Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 7:9/רמב"ן על דברים ז׳:ט׳

אוְיָדַעְתָּ, מִיְּצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים, שֶׁבָּרָא שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי (רמב"ן על דברים ו':כ'). וְעוֹד תֵּדַע מִזֶּה שֶׁהוּא הָאֵל הַנֶּאֱמָן, שֶׁלֹּא יָשׁוּב דְּבָרוֹ רֵיקָם, וְהוּא שֹׁמֵר הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד לְאֹהֲבָיו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָיו יִרְאֵי שְׁמוֹ לְאֶלֶף דּוֹר, בְּזַרְעָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַר לְךָ בְּרִית אֲבוֹתֶיךָ. וְתֵדַע כִּי הוּא מְשַׁלֵּם לְשׂוֹנְאָיו רִשְׁעָם אֶל פְּנֵי כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם לְהַאֲבִידוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר הֶאֱבִיד אֶת הַמִּצְרִים וְלֹא אֵחַר לָהֶם. וְהַמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם, אע"פ שֶׁיֵּשׁ רָשָׁע מַאֲרִיךְ בְּרָעָתוֹ, לֹא יִהְיֶה לוֹ כֵן רַק מִפְּנֵי הַמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹמֵר הַחֶסֶד, וְהִנֵּה עָשָׂה שׁוּם טוֹבָה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְשַׁלֵּם לוֹ, אִם כֵּן אֵין בְּמִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הקב"ה אֶלָּא שְׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת הַלָּלוּ, מְשַׁלֵּם טוֹבָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה וּמְשַׁלֵּם רָעָה תַּחַת רָעָה. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי שׂוֹנְאָיו הַמֻּחְלָטִים מַכְחִישִׁים בֶּאֱלֹהוּתוֹ, וְאֵין לָהֶם זְכוּת כְּלָל, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (קהלת רבה ז לב) אָמַר רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה מִפְּנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים הקב"ה מַאֲרִיךְ אַפַּיִם לָרְשָׁעִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, שֶׁמָּא יַעֲשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה, אוֹ עָשׂוּ מִצְוֹת שהקב"ה יְשַׁלֵּם שְׂכָרָן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא יֵצְאוּ מֵהֶן צַדִּיקִים, שֶׁכָּךְ מָצִינוּ שֶׁהֶאֱרִיךְ אַפַּיִם לְאָחָז וְיָצָא מִמֶּנּוּ חִזְקִיָּהוּ, וְגַם לְאָמוֹן וְיָצָא מִמֶּנּוּ יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ, וְגַם לְשִׁמְעִי וְיָצָא מִמֶּנּוּ מָרְדְּכַי. וְכָל אֵלּוּ אֵינָם בִּכְלַל שׂוֹנְאָיו. וְיֵשׁ בְּמִלַּת אֶל פָּנָיו סוֹד בְּרָשָׁע וְטוֹב לוֹ. וְהֶחְזִיר וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְגוֹ', לוֹמַר לָכֵן תִּשְׁמֹר אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְאֶת הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה מִשּׂוֹנְאָיו הָאוֹבְדִים, אֲבָל תִּהְיֶה מֵאוֹהֲבָיו וְשׁוֹמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָיו הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְטוֹבָה וּלְחַיִּים:

1KNOW THEREFORE from the [circumstances of the] departure from Egypt THAT THE ETERNAL THY G-D, HE IS G-D Who created heaven and earth, as I have explained.³⁴² And know furthermore from this that He is THE FAITHFUL G-D Whose word shall not return void,³⁴³ and WHO KEEPETH THE COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, who fear His Name, TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS of their seed, just as He kept for you the covenant of your fathers. And know further that He repayeth them that hate Him³⁴⁴ the recompense of their wickedness to the face of each one of them to destroy them, just as He destroyed the Egyptians and did not delay [in bringing punishment] to them. Now this attribute that he mentioned is true forever. Thus although there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing,³⁴⁵ it happens to him only because of this above-mentioned attribute that He is the Keeper of Mercy, and he [the wicked] has done some good which must be recompensed. If so, there are among the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, but two ways [of dealing with people]: He repays good for good, and evil for evil.It is possible that those that hate Him [mentioned here as destined to be destroyed without delay] are those confirmed sinners who deny His existence and have no merit at all. As the Rabbis have said:³⁴⁶ “Rabbi Yashiyah said: Because of three things the Holy One, blessed be He, is long-suffering to the wicked in this world: they may repent, or they have observed commandments for which the Holy One, blessed be He, repays them their recompense in this world, or perhaps righteous people will descend from them. For so we find that He was long-suffering with Ahaz,³⁴⁷ and Hezekiah came from him; so also to Amon,³⁴⁸, 21:19-22. and Josiah came from him; and so also to Shimei,³⁴⁹ and Mordecai came from him.”³⁵⁰ Thus all these [three above categories] are not included in [the term] those that hate Him. Now there is a secret in the expression ‘el panav’ (to his face) [And He repayeth ‘them’ that hate Him ‘el panav’ — “to his face”]³⁵¹], why does it change to the singular [to ‘his’ face, to destroy ‘him’]? Ramban alludes to the secret of the transmigration of the soul, so that at some future generation the recompense is still to “the face” of the sinner after he has been rewarded for the good he has done (Abusaula). as applying to a wicked man who has a good [i.e., a happy and prosperous] life.³⁵² And then he returns to say, Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment etc.,³⁵³ meaning: “therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances so that you should not be among those who hate Him, who are destroyed, but instead you should be of those that love Him and keep His commandments³⁵⁴ who are remembered for good and for life.”Eikev