Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 27:12/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״ז:י״ב
אעֲלֵה אֶל הַר הָעֲבָרִים הַזֶּה – שֵׁם הָהָר הַזֶּה "הַר נְבוֹ", כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרֵשׁ בְּסֵדֶר הַאֲזִינוּ (דברים לב מט) וּבְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה (שם לד א). אֲבָל יִקְרְאוּ אוֹתוֹ "הַר הָעֲבָרִים" מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא עַל מַעְבְּרוֹת הַיַּרְדֵּן, וּמִשָּׁם יַעַבְרוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר כָּאן (בהאזינו ובזאת הברכה) "אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי יְרֵחוֹ", וְשָׁם עָבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָעָם עָלוּ מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּגִּלְגָּל בִּקְצֵה מִזְרַח יְרִיחוֹ״ (יהושע ד יט). וְאֵינֶנָּה מִצְוָה שֶׁיְּצַוֶּנּוּ הַקב״ה לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן עַתָּה, שֶׁאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה מִתְחַיֵּב לַעֲלוֹת שָׁם מִיָּד, אֲבָל טַעְמוֹ: תַּעֲלֶה אֶל הַר הָעֲבָרִים וְרָאִיתָ אֶת הָאָרֶץ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁצִּוָּהוּ ״לָאֵלֶּה תֵּחָלֵק הָאָרֶץ״ (במדבר כ״ו:נ״ג), הוֹדִיעוֹ כִּי לֹא עַל יָדְךָ תֵּחָלֵק, כִּי אַתָּה תַּעֲלֶה לְרֹאשׁ הַר הָעֲבָרִים טֶרֶם שֶׁיִּסְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב וְתָמוּת בּוֹ, וְלֹא יַגִּיעֲךָ מִן הָאָרֶץ לְבַד הָרְאִיָּה. וְכֵן ״קַח לְךָ אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ״ (במדבר כ״ז:י״ח) - בְּבוֹא יוֹמְךָ תִּקַּח אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. וְהִשְׁלִים הַכָּתוּב (במדבר כ״ז:כ״ב) לְסַפֵּר כִּי עָשָׂה כֵן מֹשֶׁה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם, וְהוּא הָעֲשִׂיָּה אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר (דברים לא ז) בְּעֵת פְּטִירַת מֹשֶׁה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ הַשִּׁירָה הוּא וְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן:
1GET THEE UP INTO THIS MOUNTAIN OF ABARIM. The name of this mountain was Mount Nebo, as is stated explicitly in the sections of Ha’azinu,166 and V’zoth Habrachah;167, 34:1. but it is [here] called the mountain of Abarim [meaning “fords”] because it is situated by the fords of the Jordan, from which one passes over into the land of Canaan, as it says here, that is over against Jericho,168, (32:49; 34:1). The word “here” in Ramban cannot be explained literally, since in this section here, the phrase over against Jericho is not found. It must therefore refer to the verse in Ha’azinu and V’zoth Habracha which Ramban has just referred to. and it was from there that they [actually] crossed over the Jordan, as it is said, And the people came up out of the Jordan … and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.169 Now this [statement get thee up] is not a commandment which the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses to fulfill now, for if so he would have had to go up there at once [and we do not find that he did so], but it means: “you shall go up into the mountain of Abarim and shall behold the Land [but you shall not enter it].” For since He had commanded Moses, Unto these the Land shall be divided,170 He informed him that “it will not be divided by you, but you shall go up into the top of the mountain of Abarim before Israel journeys away from the land of Moab, and you will die therein, and all you will have of the Land will be the sight thereof.” Similarly [Verse 18 which says] Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, means that “when your time [to die] comes, you shall take Joshua,” [but is not a command to do so now]. And Scripture completed [this episode] by saying that Moses did so whole-heartedly,171, Verses 22-23. This refers to the fact that although Moses was only commanded (in Verse 18) to lay “his [single] hand upon him,” he laid his ‘hands’ upon him, which shows that he appointed his successor whole-heartedly, although he knew that he was now to die. and this is the [same] act which is mentioned at [the time of] Moses’ departure [from the world],172 when he and Hoshea the son of Nun spoke [the words of] the Song.173, 32:44. Thus Scripture points out there that Moses and Joshua said the Song together, with equal enthusiasm and equally whole-heartedly.