Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Numbers 30:2/רמב"ן על במדבר ל׳:ב׳

אוַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת – לֹא הִקְדִּים הַכָּתוּב לֵאמֹר בְּכָאן ״וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר דַּבֵּר אֶל רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה'״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּפָרָשַׁת שְׁחוּטֵי חוּץ (ויקרא י״ז:ב') וּבִשְׁאָר פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת, אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר זֶה בְּסוֹף הַפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁאָמַר ״אֵלֶּה הַחֻקִּים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה״ (במדבר ל':י״ז). וּבְפָרָשַׁת "וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי" נֶאֱמַר ״וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' תַּעֲשׂוּ״ (ויקרא ט':ו'), וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר הַצַּוָּאָה כְּלָל. וְכֵן בְּפָרָשַׁת הַמָּן ״וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' מְלֹא הָעֹמֶר מִמֶּנּוּ״ וְגוֹ' (שמות ט״ז:ל״ב). וְ"רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" הֵם נְשִׂיאֵי הַדְּגָלִים שֶׁהֶעֱמִידוּ אוֹתָם הַמַּטּוֹת עַל דִּגְלֵיהֶם אַחַר שֶׁמֵּתוּ נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב וַחֲבֵרָיו. וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיוּ הַנִּזְכָּרִים בְּפָרָשַׁת הַנַּחֲלָה ״אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יִנְחֲלוּ לָכֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ״ (במדבר ל״ד:י״ז), אוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ אֲחֵרִים, כִּי שָׁם יְדַבֵּר הַכָּתוּב עַל הֶעָתִיד, כִּי בְּעֵת חִלּוּק הָאָרֶץ יִהְיוּ הַנִּזְכָּרִים חַיִּים וְיַעַמְדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם. וְטַעַם ״וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת״, כִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ לְלַמֵּד לְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהָאָב וְהַבַּעַל יְכוֹלִין לְהָפֵר נִדְרֵי עִנּוּי נֶפֶשׁ, וְאוּלַי צָרִיךְ לְהַעֲלִים אֵלֶּה הַחֻקִּים מֵהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יִנְהֲגוּ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ בַּנְּדָרִים, אֲבָל לְחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי שִׁבְטֵיהֶם לִמֵּד הַמִּשְׁפָּט. וְיִרְמֹז עוֹד לְמִדְרַשׁ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (נדרים ע״ח) כִּי לְרָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת יָד וָשֵׁם בַּנְּדָרִים יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁאָר הָעָם, שֶׁיָּחִיד מֻמְחֶה מַתִּיר הַנֶּדֶר. וְהִנֵּה הֶתֵּר הַנְּדָרִים לֹא נִתְפָּרֵשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, אֲבָל הוּא הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי. תְּלָאוֹ הַכָּתוּב בְּחוּט הַשַּׂעֲרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (חגיגה י'): הֶתֵּר נְדָרִים פּוֹרְחִין בָּאֲוִיר וְאֵין לָהֶם עַל מַה שֶׁיִּסְמֹכוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁרָמַז לוֹ הַכָּתוּב ״לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ״ (במדבר ל':ג'), כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר ״לֹא יַעֲבֹר עַל דְּבָרוֹ״, אֲבָל צִוָּה שֶׁלֹּא יְחַלֵּל דְּבָרוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה בַּנֶּדֶר חִלּוּל, כִּי בְּבוֹאוֹ לְבֵית דִּין וְיִמְצְאוּ לוֹ פֶּתַח וְנִחַם עָלָיו וְהֵם יִמְחֲלוּ לוֹ, אֵינֶנּוּ מְחַלֵּל אוֹתוֹ. וְהַטַּעַם בָּזֶה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי, שֶׁעָשָׂה הֶתֵּר הַנֶּדֶר וְהַשְּׁבוּעָה כְּסִתְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁלֹּא יֵאָמְרוּ אֶלָּא לָרְאוּיִים לָהֶם וְיִכָּתְבוּ בִּרְמִיזָה. וּבָאָה הַפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת בְּכָאן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִזְכִּיר נִדְרֵי גָבוֹהַּ, "לְבַד מִנִּדְרֵיכֶם וְנִדְבוֹתֵיכֶם לְעוֹלוֹתֵיכֶם וּלְמִנְחוֹתֵיכֶם וּלְנִסְכֵּיכֶם וּלְשַׁלְמֵיכֶם״ (במדבר כ״ט:ל״ט). אָמַר עוֹד: מִלְּבַד אֵלֶּה הַנְּדָרִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים יֵשׁ עוֹד נִדְרֵי הֶדְיוֹט, וּכְכָל הַיּוֹצֵא מִפִּיו שֶׁל אָדָם חַיָּב לְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אָסַר עַל נַפְשׁוֹ, וּבְכֻלָּן לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ, אֲבָל אֲחֵרִים מוֹחֲלִין לוֹ:

