Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 2:17/רמב"ן על בראשית ב׳:י״ז
אלֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ מִן הַפְּרִי יַזְהִירֶנּוּ, כִּי הָעֵץ אֵינוֹ נֶאֱכָל. וְכֵן אָמַר לְמַטָּה (בראשית ג':ג') "מִפְּרִי הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן", וְכָמֹהוּ "וְאִכְלוּ אִישׁ גַּפְנוֹ וְאִישׁ תְּאֵנָתוֹ" (מלכים ב יח לא) וְכֵן "בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה" (בראשית ג':י"ז) תֹּאכַל פִּרְיָהּ:
1THOU SHALT NOT EAT OF IT. He admonishes him against eating the fruit, for the tree itself is not edible. And so it says further on: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden.328 Similarly, And eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree348 [means “of the fruit of his vine and of the fruit of his fig-tree].” Likewise, In toil shalt thou eat it349 means “eat its fruit.”
בבְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת בְּעֵת שֶׁתֹּאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ תִּהְיֶה בֶּן מָוֶת, וְכָמוֹהוּ "בְּיוֹם צֵאתְךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ אָנֶה וָאָנָה יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי מוֹת תָּמוּת" (מלכים א ב מב), שֶׁאֵין הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁיָּמוּת מִיָּד בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם, וְאֵין הַכַּוָּנָה לִידִיעָה בִּלְבַד שֶׁיֵּדַע שֶׁיָּמוּת, כִּי הַחַיִּים יוֹדְעִים שֶׁיָּמֻתוּ כֻּלָּם, אֲבָל הַכַּוָּנָה כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁיֵּצֵא יִהְיֶה חַיָּב מִיתָה לַמֶּלֶךְ וְהוּא יָמִית אוֹתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִרְצֶה. "וְלֹא יָבֹאוּ לִרְאוֹת כְּבַלַּע אֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וָמֵתוּ" (במדבר ד כ), "וְלֹא יִשְׂאוּ עָלָיו חֵטְא וּמֵתוּ בוֹ כִּי יְחַלְּלֻהוּ" (ויקרא כב ט), אֵין עִנְיָנָם אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ חַיָּבִים מִיתָה, וְיָמוּתוּ בְּחֶטְאָם זֶה. וְעַל דַּעַת אַנְשֵׁי הַטֶּבַע הָיָה הָאָדָם מְעֻתָּד לְמִיתָה מִתְּחִלַּת הַיְּצִירָה, מִפְּנֵי הֱיוֹתוֹ מֻרְכָּב, אֲבָל גָּזַר עַתָּה שֶׁאִם יֶחֱטָא יָמוּת בְּחֶטְאוֹ כְּדֶרֶךְ חַיָּבֵי מִיתָה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם בַּעֲבֵרוֹת, כְּגוֹן זָר הָאוֹכֵל תְּרוּמָה (ויקרא כט ט) וּשְׁתוּי יַיִן (שם י ט) וּמְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים שֶׁשִּׁמְּשׁוּ (שמות כח מג) וְזוּלָתָם, שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה בָּהֶם שֶׁיָּמוּתוּ בְּחֶטְאָם טֶרֶם בֹּא יוֹמָם. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר בָּעֹנֶשׁ, "עַד שׁוּבְךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה כִּי מִמֶּנָּה לֻקָּחְתָּ כִּי עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל עָפָר תָּשׁוּב" בְּטִבְעֲךָ (בראשית ג':י"ט). וְגַם מִתְּחִלָּה הָיָה אוֹכֵל מִפְּרִי הָעֵץ וּמִזֶּרַע הָאָרֶץ, אִם כֵּן הָיְתָה בּוֹ הַתָּכָה וְסִבַּת הֲוָיָה וְהֶפְסֵד. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (עיין שבת נה) אִלְמָלֵא שֶׁחָטָא לֹא מֵת לְעוֹלָם, כִּי הַנְּשָׁמָה הָעֶלְיוֹנִית נוֹתֶנֶת לוֹ חַיִּים לָעַד, וְהַחֵפֶץ הָאֱלֹהִי אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ בְּעֵת הַיְּצִירָה יִהְיֶה דָּבֵק בּוֹ תָּמִיד וְהוּא יְקַיֵּם אוֹתוֹ לָעַד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּמִלַּת "וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי טוֹב" (לעיל א ד). וְדַע כִּי אֵין הַהַרְכָּבָה מוֹרָה עַל הַהֶפְסֵד אֶלָּא לְדַעַת קְטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה כִּי הַבְּרִיאָה הִיא בְּחִיּוּב, אֲבָל לְדַעַת אַנְשֵׁי הָאֱמוּנָה הָאוֹמְרִים כִּי הָעוֹלָם מְחֻדָּשׁ בְּחֵפֶץ אֱלֹהִי פָּשׁוּט, גַּם הַקִּיּוּם יִהְיֶה בּוֹ לָעַד כָּל יְמֵי הַחֵפֶץ, וְזֶה אֱמֶת בָּרוּר. אִם כֵּן "בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת", שֶׁאָז תִּהְיֶה בֶּן מָוֶת, לֹא תִּתְקַיֵּם לָעַד בְּחֶפְצִי, וְהָאֲכִילָה הָיְתָה לוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה לְעֹנֶג. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁפֵּרוֹת גַּן עֵדֶן נִבְלָעִים בָּאֵבָרִים כַּמָּן וּמְקַיְּמִים אֶת אוֹכְלֵיהֶם, וְכַאֲשֶׁר גָּזַר עָלָיו "וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה" וּבְזֵעַת אַפָּיו יֹאכַל לֶחֶם הָאֲדָמָה, הָיָה זֶה סִבָּה לַהֶפְסֵד, כִּי עָפָר הוּא וְעָפָר יֹאכַל וְאֶל עָפָר יָשׁוּב:
