Ramban Al haTorah

Let's go back to the Ramban we were looking at yesterday.

כאשר דבר השם אל משה מישראל פנים בפנים עשרת הדברות וציוה אותם על ידי משה קצת מצוות שהם כמו אבות למצוותיה של תורה כאשר הנהיגו אבותינו עם הגרים שבאו להתייהד וישראל קיבלו עליהם לעשות כל מה שיצוום על ידו של משה וכרת עימהם ברית על כל זה מעתה הנה הם לו לעם והוא להם לאלוקים כאשר התנה עמהם מתחילה.

So the Ramban here, I mean if this were the only Ramban we had it would be very subtle and it would be difficult to elicit but it's clear that the Ramban here is reflecting the Ramban has a very fundamental machlokes with Rashi back in Parshas Mishpatim. I mean the Ramban points out that ultimately it's two deios in the Mechilta, the machlokes already in the Tanaim. Rashi says if you take a look at the end of Parshas Mishpatim, perek chaf daled in Parshas Mishpatim. So Rashi says that

פרשה זו נאמרה קודם עשרת הדברות. ואל משה אמר עלה אל השם אתה ואהרן נדב ואביהוא ושבעים מזקני ישראל והשתחויתם מרחוק.

So Rashi says פרשה זו נאמרה קודם עשרת הדברות. Right? That אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה. And for whatever reason the Torah places this account of what happens on daled and hey sivan here at the end of Parshas Mishpatim. Which means that according to Rashi, when the Torah again a few psukim later ויקח משה את הדם pasuk ches from the olos

ויקח משה את הדם ויזרק על העם ויאמר הנה דם הברית אשר כרת השם עמכם על כל הדברים האלה

so the krisas bris according to Rashi happened on hey sivan before ma'amad har sinai. Meaning, since in Parshas Mishpatim, excuse me, since in Parshas Yisro, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says

ואתם שמוע תשמעו בקולי ושמרתם את בריתי והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים כי לי כל הארץ ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש.

So Hakadosh Baruch Hu offers to enter into a bris, bris Sinai, with Yisrael and we respond there in Parshas Yisro

ויענו כל העם יחדיו ויאמרו כל אשר דבר השם נעשה

so according to Rashi based on that the krisas bris happens. is the basis for Maamad Sinai, the krisas bris is the basis for Nesinas HaTorah. That's the hishtalshelus hadvarim according to Rashi, right? That's the way things unfold according to Rashi. According to the Ramban, so the Ramban says in beginning of you'll take a look the Ramban in the beginning of Parshas Mishpatim, in the beginning of Perek Chaf Daled of Parshas Mishpatim says no, the simple pshat is that this is written bimkomo and this is happening after the Aseres Hadibros were given. And what's more, according to the Ramban, again if you have the Chumash take a look here in פרק כ"ד פסוק ג'. If you can rabosai,

פרק כ"ד פסוק ג'. ויבא משה ויספר לעם את כל דברי ה' ואת כל המשפטים ויען כל העם קול אחד ויאמרו כל הדברים אשר דבר ה' נעשה.

So Rashi has to say, according to Rashi, that this is happening on Hey Sivan kodem Maamad Sinai, so what are all the mishpatim to which the Torah is referring? So Rashi says ז' מצוות שנצטוו בני נח, and Shabbos, and Kibbud Av Va'eim, Parah Adumah, and דינים שניתנו להם במרה. Ramban leshitoso that this is happening after Maamad Sinai says that kol hamishpatim is referring to Parshas Mishpatim.

ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם. ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם.

So according to the Ramban, the na'aseh in כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה in Parshas Yisro doesn't establish the Bris. The Bris is not made yet. The na'aseh is Hakadosh Baruch Hu says if you're interested, this is what would happen. If you're interested, so I'll tell you some of the Torah, and if you'll commit to that, so then based on that there will be a krisas bris. So the original na'aseh is just to say yes, we're interested in that. We're interested in being told what's in the Torah and we're interested in then responding to that. But the krisas bris happens again, it's after we hear the Aseres Hadibros and for that matter all of Parshas Mishpatim. That's what the Ramban says, again coming back to our Ramban in Parshas Terumah,

כאשר דבר ה' אל משה מישראל פנים בפנים עשרת הדברות.

