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Ramban on Leviticus 20:9/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ׳:ט׳

אוְטַעַם כִּי אִישׁ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יְקַלֵּל אֶת אָבִיו וְאֶת אִמּוֹ יַחְזֹר לְרֹאשׁ הַפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁאָמַר "אִישׁ אִמּוֹ וְאָבִיו תִּירָאוּ" (ויקרא י"ט:ג'), וְאָמַר כָּאן כִּי אִישׁ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמַע אֵלַי וִיקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ מוֹת יוּמָת. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר (ויקרא כ':ז') "וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם" וְאָמַר (ויקרא כ':ח') "אֲנִי ה' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם" כִּי הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד הוּא הַמְּקַדֵּשׁ אוֹתָנוּ, כִּי הוּא אָבִינוּ וְגוֹאֲלֵנוּ מֵעוֹלָם הוּא שְׁמוֹ, אִם כֵּן הַמְקַלֵּל אֶת הַמִּשְׁתַּתְּפִין בַּיְּצִירָה חַיָּב מִיתָה. וְזֶה טַעַם מִשְׁפַּט הַנּוֹאֵף וְהַנּוֹאֶפֶת אֲשֶׁר סָמַךְ לְכָאן וְהִקְדִּימוֹ לְכָל הָעֲרָיוֹת, וּכְבָר רָמַזְתִּי זֶה לְמַעְלָה (שמות כ יג). וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב קְצָת הָעֲרָיוֹת לְחַיֵּיב בָּהֶם מִיתָה, וְהֵן אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ וְאֵשֶׁת אָב וְהַכַּלָּה וְהַזָּכָר וְאִשָּׁה וְאִמָּהּ (ויקרא כ':י'-י"ד), וְהוּא הַדִּין אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ וּבַת בִּתָּהּ, כִּי הִזְכִּיר קְצָת שְׁאֵר הָאִשָּׁה וְהוּא הַדִּין לְכָל הַנִּזְכָּרִים שָׁם (ויקרא י"ח:י"ז) בָּאַזְהָרָה, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן שְׁאֵר עַצְמוֹ, בַּת בְּנוֹ וּבַת בִּתּוֹ הַנִּזְכָּרִים (ויקרא י"ח:י'), וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר בִּתּוֹ. וּבְכָל זֶה עוֹד מִדְרָשִׁים לְחַיֵּיב אוֹתָן. וְכֵן הִזְכִּיר חִיּוּב הָרְבִיעָה בְּמִיתָה (ויקרא כ':ט"ו-ט"ז), וְחָזַר וְהִזְכִּיר כָּרֵת אַחֵר בַּנִּדָּה (ויקרא כ':י"ח), לְחַיְּבוֹ בְּהַעֲרָאָה בְּלֹא גְּמַר בִּיאָה, הוּא שֶׁאָמַר "אֶת מְקוֹרָהּ הֶעֱרָה" (ויקרא כ':י"ח), וְכֵן בַּאֲחוֹת אֵם וַאֲחוֹת אָב "כִּי אֶת שְׁאֵרוֹ הֶעֱרָה" (ויקרא כ':י"ט). וְהִזְכִּיר דּוֹדָתוֹ וְכֵן אֵשֶׁת אָחִיו (ויקרא כ':כ'-כ"א), לְחַיְּבָם בַּעֲרִירוּת, בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ לוֹ בָּנִים אוֹ הָיוּ לוֹ. וְהַכָּרֵת הַבָּא בַּאֲחוֹתוֹ (ויקרא כ':י"ז) הוּא מְיֻתָּר, וְנִדְרָשׁ לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מכות יד), לָמָּה יָצָא כָּרֵת בַּאֲחוֹתוֹ וְכוּ'. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט הוֹסִיף בְּכָרֵת "לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי עַמָּם" (ויקרא כ':י"ז), לוֹמַר שֶׁתָּמוּת בַּנֹּעַר נַפְשָׁם, בְּעִנְיָן שֶׁיִּרְאוּ וְיָבִינוּ וְיַשְׂכִּילוּ יַחַד כִּי יַד ה' עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת וּקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל גְּזָרָהּ. וְטַעַם "עֲוֹנוֹ יִשָּׂא", שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַחֵטְא הַהוּא דָּבֵק בּוֹ מִן הָעֵת הַהִיא, מַעֲשָׂיו לֹא יַצְלִיחוּ וְרָבְצָה בּוֹ הָאָלָה, כִּי יַכֵּהוּ הַשֵּׁם בְּתַחֲלֻאִים רָעִים עַד הַשְׁמִידוֹ בְּכָרֵת, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמְרוּ (שבת לג), סִימָן לָעֲבֵרָה הִדְרוֹקָן. וְלֹא הֻצְרַךְ לְהַזְכִּיר חַיָּבֵי הַכָּרֵת הָאֲחֵרִים, כְּגוֹן אִמּוֹ (ויקרא י"ח:ז') וַאֲחוֹת אִשָּׁה (שם יח יח), שֶׁכְּבָר לָמַדְנוּ מִן הַנִּזְכָּרִים כָּל הַצָּרִיךְ:

