Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 33:1/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ג:א׳
אאֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי – אַחֲרֵי נִקְמַת מִדְיָן שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה ״אַחַר תֵּאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶּיךָ״ (במדבר ל״א:ב׳), וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁחִלֵּק אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וּבָנוּ הֶעָרִים הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת, נָתַן דַּעְתּוֹ לִכְתֹּב הַמַּסָּעוֹת. וְנִתְכַּוֵּן בָּזֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ חֲסָדָיו שֶׁל הַקב״ה עִמָּהֶם, שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁגָּזַר עֲלֵיהֶם לְטַלְטְלָם וְלַהֲנִיעָם בַּמִּדְבָּר, לֹא תַּחְשֹׁב שֶׁהָיוּ נָעִים וּמְטֻלְטָלִין מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם תָּמִיד וְלֹא הָיְתָה לָהֶם מְנוּחָה, אֲבָל בְּכָל הַזְּמַן הַגָּדוֹל לֹא הָלְכוּ אֶלָּא אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם מַסָּעוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הָרַב רַשִׁ״י מִדִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה הַדַּרְשָׁן. וְהוֹסִיף הָרַב בְּמוֹרֶה הַנְּבוּכִים (ג נ) תּוֹעֶלֶת בִּידִיעָתָם, לוֹמַר הַצֹּרֶךְ לְהַזְכִּיר הַמַּסָּעִים גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, כִּי הַנִּסִּים וְהָאוֹתוֹת הַנַּעֲשׂוֹת הָיוּ אֲמִתִּיּוֹת לְכָל רוֹאֵיהֶם, אַךְ בֶּעָתִיד יִהְיוּ דְבָרִים בִּשְׁמוּעָה וְיַכְזִיבֵם הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ. וּמֵאוֹתוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וְנִפְלְאוֹתֶיהָ הָעֲצוּמוֹת עֲמִידַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וּמְצִיאַת הַמָּן בְּכָל יוֹם, וְהֵם מְקוֹמוֹת רְחוֹקוֹת מִן הַיִּשּׁוּב וְאֵינָן טִבְעִיּוֹת לִבְנֵי אָדָם, לֹא מְקוֹם זֶרַע וּתְאֵנָה וְגֶפֶן וְרִמּוֹן. וְאָמְרָה הַתּוֹרָה: ״לֶחֶם לֹא אֲכַלְתֶּם וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר לֹא שְׁתִיתֶם״ (דברים כט ה), וְכָל אֵלֶּה אוֹתוֹת הֵם בְּמַעֲשֵׂה נֵס נִרְאוֹת לָעַיִן. וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָדַע הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ כִּי יַעֲבֹר עַל אֵלֶּה הָאוֹתוֹת מַה שֶׁיַּעֲבֹר עַל דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים, לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ הַשּׁוֹמְעִים בָּהֶם, וְיַחְשְׁבוּ כִּי עֲמִידָתָם בַּמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה הָיָה קָרוֹב מִן הַיִּשּׁוּב, מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר בְּנֵי אָדָם שָׁם, כְּמוֹ הַמִּדְבָּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכְּנוּ שָׁם בְּנֵי עֲרָב הַיּוֹם, אוֹ מְקוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה שָׁם חָרִישׁ וְקָצִיר, אוֹ יֵשׁ שָׁם עֲשָׂבִים וּצְמָחִים לְמַאֲכַל בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה בַּמְּקוֹמוֹת הָהֵם בּוֹרוֹת מַיִם. עַל כֵּן הִרְחִיק מִלִּבּוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם הַמַּחְשָׁבוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְחִזֵּק אֵלֶּה הָאוֹתוֹת כֻּלָּם בְּזִכְרוֹן הַמַּסָּעוֹת, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּרְאוּ אוֹתָם הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים וְיֵדְעוּ הָאוֹתוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת אֵיךְ עָמְדוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם בַּמְּקוֹמוֹת הָהֵם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה. כָּל אֵלּוּ דְּבָרָיו. וְהִנֵּה מִכְתַּב הַמַּסָּעוֹת מִצְוַת הַשֵּׁם הִיא מִן הַטְּעָמִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים אוֹ מִזּוּלָתָן, עִנְיָן לֹא נִתְגַּלָּה לָנוּ סוֹדוֹ. כִּי "עַל פִּי ה'" דָּבֵק עִם "וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה", לֹא כְּדִבְרֵי ר״א שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁהוּא דָבֵק עִם "לְמַסְעֵיהֶם", שֶׁכְּבָר הוֹדִיעָנוּ זֶה: ״עַל פִּי ה' יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי ה' יִסָּעוּ״ (במדבר ט׳:כ׳):
1THESE ARE THE JOURNEYS. After the vengeance [executed] upon Midian, concerning which the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, afterwards shalt thou be gathered unto thy people,1 and after Moses had apportioned the land of Sihon and Og [to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Menasheh] and they had built the [previously] mentioned cities,2, 32:34-38. he set his mind to write down [the various stages of] the journeyings [in the desert]. His intention in so doing was to inform [future generations] of the loving kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, towards them, for even though He had decreed upon them that they had to move about and wander around in the wilderness, you should not think that they were continually wandering and moving around from place to place without any rest; for throughout all this long [period of] time they only went on forty-two journeys as the Rabbi — Rashi — wrote, [citing] the words of Rabbi Moshe the Preacher.3, Note 146.And the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] added in the Moreh Nebuchim4 another [explanation as to the] benefit [that we derive] from knowledge [of these stages], saying: “There was a very great necessity in mentioning the [stages of the] journeyings. For [although] the miracles and wonders that were done were [recognized as] true ones by all who saw them, in later times these events would be matters of hearsay, and those who hear about them [then] might deny them altogether. Now among the greatest miracles and wonders [related] in the Torah is Israel’s survival in the wilderness for forty years, and finding the manna every day, although these places [where they stayed] are very far from cultivated settlements, and are not natural habitat for human beings, not being a place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates,5 and the Torah states, Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink.6 All these [matters] are signs of events of a miraculous nature which were seen by [the human] eye. But the Creator blessed be He, knew that these wonders will be subject to the process which occurs to [all] historical events — that those who hear them will not believe them; and they will think [about these events] that the sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness was [in a place] near the cultivated settlement, where people can live there, such as the deserts in which the Arabs live today, or [that they stayed in] places where there was plowing and harvesting, or where there were grasses and plants suitable for human consumption, and that there were wells of water in those places. Therefore in order to remove from people’s hearts all such thoughts, and to firmly establish [the truth of] all these miracles, [He recorded] as a [permanent] memorial the [stages of their] journeyings [in the wilderness], so that the future generations would see them and acknowledge the great wonders [entailed] in keeping people alive in such places for forty years.” All these are his words [i.e., the words of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon].Thus the writing down [the stages of] the journeyings was a commandment of G-d, either for the reasons mentioned above or for some other reasons, [for] a purpose the secret of which has not been revealed to us. For [the expression] by the commandment of the Eternal7 is connected with [the beginning of that verse], And Moses wrote,7 unlike the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra who wrote that it is connected with according to their journeys,8. Ibn Ezra explains that the phrase by the commandment of the Eternal is connected with according to their journeys, meaning that all their journeys were by the commandment of G-d. Ramban objects to this explanation because this fact has already been expressed elsewhere in Scripture, and therefore he explains that the phrase refers to the beginning of the verse, And Moses wrote, and the intention is to say that Moses wrote down the various stages of the journeys by G-d’s command, and not of his own accord. for Scripture has already informed us of this [fact, saying]: according to the commandment of the Eternal they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the Eternal they journeyed.9