Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 32:42/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ב:מ״ב
אוַיִּקְרָא לָה נֹבַח – לֹא מַפִּיק הֵ״א, וְרָאִיתִי בִּיסוֹדוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה הַדַּרְשָׁן: לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַיֵּם לָהּ שֵׁם זֶה, לְפִיכָךְ הוּא רָפֶה, שֶׁמַּשְׁמָע מִדְרָשׁוֹ כְּמוֹ ״לֹא״. וְתָמֵהַּ אֲנִי, מַה יִדְרֹשׁ שְׁתֵּי תֵּבוֹת הַדּוֹמוֹת לָזוֹ: ״וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז״ (רות ב יד), ״לִבְנוֹת לָה בַיִת״ (זכריה ה יא), לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ל״ב:מ״ב). וַהֲרֵי הָרַב אוֹצָר בָּלוּם לַתּוֹרָה, לַהֲלָכוֹת וְלַהַגָּדוֹת, וְאִשְׁתְּמִיטְתֵּיהּ זוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּמִדְרַשׁ רוּת (רבה ה ה): ״וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּאַחַת שִׁפְחוֹתֶיךָ״ (רות ב יג), אָמַר לָהּ: חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֵין אַתְּ מִן הָאֲמָהוֹת אֶלָּא מִן הָאִמָּהוֹת. וְדִכְוָתֵיהּ: ״וְנֹבַח הָלַךְ וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת קְנָת וַיִּקְרָא לָה נֹבַח בִּשְׁמוֹ״ - מְלַמֵּד שֶׁלֹּא עָמַד לָהּ אוֹתוֹ הַשֵּׁם. וְדִכְוָתֵיהּ: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לִבְנוֹת לָה בַיִת בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר״ - מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין לַשֶּׁקֶר תְּשׁוּעָה. עַד כָּאן בָּאַגָּדָה. וְכֵן בִּגְמָרָא שֶׁל מַסֶּכֶת סַנְהֶדְרִין (כד) אָמְרוּ: זוֹ חֲנֻפָּה וְגַסּוּת הָרוּחַ שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לְבָבֶל, אִין לְבָבֶל נָחוּת, וְאִשְׁתַּרְבּוּבֵי אִשְׁתַּרְבּוּב לְעֵילָם, דַּיְקָא נַמִּי דִּכְתִיב ״לִבְנוֹת לָה בַיִת״, שְׁמַע מִנָּהּ. וְהוּא מִדְרָשׁ מִן חֶסְרוֹן הַמַּפִּיק הַזֶּה, שֶׁלֹּא עָמַד לָהּ הַבַּיִת בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר:
1VAYIKRA LAH NOBACH’ (AND HE CALLED IT NOBACH). “[The word lah] has no dot in the [letter] hei [as it usually has when it means “to it”]. And I have seen in the work of Rabbi Moshe the Preacher170, Note 146. that because it did not keep this name permanently, therefore [the letter hei in the word lah] is pronounced softly [without the dot], and the interpretation implied is [as if it said] lo [meaning “not”]. But I am astonished at this, for what interpretation will he [Rabbi Moshe the Preacher] give in the case of two other similar words: ‘Vayomer lah Boaz’ (And Boaz said to her);171 ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house)172 [in both of which places the word lah is also written without a dot in the letter hei]!” This is the language of Rashi.Now although the Rabbi [Rashi] is “like a filled treasury of knowledge”173 of Torah, Halachoth and Agadoth, yet the explanation of the Rabbis in Midrash Ruth escaped his attention, [for they remarked174 on the verse: “Though I [Ruth] be not as one of thy handmaids.175 Said Boaz to Ruth: Far be it from me [to consider you like one of the handmaids!] You are not like one of the handmaids, but like one of the matriarchs!176 (and Boaz said to her), which follows Ruth’s remark [though I be not as one of thy handmaids] is written without the dot in the letter hei, the idea being, as Rabbi Moshe the Preacher explained, to convey the thought of lo, meaning a negation. Boaz is therefore saying to Ruth: “‘Lo’ — it is not as you say that you are like one of the handmaids in my eyes; on the contrary, you are like one of the matriarchs, and you are destined to be the ancestress of kings.” Similarly, And Nobach went and conquered Kenath, and the villages thereof, ‘vayikra lah Nobach bi’shmo’ (and he called it Nobach, after his own name) — this [lack of the dot in the letter hei] indicates that this name did not remain. So also, And he said unto me: To build ‘lah’(for her) a house in the land of Shinar172 — this teaches us that falsehood does not lead to any salvation.”177 [messengers] bear the measure? (Zechariah 5:10) he received the answer: ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house) in Shinar [which is another name for Babylon]. Now since the word lah is written without the dot in the letter hei, the Rabbis interpreted that this is a negation, as if it said lo, conveying the idea that one may build a house of falsehood, but it will not last. — Thus the Midrash explains both the verses which Rashi found difficult. Thus far is the Agadah. And similarly in the Gemara of Tractate Sanhedrin178 the Rabbis said [with reference to the measure seen by the prophet Zechariah]:177 [messengers] bear the measure? (Zechariah 5:10) he received the answer: ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house) in Shinar [which is another name for Babylon]. Now since the word lah is written without the dot in the letter hei, the Rabbis interpreted that this is a negation, as if it said lo, conveying the idea that one may build a house of falsehood, but it will not last. — Thus the Midrash explains both the verses which Rashi found difficult. “This was the measure of flattery and conceit which came down to Babylon;” [Whereupon the Gemara asked that we find elsewhere that conceit settled in Elam, and the answer was:] “It indeed came down [originally] to Babylon, and became dragged along to Elam. You may deduce this also from the verse, ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house),”172 [which is written without the usual dot in the letter hei]. Thus the interpretation is based upon the absence of this dot [in the letter hei of the word lah, which indicates] that the house [of flattery and conceit] did not last in the land of Shinar [but was dragged along the Elam].Mas’ei