Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 19:17/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ט:י״ז

אאַל תַּבִּיט אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַל תַּעֲמֹד בְּכָל הַכִּכָּר שִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב, אַל תַּעֲמֹד בְּכָל הַכִּכָּר וְאַל תַּבִּיט אַחֲרֶיךָ אַחַר שֶׁתִּנָּצֵל, כִּי עַד הֱיוֹת לוֹט בָּהָר לֹא תֵּרֵד עֲלֵיהֶם רָעָה. וּבַעֲבוּר כֵּן אָמַר וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אוּכַל לְהִמָּלֵט הָהָרָה פֶּן תִּדְבָּקַנִי הָרָעָה בִּהְיוֹתִי בַּכִּכָּר, כִּי אַתָּה לֹא תַּאֲרִיךְ לִי רַק מְעַט, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ "מַהֵר הִמָּלֵט". וְאָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (אבן עזרא על בראשית י"ט:י"ז) "אַל תַּבִּיט אַחֲרֶיךָ" אַתָּה וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לָךְ. וְכֵן "לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ". וּמָה צֹרֶךְ לָזֶה, וְאֵין הָעֹנֶשׁ בְּכָאן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיַּעַבְרוּ עַל אַזְהָרַת הַמַּלְאָךְ, אֲבָל הוּא הִזְהִירָם מִדַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לָהֶם עֹנֶשׁ בַּהַבָּטָה הַהִיא, וְהוּא הִזְהִיר אֶת לוֹט לִזְכוּתוֹ, וְכָל הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ וְנִזְהָר הוּא אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ הִצִּיל. וְעִנְיַן אִסּוּר הַהַבָּטָה אָמַר רַשִׁ"י אַתָּה הִרְשַׁעְתָּ עִמָּהֶם וּבִזְכוּת אַבְרָהָם אַתָּה נִצָּל, אֵינְךָ רַשַּׁאי לִרְאוֹת בְּפֻרְעָנוּתָן. וְעוֹד בּוֹ עִנְיָן, כִּי הָרְאוּת בַּאֲוִיר הַדֶּבֶר וּבְכָל הֶחֳלָיִים הַנִּדְבָּקִים יַזִּיק מְאֹד וְיַדְבִּיקֵם, וְכֵן הַמַּחְשָׁבָה בָּהֶם. וְלָכֵן יִסָּגֵר הָאִישׁ הַמְּצֹרָע וְיֵשֵׁב בָּדָד (ויקרא יג מו), וְכֵן נְשׁוּכֵי חַיּוֹת הַשּׁוֹטוֹת כַּכֶּלֶב הַשּׁוֹטֶה וְזוּלָתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִרְאוּ הַמַּיִם וְכָל מַרְאֶה יֶחֱזוּ בָּהֶם דְּמוּת הַמַּזִּיק וְיִשְׁתַּטּוּ וְיָמוּתוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּמַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא (יומא פ"ד), וְהִזְכִּירוּהוּ אַנְשֵׁי הַטֶּבַע. וְלָכֵן הָיְתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל לוֹט נְצִיב מֶלַח, כִּי בָּאתָה הַמַּכָּה בְּמַחְשַׁבְתָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאֲתָה גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח הַיּוֹרֵד עֲלֵיהֶן מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְדָבְקָה בָּהּ. וְקָרוֹב אֲנִי לוֹמַר כִּי בְּהַשְׁחִית ה' אֶת הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הָיָה הַמַּלְאָךְ הַמַּשְׁחִית עֹמֵד בֵּין הָאָרֶץ וּבֵין הַשָּׁמַיִם נִרְאֶה בְּלַהַב הָאֵשׁ, כָּעִנְיָן בַּמַּלְאָךְ הַמַּשְׁחִית אֲשֶׁר רָאָה דָּוִד (דהי"א כא טז), וְלָכֵן אָסַר לָהֶן הַהַבָּטָה. וּבְפִרְקֵי דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר (כה) כָּעִנְיָן הַזֶּה אָמְרוּ לָהֶם אַל תַּבִּיטוּ לַאֲחוֹרֵיכֶם, שֶׁהֲרֵי יָרְדָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ שֶׁל הקב"ה לְהַמְטִיר עַל סְדֹם וְעַל עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ. עִירִית אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל לוֹט נִכְמְרוּ רַחֲמֶיהָ עַל בְּנוֹתֶיהָ הַנְּשׂוּאוֹת בִּסְדוֹם וְהִבִּיטָה לְאַחֲרֶיהָ לִרְאוֹת אִם הוֹלְכוֹת הֵן אַחֲרֶיהָ, וְרָאֲתָה אֲחוֹרֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, וְנַעֲשֵׂית נְצִיב מֶלַח:

1LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE, NEITHER STAY IN ALL THE PLAIN. The purport of the verse is to state: “Do not stay in all the Plain and do not look behind you after you have been saved.” For as long as Lot had not reached the mountain, disaster would not overtake the inhabitants of Sodom. It is for this reason that Lot said, “And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me²³⁹ when I am in the Plain since you will not extend the time for me more than a little, as you have said, Haste thee, escape thither.”²⁴⁰Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, “Look not behind thee, i.e., ‘thou and all who belong to thee.’ And similarly is the verse, Thou shalt not eat of it.”²⁴¹But what need is there for this interpretation? The punishment here was not because they would violate the warning of the angel by looking at them. Instead, the angel merely warned them on his own that punishment would overtake them for such a glance, and he warned Lot because of his merit, and all who listened and took warning saved their lives.Now as to the significance of the prohibition of looking, Rashi said: “You sinned with them but art saved through the merit of Abraham. You are not permitted²⁴² to see their doom.”There is yet another matter. Looking upon the atmosphere of a plague and all contagious diseases is very harmful, and they may cleave to him. Even the thought of them is harmful. Therefore, the leper is isolated and dwells alone.²⁴³ Similarly, those who have been bitten by mad animals such as a mad dog and other animals besides, when they look into the water or any mirror, they behold in them the likeness of the offender, and as a result of this, they did just as the Rabbis have said in Tractate Yoma,²⁴⁴ and as the students of nature have mentioned. It was for this reason that Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt²⁴⁵ for the plague entered her mind when she saw the brimstone and salt²⁴⁶ are mentioned (Verse 24). Salt however is mentioned in Deuteronomy 29:22, in connection with the overthrow of Sodom. which descended upon them from heaven, and it cleaved to her.I am inclined to say that when G-d destroyed these cities the destroying angel stood between the earth and heaven,²⁴⁷ appearing in a flame of fire, as did the destroying angel whom David saw.²⁴⁷ Therefore, he prohibited them from looking.In Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer²⁴⁸ there is a similar text: “The angels said to them, ‘Do not look behind you since the Divine Presence of the Holy One, blessed be He, has descended to rain brimstone and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah.’ The compassion of Edis, Lot’s wife, welled up for her married daughters who were in Sodom,²⁴⁹ and she looked behind her to see if they were following her. She thereupon saw the back of the Divine Presence, and she became a pillar of salt.”