Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 7:16/רמב"ן על בראשית ז׳:ט״ז

אוְטַעַם וְהַבָּאִים זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה מִכָּל בָּשָׂר בָּאוּ כִּי הַבָּאִים אֶל תּוֹךְ הַתֵּבָה הָיוּ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה שֶׁהִכְנִיסָם נֹחַ בְּתוֹכָהּ כֵּן, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר "כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים", כִּי הוּא מְצַוֶּה עָלָיו שֶׁיַּכְנִיסֵם לְתוֹכָהּ. וְדַעַת רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם כִּי "וַיָּבֹא נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי בָנָיו אִתּוֹ אֶל הַתֵּבָה" (בראשית ז':ז') לֹא נִכְנְסוּ בְּתוֹכָהּ אֶלָּא שֶׁבָּאוּ אֵלָיו כֻּלָּם בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי, כִּי בֵּיתוֹ קָרוֹב אֶל הַתֵּבָה הָיָה. וְטַעַם "מִפְּנֵי מֵי הַמַּבּוּל", מִפַּחַד מֵי הַמַּבּוּל, וּלְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים הָיָה מֵי הַמַּבּוּל וְנֶאֶסְפוּ כֻּלָּם בַּתֵּבָה, וְסָגַר הַפֶּתַח וְהַצֹּהַר. וְאֵין דְּבָרָיו נְכוֹנִים. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי "וַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ ה' וְנֹחַ בֶּן שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" וְהַפְּסוּקִים עַד "בִּשְׁנַת שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" (בראשית ז':ה'-ו') אֵינָם מְסַפְּרִים מַעֲשֶׂה, אֲבָל "וַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ" יִכְלֹל הָעִנְיָן כֻּלּוֹ, יֹאמַר שֶׁעָשָׂה כְּכָל אֲשֶׁר נִצְטַוָּה, לֹא הִפִּיל מִכָּל הָעִנְיָן דָּבָר, עָשָׂה הַתֵּבָה, וְאָסַף הַמַּאֲכָל, וְלָקַח מִן הַבְּהֵמָה וְהָעוֹף הַטְּהוֹרִים שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אוֹתוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר הָיָה בֶּן שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וְהַמַּבּוּל יָרַד עַל הָאָרֶץ, בָּא עִם בֵּיתוֹ וְעִם הַבְּהֵמוֹת הַטְּהוֹרוֹת וְכָל הַחַי אֶל הַתֵּבָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ אֱלֹהִים, וְאַחַר כֵּן (מפסוק י והלאה) סִפֵּר בַּמַּעֲשֶׂה "וַיְהִי לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים" "בִּשְׁנַת שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת" וּגְמַר הָעִנְיָן.

1AND THEY THAT CAME IN, CAME IN MALE AND FEMALE OF ALL FLESH. The intent of this is that those who came into the ark were male and female for so Noah brought them in. This is why Scripture says, as G-d hath commanded him, since it was He who commanded him to bring them into the ark.But the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra is that the verse, And Noah came in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark,⁷⁷ does not mean that they entered it but that they all came to Noah on the tenth day of the second month for his house was near the ark. [He thus interprets the verse as meaning “to the ark,” rather than “into the ark.”] Ibn Ezra explains the phrase, because of the waters of the flood,⁷⁷ to mean “on account of the fear of the waters of the flood.” At the end of the seven days came the waters of the flood, and then they all gathered in the ark, and Noah closed the door and the window.⁸⁵ But Ibn Ezra’s words are not correct.⁸⁶It is possible that the verses, And Noah did according to all that the Eternal hath commanded him, And Noah was six hundred years old,⁸⁷ and the succeeding verses until, In the six hundredth year,⁸⁸ do not recount a narrative. Rather, And Noah did according to all that the Eternal commanded him generalizes the entire matter. It states that he did everything as he was commanded, not omitting a thing: he constructed the ark and assembled the food and took of the clean beasts and fowl seven and seven on the day He commanded him. When he was six hundred years old and the flood came down upon the earth, he came with his household and with the clean beasts and all living things into the ark, as G-d had commanded him. After that, Scripture narrates the event, And it came to pass after the seven days … in the six hundredth year,⁸⁹ and completes the subject.