Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 15:18/רמב"ן על בראשית ט״ו:י״ח

אבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת ה' אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה הקב"ה הִבְטִיחַ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בְּמַתְּנַת הָאָרֶץ פְּעָמִים רַבִּים, וְכֻלָּם לְצֹרֶךְ עִנְיָן. בְּבוֹאוֹ בָּאָרֶץ מִתְּחִלָּה אָמַר לוֹ "לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת" (בראשית י"ב:ז'), וְלֹא בֵּאֵר מַתְּנָתוֹ, כִּי אֵין בַּמַּשְׁמָע רַק בַּמֶּה שֶׁהָלַךְ בָּאָרֶץ עַד מְקוֹם שְׁכֶם עַד אֵלוֹן מוֹרֶה. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן כְּשֶׁרַבּוּ זְכֻיּוֹתָיו בָּאָרֶץ הוֹסִיף לוֹ "שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה צָפֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה וָקֵדְמָה וָיָמָּה" (בראשית י"ג:י"ד), כִּי יִתֵּן לוֹ כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת הָהֵן בִּכְלָלָן. וְאֵין הַטַּעַם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה רוֹאֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ, כִּי רְאוּת הָאָדָם אֵינֶנּוּ לְמֶרְחָק, רַק שֶׁיִּתֵּן לוֹ לְכָל מַרְאֶה עֵינָיו הָרוּחוֹת, אוֹ שֶׁהֶרְאָהוּ כָּל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה בְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, וְהוֹסִיף לוֹ בַּבְּרָכָה הַשֵּׁנִית הַזֹּאת עוֹד "וּלְזַרְעֲךָ עַד עוֹלָם" וְשֶׁיַּרְבֶּה זַרְעוֹ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ. וּבַפַּעַם הַשְּׁלִישִׁית בֵּאֵר לוֹ תְּחוּמֵי הָאָרֶץ, וְהִזְכִּיר לוֹ כָּל הָעַמִּים עֲשָׂרָה אֻמּוֹת, וְהוֹסִיף לִכְרֹת לוֹ בְּרִית עֲלֵיהֶן שֶׁלֹּא יִגְרֹם הַחֵטְא. וְכַאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ עַל הַמִּילָה אָמַר לוֹ "לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם" (בראשית י"ז:ח'), לֵאמֹר שֶׁאִם יִגְלוּ מִמֶּנָּה עוֹד יָשׁוּבוּ וְיִנְחָלוּהָ, וְהוֹסִיף "וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים", שֶׁהוּא בִּכְבוֹדוֹ יַנְהִיג אוֹתָם וְלֹא יִהְיוּ בְּמֶמְשֶׁלֶת כּוֹכָב וּמַזָּל אוֹ שַׂר מִשָּׂרֵי מַעְלָה, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִתְבָּאֵר עוֹד בַּתּוֹרָה (ויקרא יח כה). וְאָמַר הַכָּתוּב בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה "לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן" בִּלְשׁוֹן עָתִיד, וְכֵן בַּשֵּׁנִית, כִּי עַד הֵנָּה לֹא נִתְּנָה אֵלָיו כֻּלָּהּ, וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמַר לוֹ "אֶתְּנֶנָּה", אֲבָל בַּשְּׁלִישִׁית בִּשְׁעַת הַבְּרִית אָמַר "לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי", לֵאמֹר שֶׁיִּכְרֹת לוֹ בְּרִית עַל הַמַּתָּנָה שֶׁכְּבָר נָתַן לוֹ, וְכֵן בְּעֵת הַמִּילָה כְּשֶׁאָמַר "לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם" אָמַר לוֹ "וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ" בֶּעָתִיד. וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית ט"ו:י"ח) "לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי", אֲמִירַת הַגָּבוֹהַּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִיא עֲשׂוּיָה. וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה:

1IN THAT DAY THE ETERNAL MADE A COVENANT WITH ABRAM, SAYING. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, promised Abraham the gift of the land many times, and all of the promises served a purpose. When he originally arrived in the land, He said to him, Unto thy seed will I give this land,³³⁷ but He did not clarify the extent of His gift, for included in this promise is only the land where he walked, unto the place of Shechem unto the oak of Moreh.³³⁸, Verse 6. Afterwards, when his merits increased while in the Land, He bestowed upon him the additional promise: Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward, and eastward and westward,³³⁹, 13:14. meaning that He will give him all those lands in their totality, for the meaning of the expression, which thou seest,³⁴⁰, Verse 15. is not literally “with your eyes” for the sight of a person does not extend far. Rather, it means that He will give him [land which lies in] every direction in which he looks. It may be that He miraculously showed him all the land of Israel, as was the case with Moshe Rabbeinu.³⁴¹ He further added in this second blessing: and to thy seed forever,³⁴⁰, Verse 15. and that his seed will increase as the dust of the earth.³⁴² At the third time, He clarified to him the boundaries of the land, mentioning all the ten nations [who presently inhabited it],³⁴³ and in addition He made a covenant with him that sin would not cause [the annulment of the gift]. When He commanded him concerning circumcision, He told him, for a possession forever,³⁴⁴ that is to say, if they will be exiled from it they will again return and inherit it.³⁴⁵ (13:15), does not imply that if they will be exiled from the land they will return and re-inherit it. It assures legal title but not necessarily actual possession. However, the expression, for ‘a possession’ forever, does indicate that it is to be their land forever. Hence even if they are exiled they will return and possess it. He also added at that time, And I will be their G-d,³⁴⁶ meaning that He in His Glory will lead them, and they shall not be under the rule of a star or constellation or any power of the powers above, as will yet be explained in the Torah.³⁴⁶Now at the time of the first gift, Scripture states, Unto thy seed will I give,³³⁷ the verb being in a future tense, and similarly in the second time,³⁴⁷. (Above, 13:15). because until then He had not given him the entire land, and therefore, He said to him, will I give it.³³⁷ But at the third time, during the covenant, He said, Unto thy seed have I given,³⁴⁸ meaning that He will make the covenant for the gift that He had already given him. Similarly, at the time of the circumcision, when He said, for a possession forever,³⁴⁴ He said to him, And I will give unto thee,³⁴⁴ in the future tense.³⁴⁹Rashi wrote: Unto thy seed have I given.³⁴⁸ The word of the Supreme One is as if it were already accomplished. — But there is no need for this explanation in this passage.³⁵⁰