Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Numbers 33:53/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ג:נ״ג

אוְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ כִּי לָכֶם נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתָהּ – עַל דַּעְתִּי זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה הִיא. יְצַוֶּה אוֹתָם שֶׁיֵּשְׁבוּ בָּאָרֶץ וְיִירְשׁוּ אוֹתָהּ, כִּי הוּא נְתָנָהּ לָהֶם, וְלֹא יִמְאֲסוּ בְּנַחֲלַת ה'. וְאִלּוּ יַעֲלֶה עַל דַּעְתָּם לָלֶכֶת וְלִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר אוֹ אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר וְזוּלָתָן וּלְהִתְיַשֵּׁב שָׁם, יַעַבְרוּ עַל מִצְוַת ה'. וּמַה שֶׁהִפְלִיגוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (כתובות קי) בְּמִצְוַת הַיְּשִׁיבָה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְשֶׁאָסוּר לָצֵאת מִמֶּנָּה, וְיָדוּנוּ כְּמוֹרֶדֶת הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁאֵינָהּ רוֹצָה לַעֲלוֹת עִם בַּעְלָהּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכֵן הָאִישׁ - בְּכָאן נִצְטַוִּינוּ בַּמִּצְוָה הַזּוֹ, כִּי הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה הִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. וְיַחְזִיר הַמִּצְוָה הַזּוֹ בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים: ״בֹּאוּ וּרְשׁוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ״ (דברים א ח). אֲבָל רַשִׁ״י פֵּרֵשׁ (רש״י על במדבר ל״ג:נ״ג): ״וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ״ - וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אוֹתָהּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, אָז ״וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ״ - תּוּכְלוּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם בָּהּ, וְאִם לָאו לֹא תּוּכְלוּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם בָּהּ. וּמַה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ הוּא הָעִקָּר:

1AND YE SHALL DRIVE OUT THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND, AND DWELL THEREIN; FOR UNTO YOU HAVE I GIVEN THE LAND TO POSSESS IT. In my opinion this is a positive commandment,²⁴ (Book of the Commandments), in the section on “additional” positive commandments, No. 4, Ramban discusses this opinion at length. Here in his commentary on the Torah, he mentions it briefly, relying presumably on his explanation in the work quoted above. in which He is commanding them to dwell in the Land and inherit it, because He has given it to them and they should not reject the inheritance of the Eternal.²⁵ Thus if the thought occurs to them to go and conquer the land of Shinar or the land of Assyria or any other country and to settle therein, they are [thereby] transgressing the commandment of G-d. And that which our Rabbis have emphasized, the significance of the commandment of settling in the Land of Israel, and that it is forbidden to leave it [except for certain specified reasons], and [the fact] that they consider a woman who does not want to emigrate with her husband to live in the Land of Israel as a “rebellious [wife],”²⁶ (marriage contract — see Vol. II, pp. 385-386). and likewise the man²⁷ (ibid.). — the source of all these statements is here [in this verse] where we have been given this commandment, for this verse constitutes a positive commandment.²⁸ This commandment He repeats in many places, such as Go in and possess the Land.²⁹” (ibid., Verse 26 — Ramban on Sefer Hamitzvoth, ibid.). Rashi, however, explained: “And ye shall drive out the inhabitants of the Land — [if] you dispossess it of its inhabitants, then ye will be able to dwell therein, and to remain there, but if not, you will not be able to remain in it.” But our interpretation [of the verse] is the principal one.