Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 9:26/רמב"ן על בראשית ט׳:כ״ו

אוִיהִי כְנַעַן עֶבֶד לָמוֹ פֵּרֵשׁ רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (אבן עזרא על בראשית ט':כ"ו) כִּי "לָמוֹ" שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּנַעַן עֶבֶד לֵאלֹהִים וּלְשֵׁם כִּי הוּא יַכְרִיחֶנּוּ לַעֲבֹד הָאֵל וּבַשֵּׁנִי פֵּרֵשׁ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עֶבֶד לְיֶפֶת וּלְשֵׁם וְאִם כֵּן נֹחַ לָקֹב אוֹיְבָיו בָּא וְהִנֵּה בֵּרְכָם בָּרֵךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּנַעַן עֶבֶד לֵאלֹהִים וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית ט':כ"ו) בָּרוּךְ ה' אֱלֹהֵי שֵׁם שֶׁעָתִיד לִשְׁמֹר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁם לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וִיהִי לָהֶם כְּנַעַן לְמַס עוֹבֵד וְהֶחְזִיר כֵּן פַּעַם אַחֶרֶת לוֹמַר אַף מִשֶּׁיִּגְלוּ בְּנֵי שֵׁם יִמָּכְרוּ לָהֶם עֲבָדִים מִבְּנֵי כְּנַעַן וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה קִלֵּל אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים לְכָל הָעוֹלָם וְהָיָה כָּל מוֹצְאוֹ יַעֲבֹד בּוֹ כִּי טַעַם "לְאֶחָיו" לְכָל בְּנֵי אָדָם כְּעִנְיָן וַאֲשַׁלַּח אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ (זכריה ח י) כְּטַעַם אִישׁ בְּאִישׁ (ישעיהו ג ה) אוֹ "לְאֶחָיו" שֵׁם וְיֶפֶת כִּי אֲחֵי אָבִיו יִקָּרְאוּ אֶחָיו כְּטַעַם כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו (בראשית י"ד:י"ד) וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים (הראב"ע והרד"ק) "לְאֶחָיו" בְּנֵי אָבִיו כִּי אַחֲרֵי הֱיוֹתוֹ עֶבֶד לִבְנֵי אָבִיו וּלְשֵׁם וְיֶפֶת הִנֵּה הוּא עֶבֶד לְכָל הָעוֹלָם וּבֵרַךְ תְּחִלָּה אֱלֹהֵי שֵׁם הוֹדִיעוֹ כִּי יִהְיֶה שֵׁם עוֹבֵד הָאֱלֹהִים וּכְנַעַן יִהְיֶה עוֹבֵד לוֹ וְ"לָמוֹ" יִרְמֹז לְזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁם שֶׁהֵם רַבִּים וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה "לָמוֹ" חוֹזֵר גַּם לְאֶחָיו הַנִּזְכָּרִים וְחָזַר וּבֵרַךְ יֶפֶת בְּהַרְחָבַת הַגְּבוּל וְשֵׁם בִּשְׁכֹּן הָאֱלֹהִים בְּאֹהָלָיו וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּנַעַן עֶבֶד לָמוֹ לִשְׁנֵיהֶם וְהִנֵּה הֶעֱבִיד כְּנַעַן לְשֵׁם שְׁנֵי פְּעָמִים רֶמֶז כִּי הוּא יִנְחַל אַרְצוֹ וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ כִּי מָה שֶׁקָּנָה עֶבֶד קָנָה רַבּוֹ (פסחים פח) וְנִכְתְּבָה זֹאת הַפָּרָשָׁה לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי בְּחֶטְאוֹ הָיָה כְּנַעַן עֶבֶד עוֹלָם וְזָכָה אַבְרָהָם בְּאַרְצוֹ וְנִכְתַּב עִנְיַן הַיָּיִן בְּנֹחַ כִּי יֵשׁ בּוֹ אַזְהָרָה מִמֶּנּוּ יוֹתֵר מִפָּרָשַׁת נְזִירוּת כִּי הַצַּדִּיק תָּמִים אֲשֶׁר צִדְקוֹ הִצִּיל כָּל הָעוֹלָם גַּם אוֹתוֹ הֶחֱטִיא הַיַּיִן וְהֵבִיא אוֹתוֹ לִידֵי בִּזָּיוֹן וְקִלְלַת זַרְעוֹ:

1BLESSED BE THE ETERNAL G-D OF SHEM, AND MAY CANAAN BE SERVANT TO THEM. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that to them means that Canaan be servant to G-d and to Shem since Shem will compel him to worship G-d. And the second time [this expression is repeated — in Verse 27: May G-d enlarge Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be servant to them — Ibn Ezra] explained that Canaan would be a servant to Japheth and Shem. But if this be so, Noah came to curse his enemies, and behold he blessed²⁵³ Canaan that he be a servant to G-d!But Rashi wrote: “Blessed be the Eternal G-d of Shem, Who will in days to come carry out His promise to the descendants of Shem to give them the land of Canaan, and may Canaan pay them tribute. This is repeated again [in Verse 27, as explained above], in order to state that even when the children of Shem will be in exile, the children of Canaan will be sold to them as slaves.” [Thus Rashi interprets to them as referring to the descendants of Shem.]The correct interpretation appears to me to be that at first he [Noah] cursed him that he be a servant of servants to the entire world, and whosoever will find him will enslave him, for the meaning of unto his brethren²³³ is “unto all men,” just as in the verse, For I will set all men every one against his neighbor,²⁵⁴ and as is the sense of the expression, Every man his fellow.²⁵⁵ It may that unto his brethren²³³ refers to Shem and Japheth for his father’s brothers are called “his brothers,” just as in the expression, that his brother was taken captive,²⁵⁶ [which refers to Lot who was a son of Abraham’s brother]. And some say — as found in Ibn Ezra — that unto his brethren means his father’s children [namely, Cush, Mitzraim and Phut, who are his father’s children].²³¹ Thus, after being made a servant to his father’s children and to Shem and Japheth, he was a servant to the whole world. Now Noah first blessed the G-d of Shem, thereby letting it be known that Shem will be a servant of G-d while Canaan will be subject to him. And to them alludes to the seed of Shem who were many. It is possible that to them reverts also to his brothers already mentioned. Then he blessed Japheth with an enlargement of the boundary, he blessed Shem with the dwelling of G-d in his tents, and finally said that Canaan be a servant to them, meaning to the two of them. He made Canaan subservient to Shem twice, [in Verses 26 and 27, as explained above], thus hinting that the seed of Shem will inherit his land and all that he has, for that which a slave acquires belongs to his master.²⁵⁷This section was written in Scripture in order to make known that it was on account of his sin that Canaan became a servant forever and that Abraham was favored with his land. The subject of the wine’s effect on Noah was written because it contains a greater warning against drunkeness than that of the section on the Nazirite:²⁵⁸ even the perfectly righteous man — whose righteousness saved the whole world — even he sinned on account of wine, and it brought him to disgrace and the cursing of his seed.