Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 38:8/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ח:ח׳

אוְיַבֵּם אֹתָהּ וְהָקֵם זֶרַע לְאָחִיךָ הַבֵּן יִקָּרֵא עַל שֵׁם הַמֵּת, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ח:ח'). וְאֵין זֶה אֱמֶת, כִּי בְּמִצְוַת הַתּוֹרָה נֶאֱמַר גַּם כֵּן (דברים כה ו) "יָקוּם עַל שֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שְׁמוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל", וְאֵין הַיָּבָם מְצֻוֶּה לִקְרֹא לִבְנוֹ כְּשֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת. וְאָמַר בְּבֹעַז "וְגַם אֶת רוּת הַמֹּאֲבִיָּה אֵשֶׁת מַחְלוֹן קָנִיתִי לִי לְאִשָּׁה לְהָקִים שֵׁם הַמֵּת עַל נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלֹא יִכָּרֵת שֵׁם הַמֵּת מֵעִם אֶחָיו וּמִשַּׁעַר מְקוֹמוֹ" וַתִּקְרֶאנָה אוֹתוֹ עוֹבֵד, לֹא מַחְלוֹן (רות ד י). וְעוֹד שֶׁאָמַר "וַיֵּדַע אוֹנָן כִּי לֹּא לוֹ יִהְיֶה הַזָּרַע", וּמָה הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר תָּבֹא עָלָיו עַד כִּי הִשְׁחִית זַרְעוֹ מִפָּנֶיהָ אִם יִקָּרֵא שֵׁם בְּנוֹ כְּשֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת, וְרֹב בְּנֵי הָאָדָם מִתְאַוִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן, וְלֹא אָמַר הַכָּתוּב "וַיֹּאמֶר אוֹנָן" אֲבָל אָמַר "וַיֵּדַע אוֹנָן כִּי לֹּא לוֹ יִהְיֶה הַזָּרַע", כִּי יְדִיעָה בְּרוּרָה הָיְתָה לוֹ בָּזֶה שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לוֹ הַזֶּרַע. אֲבָל הָעִנְיָן סוֹד גָּדוֹל מִסּוֹדוֹת הַתּוֹרָה בְּתוֹלֶדֶת הָאָדָם, וְנִכָּר הוּא לְעֵינֵי רוֹאִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָהֶם הַשֵּׁם עֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת וְאָזְנַיִם לִשְׁמוֹעַ, וְהָיוּ הַחֲכָמִים הַקַּדְמוֹנִים קֹדֶם הַתּוֹרָה יוֹדְעִים כִּי יֵשׁ תּוֹעֶלֶת גְּדוֹלָה בְּיִבּוּם הָאָח, וְהוּא הָרָאוּי לִהְיוֹת קוֹדֵם בּוֹ וְאַחֲרָיו הַקָּרוֹב בַּמִּשְׁפָּחָה, כִּי כָל שְׁאֵרוֹ הַקָּרוֹב אֵלָיו מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הוּא יוֹרֵשׁ נַחֲלָה יַגִּיעַ מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹעֶלֶת, וְהָיוּ נוֹהֲגִים לִשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הָאָח אוֹ הָאָב אוֹ הַקָּרוֹב מִן הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה, וְלֹא יָדַעְנוּ אִם הָיָה הַמִּנְהָג קַדְמוֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה פ"ה:ה') אָמְרוּ, כִּי יְהוּדָה הִתְחִיל בְּמִצְוַת יִבּוּם תְּחִלָּה, כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר קִבֵּל הַסּוֹד מֵאֲבוֹתָיו נִזְדָּרֵז לְהָקִים אוֹתוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר בָּאֲתָה הַתּוֹרָה וְאָסְרָה אֵשֶׁת קְצָת הַקְּרוֹבִים, רָצָה הקב"ה לְהַתִּיר אִסּוּר אֵשֶׁת הָאָח מִפְּנֵי הַיִּבּוּם, וְלֹא רָצָה שֶׁיִּדָּחֶה מִפָּנָיו אִסּוּר אֵשֶׁת אֲחִי הָאָב וְהַבֵּן וְזוּלָתָם, כִּי בָּאָח הֻרְגַּל הַדָּבָר וְתוֹעֶלֶת קְרוֹבָה וְלֹא בָּהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְתִּי. וְהִנֵּה נֶחְשָׁב לְאַכְזָרִיּוּת גְּדוֹלָה בָּאָח כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא יַחְפֹּץ לְיַבֵּם, וְקוֹרְאִים אוֹתוֹ "בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל" (דברים כה י), כִּי עַתָּה חָלַץ מֵהֶם, וְרָאוּי הוּא שֶׁתֵּעָשֶׂה הַמִּצְוָה זֹאת בַּחֲלִיצַת הַנַּעַל. וְחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקַּדְמוֹנִים מִדַּעְתָּם הָעִנְיָן הַנִּכְבָּד הַזֶּה הִנְהִיגוּ לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַזֶּה בְּכָל יוֹרְשֵׁי הַנַּחֲלָה, בְּאוֹתָם שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בָּהֶם אִסּוּר הַשְּׁאֵר, וְקָרְאוּ אוֹתוֹ גְּאֻלָּה, וְזֶהוּ עִנְיַן בֹּעַז וְטַעַם נָעֳמִי וְהַשְּׁכֵנוֹת. וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין:

