Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 14:10/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ד:י׳

אבֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר בְּאֵרוֹת הַרְבֵּה הָיוּ שָׁם שֶׁנּוֹטְלִין מִשָּׁם אֲדָמָה לְטִיט הַבִּנְיָן. וּמִדְרַש אַגָּדָה שֶׁהָיָה הַטִּיט מֻגְבָּל בָּהֶן וְנַעֲשָׂה נֵס לְמֶלֶךְ סְדוֹם שֶׁיָּצָא מִשָּׁם, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ בָּאֻמּוֹת מִקְצָתָן שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ מַאֲמִינִים בְּאַבְרָם שֶׁנִּצַּל מִכִּבְשַׁן הָאֵשׁ, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁיָּצָא זֶה מִן הַחֵמָר הֶאֱמִינוּ בְּאַבְרָם לְמַפְרֵעַ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ד:י'). וְאֵין סָפֵק כִּי פֵּרוּשׁ בֶּאֱרוֹת חֵמָר, בֶּאֱרוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם רֶפֶשׁ וְטִיט, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב (ירמיהו לח ו) "וּבַבּוֹר אֵין מַיִם כִּי אִם טִיט וַיִּטְבַּע יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּטִּיט" וְכָתוּב (תהלים מ ג) "וַיַּעֲלֵנִי מִבּוֹר שָׁאוֹן מִטִּיט הַיָּוֵן", וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיָּצָא מִשָּׁם כָּרָאוּי בְּלֹא נֵס. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ בְּמִדְרַשׁ הַהַגָּדָה הַזֶּה, כִּי הָאֻמּוֹת שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ מַאֲמִינִים שֶׁעָשָׂה הקב"ה נֵס לְאַבְרָהָם, בִּרְאוֹתָם נִסּוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ סְדוֹם לֹא יוֹסִיפוּ אֱמוּנָה בהקב"ה, כִּי מֶלֶךְ סְדוֹם עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיָה, וְהִנֵּה נִסּוֹ אוֹ יְחַזֵּק יְדֵי עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אוֹ שֶׁיַּאֲמִינוּ בְּכָל הַנִּסִּים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בִּכְשָׁפִים אוֹ מִקְרֶה בְּאֶפְשָׁרוּת רְחוֹקָה, וְנִסּוֹ יִתֵּן סָפֵק בְּלֵב הַמַּאֲמִינִים בְּנִסּוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם. וְאוּלַי יְפָרְשׁוּ "וַיֵּצֵא מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם לִקְרָאתוֹ", שֶׁיָּצָא מִן הַבּוֹר כְּשֶׁעָבַר אַבְרָהָם עָלָיו, כִּי נַעֲשָׂה לוֹ נֵס לִכְבוֹד אַבְרָהָם שֶׁיָּצָא לִקְרָאתוֹ לִכְבוֹדוֹ וּלְבָרְכוֹ, וְאֶפְשָׁר כִּי אַבְרָהָם בְּשׁוּבוֹ הִבִּיט בַּבּוֹר הַהוּא כִּי חָפֵץ לְהַצִּיל הַמְּלָכִים וּלְהָשִׁיב לָהֶם רְכוּשָׁם, וְהִנֵּה נַעֲשָׂה הַנֵּס עַל יָדוֹ, וְאִם נַעֲשָׂה לְמֶלֶךְ סְדוֹם נֵס לִכְבוֹד אַבְרָהָם כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהַאֲמִין שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה נֵס לְאַבְרָהָם לְהַצִּיל מִמָּוֶת נַפְשׁוֹ, וְנֹאמַר כִּי מֶלֶךְ עֲמֹרָה כְּבָר מֵת כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר אַבְרָהָם עָלָיו אוֹ שֶׁנָּפַל בְּבוֹר אַחֵר, כִּי "שָׁמָּה" רֶמֶז לָעֵמֶק:

1‘BE’EROTH BE’EROTH CHEIMAR’ (FULL OF SLIME PITS). There were many pits there since they removed earth to be used as clay for building purposes. The Midrashic explanation is that the clay was closely kneaded together in them, [that is, it was very sticky], but a miracle happened to the king of Sodom and he escaped from there. This miracle occurred because there were some among the nations who did not believe that Abram had been delivered from the fiery furnace, but as soon as this one escaped from the slime, in retrospect they believed in Abram. Thus the language of Rashi.There is no doubt that the meaning of be’eroth cheimar is “pits containing mud and slime,” even as it is written, And in the pit there was no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire,¹⁶⁷ and it is further written, He brought me up out of the tumultuous pit, out of the miry clay.¹⁶⁸ And it is possible that the king of Sodom went out from there naturally, without a miracle.And I wonder concerning the above Midrashic explanation, for those nations that did not believe that the Holy One, blessed be He, had performed a miracle for Abraham would not have their faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, augmented by witnessing the miracle which befell the king of Sodom. The king of Sodom was an idol worshipper, and his miracle would either strengthen the hands of the idol worshippers or it would cause them to believe that all miracles are done by witchcraft or are due to some remotely possible chance. His miracle would thus cast doubt into the hearts of those who believed in Abraham’s miracle! Perhaps [the Rabbis who authored this Midrashic explanation] will interpret the verse, And the king of Sodom went out to meet him,¹⁶⁹ as implying that “he went out” from the pit when Abraham passed by for it was in honor of Abraham that a miracle was done to him so that he could go forth to meet him in order to honor and bless Abraham.And it is possible that Abraham, upon his return, looked into that pit for he wanted to save the kings and return their wealth to them, and then the miracle happened on his account. Now if a miracle was done to the king of Sodom in honor of Abraham, the nations could now believe all the more that a miracle would be done to Abraham himself in order to rescue him from death.We must further say that the king of Gomorrah had already died¹⁷⁰ when Abraham passed him by or that he had fallen into another pit, as the word “there”¹⁷¹ The word “there” does not refer to the pit, in which case it would then imply that all five kings fell into one pit. Rather it refers to ‘the vale’ of Siddim. Thus the king of Gomorrah fell into a different pit, near which Abraham did not pass. refers to “the vale.”