Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 25:5/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״ה:ה׳
אהִרְגוּ אִישׁ אֲנָשָׁיו – כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִדַּיָּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה הוֹרֵג שְׁנַיִם, וְדַיָּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁבְעָה רִבּוֹא וּשְׁמוֹנַת אֲלָפִים, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין (י״ח), לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר כ״ה:ה׳). וְלֹא הֲבִינוֹתִי זֶה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַנִּצְמָדִים שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ רַבִּים מִט״ו רִבּוֹא רוֹבַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְחָלִילָה! וְאֵין דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת בְּדַיָּן אֶחָד אֶלָּא בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין שֶׁל עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ, וַעֲדַיִן יִהְיוּ מְרֻבִּין, וְאֵין הַחִסָּרוֹן בְּחֻמַּשׁ הַפְּקוּדִים (במדבר כו נא) כָּל כָּךְ. וְכָל הַנִּצְמָדִים מֵתוּ, דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי כָל הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי בַעַל פְּעוֹר הִשְׁמִידוֹ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִקִּרְבֶּךָ״ (דברים ד ג). אֲבָל פֵּרוּשׁ אִישׁ אֲנָשָׁיו – שֶׁיַּהַרְגוּ הַשּׁוֹפְטִים כָּל הַנִּצְמָדִים, כָּל בֵּית דִּין וּבֵית דִּין יָדוּן אֶת שִׁבְטוֹ וְאֶת אַלְפוֹ, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״וָאֶקַּח אֶת רָאשֵׁי שִׁבְטֵיכֶם וָאֶתֵּן אוֹתָם רָאשִׁים עֲלֵיכֶם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת וְשֹׁטְרִים לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶם״ (שם א טו). אַחַר כָּךְ מָצָאתִי בַּגְּמָרָא יְרוּשַׁלְמִי בְּפֶרֶק חֵלֶק (סנהדרין פ״י ה״ב) כָּךְ: וְכַמָּה הֵם שׁוֹפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל? שֶׁבַע רִבּוֹא וּשְׁמוֹנַת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת. אָמַר לָהֶן: כָּל חַד מִנְּכוֹן יִקְטְלוּן תְּרֵין. נִמְצְאוּ הַהֲרוּגִים חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה רִבּוֹא וְשִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים וּמָאתַיִם. אִם כֵּן נֹאמַר לְדַעְתָּם שֶׁנִּתְרַבּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין מִנְיָן לְמִנְיָן הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי בְּעִנְיַן הַפָּרָשָׁה, כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה נֶאֱמַר: ״וַיִּצָּמֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר וַיִּחַר אַף ה' בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל״ (במדבר כ״ה:ג׳), כִּי יָצָא הַקֶּצֶף מִלִּפְנֵי ה', הֵחֵל הַנֶּגֶף. וְהַשֵּׁם בְּרַחֲמָיו אָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁיִּשְׁפְּטוּ הַשּׁוֹפְטִים וְיִתְלוּ הַנִּצְמָדִים וְלֹא יִסְפֶּה הָאַף צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע. וּמֹשֶׁה צִוָּה כֵן לַשּׁוֹפְטִים, וְכַאֲשֶׁר נֶאֶסְפוּ כָּל הָעֵדָה פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּדְבַר מֹשֶׁה וְעוֹד הַנֶּגֶף הֹוֶה בָּהֶם, וְהִנֵּה הֵעֵז הַשִּׁמְעוֹנִי הַזֶּה וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל אֶחָיו אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִית לִמְרֹד בְּמֹשֶׁה וּבַשּׁוֹפְטִים וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא, כִּי נָשִׂיא וְגָדוֹל הָיָה וְרַבִּים עוֹזְרִים לוֹ, אוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין פב): שֶׁאָמְרוּ לוֹ שִׁבְטוֹ, אָנוּ נִדּוֹנִין מִיתָה וְאַתָּה שׁוֹתֵק? וְהִנֵּה הִתְחִילוּ מֹשֶׁה וְהַשּׁוֹפְטִים לִבְכּוֹת, וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל וַתֵּעָצַר הַמַּגֵּפָה. וְלֹא נִדּוֹן אֶחָד מִכָּל הָעָם בְּיַד הַשּׁוֹפְטִים, כִּי הַשֵּׁם אָמַר: ״וְהוֹקַע אוֹתָם... וְיָשׁוֹב חֲרוֹן אַף ה' מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל" (במדבר כ״ה:ד׳), וּכְבָר שָׁב אַפּוֹ. וּלְכָךְ לֹא הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן שׁוֹפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל". וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁתִּהְיֶה כַּוָּנַת הָאַגָּדָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַהֲרוּגִים לְפִי הַמִּצְוָה יוֹתֵר מֵחֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה רִבּוֹא, לוֹמַר שֶׁהָיוּ הַחוֹטְאִים רַבִּים, אֲבָל חָסַךְ עֲלֵיהֶם עִנְיַן פִּינְחָס. וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִן הַנִּצְמָדִים וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִשְׁמִידָם אַחַר כֵּן טֶרֶם עָבְרָם אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן. זֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״כִּי כָל הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי בַעַל פְּעוֹר הִשְׁמִידוֹ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִקִּרְבֶּךָ, וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם״ (דברים ד ג-ד):