So Aseres Hadibros we heard directly from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Additionally,

וציוה אותם על ידי משה קצת מצוות שהם כמו אבות למצוותיה של תורה.

That refers to the end of Parshas Yisro and all of Parshas Mishpatim.

כאשר הנהיגו אבותינו עם הגרים שבאים להתייהד, וישראל קיבלו עליהם לעשות כל מה שיצוו על ידו של משה.

That refers to when the Ramban says that, so that refers to פרק כ"ד פסוק ז'. He's not referring to Parshas Yisro. Take a look פרק כ"ד פסוק ז' rabosai.

ויקח ספר הברית ויקרא באזני העם ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה ונשמע.

That's what the Ramban is referring to, right?

וישראל קיבלו עליהם לעשות כל מה שיצוו על ידו של משה

and then vayichros imahem bris, that's Pasuk Ches.

ויקח משה את הדם ויזרוק על העם ויאמר הנה דם הברית אשר כרת ה' עמכם על כל הדברים האלה.

So the krisas bris happens based on Maamad Sinai. It's not the prerequisite for Maamad Sinai. No, the prerequisite for Maamad Sinai is indicating interest. משל למה הדבר דומה is like this. Let's say you have, I don't know, you're looking to sell your house and you have a buyer come and the buyer looks at the house and you talk about a price and you reach an agreement that the buyer wants to buy, you want to sell, and you agree on a price, but you haven't written any contract or anything. So there's nothing has been clinched, nothing has been locked in, nothing has been established yet. There's mutual interest in moving forward. So what happens in Parshas Yisro before Maamad Sinai is there's mutual interest as it were in moving forward. Then Aseres Hadibros and the subsequent mitzvos of the end of Parshas Yisro and all of Parshas Mishpatim according to the Ramban is a long... Along the lines of what the Baraisa says in Yevamos. The Baraisa says in Yevamos daf mem zayin that ger sheba l'hisgayer if you have someone who wants to be a candidate for geirus. So מודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות קלות ומקצת מצוות חמורות. You teach him, you apprise him of representative mitzvos. You don't just tell him I mean just to tell him ten mitzvos when he's going to be bound by taryag mitzvos, but it means that they're representative mitzvos, right, that's what the Ramban says שהם כמו אבות למצוותיה של תורה like what we talk about avos and toldos in Shabbos. So that's what the Ramban is referring to. So according to the Ramban, the krisas bris is based on Ma'amad Har Sinai. It's not the it's not what what made Ma'amad Har Sinai possible, but on the contrary. The krisas bris is based on Ma'amad Har Sinai. Krisas bris happens after Ma'amad Har Sinai, and that's what the Ramban says, that the process is exactly that which Chazal adopted and and instituted for mikabel gerim.

כאשר דבר ה' אל משה פנים בפנים עשרת הדברות וציווה אותם על ידי משה מקצת מצוות שהם כמו אבות למצוותיה של תורה.

So what Hakadosh Baruch Hu did is the exact same thing כאשר הנהיגו אבותינו עם הגרים שבאו להתייהד. Good, that's clear rabosai? Okay, now. So then what's very interesting here additionally here is the following. This Baraisa, if you have it on the computer, take a look, it's יבמות מ"ז עמוד א'. So the Baraisa that the Ramban is referencing says as follows: Tanu rabanan: it's around I don't know, 12 lines from the bottom. Tanu rabanan:

גר שבא להתגייר בזמן הזה אומרים לו מה ראית שבאת להתגייר אי אתה יודע שישראל בזמן הזה דוויים דחופים סחופים ומטורפים וייסורין באין עליהם?

They're in a sorrowful state, d'chufim they're they're pushed, harassed, schufim they're shfelen, m'turafim they're they're being ripped apart, and v'yissurin ba'in aleihem? אם אמר יודע אני ואיני כדאי מקבלין אותו מיד. M'kablin oso miyad means you accept him as a candidate for geirus. Doesn't mean you accept him as a ger. It means you accept him as a candidate for geirus.

ומודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות קלות ומקצת מצוות חמורות ומודיעין אותו עוון לקט שכחה ופאה

etc. That's the Baraisa. Now. The Rambam in perek yud daled of Hilchos Issurei Biah, כיצד מקבלין גרי צדק? Beginning halacha aleph. We'll we'll jump around a little bit. כשייבוא להתגייר ויבדקו אחריו ולא ימצאו עילה, when he when he comes and he presents himself as a as a prospective ger. So the first thing Beis Din does is they look to see whether or not there's some ulterior motive. ולא ימצאו לו עילה and and they don't uncover any any ulterior motive, any shelo l'shma motive for the ger, אמר לו מה ראית שבאת להתגייר etc. Umodi'in oso halacha beis, פרק י"ד הלכה ב' rabosai,

עיקרי הדת שהוא ייחוד השם ואיסור עבודה זרה ומאריכין בדבר זה ומודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות קלות ומקצת מצוות חמורות ואין מאריכין בדבר זה.

So the Rambam says that the first thing Beis Din does after asking him why he wants to cast his lot with such an oppressed and persecuted people, the first thing you do is you talk to him about ikarei emunah, specifically yichud Hashem and issur avoda zara. So the Magid Mishneh comments and says Hakol meforash sham. Everything the Rambam writes is mefurash in the braisa in daf mem zayin

חוץ ממה שכתב ומאריכין בדבר זה בייחוד השם וביטול עבודה זרה שאינו מבואר שם. אבל הדבר פשוט שכיוון שאלו הן עיקרי הדת והאמונה צריך להודיעם בבירור ולהאריך עמהם בזה שהוא עיקר היהדות והגרות.

He says it's true that that's not mentioned in the braisa, but it doesn't need to be mentioned because it's just self-evident. Hadavar pashut because this is the ikar hayahadus vehagerus. I mean, all the shemiras hamitzvos if the person, if the shemiras hamitzvos is directed not to the Ribbono Shel Olam, so all shemiras hamitzvos doesn't mean anything. It's so the maiseh is like this. Lichora in the Ramban you see as follows. Again, I think this is true either way, and there's sort of two ways you can read the Ramban, but I think kemiduma this is true either way. The Ramban says that the what happened at our geirus at Har Sinai basically is what Chazal modeled their procedure of kabbalas geirim on. Right? That what Chazal said about מודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות קלות and mikzas mitzvos chamuros is exactly what Hakadosh Baruch Hu did with us at Har Sinai. Now again, there are two ways to read the Ramban, but we'll say the easier way, but lichora it's true either way. So the first thing that Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells us by Har Sinai is Anochi Hashem Elokecha and לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים על פני. Dehainu, he tells us about Hakadosh Baruch Hu and issur avodah zarah. And yitachen that according to the Ramban that the Ramban would say differently than the Magid Mishneh. The Ramban wouldn't say that because this is so self-evident it's not in the braisa. The implication in the Ramban is that this is becholal what the braisa means when it says מודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות. When מודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות, when the Beis Din teaches the perspective ger mikzas mitzvos, so becholal that are the ikarei hadas. Because that's what the Ramban says that what Chazal were manhig ledoros is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu did by Har Sinai. So whether it means the Anochi and lo yihiyeh lecha of aseris hadibros or whether it means the לא תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף ואלוהי זהב of the end of Parshas Yisro, but either way the Ramban, lichora what the Ramban is, again lemaiseh the Ramban is saying the same thing as the Rambam. Dehainu that in talking to the perspective ger, in teaching the perspective ger, so the first thing, the first thing again after the yehei tavo yodea, once he's accepted as a candidate for geirus, the first thing is to talk to him about ikarei hadas. The difference is that whereas the Magid Mishneh says in the Rambam that it's not mentioned in the braisa but that's okay because it's so self-evident, the braisa's telling you what's not self-evident, the Ramban the pshat is no, this is becholal, this is part of what the braisa means. When the braisa tells you mikzas mitzvos kalos, mikzas mitzvos chamuros, it means representative mitzvos. So how can it be what? So we'll tell him basar bechalav and we'll tell him this, we'll tell him that and there's no mikzas mitzvos representative mitzvos of what, of the ikarei emunah, of the ikarei... the Rambam and he sees it as part of that that it is in the Baraisa when the Baraisa says מודיעין אותו מקצת מצוות. Okay, and then we'll we'll leave the Ramban for here for today and we'll switch to the Gemara now.