Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 9:20/רמב"ן על בראשית ט׳:כ׳

אאִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ט':כ') אֲדוֹנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, כְּמוֹ "אִישׁ נָעֳמִי" (רות א ג). וְאֵינוֹ כֵן, כִּי אִישׁ נָעֳמִי לְשׁוֹן אִישׁוּת, כְּמוֹ "אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ" (בראשית ז':ב'). וַאֲחֵרִים אָמְרוּ (הרד"ק בספר השרשים) גְּדוֹל הָאֲדָמָה וְרֹאשָׁהּ, וְהֵבִיאוּ דּוֹמִים לוֹ, "גִּדְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹאָשׁ אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל" (שופטים ז יד), "גַּם בְּנֵי אָדָם גַּם בְּנֵי אִישׁ" (תהלים מט ג), "הֲלֹא אִישׁ אַתָּה וּמִי כָמוֹךָ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל" (שמואל א כו טו) וְרַבִּים לְפִי דַּעְתָּם. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי "גִּדְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹאָשׁ אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל" יִחוּס אִישׁ יִשְׂרְאֵלִי, הֲלֹא אִישׁ אַתָּה שֶׁאֵין כָּמוֹךָ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְכֵן "הִתְחַזְּקוּ וִהְיוּ לַאֲנָשִׁים" (שמואל א ד ט), שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ כְּנָשִׁים. "גַּם בְּנֵי אָדָם גַּם בְּנֵי אִישׁ" פְּלוֹנִי הַיָּדוּעַ בְּמַעֲלָתוֹ. אֲבָל "אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה" כְּמוֹ "אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר" (בראשית י"ט:ד'), בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתוֹ דָּר בְּכָל הָאֲדָמָה, לֹא בָּנָה עִיר וּמְדִינָה שֶׁיִּתְיַחֵס אֵלֶיהָ. וְכֵן "אִישׁ שָׂדֶה" (בראשית כ"ה:כ"ז), הָעוֹמֵד שָׁם כָּל הַיּוֹם תָּמִיד. וּבַמִּשְׁנָה (אבות א ד) יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה וְיוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם. אוֹ שֶׁנָּתַן לִבּוֹ לַעֲבֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה לִזְרֹעַ וְלִנְטֹעַ בַּעֲבוּר מָצְאוֹ הָאָרֶץ שְׁמָמָה, שֶׁכָּל נִבְדָּל לְדָבָר יִקָּרֵא כֵן, "אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר" – הֵם יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, וְ"אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד" (שמואל א כג ג) – עֲבָדָיו, וְ"אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים" (דברים לג א) – הַמְיֻחָד בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ. וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ל"ו:ג') "אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה" – בּוּרְגָּר לְשֵׁם בּוּרְגָּרוּת, וְאָמְרוּ (שם) שֶׁהָיָה לָהוּט אַחַר הָאֲדָמָה, וְהִנֵּה הוּא יִחוּס. וְטַעַם "וַיָּחֶל", כִּי הוּא הֵחֵל לִנְטֹעַ כְּרָמִים, כִּי הָרִאשׁוֹנִים נָטְעוּ גֶּפֶן וְהוּא הֵחֵל לִנְטֹעַ גְּפָנִים רַבִּים שׁוּרוֹת שׁוּרוֹת הַנִּקְרָא "כֶּרֶם", כִּי בִּרְצֹתוֹ בַּיַּיִן לֹא נָטַע הַגֶּפֶן כִּשְׁאָר הָאִילָנוֹת וְעָשָׂה כֶּרֶם:

1‘ISH’ (A MAN) OF THE GROUND. Rashi explained it as “the master [owner or lord] of the ground. This is similar to the expression, ‘ish’ (the man) of Naomi,”²³⁹ [which means the master of Naomi]. But this is not so. ‘Ish’ Naomi is an expression of the marital state, just as: ‘ish ve’ishto’ (a man and his wife).²⁴⁰ Others²⁴¹ have said that it means “the outstanding one of the earth, and its leader,” and they brought proof from similar verses: Gideon the son of Joash, ‘ish’ (a man) of Israel,²⁴² [meaning a chief of Israel]; Both ye sons of ‘adam’ and ye son of ‘ish;’²⁴³ Art thou not ‘ish’ (a man)? And who is like to thee in Israel?²⁴⁴ And there are many other similar verses according to their opinion.In my opinion, Gideon the son of Joash ‘ish’ of Israel,²⁴² refers to his genealogy, i.e., that he was an Israelite. Art thou not a man?²⁴⁴ means that “there is no one like you in Israel.” Similarly, strengthen yourselves, and be men,²⁴⁵, 4:9. means that they should not be weak like women. Both ye sons of ‘adam’ and ye sons of ‘ish,’²⁴³ [means “both ye low-born and] ye men of higher station.” However, a man of the ground is like the men of the city,²⁴⁶ since Noah lived all over the earth and never built a city or country to which he should relate himself. Similarly, a man of the field²⁴⁷, 25:27. means one who constantly stayed there. In the Mishnah we find:²⁴⁸ “Yosei ben Yoezer a man of Tzreidah, and Yosei ben Yochanan a man of Jerusalem.”[It may be that a man of the ground means] that he was determined to work the ground, to sow and to plant, because he found the earth had been laid waste, for whoever dedicates himself to a certain purpose is so called, [i.e., ish of that purpose]. The men of the city²⁴⁶ means those that dwell in it. The men of David²⁴⁹ are his servants, and a man of G-d²⁵⁰ is one who is dedicated to His service. And so the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:²⁵¹ “A man of the ground [is so called just] as the castle guard is called by the name of the castle.” And the Rabbis also said²⁵², 36:5. that Noah had a passion for agriculture. Thus [the word ish is here used to signify] a relationship.The meaning of the word vayachel (and he began) is that he commenced the planting of vineyards. The preceding men had planted single vines, but Noah began to plant many rows of vines, which together comprise a vineyard. On account of his desire for wine, he did not plant the vine singly as other trees; rather, he made a vineyard.