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Ramban on Leviticus 18:17/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ח:י״ז

אזִמָּה הִיא תִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא י"ח:י"ז) "עֵצַת חֶטְאִין הִיא". וְכָתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"ח:י"ז), שֶׁיִּצְרְךָ יוֹעַצְךָ לַחְטֹא. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי טַעַם לָזֶה, שֶׁכָּל הָעֲרָיוֹת, גַּם הָעֲבֵרוֹת הָאֲחֵרוֹת, הַיֵּצֶר יוֹעֲצוֹ לַחְטֹא. אֲבָל הָעִנְיָן הוּא כִּי שֵׁם "זִמָּה" גָּזְרוּ מִן "כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת לְאָחִיו" (דברים יט יט), וְלַמַּחְשָׁבָה הַהֲגוּנָה יִקְרְאוּ "מְזִמָּה", "וְלֹא יִבָּצֵר מִמְּךָ מְזִמָּה" (איוב מב ב), וְלַזְּנוּת הֶעָשׂוּי בְּמַחְשָׁבָה בַּסֵּתֶר יִקָּרֵא "זִמָּה", כְּעִנְיַן "אִם נִפְתָּה לִבִּי עַל אִשָּׁה" (שם לא ט) וּכְתִיב (שם פסוק יא) "כִּי הִיא זִמָּה וְהוּא עָוֹן פְּלִילִים". וְכֵן "וְזִמָּתֵךְ וְתַזְנוּתָיִךְ" (יחזקאל כג כט), וְ"זִמַּת זְנוּתֵךְ" (ירמיהו יג כז), הַנִּאוּף בַּסֵּתֶר וּבַגָּלוּי. וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי אָמַר הַכָּתוּב "זִמָּה" בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְבִתָּהּ (כאן) וְאִשָּׁה וְאִמָּהּ (ויקרא כ':י"ד), לְגַנּוֹת הָעִנְיָן, לוֹמַר כִּי כְּשֶׁיִּשְׁכַּב עִם אַחַת שֶׁהִיא אִשְׁתּוֹ יַחְשֹׁב בָּאַחֶרֶת בַּעֲבוּר קִרְבָתָם וְדִמְיוֹנָם, וְהִנֵּה תִּהְיֶה שְׁכִיבַת שְׁתֵּיהֶן לוֹ זִמָּה. וְהוּא הָעִנְיָן שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (נדרים כ) "וּבָרוֹתִי מִכֶּם הַמֹּרְדִים וְהַפּוֹשְׁעִים בִּי" (יחזקאל כ לח), אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי תֵּשַׁע מִדּוֹת וכו'. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב "עֶרְוַת אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ", וְכֵן יֹאמַר "וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִקַּח אֶת אִשָּׁה וְאֶת אִמָּהּ זִמָּה הִיא" (ויקרא כ':י"ד), וְלֹא אָמַר עֶרְוַת בַּת אִשְׁתְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה וְעֶרְוַת אֵם אִשְׁתְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֶּה. וְטַעַם הַכָּתוּב כִּי מִתְּחִלַּת הַפָּרָשָׁה (ויקרא י"ח:ו') אָמַר "אִישׁ אִישׁ אֶל כָּל שְׁאֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ לֹא תִקְרְבוּ", כִּי אָסַר הַקְּרוֹבוֹת לוֹ מִשּׁוּם שְׁאֵרוֹ וְנָתַן בָּהֶם טַעַם (ויקרא י"ח:י') "כִּי עֶרְוָתְךָ הֵנָּה", וְעַכְשָׁו (ויקרא י"ח:י"ז-י"ח) כְּשֶׁאָסַר קְרוֹבוֹת אִשְׁתּוֹ אָמַר "שַׁאֲרָה הֵנָּה" לוֹמַר שֶׁגַּם הֵמָּה אֲסוּרוֹת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן שְׁאֵר זוֹ לְזוֹ, וְתִהְיֶה מִשְׁכָּבָן בִּשְׁתֵּיהֶן זִמָּה כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי. וְכֵן אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (יחזקאל כב יא) "וְאִישׁ אֶת כַּלָּתוֹ טִמֵּא בְזִמָּה", שֶׁטִּמְּאָהּ לְבַעְלָהּ, כִּי גַּם בִּהְיוֹתָהּ עִמּוֹ תַּחְשֹׁב בְּאָבִיו בַּעֲבוּר דִּמְיוֹנָם. וְקָרָא הַכָּתוּב שְׁכִיבַת הַבְּהֵמָה "תֶּבֶל הוּא" (ויקרא י"ח:כ"ג), שֶׁיְּבַלְבֵּל זֶרַע אָדָם וְזֶרַע בְּהֵמָה, וְכֵן אָמַר (ויקרא כ':י"ב) בִּשְׁכִיבַת הַכַּלָּה "תֶּבֶל הוּא", שֶׁיִּתְעָרֵב הָאָב וְהַבֵּן לִהְיוֹת לָהּ כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד, תִּשְׁכַּב עִם שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחַד בַּמַּחְשָׁבָה:

1IT IS ‘ZIMAH’ (LEWDNESS). Onkelos translated: “it is a sinful plan,” and Rashi commented thereon, “because your evil inclination counsels you to sin.” But I know of no sense to this, for with regard to all forbidden relations and all other transgressions, it is the evil inclination that counsels one to sin! [Why then is this verse prohibiting intercourse with a woman and her daughter, singled out by the use of this expression?] But the meaning of the matter is that the term zimah is derived from the expression, as ‘zamam’ (he had purposed) to do unto his brother.²⁸¹ A proper thought is called m’zimah, as it said, And no ‘m’zimah’ (purpose) can be withholden from Thee,²⁸² and lewdness that is thought of in secret is called zimah, similar to that which it is said, If my heart have been enticed unto a woman,²⁸³, 31:9. and Scripture concludes, For that were ‘zimah’ (a heinous crime); yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges.²⁸⁴, Verse 11. Similarly, ‘v’zimatheich’ (thy lewdness) and thy harlotries;²⁸⁵ and ‘zimath’ (the lewdness of) thy harlotry,²⁸⁶ denoting these illicit acts committed in private and in public. In my opinion Scripture states it is ‘zimah’, in the case of [sexual relationships with] a woman and her daughter, and also a woman and her mother,²⁸⁷ in order to condemn the matter, saying that when one lies with the one, who is his wife, he thinks of the other one on account of their relationship and likeness, and thus lying with both of them is a cause of lewdness to him. This matter is similar to that which the Rabbis have mentioned:²⁸⁸ “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me.²⁸⁹ These are the children [who are the offspring] of nine different dispositions [in their parents] etc.”²⁹⁰ It is for this reason that Scripture states here, the nakedness of a woman and her daughter etc., and similarly it says, And if a man take with his wife also her mother, it is lewdness,²⁸⁷ and does not say “the nakedness of your wife’s daughter, or your wife’s mother, you shalt not uncover” [but rather mentions them in each case together, by saying: the nakedness of a woman and her mother, or the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, in order to indicate that the prohibition is on account of thinking of the two together]. And the explanation of the verses here is as follows: At the beginning of the section He said, None of you shall approach to any that is ‘sh’eir’ (near of) flesh to him, to uncover their nakedness,²⁹¹ thus prohibiting [sexual intercourse with] those who are near of flesh to him, and He stated the reason for this to be, for theirs is thine own nakedness,²⁹², Verse 10. and so now [in Verse 17 before us] where He prohibits the wife’s relations, He states ‘sha’arah heinah’ (they are near kinswomen), meaning to say that they are also forbidden because they [the women] are near of flesh to each other, and lying with both of them would be lewdness, as I have explained. Similarly Scripture states, and each hath lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law,²⁹³ meaning that he defiled her to her husband, for even when she will be with her husband, she will think of his father because of their likeness. Now Scripture calls lying with animals tevel hu,²⁹⁴ denoting [as Rashi explained] “the mingling [from the root balal] of the human semen with that of the animal,” and so it also says of lying with a daughter-in-law that they have done ‘tevel,’²⁹⁵ meaning that father and son will become joined to her as one person, and she will lie with both of them together in thought.