1AND MARRY HER AS BROTHER-IN-LAW, AND RAISE SEED TO THY BROTHER. The son will be called by the name of the deceased. This is Rashi’s language.But this is not true, for in the same commandment of the Torah it likewise says, And it shall be, that the firstborn that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel,¹⁵⁰ and yet the brother-in-law is not commanded to call his son by the name of his dead brother.¹⁵¹ In the case of Boaz it says, Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Machlon, have I acquired to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place,¹⁵² and yet she called him Obed,¹⁵³, Verse 21. not Machlon. Moreover, it says here, And Onan knew that the seed would not be his.¹⁵⁴ Now what misfortune would have befallen him — to the point that he wasted his seed from before her — if his son was to be called by the name of his dead brother? Most people even desire to do so. Again, Scripture does not say, “And Onan said,” but instead it says, And Onan ‘knew’ that the seed would not be his.¹⁵⁴ This would indicate that Onan had some definite kind of knowledge in this matter which made him certain that the seed would not be his.¹⁵⁴The subject is indeed one of the great secrets of the Torah,¹⁵⁵ concerning human reproduction, and it is evident to those observers who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.¹⁵⁶ The ancient wise men who were prior to the Torah knew of the great benefit in marrying a childless dead brother’s wife, and that it was proper for the brother to take precedence in the matter, and upon his failure to do so, his next of kin would come after him, for any kinsman who was related to him, who would inherit his legacy, would derive a benefit from such a marriage. And it was customary for the dead man’s wife to be wed by the brother or father or the next of kin in the family. We do not know whether this was an ancient custom preceding Judah’s era. In Bereshith Rabbah¹⁵⁷ they say that Judah was the one who inaugurated the commandment of marrying a childless person’s widow, for since he had received the secret¹⁵⁵ from his ancestors he was quick to fulfill it. Now when the Torah came and prohibited marrying former wives of certain relatives, it was the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to abrogate the prohibition against marrying a brother’s wife in case he dies childless, but it was not His will that the prohibition against marrying a father’s brother’s wife or a son’s wife or similar wives of relatives be set aside. It was only in the case of a brother that the custom had established itself,¹⁵⁸ and the benefit is likely with him and not with the others,¹⁵⁹ as I have mentioned. Now it was considered a matter of great cruelty when a brother did not want to marry his dead brother’s wife, and they would call it the house of him that had his shoe loosed,¹⁶⁰ for [after his dead brother’s wife had performed Chalitzah (the loosening of the shoe) of the brother-in-law], he¹⁶¹ was now removed from them, and it is fitting that this commandment be fulfilled through the loosening of the shoe. Now the ancient wise men of Israel, having knowledge of this important matter, established it as a custom to be practised among all those inheriting the legacy, providing there is no prohibition against the marriage, and they called it Ge’ulah (Redemption).¹⁶² This was the matter concerning Boaz, and the meaning of the words of Naomi and the women neighbors.¹⁶³ (Ruth 4:17), meaning that she was thereby given back the son Machlon whom she had lost. This explains why the women did not say, “There is a son born to Ruth or Boaz.” The man of insight¹⁶⁴ will understand.