1AND MOSES SPOKE UNTO THE HEADS OF THE TRIBES. Scripture did not precede this section with [the statement]: “And the Eternal spoke unto Moses, saying: Speak unto the heads of the tribes, and say unto them: This is the thing which the Eternal hath commanded,” as He stated in the section [dealing with] slaughtering [offerings] outside the Sanctuary Court,¹ and in other sections. Instead, He mentioned it as the end of this section, saying, These are the statutes, which the Eternal commanded Moses.² And in the section of Vayehi Bayom Ha’shemini³ it says: And Moses said: ‘This is the thing which the Eternal commanded that ye should do,’⁴, Verse 6. See also Ramban ibid. Verse 2. but did not mention the [actual] command [given by G-d to Moses] at all. Similarly, in the section about the manna [it is said], And Moses said: ‘This is the thing which the Eternal hath commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept etc.’⁵ [although the Divine command about it to Moses is not expressly stated].Now the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel are the princes of the standards, whom the tribes had appointed over their standards after Nachshon the son of Amminadab [prince of the children of Judah]⁶ and his colleagues had died. It is possible that they [the heads of the tribes referred to here] were those who are mentioned in the section [dealing with] the inheritance [of the Land]: These are the names of the men that shall take possession of the Land for you;⁷ or it may be that those [referred to here] were others, for there Scripture speaks about [the leaders of] the future [saying] that when they come to divide up the Land [in the time of Joshua] all those mentioned will be living, and they will represent them [in the apportionment of the Land].And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes. The reason [why he did not address this section to the entire people] is because it was not necessary to teach all the children of Israel that the father and husband [of a woman] can declare void those vows [of their daughter or wife, respectively] which involve affliction of the soul, and perhaps it is [even] necessary to conceal these [rights] from them, so that they should not treat vows lightly. But it was to the Sages of Israel, the heads of their tribes, that he taught the ordinance [of vows]. The verse also alludes to the interpretation of our Rabbis⁸ [who said] that the heads of the tribes have a special function and power in vows over and above the rest of the people, namely, that a single person who is an expert in the laws can release a person from a vow [and therefore, this section was addressed to the heads of the tribes, i.e., the Sages].Now the [power of] release from vows [by a Sage] is not expressly stated in the Torah, but it is a law declared to Moses on Sinai, and Scripture “hung it on a hair’s-breadth,” just as the Rabbis have said:⁹, 11b). “[The rules concerning] the release from vows [by a Sage] hover in the air, and have nothing [in Scripture itself] on which they can be based.” But Scripture did allude to it [by saying]: ‘lo yacheil’ (he shall not profane) his word.¹⁰ For it did not say: “he shall not transgress his word.” but commanded that he should not make “profane” his word, meaning that he should not treat the vow as a hollow [and irreverent] thing; and when he comes to the court and they find him a cause for absolution¹¹ and he regrets [having made the vow], and they release him thereof, he is not profaning it.⁹, 11b). And the reason for this [law being indicated in this manner of allusion] is as I have said [above], that Scripture treated absolution from a vow or oath as if it were one of the secrets of the Torah which are only to be revealed to those who are fit to [hear] them, and therefore they are written [in the Torah] in allusion. And this section [of vows] is placed here [in the Torah] because since [in the section above] He mentioned vows to the Sanctuary, [as it is said], beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, whether they be your burnt-offerings, or your meal-offerings, or your drink-offerings, or your peace-offerings,¹² therefore He said furthermore: “Apart from these above-mentioned vows, there are also vows of a secular nature. [In the case of these vows, too], according to all that proceedeth out of a man’s mouth¹⁰ he is obliged to fulfill, and to do all with which he bound his soul; for in [the case of] all vows [whether of a holy or secular nature] he shall not profane his word,¹⁰ but others may absolve it for him” [by finding him a cause for absolution, as explained above].