Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 8:18/רמב"ן על דברים ח׳:י״ח

אוְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל, יָדוּעַ כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל גִּבּוֹרִים וְאַנְשֵׁי חַיִל לַמִּלְחָמָה, כִּי נִמְשְׁלוּ לָאֲרָיוֹת וְלִזְאֵב יִטְרָף, וּמַלְכֵי כְּנַעַן בְּמִלְחָמָה נִצְּחוּ אוֹתָם, עַל כֵּן אָמַר אִם תַּחְשֹׁב כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה, תִּזְכֹּר הַשֵּׁם שֶׁהוֹצִיא אוֹתְךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְלֹא הָיָה לְךָ שָׁם כֹּחַ וְעֹצֶם יָד כְּלָל, וְתִזְכֹּר עוֹד כִּי בַּמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר אֵין לְאֵל יָדְךָ לִחְיוֹת שָׁם עָשָׂה לְךָ כָּל צָרְכֶּךָ, אִם כֵּן גַּם הַחַיִל הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ בְּכֹחֲךָ, הַשֵּׁם הוּא שֶׁנָּתַן לְךָ הַכֹּחַ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתוֹ. וְאִם תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַשֵּׁם, יִכְלֶה כֹּחֲךָ וּשְׁאֵרְךָ וְתֹאבַד כַּאֲשֶׁר אָבְדוּ הֵם, כִּי כָל עוֹזְבֵי ה' יִכְלוּ. וְחָזַר לְהָבִיא עוֹד רְאָיָה אַחֶרֶת שֶׁלֹּא תַּחְשֹׁב כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי וְגוֹ', וְאָמַר (ט א) שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבַר אֱמֶת מִפִּי, כִּי הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה הֵם גְּדוֹלִים וַעֲצוּמִים מִמְּךָ, וְאֵיךְ תְּנַצְּחֵם בְּמִלְחָמָה, וְעוֹד יֵשׁ לָהֶם עָרִים גְּדוֹלוֹת וּבְצוּרוֹת לְרוּם הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵיךְ תִּכְבֹּשׁ אוֹתָם, וְעוֹד שֶׁשָּׁם עַם גָּדוֹל וָרָם בְּנֵי עֲנָקִים, שֶׁאַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ מִן הַמְרַגְּלִים שֶׁרָאוּ אוֹתָם וְאַתָּה שָׁמַעְתָּ מִיָּמִים רִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁלֹּא יִתְיַצֵּב אָדָם לִפְנֵיהֶם. וּכְשֶׁיִּתְבָּרֵר לְךָ כָּל זֶה, יֵשׁ לְךָ לָדַעַת וּלְהַאֲמִין מִן הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי לֹא תּוּכַל לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶם כְּלָל עַד שֶׁתֵּדַע בִּלְבָבְךָ כִּי ה' הָעוֹבֵר לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה וְהוּא יַשְׁמִידֵם וְיַכְנִיעֵם, לֹא כֹּחַ וְעֹצֶם יָד שֶׁנִּתַּן לְךָ, אֲבָל יַד ה' עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת בַּתַּקִּיפִין שֶׁבָּהֶם. וְזֶה רֶמֶז לְמָה שֶׁאָמַר (יהושע י יא), וַה' הִשְׁלִיךְ עֲלֵיהֶם אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְכֵן אָמַר שָׁם (דברים ח':י"ד) וְלֹא הָיָה כַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לְפָנָיו וְאַחֲרָיו וְגוֹ' כִּי ה' נִלְחָם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהֶעָרִים הַבְּצוּרוֹת שֶׁהִזְכִּיר כָּאן רֶמֶז לְחוֹמַת יְרִיחוֹ שֶׁנָּפְלָה לִפְנֵי הָאָרוֹן. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד (תהלים מד ד) כִּי לֹא בְחַרְבָּם יָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ וּזְרוֹעָם לֹא הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּמוֹ כִּי יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי רְצִיתָם, יְמִין הַשֵּׁם וּזְרוֹעוֹ בַּתַּקִּיפִים, וְאוֹר פָּנָיו שֶׁרָצָם בַּהֲרוּגֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה, שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם כֹּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב עוֹד (עמוס ב ט) וְאָנֹכִי הִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת הָאֱמֹרִי מִפְּנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר כְּגֹבַהּ אֲרָזִים גָּבְהוֹ וְחָסֹן הוּא כָּאַלּוֹנִים וָאַשְׁמִיד פִּרְיוֹ מִמַּעַל וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מִתָּחַת. יִחֵד הָאֱמוֹרִי שֶׁהָיָה עָצוּם בָּהֶם, וְהַשֵּׁם הוּא הַמַּשְׁמִיד אוֹתוֹ:

1AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THE ETERNAL THY G-D, FOR IT IS HE WHO GIVETH THEE POWER TO GET WEALTH. It is known that Israelites are mighty men, valiant men for the war⁹⁴ because they were likened to lions⁹⁵ and to a ravenous wolf,⁹⁶, Verse 27. and they vanquished the Canaanite kings in battle. Therefore he said, “If you should think, ‘my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth,’⁹⁷ you should remember G-d Who brought you forth from Egypt where you had no power or might of hand at all. You should further remember that He provided all your needs for you in the wilderness, where you had nought in the power of thy hand⁹⁸ to survive. If so [concerning] this wealth which you have won by your strength as well, [you should bear in mind that] it is G-d Who gave you the power [that was necessary for you] to accumulate the wealth; and if you forget G-d He will consume thy flesh and thy body⁹⁹ and you will perish,¹⁰⁰ just as [the nations before you] perished,¹⁰¹ for all that forsake the Eternal shall be consumed.¹⁰²And then Moses reverted to bring yet another proof that you should not think ‘my power and the might of my hand etc.,’⁹⁷ and he said Hear, O Israel¹⁰³ a true word from my mouth, that these nations are greater and mightier than thyself,¹⁰³ and how will you vanquish them in battle? Besides, they have cities great and fortified up to the high heavens,¹⁰³ and how will you capture them? Moreover, there is a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest¹⁰⁴, Verse 2. from the spies who saw them, and of whom thou hast heard¹⁰⁴, Verse 2. from days of yore that no man can stand up against them. And when all this becomes clear to you, you should realize and believe from this day on that you will be unable to go over [the Jordan to do battle] before them at all until you know in your heart that the Eternal thy G-d is He Who goeth over before thee as a devouring fire, and He will destroy them, and He will bring them down.¹⁰⁵, Verse 3. It is not the power and the might of hand He gave you, but the hand of G-d that did this to the mighty ones among them. This is an allusion to what is stated, and the Eternal cast down great stones from heaven upon them,¹⁰⁶ and similarly it is said there, And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Eternal hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the Eternal fought for Israel.¹⁰⁷, Verse 14. The reference to the fortified cities he mentioned here¹⁰³ is an allusion to the wall of Jericho that fell before the ark. This is what David said, For not by their own sword did they get the Land in possession, neither did their own arm save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou wast favorable unto them¹⁰⁸ — the right hand of G-d and His [left] arm fought against their mighty ones, and the light of His countenance that was favorable unto them [the Israelites] gave them power over those who were slain in battle. Scripture refers to this in saying further, And I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.¹⁰⁹ He [the prophet Amos] singled out the Amorite because it was the mightiest [nation] among them, and it was G-d Who destroyed it.