Ramban Devarim

by R. Gidon Rothstein Repentance that Lasts Last time, we examined aspects of the renewed covenant Hashem made with the Jewish people. The parsha then moves to another warning of the consequences of failure to keep that covenant; after bearing those, the Jews will eventually return (the description here has some interesting similarities to parts of VaEtchanan that we read last week, but that’s ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein The Nation Being Called דברים פרק כט:ט אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:  (י) טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ: Devarim 29;9: All of you are standing this day before Hashem your Gd, your heads of tribes, elders, officers, every Israelite man. Verse 10: Your children, women, ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Part of accepting the existence of Gd is accepting that reality doesn’t all happen in ways we can witness or identify (the best example being Gd Himself, as it were, Whom we cannot see or touch). The comments of Ramban’s we’ll see this time point at places where the Torah is telling us to see the ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Parshat Ki Tavo opens with different ways in which the Jewish people will in the future or are right then reaffirming their relationship with Hashem. Since “relationship” cannot apply to Hashem in the ordinary way (Hashem is so Other that the use of human language is always either incomplete or incorrect), aspects of these covenantal moments offer ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Ki Tetzei, Week Two: Character Counts Ramban interprets a few of the halachot in this parsha as a matter of shaping our character, a timely reminder that Jews are supposed to care about character in ourselves and in others, are supposed to value good character and react negatively to those who have not yet developed themselves to a minimal level ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Parshat Ki Tetzei, Week One: Complications of War and Marriage Parshat Ki Tetzei opens with the rules for how to treat a yefat to’ar, a woman taken captive in war, whom the soldier expects to marry. Before he can, the Torah tells him, דברים פרק כא:יב וַהֲבֵאתָ֖הּ אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ וְגִלְּחָה֙ אֶת־רֹאשָׁ֔הּ וְעָשְׂתָ֖ה אֶת־צִפָּרְנֶֽיהָ: (יג) ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Shofetim, Week Two: Going to War At the end of the parsha, the Torah tells us about how Jews went to war. Two comments earlier in the portion seem to me to lay some groundwork for success in war (and in life). The King’s Character and Ours דברים יז: כ לְבִלְתִּ֤י רוּם־לְבָבוֹ֙ מֵֽאֶחָ֔יו וּלְבִלְתִּ֛י ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Shofetim, Week One: Some Expressions of Israel as the Jewish Home Life is in Israel Two comments of Ramban’s remind us of his view—which has halachic ramifications—that the Jewish people is meant to live in Israel, a life demonstrably richer there than elsewhere. דברים טז:יח שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Re’eh, Week Two: Avoiding False Prophets, Hearing From Hashem דברים יג:ב כִּֽי־יָק֤וּם בְּקִרְבְּךָ֙ נָבִ֔יא א֖וֹ חֹלֵ֣ם חֲל֑וֹם וְנָתַ֥ן אֵלֶ֛יךָ א֖וֹת א֥וֹ מוֹפֵֽת:  (ג) וּבָ֤א הָאוֹת֙ וְהַמּוֹפֵ֔ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ לֵאמֹ֑ר נֵֽלְכָ֞ה אַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יְדַעְתָּ֖ם וְנָֽעָבְדֵֽם: (ד) לֹ֣א תִשְׁמַ֗ע אֶל־דִּבְרֵי֙ הַנָּבִ֣יא הַה֔וּא א֛וֹ אֶל־חוֹלֵ֥ם הַחֲל֖וֹם הַה֑וּא כִּ֣י מְנַסֶּ֞ה יְקֹוָ֤ק אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם לָדַ֗עַת הֲיִשְׁכֶ֤ם אֹֽהֲבִים֙ ...

by R. Gidon Rothstein Ramban to Re’eh, Week One: Using Our Wisdom in Serving Hashem After the Torah tells the Jews to destroy the multitude of places where idolaters worshiped alien powers, it warns against treating Hashem that way. Rather, דברים יב:ה : כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר יְקֹוָ֤ק אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ מִכָּל־שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֔ם לָשׂ֥וּם אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם לְשִׁכְנ֥וֹ תִדְרְשׁ֖וּ וּבָ֥אתָ שָֽׁמָּה: Devarim 12;5: Only to ...