Ramban on Deuteronomy, Introduction

הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה עִנְיָנוֹ יָדוּעַ שֶׁהוּא מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה יְבָאֵר בּוֹ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ לַדּוֹר הַנִּכְנָס בָּאָרֶץ רֹב מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה הַצְּרִיכוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יַזְכִּיר בּוֹ דָּבָר בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים וְלֹא בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת וְלֹא בְּטָהֳרַת כֹּהֲנִים וּבְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁכְּבָר בֵּאֵר אוֹתָם לָהֶם. וְהַכֹּהֲנִים זְרִיזִים הֵם לֹא יִצְטָרְכוּ לְאַזְהָרָה אַחַר אַזְהָרָה אֲבָל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יַחְזִיר הַמִּצְוֹת הַנּוֹהֲגוֹת בָּהֶם פַּעַם לְהוֹסִיף בָּהֶם בֵּאוּר וּפַעַם שֶׁלֹּא יַחְזִיר אוֹתָם רַק לְהַזְהִיר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרוֹב אַזְהָרוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּבֹאוּ בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה בְּעִנְיְנֵי עֲבוֹדַת גִּלּוּלִים אַזְהָרוֹת מְרֻבּוֹת זוֹ אַחַר זוֹ בְּתוֹכָחוֹת וְקוֹל פְּחָדִים אֲשֶׁר יַפְחִיד אוֹתָם בְּכָל עָנְשֵׁי הָעֲבֵרוֹת. וְעוֹד יוֹסִיף בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה כַּמָּה מִצְוֹת שֶׁלֹּא נִזְכְּרוּ כְּלָל כְּגוֹן הַיִּבּוּם וְדִין הַמּוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע וְהַגֵּרוּשִׁין בָּאִשָּׁה וְעֵדִים זוֹמְמִין וְזוּלָתוֹ. וּכְבָר נֶאֶמְרוּ לוֹ כֻּלָּן בְּסִינַי אוֹ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בַּשָּׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה קֹדֶם הַמְרַגְּלִים כִּי בְּעַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב לֹא נִתְחַדְּשׁוּ לוֹ אֶלָּא דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית כַּאֲשֶׁר נִתְפָּרֵשׁ בּוֹ. וְעַל כֵּן לֹא נֶאֱמַר בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹ דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם מִצְוָה פְּלוֹנִית. אֲבָל לֹא נִכְתְּבוּ הַמִּצְוֹת בַּסְּפָרִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר עִם יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם כִּי אוּלַי לֹא נָהֲגוּ בְּאוֹתָן הַמִּצְוֹת רַק בָּאָרֶץ אע"פ שֶׁהֵן חוֹבַת הַגּוּף. כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא בְּעִנְיַן הַנְּסָכִים אוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵינָן תְּדִירוֹת לֹא הִזְכִּיר רַק בַּבָּנִים נוֹחֲלֵי הָאָרֶץ. ‘EILEH HADEVARIM’¹These are the ‘words’ — The fifth book of the Torah thus received its title — Devarim — from the second Hebrew word of the book. The English title Deuteronomy, meaning a restatement of the law, is derived from the Septuagint — the first Greek translation of the Bible — which gave it that name because a major part of the book is devoted to such a restatement. (THESE ARE THE WORDS). This book is known to constitute a review of the Torah, in which Moses our teacher explains to the generation entering the Land most of the commandments of the Torah that pertain to Israelites [as distinguished from the priests]. He does not mention anything relative to the law of the priests, neither about their performance of the offerings nor the ritual purity of the priests and their functions [in the Sanctuary], having already explained these matters to them. The priests, being diligent in their duties,²Shabbath 20a. People who are known for having the quality of diligence in their work need not be reminded of the duties incumbent on them. do not require repeated admonitions. The Israelites, [i.e., the non-priests], however, are admonished time and again about the commandments that apply to them, sometimes to add further clarification and sometimes only to caution the Israelites with multiple warnings. Thus there are in this book many admonitions regarding idolatry that follow one after another, as well as chastisements and a sound of terrors³Job 15:21. Reference is obviously to the words of tochachah (reproof, or threat of punishment) mentioned further, 28:15-68. casting upon them the fear of all the punishments for the transgressions. Additionally, he proclaims commandments which have not been [previously] mentioned at all, such as the levirate marriage,⁴I.e., the duty to marry the widow of a brother who died without issue (further, 25:5-6). the law concerning the defamation of a virgin bride,⁵Further, 22:13-19. the divorcing of a wife,⁶Ibid., 24:1-3. [the punishment of] plotting witnesses,⁷Ibid., 19:16-20. and others besides. Now all these laws had in fact been declared to Moses, either on Sinai or in the Tent of Meeting within the first year⁸In the Tur: “In the second year,” i.e., from the exodus. Both versions are, strictly speaking, correct. It was the year of the erection of the Tabernacle, and the “second” from the exodus. See also Leviticus 7:38, (Vol. III, pp. 90-91), where Ramban discusses the problem as to where all of the commandments were declared to Moses. [of the erection of the Tabernacle] before the affair of the spies. Nothing new was revealed to Moses in the plains of Moab [where he held this review of the Torah] except the words of the covenant, as is expressly stated there.