Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 25:47/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ה:מ״ז
אמִשְׁפַּחַת גֵּר זֶה הַגּוֹי. כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר "לְעֵקֶר" זֶה הַנִּמְכָּר לַע"ז עַצְמָהּ לִהְיוֹת לָהּ שַׁמָּשׁ, וְלֹא לֶאֱלֹהוּת אֶלָּא לַחְטֹב לָהּ עֵצִים וְלִשְׁאֹב לָהּ מַיִם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא כ"ה:מ"ז) מִתּוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק ח א). וְאִם כֵּן יֹאמַר "אוֹ לְעֵקֶר וּמִשְׁפַּחַת גֵּר". וְקָרָא לַע"ז "עֵקֶר" בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָדָם חַיָּב לְשָׁרֵשׁ אַחֲרֶיהָ וּלְעָקְרָהּ. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא כ"ה:מ"ז) תִּרְגֵּם "לְאַרְמַאי", וְהוּא הַנָּכוֹן, וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב נִמְכָּר לַגֵּר הַתּוֹשָׁב עִמָּנוּ וְהַנִּמְכָּר לְעֵקֶר מִשְׁפַּחַת הַגֵּר שֶׁהוּא הַגּוֹי עַצְמוֹ, וְהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן "עִקַּר שָׁרְשׁוֹהִי" (דניאל ד יב), וְאָמַר "מִשְׁפַּחַת גֵּר", שֶׁהַגֵּר וְהַתּוֹשָׁב שֶׁהִשִּׂיגָה יָדוֹ עִמָּנוּ הוּא סִבֵּב בָּאָח שֶׁמָּךְ עִמּוֹ שֶׁיִּמָּכֵר לְעֵקֶר מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ. וְצִוָּה הַכָּתוּב שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ גְּאֻלָּה, וְהִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנִּגְאַל אוֹתוֹ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ (ויקרא כ"ה:מ"ט) צִוָּה בַּקְּרוֹבִים שֶׁהֵם קוֹדְמִים. וְטַעַם הַמִּצְוָה בָּרוּר, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִטָּמַע וְיִלְמַד מִמַּעֲשֵׂיהֶם, כִּי בִּשְׁאָר הַנִּמְכָּרִים הַגְּאֻלָּה בַּקְּרוֹבִים רְשׁוּת, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר כָּאן (ויקרא כ"ה:נ"ה) "כִּי לִי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים עֲבָדַי הֵם", לוֹמַר אע"פ שֶׁאֵין הַגֵּר תּוֹשָׁב וְהָעֵקֶר חַיָּבִין בְּמִצְוַת הַיּוֹבֵל, לֹא יִקְנוּ אֶת עֲבָדַי לָהֶם לַעֲבָדִים:
1AND IF A STRANGER WHO IS A SETTLER WITH THEE BE WAXEN RICH, AND THY BROTHER BE WAXEN POOR BESIDE HIM, AND SELL HIMSELF UNTO THE STRANGER WHO IS A SETTLER WITH THEE, OR ‘L’EIKER’ (TO THE STOCK OF) THE FAMILY OF ‘GEIR’ (A STRANGER). “The family of ‘geir’ — this means an idolater. Since Scripture [also] stated l’eiker (‘to the stock of’ the idolater), it refers to one who sold himself to the idol itself — to be its servant; not to worship it as a deity, but to hew wood and draw water for its service.” This is Rashi’s language derived from the Torath Kohanim.220 5:1. And if so, the verse is saying: l’eiker ‘u’mishpachath geir [“to the stock of ‘and’ to the family of the stranger,” — since according to Rashi the verse speaks of two different people — and omits the conjunctive “and” and merely says, l’eiker mishpachath geir — literally “to the stock of the family of a stranger”]. Scripture calls the idol eiker [“plucking” or “uprooting”] because a person is dutybound to uproot thoroughly an object of idol-worship and to extirpate it.But Onkelos translated l’eiker — l’armai (“to a gentile”), and this is the correct interpretation. Scripture is thus mentioning [the case of a Hebrew who] sold himself to a stranger who dwells with us, or who sold himself ‘l’eiker mishpachath geir’ (to the stock of the stranger’s family), who is himself a gentile, the word eiker thus being related to the expression ‘ikar sharshohi’ (the stump of its roots).221 Scripture states ‘mishpachath geir’ (the family of the stranger) [in order to indicate that] the stranger or the settler who became rich with us brought it about that the brother [i.e., the Israelite] become poor beside him [because he had emulated his ways] and thus be sold to the stock of the family of the stranger. Scripture commanded that he must be redeemed,222 this being a positive commandment upon all Israel that we are to redeem him, and then it commanded his kinsmen that they are the first [in this duty].223 The purpose of the commandment is clear, that he should not become assimilated and learn from the ways [of his purchasers]. For in the case of [all] other sales, the redemption by kinsmen is a matter of choice [but here it is an obligation]. Therefore He said here, For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants,224 meaning to say that “although the stranger who settled [with us] and the stock of his family do not have to observe the commandment of the Jubilee, they cannot buy My servants to be their [permanent] servants.”