Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 6:4/רמב"ן על דברים ו׳:ד׳

אשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, גַּם בָּזֶה מִצְוָה שֶׁיְּבָאֵר, כִּי בְּדִבּוּר אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִהְיֶה הַיִּחוּד, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (מכילתא בחדש ה) רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר מִכָּאן תְּשׁוּבָה לַמִּינִים שֶׁהֵם אוֹמְרִים שְׁתֵּי רְשׁוּיוֹת הֵן, שֶׁכְּשֶׁעָמַד הקב"ה עַל הַר סִינַי וְאָמַר אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִי מִחָה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. אֲבָל בָּא לְבָאֵר הַמִּצְוָה הַזּוֹ, וְהִזְכִּיר אוֹתָהּ אַחַר עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת לְפִי שֶׁהוּא שֹׁרֶשׁ בֶּאֱמוּנָה, וְכָל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹדֶה בָּהּ כּוֹפֵר בָּעִקָּר כְּעוֹבֵד ע"ז. ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד, ה' שֶׁהוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלֹא אֱלֹהֵי הָאֻמּוֹת עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת ה' אֶחָד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (זכריה יד ט) בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה' אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ו':ד'). וְאַתָּה צָרִיךְ לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן בָּזֶה, כִּי שִׁנָּה הַכָּתוּב כָּאן לוֹמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, וְלֹא אָמַר אֱלֹהֶיךָ כְּמוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֵר בְּכָל מָקוֹם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם וְגוֹ' כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ (להלן ט א ג), שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַיּוֹם וְגוֹ' כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (להלן כ ג ד), וְכֵן בְּכָל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל יַזְכִּיר ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אוֹ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וְגַם בְּכָאן אָמַר וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר בְּיִחוּד ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, כִּי עָשָׂה עִם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַגְּדֹלֹת וְאֶת הַנּוֹרָאֹת לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ שֵׁם תִּפְאֶרֶת. וְהִנֵּה דָּלֶ"ת אֶחָד גְּדוֹלָה, לִרְמֹז עַל מָה שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיהו סג יב) בּוֹקֵעַ מַיִם מִפְּנֵיהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ שֵׁם עוֹלָם. וּלְכָךְ תִּקְּנוּ בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, וְאָמְרוּ מָשָׁל לְבַת מֶלֶךְ שֶׁהֵרִיחָה צִיקֵי קְדֵרָה וְכוּ' (פסחים נו), כִּי מֹשֶׁה אָמַר בַּתּוֹרָה בְּרֶמֶז וְחָזַר וְאָמַר וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּלְשׁוֹן הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה:

1HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE ETERNAL OUR G-D, THE ETERNAL IS ONE. This too is a commandment that offers explanation. For, already contained in the commandment I am the Eternal thy G-d,²¹¹ is [the principle of] the Unity of G-d. As the Rabbis have said:²¹² 5. “Rabbi Nathan says: From here there is a refutation to those heretics who say there are two powers governing the universe. For, when the Holy One, blessed be He, stood on Mount Sinai and proclaimed I am the Eternal thy G-d,²¹¹ who protested against Him?” But here he [Moses] came to explain this commandment [I am the Eternal …] and mentioned it after the Ten Commandments because it is the root of faith, and whoever does not acknowledge it denies the essential principle [of the religion] as if he worships idols. “The Eternal our G-d, the Eternal is One. This means: the Eternal, Who is [now, only] our G-d and not the G-d of the [other] nations, will eventually be acknowledged as the One [and only] Eternal, as it is said, In that day shall the Eternal be One, and His Name One.”²¹³ This is Rashi’s language. Now you must contemplate [the fact] that Scripture changed [the normal usage] here by saying the Eternal ‘our’ G-d and did not state “thy” G-d as it says everywhere else: Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day etc. Know therefore this day, that the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d etc.;²¹⁴ Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle etc. for the Eternal ‘your’ G-d is He that goeth with you.²¹⁵, 20:3-4. And so also in all sections where [Moses] spoke to Israel he mentioned “the Eternal your G-d” or “the Eternal thy G-d,” and even here [in this very section] he said, And thou shalt love the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d.²¹⁶ However, in this declaration of the Unity [of G-d] Moses said, the Eternal ‘our’ G-d because He had done great and awesome things²¹⁷ with Moses to make Himself a glorious Name²¹⁸ [therefore Moses said “our G-d,” for had he said “your G-d,” he might have appeared to exclude himself from this declaration of Unity].²¹⁹ Now the letter daleth in the word echad (one) is written [in the Torah] large in order to allude to that which is written, He divided the water before them, to make Himself an everlasting Name.²²⁰ And therefore the Rabbis instituted²²¹ in the reading of the Sh’ma²²² is used as the title for the group of three portions from Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41) which we must recite twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 15-16. “Blessed be His Name Whose Glorious Kingdom is for ever and ever” and they further said [there]:²²¹ “This may be compared to a lord’s daughter who smelled the [sweet] odor of some pudding etc.,”²²³, but should be done quietly (Pesachim 56 a). for Moses stated it in the Torah by an allusion.²²⁴ [of the word echad — “one”] which is written large (Bachya). And then he reverted [to the general usage] and stated, And ‘thou’ shalt love the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d²¹⁶ like the expression found in [the other] sections of Deuteronomy.