Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 18:3/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ח:ג׳

אוְעַל דַּעַת ר"א הִזְכִּיר כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַל הַשְּׂעִירִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים. "וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן" עַל הָעֲרָיוֹת, שֶׁהָיוּ הַכְּנַעֲנִים בָּהֶם רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר בַּסּוֹף (ויקרא י"ח:כ"ז), "כִּי אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵל עָשׂוּ אַנְשֵׁי הָאָרֶץ". וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (אחרי ט ג), הָיוּ גַּם הַמִּצְרִים שְׁטוּפִים בְּזִמָּה, בְּכָל הָעֲרָיוֹת וּבְזָכוּר וּבִבְהֵמָה, וְהוּא הָאֱמֶת, כִּי גַּם קָדֵשׁ הָיָה בָּאָרֶץ בִּזְכוּר מֵאָז וְעַד עַתָּה, וְהַכָּתוּב מֵעִיד בָּהֶן "בְּנֵי מִצְרַיִם שְׁכֵנַיִךְ גִּדְלֵי בָשָׂר" (יחזקאל טז כו), וְאוֹמֵר "אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם וְזִרְמַת סוּסִים זִרְמָתָם" (שם כג כ), וְהַבָּשָׂר - כִּנּוּי, וְכֵן "זָב מִבְּשָׂרוֹ" (ויקרא ט"ו:ב') "דָּם יִהְיֶה זֹבָהּ בִּבְשָׂרָהּ" (שם פסוק יט):

1According to the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, the Scriptural command, After the doings of the land of Egypt … shall ye not do,²²⁴ is a reference to [the practice of sacrificing to] the demons mentioned above [in 17:7]; and after the doings of the land of Canaan … shall ye not do²²⁴ is an allusion to the forbidden sexual relationships, in which the Canaanites were very bad and sinful,²²⁵ as He stated at the end of this section, For all these abominations have the men of the Land done.²²⁶ And in the opinion of our Rabbis in the Torath Kohanim,²²⁷ 9:3. the Egyptians were also addicted to carnality, in all forms of the forbidden relationships, and with males and cattle. This is the truth, [as Scripture states] that there were also sodomites in the Land,²²⁸. referring [to the abominations of the nations] which were there from the beginning till now. Scripture further testifies concerning them, the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh,²²⁹ and it further says, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses,²³⁰, 23:20. the term “flesh” being a euphemism [for the sexual organ]. Similarly, in the expressions, his flesh ran with his issue,²³¹ and her issue in her flesh be blood²³², Verse 19. [the term “flesh” is an allusion to the sexual organ].