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Ramban on Genesis 9:18/רמב"ן על בראשית ט׳:י״ח

אוְחָם הוּא אֲבִי כְנָעַן פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ט':י"ח) לְפִי שֶׁהַפָּרָשָׁה עֲסוּקָה וּבָאָה בְּשִׁכְרוּתוֹ שֶׁל נֹחַ שֶׁקִּלְקֵל בָּה חָם וְעַל יָדוֹ נִתְקַלֵּל כְּנַעַן, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא כָּתַב תּוֹלְדוֹת חָם, הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁחָם הוּא אֲבִי כְּנַעַן. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על בראשית ט':כ"ד) כִּי חָם רָאָה וְהִגִּיד לְאֶחָיו, וּכְנַעַן עָשָׂה לוֹ רָעָה לֹא גִּלָּה אוֹתָהּ הַכָּתוּב. וְזֶה טַעַם אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לוֹ "בְּנוֹ הַקָּטָן", כִּי כְּנַעַן הוּא הַקָּטָן לְחָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִמְנֶה אוֹתָם "וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן". וְהִנֵּה עָזַב רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם דַּרְכּוֹ בִּפְשׁוּטֵי הַמִּקְרָא וְהֵחֵל לְהִנָּבֵא שְׁקָרִים. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי חָם הוּא הַקָּטָן לְנֹחַ, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּרֹאשׁ הַסֵּדֶר (רמב"ן על בראשית ו':י'), וּכְנַעַן הוּא הַבֵּן הַגָּדוֹל לְחָם, וַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר "וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן", אַחֲרֵי נִמְכַּר לְעֶבֶד עֲבָדִים נָתַן לְכָל אֶחָיו מַעֲלָה עָלָיו. וְכַאֲשֶׁר אֵרַע הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַזֶּה לְנֹחַ לֹא הָיָה לְחָם זֶרַע זוּלָתִי כְּנַעַן, וְזֶהוּ טַעַם "וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן" (בראשית ט':כ"ב) כִּי אֵין לוֹ בֵּן אַחֵר, וְכַאֲשֶׁר חָטָא לְאָבִיו קִלֵּל זַרְעוֹ. וְאִם אָמַר "אָרוּר חָם עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה" לֹא יַזִּיק רַק לְגוּפוֹ, כִּי הַזֶּרַע שֶׁכְּבָר נוֹלַד אֵינֶנּוּ בִּכְלָלוֹ, וְאוּלַי לֹא יוֹלִיד וְלֹא לָקַח מִמֶּנּוּ נִקְמָתוֹ, כִּי מִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה יִּהְיֶה אַחֲרָיו, עַל כֵּן קִלֵּל הַבֵּן שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ, וְאִם יוֹלִיד מֵאָה דַּי שֶׁיְּקֻלַּל בְּנוֹ הַבְּכוֹר וְכָל זַרְעוֹ אִתּוֹ. וְהִנֵּה הַחֵטְא, שֶׁרָאָה חָם עֶרְוַת אָבִיו וְלֹא נָהַג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד, שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לוֹ לְכַסּוֹת עֶרְוָתוֹ וּלְכַסּוֹת קְלוֹנוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא יַגִּידֶנּוּ גַּם לְאֶחָיו, וְהוּא הִגִּיד הַדָּבָר לִשְׁנֵי אֶחָיו בִּפְנֵי רַבִּים לְהַלְעִיג עָלָיו, וְזֶה טַעַם "בַּחוּץ", וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס "בְּשׁוּקָא". וְטַעַם "וַיֵּדַע אֶת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לוֹ" שֶׁגִּלָּה חֶרְפָּתוֹ לָרַבִּים וְהָיָה בּוֹשׁ בַּדָּבָר. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ הוֹסִיפוּ עָלָיו חֵטְא (עיין סנהדרין ע):

1AND HAM IS THE FATHER OF CANAAN. Rashi explained, “Because this section goes on to deal with Noah’s family,²²⁹ relating that Ham sinned and through him Canaan was cursed, and since the generations of Ham have not yet been mentioned [to let us know that Canaan was his son], it was necessary to state here that Ham is the father of Canaan.”And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that Ham only saw the nakedness of his father and informed his brothers while Canaan did him the evil, the nature of which Scripture does not reveal,²³⁰ and this is the meaning of the verse, And he knew what his youngest son had done unto him,²³⁰ since Canaan was the youngest of Ham’s sons, as Scripture enumerates them, And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mitzraim, and Phut, and Canaan.²³¹ [Ibn Ezra thus interprets “son” to mean “grandson.”] Now here Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra abandoned his method of explaining Scripture according to its plain meaning and began to declare statements contrary to the truth.²³²The correct interpretation appears to me to be that Ham was the youngest of Noah’s sons as I have explained at the beginning of this portion of the Torah, and Canaan was Ham’s oldest son. And as for the verse which states, And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mitzraim, and Phut, and Canaan,²³¹ [which indicates that Canaan was the youngest son], this was stated after he was sold to be a servant of servants;²³³ Scripture gave his brothers preference over him. Now when this event happened to Noah, Ham had no other children except Canaan. This explains the verse, And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw,²³⁴ for Ham had no other son then, and when he sinned unto his father, he cursed his seed. Now if Noah had said, “cursed be Ham, a servant of servants shall he be,” the punishment would have been only his since the seed already born to him is not part of him, and perhaps Ham would no longer beget children. In that case Noah would not have taken his vengeance of him for who knows what shall be after him.²³⁵ Therefore, he cursed the son he had. Even if he will later beget a hundred children,²³⁶, 6:3. it is enough that the oldest son — and all his seed with him — were cursed.The sin committed was that Ham saw the nakedness of his father²³⁴ and did not act respectfully. He should have covered his nakedness and concealed his shame by not telling even his brothers, but he told the matter to his two brothers in the presence of many people in order to deride him [Noah]. This is the meaning of the word outside²³⁷. (Verse 22.) And so did Onkelos translate it as “in the market-place.” The meaning of the verse, And [Noah] knew what he had done unto him,²³⁰ is that he knew that Ham had disclosed his disgrace to many, and he was ashamed of the matter. Our Rabbis have mentioned an additional sin that Ham committed.²³⁸