Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 3:22/רמב"ן על בראשית ג׳:כ״ב

אוְעַתָּה פֶּן יִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ רָצָה הקב"ה שֶׁתִּתְקַיֵּם גְּזֵרָתוֹ בְּמִיתַת הָאָדָם, וְאִם יֹאכַל מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים שֶׁנִּבְרָא לָתֵת לְאוֹכְלָיו חַיֵּי עוֹלָם תִּבְטַל הַגְּזֵרָה, אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יָמוּת כְּלָל אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא יוֹמוֹ בָּעֵת הַנִּגְזָר עָלָיו וְעַל תּוֹלְדוֹתָיו. וְהִנֵּה עַתָּה שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ בְּחִירָה שָׁמַר הָעֵץ הַזֶּה מִמֶּנּוּ, כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה לֹא הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה אֶלָּא מָה שֶׁיְּצֻוֶּה, וְלֹא אָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ. וְדַע וְהַאֲמֵן כִּי גַּן עֵדֶן בָּאָרֶץ, וּבוֹ עֵץ הַחַיִּים וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת וּמִשָּׁם יֵצֵא הַנָּהָר וְיִפָּרֵד לְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים הַנִּרְאִים לָנוּ, כִּי פְּרָת בְּאַרְצֵנוּ וּבִגְבוּלֵנוּ, וּפִישׁוֹן הוּא נִילוּס מִצְרַיִם כְּדִבְרֵי הָרִאשׁוֹנִים. אֲבָל כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵם בָּאָרֶץ כֵּן יֵשׁ בַּשָּׁמַיִם דְּבָרִים יִקָּרְאוּ כֵן, וְהֵם לְאֵלֶּה יְסוֹד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (מדרש שה"ש זוטא א ד) "הֱבִיאַנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ חֲדָרָיו", מְלַמֵּד שֶׁעָתִיד הקב"ה לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל גִּנְזֵי מָרוֹם, הַחֲדָרִים שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם. דָּבָר אַחֵר, "הֱבִיאַנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ חֲדָרָיו", אֵלּוּ חַדְרֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרָקִיעַ מַעֲשֵׂה גַּן עֵדֶן. וְהַנְּהָרוֹת כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע מַחֲנוֹת שֶׁבַּמָּרוֹם, וּמִשָּׁם יִמָּשֵׁךְ כֹּחַ הַמַּלְכִיּוֹת שֶׁבָּאָרֶץ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיהו כד כא) "וְעַל צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם בַּמָּרוֹם וְעַל מַלְכֵי הָאֲדָמָה בָּאֲדָמָה", כָּךְ אָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ט"ז:ד'), אַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים אֵלּוּ ד' מַלְכִיּוֹת, שֵׁם הָאֶחָד פִּישׁוֹן זֶה בָּבֶל וְכוּ'. וְהַדְּבָרִים הַנִּקְרָאִים עֵץ הַחַיִּים וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת לְמַעְלָה סוֹדָם נַעֲלֶה וְנִשְׂגָּב, וְהָאָדָם חָטָא בִּפְרִי עֵץ הַדַּעַת תַּחְתּוֹן וְעֶלְיוֹן בְּמַעֲשֵׂה וּבְמַחְשָׁבָה. וְאִם הָיָה הָעֵץ טוֹב לָאָדָם לְמַאֲכָל וְנֶחְמָד אֵלָיו לְהַשְׂכִּיל, לָמָּה מְנָעוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וְהָאֱלֹהִים הוּא הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב, לֹא יִמְנַע טוֹב לַהֹלְכִים בְּתָמִים. וְהַנָּחָשׁ אֵין בּוֹ הַיּוֹם נֶפֶשׁ מְדַבֶּרֶת, וְאִם הָיְתָה בּוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה הָיָה מַזְכִּיר בְּקִלְלָתוֹ שֶׁיֵּאָלֵם פִּיו, כִּי הִיא הָיְתָה לוֹ קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת מִכֻּלָּן. אֲבָל כָּל אֵלֶּה דְּבָרִים כְּפוּלִים, הַגָּלוּי וְהֶחָתוּם בָּהֶם אֱמֶת. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ט"ז:ה'), דָּבָר אַחֵר "לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ", אֵלּוּ הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ג יב) "תַּעַבְדוּן אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים עַל הָהָר הַזֶּה", הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (במדבר כח ב) "תִּשְׁמְרוּ לְהַקְרִיב לִי בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ". רָמְזוּ כִּי הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת יַצְמִיחוּ וִיגַדְּלוּ בְּעֵץ הַחַיִּים וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת וְכָל עֲצֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְהֵם הָעֲבוֹדָה וְהַשְּׁמִירָה בָּהֶם. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם מַכְחִישׁ מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ כִּי פִּישׁוֹן הוּא נִילוּס, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיִּמְצָאֻהוּ יוֹצֵא מֵהַר הַלְּבוֹנָה וְלָכֵן יִגְדַּל בִּימֵי הַקַּיִץ, וּכְבָר נוֹדְעוּ נְהָרוֹת רַבִּים יֵצְאוּ מִן הַמָּקוֹר וְיִמְשְׁכוּ הַרְבֵּה, וְאַחַר כֵּן יִכָּנְסוּ בְּתַחְתִּיּוֹת אֶרֶץ מַהֲלַךְ יָמִים וְיִבְקְעוּ וְיִהְיוּ נוֹבְעִים תַּחַת אֶחָד הֶהָרִים בְּמָקוֹם רָחוֹק:

