Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 12:7/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ב:ז׳
אוְהִקְרִיבוֹ לִפְנֵי ה' וְכִפֶּר עָלֶיהָ וְטָהֲרָה מִמְּקֹר דָּמֶיהָ יֹאמַר שֶׁתַּקְרִיב כֹּפֶר נַפְשָׁהּ לִפְנֵי ה' שֶׁתִּטְהַר מִמְּקוֹר דָּמֶיהָ, כִּי הָאִשָּׁה בְּלֵדָתָהּ תִּהְיֶה לָהּ מַעְיָן נִרְפָּס וּמָקוֹר מָשְׁחָת, וְאַחֲרֵי עָמְדָהּ בִּימֵי הַנִּקָּיוֹן אוֹ בִּימֵי יְצִירַת הַוָּלָד לְזָכָר אוֹ לִנְקֵבָה, תָּבִיא כֹּפֶר נַפְשָׁהּ שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד מְקוֹרָהּ וְשֶׁתִּטְהַר, כִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְעַלֶּה רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (נדה לא), בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁכּוֹרַעַת לֵילֵד קוֹפֶצֶת וְנִשְׁבַּעַת "לֹא אֶזָּקֵק עוֹד לְבַעְלִי". וְעִקַּר הַכַּוָּנָה בָּזֶה כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִיא נִשְׁבַּעַת מִתּוֹךְ הַצַּעַר, וְאֵין הַשְּׁבוּעָה רְאוּיָה לְהִתְקַיֵּם מִפְּנֵי הֱיוֹתָהּ מְשֻׁעְבֶּדֶת לְבַעְלָהּ, רָצְתָה הַתּוֹרָה לְכַפֵּר לָהּ מַעֲלוֹת רוּחָהּ. וּמַחְשְׁבוֹת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עֲמֻקוֹת וְרַחֲמָיו מְרֻבִּים, שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהַצְדִּיק בְּרִיּוֹתָיו:
1AND HE SHALL OFFER IT BEFORE THE ETERNAL, AND MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HER; AND SHE SHALL BE CLEANSED FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF HER BLOOD. Scripture is stating that she shall offer a ransom for her soul40 before the Eternal so that she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood, for a woman in childbirth has a troubled fountain and a tainted spring,41 and after she has completed the number of days of becoming clean [as explained above in Verse 4], or the days of the formation of the child, male or female,42) — she shall then bring etc. she shall then bring a ransom for her soul so that her fountain should be stayed, and that she should become cleansed, for G-d, praised be He, “heals all flesh and does wondrously.”43Now our Rabbis have said44 that [the reason for these offerings is] that at the moment that she bends down to give birth she rashly swears [because of the pains of childbirth]: “I will no longer have relationships with my husband” [so as not to conceive again]. The main purport of this statement of the Rabbis is that since she only swears on account of her pain, and the oath is moreover not capable of fulfillment, because she is subject to her husband, therefore the Torah wished for her to atone for that which came into her mind [and therefore commanded her to bring these offerings]. G-d’s thoughts, blessed be He, are deep,45 and His mercies are bountiful, for it is His desire to justify His creatures.