Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 22:27/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ב:כ״ז

אאֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות כ"ב:כ"ז) תִּרְגֵּם עַל הַדַּיָּן שֶׁלֹּא יְקַלֵּל אוֹתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יְחַיְּבֶנּוּ בַּדִּין, "לָא תַקִיל" לְשׁוֹן קְלָלָה הוּא בַּאֲרָמִית, מֵקֵל לְהוּ, "יַכְרֵת ה' לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂנָּה עֵר וְעֹנֶה" (מלאכי ב יב), וְכֵן הַרְבֵּה בִּלְשׁוֹן יְרוּשַׁלְמִי:

1THOU SHALL NOT CURSE ‘ELOHIM.’ Onkelos translated it as referring to a judge, that one is not to curse him if he should hold him guilty in a lawsuit. Lo takeil [Onkelos’ rendition of the Hebrew lo t’kaleil — thou shalt not curse], is the Aramaic expression for “cursing.” Thus: “Meikal l’hu (they curse him): May the Eternal cut off to the man that doeth this, him that calleth and him that answereth.”³²² There are many similar expressions, in the language of the Talmud Yerushalmi.

בוְנָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר הַנִּשָּׂא עַל הָעָם, וְהוּא הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְהִזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא יָאֹר אוֹתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יְחַיֵּב אוֹתוֹ בְּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ: וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בַּגְּמָרָא (סנהדרין סו) אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל אַזְהָרָה עַל בִּרְכַּת הַשֵּׁם אֲפִלּוּ בְּכִנּוּי. וְהִנֵּה הִזְהִיר עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ הָעֶלְיוֹן יִתְבָּרַךְ וְעַל הַמּוֹלֵךְ בָּאָרֶץ. וְהֵם אָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא (שם) כִּי יִכָּנֵס בִּכְלַל "אֱלֹהִים" הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַשּׁוֹפֵט אֲשֶׁר יֵשֵׁב מוֹשַׁב אֱלֹהִים בָּאָרֶץ. וְלֹא נִתְבָּאֵר אִם יִכָּנֵס בִּכְלַל הַנָּשִׂיא רֹאשׁ סַנְהֶדְרֵי גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁנִּקְרָא נָשִׂיא בַּגְּמָרָא (שם יט: ועוד), וְהָרַב רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה אָמַר שֶׁהוּא בִּכְלַל הָאַזְהָרָה הַזּוֹ (רמב"ם בס' המצות ל"ת שטז ובהלכות סנהדרין כו א). וְכֵן נִרְאֶה לִי מִמַּה שֶׁשָּׁאַל ר' יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא עַל עַצְמוֹ, כְּגוֹן אֲנִי מָה אֲנִי בְּשָׂעִיר וכו' (הוריות יא:). וְא"כ יֹאמַר לֹא תָאֹר כָּל נָשִׂיא בָּעָם שֶׁהוּא רֹאשׁ שְׂרָרָה עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, בֵּין שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַשְּׂרָרָה הַהִיא בְּמֶמְשֶׁלֶת מַלְכוּת, בֵּין שֶׁתִּהְיֶה מֶמְשֶׁלֶת תּוֹרָה, כִּי נְשִׂיא הַסַּנְהֶדְרִין הוּא בַּמַּעֲלָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה בִּשְׂרָרַת הַתּוֹרָה:

2NOR CURSE A ‘NASI’ OF THY PEOPLE — nasi means the one who is “lifted up” above his people, namely, the king. He thus mentioned that one is not to curse him in case he declares him guilty in a trial before him.In the opinion of our Rabbis in the Gemara,³²³ Thou shalt not curse ‘Elokim,’ constitutes an admonition against blaspheming the Name of G-d, even by one of the substituted names [such as: Gracious and Merciful etc.].³²⁴ Thus He warned against cursing the King on high, blessed be He, and also the monarch that reigns on earth. The Rabbis have also said in the Gemara³²³ that included in the term Elokim, is the Glorious Name,³²⁵ as well as the judge who sits in the seat of G-d³²⁶ on earth. But it has not been explained whether the term nasi includes the head of the Great Sanhedrin,³²⁷ who is called nasi in the Gemara.³²⁸ Harav Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon said³²⁹ that he is included under the term of this prohibition. And so it also appears to me, on the basis of a question that Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi³³⁰ so that [in the time of the Sanctuary] the law of a special sin-offering for the prince (see Leviticus 4:22-26) applied to him as well, since he was the nasi of the Sanhedrin, or perhaps because he had his counterpart in the Diaspora — the Exilarch — his authority was no longer unique as that of a king, and therefore his sin-offering is to be like that of any individual Israelite. It is thus obvious that the office of the Chief of the Sanhedrin as such is included under the term nasi. asked about himself:³³¹ “A person in my status, am I to bring a sa’ir³³², Verse 28). etc.?” If so, He is stating: “Do not curse any ruler of the people, who holds a position of supreme authority over all Israel, whether that position be in the secular sphere of government or in the rule of Torah,” for the head of the Sanhedrin is the highest position in the authority of the Torah.