי לִמְנַשֶּׁה, עַל כֵּן פֵּרוּשׁוֹ מִן הַגִּלְעָד עַד דָּן, אוֹ הָיָה גִּלְעָד בַּלְּבָנוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּדִכְתִיב (ירמיהו כב ו) גִּלְעָד אַתָּה לִי רֹאשׁ הַלְּבָנוֹן. וְהִזְכִּיר עַד דָּן, שֶׁהוּא סוֹף תְּחוּם אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּכְתִיב (שמואל ב כד ב) שׁוּט נָא בְּכָל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִדָּן וְעַד בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע. וְהִזְכִּיר אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה שֶׁהָיוּ בִּצְפוֹנָהּ שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה שֶׁהוּא בַּדָּרוֹם, כְּדִכְתִיב (יהושע יח ה) יְהוּדָה יַעֲמֹד עַל גְּבוּלוֹ מִנֶּגֶב וּבֵית יוֹסֵף יַעַמְדוּ עַל גְּבוּלָם מִצָּפוֹן, וִיהוּדָה נָטַל כָּל דְּרוֹמָהּ שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן וְעַד הַיָּם (ס"א הגדול ומנשה ואפרים כל צפונה ג"כ מן הירדן ועד הים), וְדָן נָטַל בִּצְפוֹנִית מַעֲרָבִית. וְהִזְכִּיר נַפְתָּלִי הַסָּמוּךְ לִיהוּדָה מִמִּזְרָח (שם יט לד), וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר אָשֵׁר וְיִשָּׂשכָר כִּי הָיוּ בְּתוֹךְ אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה, דִּכְתִיב (שם יז י) וּבְאָשֵׁר יִפְגְּעוּן מִצָּפוֹן וּבְיִשָּׂשכָר מִמִּזְרָח. וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר שִׁמְעוֹן, כִּי מֵחֵלֶק בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה נַחֲלַת שִׁמְעוֹן (שם יט א). וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בִּנְיָמִין, שֶׁהָיָה גְּבוּל גּוֹרָלָם בֵּין בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּבֵין בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף הַנִּזְכָּרִים סָמוּךְ לָהֶם. וְהִזְכִּיר עַד הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן לִזְבוּלוּן שֶׁהָיָה עַל חוֹף יַמִּים, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה בִּכְלַל הַנֶּגֶב וְהַכִּכָּר. וְיַזְכִּיר בִּקְעַת יְרֵחוֹ בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתָהּ בִּקְעָה עֲמֻקָּה וְלֹא הָיְתָה נִרְאֵית מֵרֹאשׁ הָהָר, אֲבָל הֶרְאָהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה נֵס. וְהַכְּלָל שֶׁהֶרְאָהוּ כָּל נַחֲלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּכְתִיב (דברים ל"ד:ד') זֹאת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי וְגוֹ'. וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּסִפְרֵי (ברכה שנז) מִדְרָשִׁים בַּמְּקוֹמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר בַּכָּתוּב. וְטַעַם הַמַּרְאָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָהוּ בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיְתָה הָאָרֶץ מְלֵאָה כָּל טוּב, צְבִי לְכָל הָאֲרָצוֹת, וּמֵאֲשֶׁר הָיָה גָּלוּי לְפָנָיו רֹב הָאַהֲבָה שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ אוֹהֵב אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, שִׂמְּחוֹ בִּרְבוֹת הַטּוֹבָה בִּרְאוּת עֵינָיו:

1AND THE ETERNAL SHOWED HIM [MOSES] ALL THE LAND — all the Land of Israel beyond the Jordan [westward] — and then the verse states that He showed him even Gilead, as far as Dan. Now Moses was in the territory of Reuben, and half the hill-country of Gilead, and the cities thereof²⁸⁹ belonged to the children of Reuben,²⁸⁹ and the other half belonged to Menasheh.²⁹⁰ Therefore the verse before us must mean that [G-d showed Moses the whole Land] “from Gilead²⁹¹ — must mean “from” the Gilead onward. as far as Dan.” Or it may be that there was [a place called] Gilead in the Lebanon in the Land of Israel, as it is written, thou art Gilead unto Me, the head of Lebanon.²⁹² The verse mentions as far as Dan which is at the extremity of the border of the Land of Israel, as it is written, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.²⁹³ It mentions the land of Ephraim and Menasheh²⁹⁴ which were in the northern part of the Land of Israel, and the land of Judah was to the south, as it is written, Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north,²⁹⁵ for Judah took all the south of the Land of Israel from the Jordan to the sea, and Dan took the north-west. It mentions Naphtali²⁹⁴ who was on the east, near Judah,²⁹⁶, 19:34 [in speaking of the border of Naphtali]: and it reached… to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise. but it does not mention Asher and Issachar, for they were among Ephraim and Menasheh, as it is written [about the borders of Ephraim and Menasheh], and they reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.²⁹⁷ It did not mention Simeon, for their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Judah,²⁹⁸, 19:1. nor that of Benjamin whose border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph,²⁹⁹, 18:11. already mentioned near them. It states as far as the western sea²⁹⁴ which alludes to Zebulun who dwelt at the shore of the sea,³⁰⁰ or it may be that [Zebulun] is included [in the statement that G-d showed him] the south, and the plain³⁰¹ [since the territory of Zebulun was in the plain at the sea]. It mentions the valley of Jericho³⁰¹ because it is a deep valley, not visible from the top of the mountain [where Moses stood], but G-d showed it to him miraculously. In general then He showed him the entire inheritance of Israel, as it is written, This is the Land which I swore etc.³⁰² Our Rabbis in the Sifre³⁰³ 357. have elucidated about these places mentioned in Scripture.Now, the reason for this sight which He showed him was because the Land of Israel is full of all good things,³⁰⁴ and is the beauty of all lands.³⁰⁵ And since the great love with which Moses our teacher loved Israel was manifest to Him, He made him rejoice by beholding the abundant goodness with his eyes.³⁰⁶