1AND NOW, LEST HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND. The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted His decree concerning the death of Adam to be fulfilled, and if he were to eat of the tree of life which was created to give everlasting life to those who ate of its fruit, the decree would be nullified; for either he would not die at all or his day of death would not come at the time it was decreed for him and his descendants to die.³⁹⁷ And now that Adam had the power of choice, He therefore guarded this tree from him for at first Adam did only what he was commanded and he did not eat thereof as he did not need it.Know and believe that the garden of Eden is on this earth³⁹⁸ that the garden….’” as are also the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, and from there the river comes forth and is divided into four heads³⁹⁹ which are visible to us. For the Euphrates⁴⁰⁰, 2:14. is in our land and within our border,⁴⁰¹ and Pishon,⁴⁰² according to the words of the former scholars, is the Nile of Egypt.⁴⁰² But as these are on earth so are there also in the heavens things similarly named, and those in the heavens are the foundations of these on earth, just as the Rabbis have said:⁴⁰³ “The king hath brought me into his chambers⁴⁰⁴ — this teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to show Israel the treasures on high that are chambered in the heavens. Another interpretation of The king hath brought me into his chambers is that these are the chambers of the garden of Eden. It is on the basis of this that they have said: ‘The work of the garden of Eden is like the work of the firmament.’” The rivers correspond to the four camps of angels on high, and it is from there that the power of the kingdoms on earth is derived, just as it is written, The host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.⁴⁰⁵ Thus the Rabbis said in Bereshith Rabbah,⁴⁰⁶ “Into four heads⁴⁰⁷ — these are the four kingdoms. The name of the first is Pishon⁴⁰⁸, 2:11. — this is Babylon, etc.” And the things called the tree of life and the tree of knowledge on high — their secret is high and lofty. Adam sinned with the fruit of the tree of knowledge below and on high, in deed and thought.Now if the fruit of the tree were good for food and he desired it to become wise, why did He withhold it from him? Indeed, G-d is kind and dealeth kindly; He will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly!⁴⁰⁹ The serpent, moreover, has today no speaking faculty, and if it did have it at first, He would surely have mentioned in His curse that its mouth become dumb, as this would have been the most grievous curse of all. But all these things are twofold in meaning, the overt and the concealed in them both being true.In Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis say:⁴¹⁰ “Another interpretation of Le’ovdah uleshomrah (to cultivate her and to keep her)⁴¹¹ is that these words refer to the sacrifices, as it is said, ‘Ta’avdun’ (Ye shall serve) G-d upon this mountain.⁴¹² It is this which Scripture says, ‘Tishm’ru’ (Ye shall keep) to offer unto Me in its appointed season.”⁴¹³ By this Midrash, the Rabbis hinted that the sacrifices will cause growth and expansion in the tree of life and the tree of knowledge and all other trees in the garden of Eden. It is this which constitutes their cultivation and care.Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra denies what the scholars have said, namely, that Pishon is the Nile, because they found that the Nile comes from the Mountain of Frankincense [far south of the equator], and therefore it swells during the days of summer.⁴¹⁴ But it is already known that many rivers come from their source and flow for a great distance and enter the bowels of the earth for a journey of many days, and then break forth again, and flow from under one of the mountains in a distant place. [This being the case, it is possible that Pishon is the Nile.]