Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 20:6/רמב"ן על שמות כ׳:ו׳

אלְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשׁוֹמְרֵי מִצְוֹתַי הַנִּרְאֶה מִמַּשְׁמָעוּת הַכָּתוּב שֶׁזּוֹ הַבְטָחָה בְּעִנְיַן הַמִּצְוֹת הָאֵלּוּ אֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר, יֹאמַר כִּי הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בָּהֶן חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבָיו, הֵם הַמּוֹסְרִים נַפְשָׁם עָלָיו, כִּי הַמּוֹדִים בַּשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וּבֶאֱלֹהוּתוֹ לְבַדּוֹ וְיִכְפְּרוּ בְּכָל אֱלוֹהַּ נֵכָר וְלֹא יַעַבְדוּ אוֹתָם עִם סַכָּנַת נַפְשָׁם, יִקָּרְאוּ אוֹהֲבָיו, כִּי זוֹ הִיא הָאַהֲבָה שֶׁנִּתְחַיַּבְנוּ בָּהּ בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ" (דברים ו ה), שֶׁתִּמְסֹר נַפְשְׁךָ וְחַיֶּיךָ בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא תַּחֲלִיפֶנּוּ בְּאֵל אַחֵר, וְלֹא תְּשַׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָר, וּלְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בְּאַבְרָהָם "זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם אוֹהֲבִי" (ישעיה מא ח), שֶׁנָּתַן נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲבֹד ע"ז בְּאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים. וּשְׁאָר הַצַּדִּיקִים יִקָּרְאוּ שׁוֹמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָיו:
וְרַבִּים פֵּרְשׁוּ (עי' רמב"ם בפירוש משנה סנהדרין ריש פרק י) כִּי אוֹהֲבָיו הָעוֹבְדִים מֵאַהֲבָה שֶׁלֹּא עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים (בספרי דברים יא יג): וּמָצָאתִי בַּמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן) "לְאֹהֲבַי", זֶה אַבְרָהָם וְכַיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ. "וּלְשׁוֹמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי", אֵלּוּ הַנְּבִיאִים וְהַזְּקֵנִים. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר, "לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשׁוֹמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי", אֵלּוּ שֶׁהֵם יוֹשְׁבִים בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנוֹתְנִין נַפְשָׁם עַל הַמִּצְוֹת. מַה לְךָ יוֹצֵא לֵהָרֵג, עַל שֶׁמַּלְתִּי אֶת בְּנִי. מַה לְךָ יוֹצֵא לִשָּׂרֵף, עַל שֶׁקָּרָאתִי בַּתּוֹרָה. מַה לְךָ יוֹצֵא לִצָּלֵב, עַל שֶׁאָכַלְתִּי אֶת הַמַּצָּה. מַה לְךָ לוֹקֶה מֵאֲפַרְגָּל, עַל שֶׁנָּטַלְתִּי אֶת הַלּוּלָב. וְאוֹמֵר (זכריה יג ו) "אֲשֶׁר הֻכֵּיתִי בֵּית מְאַהֲבָי", הַמַּכּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה גָּרְמוּ לִי לֵאָהֵב לְאָבִי שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם. הֲרֵי פֵּרֵשׁ רַבִּי נָתָן כִּי הָאַהֲבָה מְסִירַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ עַל הַמִּצְוָה. וְהַכָּתוּב וַדַּאי עַל ע"ז כִּי בָּהּ נִתְחַיַּבְנוּ בְּיֵהָרֵג וְאַל יַעֲבֹר בְּכָל הַזְּמַנִּים לְעוֹלָם, אֲבָל הִרְחִיב הָעִנְיָן לְכָל הַמִּצְוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁבִּשְׁעַת הַשְּׁמָד אָנוּ נֶהֱרָגִין עַל כֻּלָּן מִן הַכָּתוּב הָאַחֵר "וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי" (ויקרא כב לב). וְת"ק שֶׁאָמַר זֶה אַבְרָהָם וְאֵלּוּ הַנְּבִיאִים, אֵינוֹ נָכוֹן שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁהָיוּ הַנְּבִיאִים עוֹשִׂים עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס, אֲבָל יֵשׁ בָּזֶה סוֹד, אָמַר שֶׁאַבְרָהָם מָסַר נַפְשׁוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב "חֶסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם", וּשְׁאָר הַנְּבִיאִים בִּגְבוּרָה. וְהָבֵן זֶה:

1AND HE SHOWETH MERCY UNTO THE THOUSANDTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT LOVE ME AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. It appears from the sense of the verse that this Divine assurance is with respect to the subject-matter of the commandments that He mentioned. He is thus saying that to those that love Him, He will show mercy to their thousandth generation. These are the ones who sacrifice their lives for Him, for they are the ones who acknowledge only the Glorious Name and His G-dship and deny all strange gods, refusing to worship them even if they are in mortal danger. They are called “the lovers [of G-d],” for this is the kind of love that we have been obligated to observe even at the sacrifice of life, just as He has said, And thou shalt love the Eternal thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,³⁶³ meaning that you should give your very life because of your love of Him, that you should not alter Him for another god, nor join Him together with a strange god. It is for this reason that [the prophet] said of Abraham, the seed of Abraham my friend,³⁶⁴ since he risked his life in order not to worship the idols in Ur of the Chaldees.³⁶⁵ The rest of the righteous are called those that keep My commandments.Now many scholars³⁶⁶ have explained that “His lovers” are those who worship Him without the intention of receiving a reward, just as our Sages have mentioned.³⁶⁷ But I have found in the Mechilta that it is said:³⁶⁸ “Of them that love Me. This refers to Abraham and those like him. And those that keep My commandments. This refers to the prophets and the elders. Rabbi Nathan says that the verse, of them that love Me and keep My commandments, refers to those who dwell in the Land of Israel and give their lives for the commandments.³⁶⁹ ‘Why are you being led out to be executed?’ ‘Because I have circumcised my son.’ ‘Why are you being led out to be burned?’ ‘Because I read the Torah.’ ‘Why are you being led out to be hanged?’ ‘Because I ate the unleavened bread.’ ‘Why are you being lashed with the whip?’³⁷⁰ ‘Because I took the lulav.’³⁷¹ And it says, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.³⁷² These are the wounds which have caused me to become beloved of My Father in heaven.” Thus Rabbi Nathan explained that the love [of G-d, which is referred to in the verse before us], meant the sacrifice of life for the sake of the commandments. Now the verse here certainly refers to idolatry, for it is with reference to it that we are obligated at all times forever to suffer death rather than transgress [the law].³⁷³ But [Rabbi Nathan] broadened the matter to include all the commandments, [such as circumcision, the study of Torah, the eating of unleavened bread on Passover, the taking of the lulav³⁷¹ on Succoth — as mentioned above] — because in the time of religious persecutions, we are obligated to suffer death for any of the commandments³⁷³ [rather than transgress them], as derived from the other verse, And ye shall not profane My holy Name.³⁷⁴ And it would also be incorrect to say of the first Sage [in the above Mechilta] — i.e., who said that [those who love Me] refers to Abraham, while [those who keep My commandments] refers to the prophets — that he is of the opinion that the prophets kept the commandments with the intention that they receive a reward! [Thus the explanation of “the many scholars”³⁶⁶ mentioned above is refuted by the Mechilta.] However, there is a secret in this [Mechilta]: Abraham risked his life in love³⁷⁵ — something like it is written, mercy to Abraham³⁷⁶ — and the rest of the prophets in g’vurah (might).³⁷⁵ Understand this.