Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 14:7/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ד:ז׳

אאֶל עַיִן מִשְׁפָּט עַל שֵׁם הֶעָתִיד, שֶׁעֲתִידִים מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן לְהִשְָּׁפֵט שָׁם עַל עִסְקֵי אוֹתוֹ הָעַיִן, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ד:ז') מִדִּבְרֵי אַגָּדָה (במד"ר יט יד). וְלֹא הֲבִינוֹתִי זֶה, כִּי "קָדֵשׁ" זֶה הוּא "קָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ", כִּי הוּא בְּ"אֵיל פָּארָן אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּדְבָּר", וּמִמֶּנּוּ נִשְׁתַּלְּחוּ מְרַגְּלִים בְּשָׁנָה שְׁנִיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יג כו) "אֶל מִדְבַּר פָּארָן קָדֵשָׁה", וְכָתוּב (דברים א יט כב) "וַנָּבֹא עַד קָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ" "וַתֹּאמְרוּ נִשְׁלְחָה אֲנָשִׁים לְפָנֵינוּ", וְשָׁם יָשְׁבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יָמִים רַבִּים. אֲבָל "קָדֵשׁ" שֶׁשָּׁם מִשְׁפַּט הַצַּדִּיקִים הוּא בְּמִדְבַּר צִן, שֶׁבָּאוּ שָׁם בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כ א) "וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הָעֵדָה מִדְבַּר צִן בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם בְּקָדֵשׁ" וּגְמַר הַפָּרָשָׁה. אוּלַי הַמִּדְרָשׁ עַל הַשֵּׁם בִּלְבַד הוּא, רָמַז הַכָּתוּב כִּי הַשֵּׁם הַזֶּה "קָדֵשׁ" הוּא יִהְיֶה עֵין מִשְׁפָּט. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית י"ד:ז') אָמַר "מֵישַׁר פִּלּוּג דִּינָא", וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מַהוּ, אוּלַי הוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן "פְּלָגִים יִבְלֵי מָיִם" (ישעיהו ל כה), "מִי פִלַּג לַשֶּׁטֶף תְּעָלָה" (איוב לח כה), וְכֵן בִּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים (אסתר רבה ה) "פַּלְגּוֹ שֶׁל יָם", יֹאמַר כִּי בַּמִּישׁוֹר הַהוּא מַעְיָן הַמִּשְׁפָּט וְעֹמֶק הַדִּין, כִּי הָיָה מִישׁוֹר נָאֶה מְעֻתָּד לַמְּלָכִים, שָׁם יָשְׁבוּ לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת כָּל הַגּוֹיִם בָּאֲרָצוֹת הָהֵם:

1TO EIN MISHPAT, WHICH IS KADESH. It is named [Ein Mishpat, meaning, “the Well of Judgment”] on account of a future event, for Moses and Aaron will be judged because of what will occur at that fountain.¹⁴⁸ Thus the words of Rashi based upon an Agadah.¹⁴⁹, 11. So also in Targum Jonathan here.But I do not understand this for this Kadesh [mentioned here] is Kadesh-barnea which is in El-paran which is by the desert,¹⁵⁰ and it is from there that the spies were sent by Moses in the second year following the Exodus from Egypt, as it is said, Unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh.¹⁵¹ And it is further written, And we came to Kadesh-barnea… and ye said, Let us send men before us,¹⁵² and there Israel abode many days.¹⁵³, Verse 46. But the Kadesh where the judgment of the righteous ones¹⁵⁴ took place is in the wilderness of Zin, which they entered in the fortieth year following the Exodus, as it is said, And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people abode in Kadesh,¹⁵⁵ and finish the chapter.¹⁵⁶ Perhaps the Midrash [mentioned above] alludes only to the name, meaning that a place bearing this name Kadesh will become “the Well of Judgment.”Now Onkelos said, “the plain of pilug dina,” but I do not know what this means. Perhaps the word pilug is derived from [the Hebrew word used in the following verses]: ‘Plagim’ (Streams) and watercourses;¹⁵⁷ Who ‘pilag’ (hath cleft) a channel for the waterflood.¹⁵⁸ Similarly, in the language of the Sages we find,¹⁵⁹ “Pilgo (The openness) of the sea.” The verse thus states that on that plain there will flow “a fountain of judgment” entering the depth of the case, as this was a fitting plain destined for kings who would sit there to judge all the peoples of these lands.

בשְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ד:ז'), עֲדַיִן לֹא נוֹלַד עֲמָלֵק וְנִקְרָא עַל שֵׁם הֶעָתִיד. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי אִם רְצוֹנוֹ לוֹמַר כִּי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ קָרָא הַמָּקוֹם בַּשֵּׁם שֶׁהוּא נִקְרָא בְּיָמָיו, וְאִם כֵּן אֵין בְּכָאן דָּבָר עָתִיד, אוֹ מַה הָעֲתִידוֹת הַזּוֹ שֶׁיִּתְנַבְּאוּ הַגּוֹיִם לִקְרֹא הַמָּקוֹם כֵּן. וּלְשׁוֹן בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה מ"ב:ז'), עֲדַיִן לֹא נוֹלַד עֲמָלֵק וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ "אֶת כָּל שְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי", אֶלָּא מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית אַחֲרִית. וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ הַדְּרָשׁ לָהֶם בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים, גַּם בִּנְהָרוֹת גַּן עֵדֶן אָמְרוּ (ב"ר טז ב) כַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה, וְכַוָּנָתָם לוֹמַר כִּי מֵעֵת צֵאת הַנְּהָרוֹת נֶאֱמַר כִּי הַנָּהָר הוֹלֵךְ קִדְמַת אֶרֶץ הָעֲתִידָה לִהְיוֹת לְאַשּׁוּר. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי בִּשְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי כִּי הָיָה בַּיָּמִים הַקַּדְמוֹנִים אָדָם נִכְבָּד מִבְּנֵי הַחוֹרִי יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וּמָשַׁל עַל הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, וּשְׁמוֹ עֲמָלֵק, וֶאֱלִיפַז בְּכוֹר עֵשָׂו קָרָא שֵׁם בְּנוֹ עַל שֵׁם הָאִישׁ הַהוּא, וְאוּלַי מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת תִּמְנַע אִמּוֹ הָיָה, וּמֹשֵׁל גַּם בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא וְהָיָה שָׁם אַלּוּף עֲלֵיהֶם:

2THE COUNTRY OF THE AMALEKITES. Rashi comments: “Amalek, it is true, was not yet born, but it is so named here because of the name it would bear in the future.”Now I do not know whether Rashi’s intent is to say that Moshe Rabbeinu called the place by the name it was referred to in his time, but if this be the case, there is no reference to future events involved. Or [if Rashi’s intent is that the nations of Abraham’s era called it by that name] what is being foretold by the nations’ prophetic naming of this place?But the language of Bereshith Rabbah¹⁶⁰ is as follows: “Amalek was not yet born and yet you say, ‘All the country of the Amalekites!’ However, the Torah declares the end from the beginning.”¹⁶¹ This method of d’rash¹⁶² of the Sages is found in many places. Concerning the rivers of the garden of Eden they also made a similar statement.¹⁶³ [river] is the one which surrounds the whole land of Havilah. (Genesis 2:11). Havilah was not yet in existence, and yet the verse says, the whole land of Havilah! However, the Torah declares the end from the beginning.” (Bereshith Rabbah 16:2.) The intent of the Rabbis is to say that from the time the rivers came forth it was already declared that a particular river go towards a land which is destined to be called Assyria.¹⁶⁴The correct interpretation concerning “the country of the Amalekites” mentioned here is that there was in ancient times some honorable person of the sons of the Horites, the inhabitants of the land,¹⁶⁵ by the name of Amalek, who ruled over this place. Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, named his son after this man.¹⁶⁶, Verse 12. Perhaps this Amalek mentioned here was of the family of Timna, his mother,¹⁶⁶, Verse 12. and he also ruled in that place and was chieftain over them.