Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 2:24/רמב"ן על בראשית ב׳:כ״ד

אעַל כֵּן יַעֲזָב אִישׁ אֶת אָבִיו וְאֶת אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְגוֹ' רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ אוֹמֶרֶת כֵּן לֶאֱסֹר הָעֲרָיוֹת לִבְנֵי נֹחַ:

1THEREFORE SHALL A MAN LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE. The Divine Spirit says this, thus prohibiting immoral relationships to “the sons of Noah.”³⁷²

בוְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד הַוָּלָד נוֹצָר עַל יְדֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם, וְשָׁם נַעֲשֶׁה בְשָׂרָם אֶחָד, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ב':כ"ד). וְאֵין בָּזֶה טַעַם, כִּי גַּם הַבְּהֵמָה וְהַחַיָּה יִהְיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד בְּוַלְדוֹתֵיהֶם. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי הַבְּהֵמָה וְהַחַיָּה אֵין לָהֶם דְּבֵקוּת בִּנְקֵבוֹתֵיהֶן, אֲבָל יָבֹא הַזָּכָר עַל אֵיזֶה נְקֵבָה שֶׁיִּמְצָא וְיֵלְכוּ לָהֶם. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁנְּקֵבַת הָאָדָם הָיְתָה עֶצֶם מֵעֲצָמָיו וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרוֹ, וְדָבַק בָּהּ וְהָיְתָה בְּחֵיקוֹ כִּבְשָׂרוֹ, וְיַחְפֹּץ בָּהּ לִהְיוֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עִמּוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר הָיָה זֶה בָּאָדָם הוּשַׁם טִבְעוֹ בְּתוֹלְדוֹתָיו לִהְיוֹת הַזְּכָרִים מֵהֶם דְּבֵקִים בִּנְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם, עוֹזְבִים אֶת אֲבִיהֶם וְאֶת אִמָּם וְרוֹאִים אֶת נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶן כְּאִלּוּ הֵן עִמָּם לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד. וְכֵן "כִּי אָחִינוּ בְשָׂרֵנוּ הוּא" (בראשית ל"ז:כ"ז), "אֶל כָּל שְׁאֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ" (ויקרא יח ו), הַקְּרוֹבִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּחָה יִקָּרְאוּ "שְׁאֵר בָּשָׂר". וְהִנֵּה יַעֲזֹב שְׁאֵר אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וְקֻרְבָתָם, וְיִרְאֶה שֶׁאִשְׁתּוֹ קְרוֹבָה לוֹ מֵהֶם:

2AND THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH. The child is created by both parents, and there in the child, their flesh is united into one. Thus the words of Rashi. But there is no point to this since in beast and cattle too, their flesh is united into one in their offspring.The correct interpretation appears to me to be that in cattle and beast the males have no attachment to their females. Rather, the male mates with any female he finds, and then they go their separate ways. It is for this reason that Scripture states that because the female of man was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, he therefore cleaves to her and she nestles in his bosom as his own flesh, and he desires to be with her always. And just as it was with Adam, so was his nature transmitted to his offspring, that the males among them should cleave to their women, leaving their fathers and their mothers, and considering their wives as if they are one flesh with them. A similar sense is found in the verses: For he is our brother, our flesh;³⁷³ to any that is near of his flesh.³⁷⁴ Those who are close members of the family are called sh’eir basar (near of flesh). Thus man will leave “the flesh” of his father and his mother and their kin and will see that his wife is nearer to him than they.