Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 8:21/רמב"ן על בראשית ח׳:כ״א
אוַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל לִבּוֹ לֹא גִּלָּה הַדָּבָר לַנָּבִיא בַּזְּמַן הַהוּא, רַק בְּיוֹם צַוּוֹתוֹ אֶת מֹשֶׁה בִּכְתִיבַת הַתּוֹרָה גִּלָּה אֵלָיו כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִקְרִיב נֹחַ קָרְבָּנוֹ עָלָה לְפָנָיו לְרָצוֹן וְגָזַר שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיף לְהַכּוֹת אֶת כָּל חַי. וּכְבָר כָּתַבְתִּי בָּזֶה (רמב"ן על בראשית ו':ו') סוֹד נִרְמַז לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל. וְטַעַם "בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם", כִּי בַּעֲבוּרוֹ נֶעֶנְשׁוּ, וְאִם אָדָם לֹא חָטָא הָיוּ הֵם נִצּוֹלִין אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִשְׁחִיתוּ גַּם הֵם דַּרְכָּם:
1AND THE ETERNAL SAID IN HIS HEART. He did not reveal the matter to a prophet at that time, but on the day He commanded Moses concerning the writing of the Torah He revealed to him that as Noah brought his sacrifice it mounted pleasingly, and He decreed that He will no more smite every living thing. In this regard, I have already written of a secret177 hinted at by our Rabbis.The sense of the expression, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake is that they were punished because of him for if man had not sinned, they have been spared even though they had also corrupted their ways.
בכִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו מְלַמֵּד עֲלֵיהֶם זְכוּת, שֶׁיְּצִירָתָם בַּתּוֹלֶדֶת רָעָה בִּימֵי הַנְּעוּרִים וְלֹא בִּימֵי הַזִּקְנָה, וְאִם כֵּן אֵין לְהַכּוֹת אֶת כָּל חַי מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי הַטְּעָמִים הָאֵלֶּה. וְטַעַם הַמֵּ"ם, כִּי מִתְּחִלַּת הַנְּעוּרִים הוּא בָּהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (ב"ר לד י), מִשֶּׁנִּנְעַר לָצֵאת מִמְּעֵי אִמּוֹ נִתַּן בּוֹ יֵצֶר הָרָע. אוֹ יֹאמַר כִּי מִן הַנְּעוּרִים, כְּלוֹמַר מֵחֲמָתָם, תִּהְיֶה רָעַת הַיֵּצֶר בָּאָדָם, שֶׁהֵם יַחֲטִיאוּ אוֹתוֹ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ בִּנְעוּרָיו, וְכָמוֹהוּ "מִטֶּרֶם שׂוּם אֶבֶן אֶל אֶבֶן בְּהֵיכַל ה'" (חגי ב טו), וְכֵן "זֹאת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תַּפִּילוּ מִנַּחֲלָה לְשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (יחזקאל מח כט):
2FOR THE IMAGINATION OF MAN’s HEART IS EVIL FROM HIS YOUTH. He ascribes merit to men because by their very creation they have an evil nature in their youthful days but not in their mature years. If so, for these two reasons,178 it is not proper to smite every living thing. The reason for the prefix mem [which signifies “from” in the word] min’urav (from his youth) is to indicate that the evil imagination is with men from the very beginning of their youth, just as the Rabbis have said:179 “From the moment he awakes to go forth from his mother’s womb the evil impulse is placed in him.” It is possible that the verse is saying that it is from youth — meaning, on account of youth — that the evil inclination is in man, for youth causes him to sin. And some say180 that it is as if it said “in his youth,” [min’urav being interpreted as if it were bin’urav]. Similarly we find ‘Miterem’ (Before) a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Eternal,181 [where the word miterem is interpreted as beterem]; so too, This is the land which ye shall divide ‘minachlah’ (by lot) unto the tribes of Israel,182 [where minachlah is interpreted as benachlah].