1FOR WHATSOEVER MAN THERE BE THAT CURSETH HIS FATHER OR HIS MOTHER. The meaning thereof is that it refers back to the beginning of the section where He stated, Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father,²³³ and He now states here, for whatsoever man there be that does not obey [this commandment] and curseth his father, or his mother, he shall surely be put to death, and by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], this verse is here stated because He had said [above], Sanctify yourselves therefore, and by ye holy; for I am the Eternal your G-d,²³⁴ and I am the Eternal Who sanctify you,²³⁵ meaning that it is the Glorious Name²³⁶ Who sanctifies us, for He is our Father, and our Redeemer from everlasting,²³⁷ and it is His Name; therefore he who curses those who participated in his formation, is liable to death. This is the reason for the law [of the punishment] of the adulterer and adulteress, [in the following verse], which He placed near here before [the law of] all forbidden relations [mentioned further on in this section].²³⁸ I have already alluded to this above.²³⁹Now Scripture mentions here some of the forbidden relations in order to make [one who has intercourse with them] liable to death, these being a man’s wife,²⁴⁰ a father’s wife,²⁴¹ a daughter-in-law,²⁴² a male,²⁴³ a woman and her mother,²⁴⁴ and the same law applies to a woman and her daughter and her daughter’s daughter, for He mentioned here only some of the relations of a wife, but the same punishment applies to all those mentioned there²⁴⁵ in the admonition. And surely this applies all the more so to one’s own relatives, such as his son’s daughter and his daughter’s daughter mentioned there,²⁴⁶, Verse 10. and needless to say, his [own] daughter. On all these matters there are also Rabbinical interpretations to establish their punishment. Similarly He mentioned here the punishment of death for lying with a beast.²⁴⁷ He mentioned excision again in the case of a menstruant²⁴⁸ [although this has already been included in a general statement above, 18:29], in order to declare him liable for mere sexual contact without completion of the act, this being the sense of the expression, he hath bared her fountain.²⁴⁸ Similarly [He has stated] in the case of a mother’s sister and a father’s sister, for he hath bared his near kin.²⁴⁹ He mentioned an uncle’s wife²⁵⁰ and also a brother’s wife,²⁵¹ in order to declare them liable to [the punishment of] dying childless, whether he had no children at the time when he commits the sin, or he did have [in which case none will survive him]. But the excision mentioned in the case of one’s sister²⁵² is redundant [being included in the general statement above, 18:29], and has therefore been interpreted by our Rabbis:²⁵³ “Why was excision specified in the case of a sister etc.” In line with the plain meaning of Scripture [excision was specified in the case of a sister] in order that Scripture should add [that it will be done] in the sight of the children of their people,²⁵² meaning to state that their soul will perish in youth²⁵⁴ in such a way that people will see, understand and realize that the hand of the Eternal hath done this,²⁵⁵ and that the Holy One of Israel has decreed it.The meaning of the expression he shall bear his iniquity,²⁵² is that this sin will cleave to him from that time onwards, his deeds will not prosper, and the curse shall lie upon him,²⁵⁶ for G-d will strike him with sore sicknesses until He will destroy him with excision, something similar to what the Rabbis have said:²⁵⁷ “A sign of [this type of] sin is one affected with dropsy.” It was not necessary for Scripture to mention the other people who are liable to excision, such as one’s mother²⁵⁸ and a wife’s sister,²⁵⁹, Verse 18. because all that is needed to be stated about them we have already derived from those mentioned [here in this section].