1[AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE JUDGES OF ISRAEL]: ‘SLAY YE EVERY ONE HIS MEN [THAT HAVE JOINED THEMSELVES UNTO BAAL-PEOR].’ “Each one of the judges of Israel killed two [men, as the word anashav — his ‘men,’ in the plural, indicates], and the judges of Israel were seventy-eight thousand,315 as is stated in Tractate Sanhedrin.”316 This is Rashi’s language. But I cannot understand this, that [we should say that] those who joined themselves [to Baal-peor] who were judged [liable to death] were more than a hundred and fifty thousand — a quarter [of the total population] of Israel!317 Heaven forbid! [Moreover], cases punishable by death [cannot be decided] by [only] one judge, but [require] a court of twenty-three judges. And [even if we were to say that two people were killed by each court of twenty-three judges], they would still be very many people! And the difference between the [two] censuses is not so great,318 although all those who joined themselves to Baal-peor died, as it is written, for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Eternal thy G-d hath destroyed them from the midst of thee.319But the meaning of every one his men is that the judges should kill all those who joined themselves [to Baal-peor], that is to say, each court should judge [the men of] its own tribe and its [groups of] thousands, as it is written, So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds … and officers, ‘tribe by tribe’.320, 1:15. The phrase tribe by tribe indicates that each tribe had its own judges who dealt with offenses committed by men of this tribe. And afterwards I found in the Gemara Yerushalmi [the following statement] in the Chapter Cheilek:321, see above, Note 228. “And how many were the judges of Israel? Seventy-eight thousand and six hundred. Moses said to them: ‘Each one of you should kill two.’ Thus you find that those killed were one hundred and fifty-seven thousand and two hundred.”317 If so, we must say that according to their opinion [that of these Rabbis] the Israelites increased very remarkably between the [time of the first] census and the [second] census [in order to make up the loss of the many people killed because of this sin of Baal-peor]!The correct interpretation of the meaning of this section [of the Torah] appears to me to be that at first it says, And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor; and the anger of the Eternal was kindled against Israel,322 [meaning] that there is wrath gone out from the Eternal; the plague is begun;323 and G-d in His mercy told Moses that the judges should [first] try and then hang those who joined themselves [to Baal-peor], so that the wrath will not indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked.324 And Moses gave this command to the judges; and when all the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting325 to do as Moses commanded, and the plague was still raging amongst them, this Simeonite [Zimri the son of Salu]326 brazenly brought unto his brethren a Midianite woman325 to rebel against Moses and the judges, and to do so publicly, because he was a prince326 and a great man and [knew that] many would come to his help. Or it may be [that he dared to do this publicly] because, as our Rabbis have said,327 [the people of] his tribe complained to him: “We are being sentenced to death, and you keep quiet!” Then [when Zimri came forth] Moses and the judges began weeping,325 and Phinehas stood up, and wrought judgment, and so the plague was stayed.328 Thus none of the people was [actually] sentenced by the judges, for G-d had said, and hang them up unto the Eternal in face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the Eternal may turn away from Israel,329 and His anger had already turned away [by the action of Phinehas, so that the judges no longer had to proceed with the execution of the judgment]. It is for this reason that Scripture does not say: “and the judges of Israel did so [as they had been commanded].”It is possible that the intention of the text mentioned [above as to the number of men slain in this episode is not that they were actually killed, but means, as explained above], that according to [the strict] command [of G-d] there ought to have been more than one hundred and fifty thousand killed, meaning to say that there were many sinners, but the act of Phinehas protected them. Thus there remained [many of those] who had joined themselves [to Baal-peor], and the Holy One, blessed be He, destroyed them later on before they crossed over the [river] Jordan. This is [the meaning of] the verse which says, for all the men that followed after Baal-peor, the Eternal thy G-d hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. But ye that did cleave unto the Eternal your G-d are alive every one of you this day.330Pinchas