Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 18:3/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ח:ג׳

אאֲדֹנָי אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ מָצִינוּ אוֹתוֹ בַּסְּפָרִים קָמוּץ, וְהִנֵּה קְרָאָם בְּשֵׁם רַבָּם בְּאָלֶ"ף דָּלֶ"ת, כִּי הִכִּיר בָּהֶם שֶׁהֵם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִקָּרְאוּ אֱלֹהִים וְאֵלִים, וְלָכֵן הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה לָהֶם אַרְצָה:

1‘ADONAY,’ IF NOW I HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN THY EYES. We find the word Adonay here in the books marked with a kamatz.⁷² stands by itself and is not in construct form. This is not the case with a word whose end is voweled with a patach. Thus, Ado-noy voweled with a kamatz, must have reference only to G-d, but Adonay voweled with a patach, has a “profane” sense and does not refer to G-d. Ramban continues: Since we find the word in this verse written in the books with a kamatz, and Abraham was speaking to the angels, it must be because he referred to them by the name of their Master. Thus it must be that he called them by the name of their Master, i.e., with the Aleph Dalet,⁷³ as he recognized them to be angels of the Supreme One, even as they are called elohim and eilim.⁷⁴ For this reason he bowed down to the earth to them.

באַל נָא תַעֲבֹר מֵעַל עַבְדֶּךָ עִם כָּל אֶחָד יְדַבֵּר כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל הַתּוֹרָה, "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת (כל) חֻקֹּתַי (ועשיתם אותם) עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ וְעֶרְוַת אִמְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה" (ויקרא יח ה ז), "וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם לֹא תְכַלֶּה" (שם יט ט), "וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם מִשָּׁם אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמָצָאתָ כִּי תִדְרְשֶׁנּוּ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ" (דברים ד כט), וְרֹב מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה כֵּן, וְהֶפֶךְ מִזֶּה "רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נוֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם" (שם יא כו). וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (ב"ר מח ו), לַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבָּהֶם אָמַר. וְגַם זֶה יִתָּכֵן, שֶׁאָמַר לַגָּדוֹל אַל נָא תַּעֲבֹר, וְאַתָּה וְרֵעֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֲרוּ עִמְּךָ תִּרְחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי שֶׁקָּרָא אֶת כֻּלָּם אֲדוֹנִים וּפָנָה אֶל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, לָרִאשׁוֹן אָמַר אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר, וְכֵן אָמַר לַשֵּׁנִי, וְכֵן אָמַר לַשְּׁלִישִׁי, לְכָל אֶחָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ יִתְחַנֵּן, אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר מֵעַל עַבְדֶּךָ וְיֻקַּח נָא מְעַט מַיִם וְרַחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם כֻּלְּכֶם. וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ מוּסָר וְכָבוֹד מֵרֹב חֶפְצוֹ לְהִתְנַדֵּב עִמָּהֶם. וְהִנֵּה הִכִּיר בָּהֶם שֶׁהֵם עוֹבְרֵי דֶּרֶךְ וְאֵין חֶפְצָם לָלוּן שָׁם, וְלָכֵן לֹא בִּקֵּשׁ מֵהֶם רַק שֶׁיֻּקַּח מְעַט מַיִם לִרְחֹץ רַגְלֵיהֶם מְעַט מִפְּנֵי הַחֹם, לָתֵת מַיִם קָרִים עַל נֶפֶשׁ עֲיֵפָה, וְיִשָּׁעֲנוּ תַּחַת הָעֵץ לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם, לֹא יָבוֹאוּ בְּאֹהֶל וּבְמִשְׁכָּן:

2PASS NOT AWAY, I PRAY THEE, FROM THY SERVANT. Abraham spoke to each one of the angels, as is the way of the whole Torah: Ye shall keep all My statutes… and do them;⁷⁵ 18:5]: Ye shall keep My statutes, and Mine ordinances, which if a man do…. Here, as in the succeeding examples, the verse begins with a plural and ends with a singular because the Torah speaks to each person. The nakedness of thy father, and the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover;⁷⁶, 18:7. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field;⁷⁷, 19:9. And from thence ye will seek the Eternal thy G-d, and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.⁷⁸ The greater part of the Mishneh Torah⁷⁹, 17:18, for origin of the expression. is written in this manner. A counter-example to the above is the verse: Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.⁸⁰, 11:26. Here He speaks to the whole congregation as a unit and not to each person individually.Now our Rabbis have said,⁸¹ “Abraham spoke to the chief of the angels.”⁸² does not refer to G-d. It is also possible that he said to the chief, “Pass not away, I pray thee, [in the singular sense], and thou and thy companions who will remain with thee wash your feet,” [the verb “wash” being in the plural form].The correct interpretation appears to me to be that he called them all “lords,” and he turned to each individual, saying to the first one: If now I have found favor in thy eyes, pass not away, and to the second one he said the same, and the same to the third one. He begged each one individually: If now I have found favor in thy eyes, pass not away, and, let now a little water be fetched, and all of ye wash your feet.⁸³ This was by way of ethical conduct and respect out of his great desire to show kindness towards them. Now he recognized them as transients who did not have the desire to lodge there. This is why he asked of them only that a little water be fetched to wash their feet a little from the heat, to give cold waters to a faint soul,⁸⁴ and that they recline under the tree in the cool of the day without coming into the tent and the tabernacle.