Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 33:55/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ג:נ״ה
אלְשִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם – לִיתֵדוֹת הַמְנַקְּרוֹת עֵינֵיכֶם. תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל יְתֵדוֹת - שִׂכִּים. וְלִצְנִינִים - פּוֹתְרִין בּוֹ הַפּוֹתְרִין לְשׁוֹן מְשׂוּכַת חֵדֶק הַסּוֹבֶבֶת אֶתְכֶם, לִסְגּוֹר וְלִכְלוֹא אֶתְכֶם מֵאֵין יוֹצֵא וּבָא, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ל״ג:נ״ה). וְהִנֵּה בָּרוּר הוּא כִּי "שִׂכִּים" - קוֹצִים חַדִּים, מִלְּשׁוֹן ״הָסֵר מְשׂוּכָּתוֹ״ (ישעיהו ה ה), ״הִנְנִי שָׂךְ אֶת דַּרְכֵּךְ״ (הושע ב ח), ״הֲלֹא אַתָּה שַׂכְתָּ בַעֲדוֹ״ (איוב א י), ״וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלוֹעֶךָ״ (משלי כג ב) - דָּבָר חַד מִקּוֹץ אוֹ מִבַּרְזֶל. "וְלִצְנִינִים" - גַּם כֵּן סִלּוֹן מַמְאִיר, מִלְּשׁוֹן ״וְאֶל מִצִּנִּים יִקָּחֵהוּ״ (איוב ה ה), ״צִנִּים פַּחִים בְּדֶרֶךְ עִקֵּשׁ״ (משלי כב ה), שֶׁחָסְרוּ אוֹת הַכֶּפֶל. אֲבָל הַכַּוָּנָה בְּשִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם – לְהַטְעוֹת אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תִרְאוּ וְלֹא תָבִינוּ, כְּמוֹ ״כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר פִּקְחִים״ (שמות כג ח), וְכֵן ״וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשׁוֹל״ (ויקרא יט יד) עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (תורת כהנים קדושים פרשה ב יד). יֹאמַר כִּי יְנַקְּרוּ עֵינֵיכֶם לְהַטְעוֹת אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תִרְאוּ וְלֹא תָבִינוּ, וִילַמְּדוּ אֶתְכֶם בְּכָל תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיהֶם וְלַעֲבֹד אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר: ״לֹא יֵשְׁבוּ בְּאַרְצְךָ פֶּן יַחֲטִיאוּ אֹתְךָ לִי כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם״ (שמות כג לג). וְאַחַר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם וְיַטְעוּ אֶתְכֶם לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרַי, יִהְיוּ צְנִינִים בְּצִדֵּיכֶם שֶׁיַּכְאִיבוּ וִיצַעֲרוּ אֶתְכֶם לִשְׁלֹל וְלָבוֹז אֶתְכֶם. וְאַחַר כָּךְ ״וְצָרְרוּ אֶתְכֶם״ - שֶׁיִּלָּחֲמוּ בָּכֶם וְיָבִיאוּ אֶתְכֶם בְּמָצוֹר, וַאֲנִי אַגְלֶה אֶתְכֶם מִפְּנֵיהֶם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה, כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּמִּיתִי לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם עַל יְדֵיכֶם שֶׁיִּגְלוּ כֻּלָּם מִן הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא תוֹתִירוּ מֵהֶם שָׁם, וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹלִי - כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם וְלֹא אַשְׁאִיר מִכֶּם בָּאָרֶץ גַּם אֶחָד. וְכָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה אָמַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (כג יג): ״וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְפַח וּלְמוֹקֵשׁ וּלְשׁוֹטֵט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם וְלִצְנִנִים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם עַד אֲבָדְכֶם מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה״. אָמַר "פַּח וּמוֹקֵשׁ" בַּטָּעוּת אֲשֶׁר יַטְעוּ אֶתְכֶם, כְּמוֹ ״כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי יִהְיֶה לְךָ לְמוֹקֵשׁ״, "וּלְשׁוֹטֵט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם" - שֶׁיְּיַסְּרוּ אֶתְכֶם בְּשׁוֹטִים לִשְׁלֹל וְלָבוֹז וּלְהַכְאִיב מְאֹד, "וְלִצְנִינִים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם" - הוּא עִוְרוֹן עֵינֵי הַלֵּב לִטְעוֹת עוֹד אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם, עַד אָבְדָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ, כְּעִנְיַן ״פֶּן יִרְאֶה בְעֵינָיו וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע וּלְבָבוֹ יָבִין וָשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ״ (ישעיהו ו י):
1L’SIKIM’ IN YOUR EYES — “‘like pins’ which prick out your eyes. The [Aramaic] Targum [Onkelos] of the Hebrew word yetheidoth30 (pins) is sikim. ‘V’LITZNINIM.’ Translators have interpreted this [word] in the sense of [the phrase] mesuchath (hedged by) thorns31 encircling you so that they enclose and imprison you and you cannot go out or come in.” This is Rashi’s language.Now it is [indeed] clear that sikim means “sharp thorns,” and is related to [the expression]: I will take away ‘mesukatho’ (the hedge thereof);32 I will ‘sach’ (hedge up) thy way with thorns;33 Hast Thou not ‘sachta’ (made a hedge) about him?;34 and put ‘sakin’ to thy throat35 — [all these phrases referring to] something sharp, made from a thorn or from iron. V’litzninim is likewise [a term for] a piercing thorn36 related to the expression: and taketh it even ‘mitzinim’ out of the thorns);37 ‘tzinim’ (thorns) and snares are in the way of the crooked,38 and [the word tzinim in these two verses] lacks the double letter [‘nun,’ since the full word is tzninim, as in the verse before us]. But the intention of [the expression here] ‘l’sikim’ in your eyes is: “to mislead you so that you will not see nor understand,” just as in [the expression], for the bribe ‘blindeth’ the open-eyed,39 and as, nor put a stumbling-block before ‘the blind,’40 according to the opinion of our Rabbis. Thus the verse is saying that they [the inhabitants of the Land] will “prick out” your eyes by misleading you, because you will not perceive nor understand [the danger], and they will teach you [to do] all their abominations41 and to worship their gods, just as He said, They shall not dwell in thy Land, lest they make thee sin against Me, for thou wilt serve their gods.42 After being thorns in your eyes and misleading you to turn away from Me, they will be pricks in your sides, causing you suffering and pain, by plundering and despoiling you. And after that they shall harass you,43 meaning that they will fight against you and bring you under siege, and I will then send you into exile, a whole captivity,44 in their place. For as I thought to do unto them45 because of you, that is, to send all of them into exile from the Land, so that you should leave none of them any more there,46 but you have not hearkened to My voice, therefore so will I do unto you45 and I will leave not a single one of you in the Land.In a similar way Joshua said: And they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and scourge in your sides, and pricks in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good Land.47 Joshua said a snare and a trap referring to the errors into which they will lead you, as in [the expression], for thou wilt serve their gods — for they will be ‘a snare’ unto thee;42 and a scourge in your sides which means that they will chastise you with shotim (whips)48 [in Joshua 23:13, which is usually translated: as a scourge], is understood here by Ramban as coming from the noun shot (a whip). so that they may plunder, despoil and cause you great suffering; and pricks in your eyes, this refers to blinding of the perception of the heart, so as to further mislead you after their gods; until ye perish from off this good Land, similar to that which it is said, lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return and be healed.49