⁹Further, 28:69: These are ‘the words of the covenant’ which the Eternal commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab … In other words, only the words of the covenant were newly declared by the Eternal to Moses in the plains of Moab. All the commandments, however, had previously been declared on Sinai or in the Tabernacle. It is for this reason that this book does not contain such statements as “And G-d spoke to Moses, saying:Command the children of Israel,” or “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them the following commandment” [since no new commandments were given in this book; they had all been previously declared to Moses either on Mount Sinai or in the Tent of Meeting]. These commandments, however, were not written in the preceding books wherein He speaks to those that came forth from Egypt. Perhaps this was because these commandments were obligatory only in the Land even though they affect personal conduct [and do not depend on the Land] such as Scripture mentions with reference to the drink-offerings;¹⁰Numbers 15:2. The law of drink-offering is not connected with the soil, yet it was enjoined only when ye are come into the Land of your habitations. or it may be that because these were not of common occurrence, he mentioned them only to the generation, the inheritors of the Land.

וְטֶרֶם שֶׁיַּתְחִיל בְּבֵאוּר הַתּוֹרָה הִתְחִיל לְהוֹכִיחָם וּלְהַזְכִּיר לָהֶם עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶם כַּמָּה יַמְרוּהוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר וְכַמָּה שֶׁהִתְנַהֵג עִמָּהֶם הקב"ה בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים וְזֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ חֲסָדָיו עִמָּהֶם. וְעוֹד שֶׁיּוּכְחוּ בִּדְבָרָיו שֶׁלֹּא יַחְזְרוּ לְקִלְקוּלָם פֶּן יִסָּפוּ בְּכָל חַטֹּאתָם וּלְחַזֵּק לִבָּם בְּהוֹדִיעוֹ אוֹתָם כִּי בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים יִתְנַהֵג עִמָּהֶם לְעוֹלָם. שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם לֹא נוּכַל לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ כִּי אֵין אָדָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֶחֱטָא וּמִיָּד תִּהְיֶה מִדַּת הַדִּין מְתוּחָה כְּנֶגְדֵּנוּ וְנֹאבַד וְלָכֵן הוֹדִיעָם מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ כִּי הקב"ה רַחְמָן מָלֵא רַחֲמִים כִּי הַסְּלִיחָה וְהַמְּחִילָה מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ סִיּוּעַ וְעֵזֶר לִבְנֵי אָדָם בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ. וּכְעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא. Before Moses commenced the explanation of the Torah he began to reprove them, reminding them of their sins, How oft did they rebel against Him in the wilderness,¹¹Psalms 78:40. and how the Holy One, blessed be He, conducted Himself towards them with the attribute of mercy. This was to inform them of His mercies towards them; also, that they be chastised by his words so that they would not revert to their degradation lest they be swept away in all their sins,¹²Numbers 16:26. and [finally] to strengthen their hearts by informing them that He will always conduct Himself towards them with the attribute of mercy, and hence a person should not feel that he will not be able to inherit the Land because — since there is no person that does not sin¹³See Ecclesiastes 7:20. — the attribute of judgment would at once be aimed against him and he would be destroyed. Therefore Moses our teacher informed them that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the Merciful One, full of mercy, since the forgiveness and pardon which come from Him, blessed be He, are an assistance and help to people in serving Him, similar to what Scripture says, For with Thee is forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared.¹⁴Psalms 130:4. G-d forgives in order to turn man’s heart towards Him in reverence, for, without Divine pardon, man would be in constant fear of being lost in his sin and therefore incapable of revering Him.