2IN THE DAY THOU EATEST THEREOF THOU SHALT SURELY DIE. At the time you eat of it, you will be condemned to die. Similarly, we find: On the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt surely die.350. This does not mean that he [Shimi] is to die immediately on that day; nor does it refer to his mere knowledge thereof, namely that he is to know that he will die eventually for all the living know that they shall die.351 But it does mean that at the time he [Shimi] goes forth from Jerusalem, he is liable to death at the hand of the king, and he will slay him when he pleases. [Similarly, in the verses:] But they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die;352 And they shall not bear sin for it, and die thereby.353 Their intent is [not that those who transgress against these prohibitions will die immediately], but only that they will be liable to death and will die on account of this sin of theirs.Now in the opinion of men versed in the sciences of nature, man was destined to die from the beginning of his formation, on account of his being a composite [of the four elements, and everything that is composite must revert to its original components]. But now He decreed that if he will sin he will die on account of his sin, like those who are liable to death at the hands of Heaven for such sins as a non-priest eating the Heave-offering, or a priest who has drunk wine or who does not wear the [required number of priestly] garments when performing the Service in the Sanctuary, and other cases. There the intent is that they will die prematurely on account of their sin. This is why in stating the punishment [after Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge] He said, Till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,354 by your nature. In the beginning before he sinned, Adam also ate of the fruit of the tree and of the seeds of the earth; and if so, there was bound to be depletion in his body, and he was subject to the cause of existence and destruction. [Thus the opinion of the men of science.]But in the opinion of our Rabbis,355 if Adam had not sinned he would have never died, since the higher soul bestows life forever, and the Will of G-d which is in him at the time of his formation would always cleave to him and he would exist forever, as I have explained in the verse, And G-d saw that it was good.356Know that composition indicates destruction only in the opinion of those wanting in faith, who hold that creation came by necessity. But in the opinion of men of faith who say that the world was created by the simple Will of G-d, its existence will also continue forever as long as it is His desire. This is clear truth. That being so, In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die means that then you will be condemned to die since you will no longer exist forever by My Will. And the matter of eating [from the other trees] was to Adam at first only a source of enjoyment.357 And it is possible that the fruits of the garden of Eden were absorbed in his limbs as the Manna, and they sustain those that eat them. But when He decreed upon him, And thou shalt eat the herb of the field358 and with the sweat of his face he shall eat bread of the earth,359, Verse 19. this [the food] became a cause for decomposition since he is dust, and dust he eats, and unto dust he shall return.