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Ramban on Deuteronomy 4:28/רמב"ן על דברים ד׳:כ״ח

אוַעֲבַדְתֶּם שָׁם אֱלֹהִים, מִשֶּׁאַתֶּם עוֹבְדִים לְעוֹבְדֵיהֶם אַתֶּם עוֹבְדִים לָהֶם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ד':כ"ח). וּכְבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי סוֹדוֹ, כִּי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ כְּאִלּוּ עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם מִלְּמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְתִּי בְּסֵדֶר אַחֲרֵי מוֹת (ויקרא יח כה):

1AND THERE YE SHALL SERVE GODS. “When you serve their worshippers it is as though you serve them [the idols].” This is the language of Rashi. Now I have already explained the secret thereof that he who dwells outside of the Land is as if he worshipped the idols,⁹⁵ and the expression, [and there ye shall serve gods] the work of men’s hands indicates that the service begins with those on high and descends to the idols below,⁹⁶ as I have mentioned in the section Acharei Moth.⁹⁷

בוְטַעַם וְלֹא יֹאכְלוּן וְלֹא יְרִיחֻן, לוֹמַר שֶׁהֵם אֶבֶן דּוּמָם כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיוּ מִתְּחִלָּה, אֵין בָּהֶם רוּחַ חַיִּים כְּלָל אֲפִלּוּ כְּחַיֵּי הָאָדָם, כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה אָמַר לֹא יִרְאוּן וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן, לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵינֶנּוּ אֱלוֹהַּ וְלֹא יִרְאֶה בָּעֳנִי עוֹבְדָיו וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתָם וּמִצָּרָתָם לֹא יוֹשִׁיעֵם, וְחָזַר וְאָמַר שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ חַיִּים גְּרוּעִים כְּחַיֵּי הָאָדָם אֵין בָּהֶם, וְהִנֵּה הָעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָם נִכְבָּד מֵהֶם. אוֹ יִהְיֶה טַעַם הַכָּתוּב כְּנֶגֶד כְּבוֹד עֶלְיוֹן, לוֹמַר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִרְאוּ בְּצָרַת עוֹבְדֵיהֶם וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן תְּפִלָּתָם, וְלֹא יֹאכְלוּן שֶׁלֹּא תֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵיהֶם וְתֹאכַל אֶת קָרְבְּנוֹתָם, וְלֹא יְרִיחוּן בְּרֵיחַ נִיחוֹחֵיהֶם. וְתָפַשׂ הַכָּתוּב לְשׁוֹן סְתָם, שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם הַחוּשִׁים הָאֵלּוּ כְּלָל:

2NOR DO THEY EAT, NOR SMELL. The purport thereof is to state that they [the idols] remain inanimate stones⁹⁸ as they were to begin with, having no spirit of life at all, not even mortal life, as does man. For at first he said, which neither see, nor hear, meaning that they are not G-d and see not the suffering of their servants, nor hear their prayers, nor save them from their troubles.⁹⁹ And then he went back and said that they do not even have the inferior [mortal] life of man. Thus the one who makes them is more honored than they. Or perhaps the sense of the verse is in relation to the honor of the Supreme One, the verse thus stating: “which neither see the suffering of their worshippers, nor hear their prayers, nor eat, since no fire ever comes out from before them and consumes their offerings,¹⁰⁰ nor smell their [offerings’] sweet odors.”¹⁰¹ Now Scripture adopted the general usage of language, but in fact the idols have none of these senses.