Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 18:24/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ח:כ״ד

אחֲמִשִּׁים צַדִּיקִים כָּתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ח:כ"ד), עֲשָׂרָה לְכָל כְּרַךְ וּכְרַךְ, "הֲתַשְׁחִית בַּחֲמִשָּׁה", תִּשְׁעָה לְכָל כְּרַךְ וּכְרַךְ, וְאַתָּה צַדִּיקוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם תִּצְטָרֵף עִמָּהֶם, "אוּלַי יִמָּצְאוּן שָׁם אַרְבָּעִים", וְיִמָּלְטוּ אַרְבָּעָה כְּרַכִּים, וְכֵן שְׁלֹשִׁים יַצִּילוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים יַצִּילוּ שְׁנַיִם וַעֲשָׂרָה יַצִּילוּ אֶחָד. וְלֹא בִּקֵּשׁ עַל פָּחוֹת מֵעֲשָׂרָה, שֶׁדּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל הָיוּ שְׁמֹנָה צַדִּיקִים וְלֹא הִצִּילוּ עַל דּוֹרָן, וְתִשְׁעָה עַל יְדֵי צֵרוּף כְּבָר בִּקֵּשׁ וְלֹא מָצָא. כָּל אֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי הָרַב זַ"ל. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ, אִם כֵּן מָה הַתְּפִלָּה וְהַתְּחִנָּה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִתְחַנֵּן בְּכָל פַּעַם וּפַעַם, "אַל נָא יִחַר לַאדֹנָי", וְ"הִנֵּה נָא הוֹאַלְתִּי", וַהֲלֹא רָאוּי הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ אַרְבָּעִים מַצִּילִין אַרְבָּעָה, וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְהָעֶשְׂרִים יַצִּילוּ לְפִי חֶשְׁבּוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר הַחֲמִשִּׁים יַצִּילוּ חָמֵשׁ. וְכֵן מָה שֶׁאָמַר כִּי תִּשְׁעָה עַל יְדֵי צֵרוּף כְּבָר בִּקֵּשׁ וְלֹא מָצָא, וַהֲלֹא לְאַרְבָּעִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה הָיָה מְבַקֵּשׁ הַצֵּרוּף וְלֹא הָיוּ שָׁם אַרְבָּעִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה, אֲבָל תִּשְׁעָה אוּלַי יִמָּצְאוּן שָׁם. וְהִנֵּה דַּעַת הָרַב לוֹמַר שֶׁהָרַבִּים רְאוּיִין לְהַצָּלָה גְּדוֹלָה יוֹתֵר מֵאֲשֶׁר יַצִּילוּ הַמּוּעָטִים אֲפִלּוּ הַצָּלָה מוּעֶטֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (ת"כ בחקותי) אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מוּעָטִין הָעוֹשִׂין אֶת הַתּוֹרָה לִמְרֻבִּים הָעוֹשִׂין אֶת הַתּוֹרָה. וְהִנֵּה הוֹדָה הקב"ה שֶׁיַּצִּילוּ אַרְבָּעִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה בְּצֵרוּף צַדִּיקוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם כָּל הַכְּרַכִּין כְּאִלּוּ הָיוּ חֲמִשִּׁים שְׁלֵמִין, וּמֵעַתָּה כְּשֶׁיִּהְיוּ מ' צַדִּיקִים מַצִּילִין אַרְבָּעָה אַף בְּצֵרוּף הַצַּדִּיק יִתְעַלֶּה יִנָּצְלוּ, וְכֵן הַשְּׁלֹשִׁים וְהָעֶשְׂרִים וְהָעֲשָׂרָה, שֶׁכְּבָר הוֹדָה בַּצֵּרוּף הַזֶּה. וְאִם תֹּאמַר שֶׁהוֹדָה בּוֹ עִם אַרְבָּעִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁהֵם רַבִּים, וְשֶׁמָּא לֹא יוֹדֶה בַּצֵּרוּף עִם הַמּוּעָטִין כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ, צִדְקַת ה' רְאוּיָה הִיא לְהִצְטָרֵף וּלְהַצִּיל, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהוֹדָה שֶׁלֹּא יַבְדִּיל בֵּין רַב לִמְעָט. זֶה דַּעַת הָרַב. וְדֶרֶךְ פְּשַׁט הַכְּתוּבִים סְלוּלָה, שֶׁאָמַר תְּחִלָּה חֲמִשִּׁים לָתֵת חֶשְׁבּוֹן שָׁלֵם שֶׁל עֲשָׂרָה לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְחָזַר וּפָחַת כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּכוֹל, וּלְהַצִּיל הַכֹּל הָיָה אוֹמֵר. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מִי הִכְנִיסוֹ לָרַב בַּמֶּה שֶׁאָמַר:

1FIFTY RIGHTEOUS. Rashi wrote: “Ten righteous men for each city. Wilt thou destroy on account of the five.¹⁵⁵ Nine for each city, and You, the All-Righteous One of the Universe, will be counted with them [to make up the original number of ten]. Perhaps there shall be found there forty.¹⁵⁶ Then let four cities be saved. So, too, thirty will save three of them, twenty will save two of them, and ten will save one of them. And he did not plead for less than ten since in the generation of the flood there were eight righteous people,¹⁵⁷ and they could not save their generation. For nine, in association with G-d, he had already pleaded but found no acceptance.” All these are the words of the Rabbi, of blessed memory.But I wonder: If so, what is this prayer and supplication which he pleads each and every time, saying, oh let not the Lord be angry;¹⁵⁸ Behold, now, I have taken upon me to speak?¹⁵⁹ It is proper that forty should save four cities, and thirty and twenty should save in proportion, just as fifty would save five! Similarly, concerning that which Rashi said, “for nine in association with G-d he had already pleaded but found no acceptance,” it may be asked: When he pleaded about forty-five, [i.e., to save all five cities by having nine righteous men for each city] in association [with G-d to make up ten], and he did not find forty-five, but perhaps he might have found there nine!¹⁶⁰ Now it would seem that the intention of the Rabbi¹⁶¹ is that many righteous people can effect a proportionately greater salvation than a few righteous people can, just as the Sages have said:¹⁶²) “A few who fulfill the commandments of the Torah cannot compare with the many who fulfill the commandments of the Torah.” And thus,¹⁶³ the Holy One, blessed be He, having conceded that forty-five righteous men in association with the All-Righteous One of the Universe would save all the five cities just as if there were the entire fifty, it follows that if forty could save four cities — in association with the Righteous One, praised be He — they would also save with even thirty and twenty, since He already conceded this association. [Thus, thirty-six would save four, twenty-seven three, eighteen two, and nine one]. And in case you say that He conceded only the case of forty-five because they are many, and perhaps He might not concede the principle of association with the few, as we have said, the refutation is that it is proper for the righteousness of G-d to associate even with the few and save [as many of the cities as possible] since He had conceded the principle of association, for He would not distinguish between the many and the few.¹⁶⁴ This is the opinion of the Rabbi.¹⁶¹But the way of the simple meaning of the verses is smooth.¹⁶⁵ First Abraham said fifty in order to give a perfect number of ten for each city, and then he decreased the number as much as possible, and each time he thought to save all five cities. And I do not know who brought the Rabbi¹⁶¹ to that which he said.