Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 13:17/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ג:י״ז
אקוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ יִתָּכֵן שֶׁזֶּה רְשׁוּת כִּרְצוֹנוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר תִּרְצֶה לָלֶכֶת בָּאָרֶץ לֵךְ כִּי אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ מֵרָעַת הַגּוֹיִם, "כִּי לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה", כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁלְּךָ תִּהְיֶה. וְאִם הִיא מִצְוָה שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ בָּהּ כָּל אָרְכָּהּ וְרָחְבָּהּ לְהַחֲזִיק בְּמַתְּנָתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי (רמב"ן על בראשית י"ב:ו'), לֹא נִצְטַוָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת זֶה מִיָּד, וְהִנֵּה עָשָׂה כֵן, כִּי עַתָּה הָיָה בַּמִּזְרָח וְאַחַר כֵּן הָלַךְ אֶל אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים שֶׁהוּא בַּמַּעֲרָב, וְהִנֵּה קִיֵּם הַמִּצְוָה בְּחַיָּיו. וְטַעַם "לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ", שֶׁתַּחֲזִיק בַּמַּתָּנָה מֵעַכְשָׁו לְהַנְחִילָהּ לְזַרְעֲךָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ב קיט), יְרֻשָּׁה הִיא לָהֶם מֵאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מוֹשֵׁל עָלֶיהָ וּנְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים בְּתוֹכָהּ בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ בָּאָרֶץ הַהִיא:
1ARISE, WALK THROUGH THE LAND IN THE LENGTH AND IN THE BREADTH OF IT. It is possible that this is a matter of option, depending on his will.109 The Eternal thus told Abraham, “Go wherever you wish to go in the land for I will be with you and guard you from the evil of the nations, for unto thee will I give it, that is to say, the land will be yours.” And if it be a command that Abraham should traverse the length and breadth of the land in order to take possession of his gift, as I have explained,110 he was not commanded to do this immediately. He did so ultimately for he was now in the east, and afterwards he went to the land of the Philistines which is in the west, and thus he fulfilled the command during his lifetime.The meaning of the expression, to thee… and to thy children,111 is that you are to take possession of the gift now, in order to transmit it to your children, even as our Rabbis have said:112 “The land of Israel is an inheritance to the people of Israel from their patriarchs.”By way of the plain meaning of Scripture, it is possible that the meaning of the verse is that Abraham was to be a ruler over the land and a prince of G-d in its midst,113 wherever he will go in this land.