Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Torah

‘E-IL SHA-DAI.’ These are two distinct Divine names, each one descriptive in itself. Now the meaning of the word eil is “mighty”, derived from the expression, Eilei Moab (the mighty ones of Moab). The meaning of Sha—dai, according to Rashi, is “He whose G-dship suffices for every creature.” In the book Moreh Nebuchim the Rabbi, Note 139. explained that the name Sha—dai signifies “he who is sufficient.” That is to say, He does not require the existence of what He created or the conservation of any other being; rather, His existence is self-sufficient. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained in the name of the Nagid that the name is from the root shodeid, meaning “victor and prevailer over the hosts of heaven.” This is the correct interpretation, for the name Sha—dai represents the attribute of power which conducts the world, concerning which the Sages have said that it is “the attribute of Justice of the world below.” The reason for mentioning this Divine Name now is that with it are done the hidden miracles for the righteous, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine, as well as to redeem them in war from the power of the sword, just as all the miracles done to Abraham and to the other patriarchs, and as all the blessings and curses mentioned in the Torah in the section Im Bechukothai and in the section Vehaya Ki Thavo. These blessings and curses are all miracles for it is not in nature that the rains should come in their due season when we worship G-d, nor are the skies to be like iron, Verse 19. if we plant our fields in the seventh year, and similarly all promises in the Torah. Rather, they are all miracles by which the disposition of natural law is overpowered, except that no change from the natural order of the world is noticeable, as was the case with the miracles done through Mosheh Rabbeinu with the ten plagues, the dividing of the Sea, the Manna, the well, and their like, for these are miracles which openly changed nature, and they were done with the Tetragrammaton which He told to him. It is for this reason that He now told Abraham our father that He is the Almighty, the Victor Who will prevail over his constellation of birth so that he will have a son, and thus there will be a covenant between Him and his seed forever, meaning that the portion of the Eternal is His people, and that He will lead them at His own will, as they will not be under the rule of a star or constellation. Know and consider that our father Abraham did not mention the Tetragrammaton [Eternal] in any of his utterances except in combination with the Divine Name written [G-d], or in combination with E-il Elyon [G-d Most High],, 14:22. but he did mention in his affairs the name Elokim [G-d]. Thus he will say, The Eternal, the G-d of heaven. He said, however, the Eternal seeth,, 22:14. In this case Abraham used the Tetragrammaton (Eternal) by itself. This would contradict the principle stated by Ramban above that Abraham never used this Divine Name except in some combination with another Name. Ramban answers that since the reference there is to the Sanctuary which was destined to be built on that mountain in the future and where the sacrifices were to be brought, the Tetragrammaton is the proper name to be used, as will be explained in the beginning of the book of Leviticus when sacrifices are discussed. because it refers to the place of the future Sanctuary. Jacob, on the other hand, always mentioned E-il Sha-dai [G-d Almighty],, 43:14; 48:3. which Moses our teacher never mentions. If you will be worthy you will understand this entire matter from that which the Rabbis said in Tractate Yebamoth: “All prophets contemplated Deity through an unlucid speculum,” which is why Isaiah said, And I saw G-d, [i.e., the Divine Name written Aleph Dalet]. “But Moses contemplated Deity through a lucid speculum.” This is why He said, For a man shall not see Me and live, whereas Isaiah’s verse, and I saw G-d, is written with the Aleph Dalet. I will mention this theme again in Parshath Va’eira, 6:2. if G-d will look upon my grief. WALK BEFORE ME. i.e., by following the path which I will show you. [This command is similar in] meaning to the verse, After the Eternal G-d shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, except that with respect to a general command to follow His way which precedes His specific instructions, He says, Walk before Me, while with respect to a command which follows the specific command, He says, After the Eternal ye shall walk., meaning “follow the commandment which I will give to you.” But in the verse from Deuteronomy, where the commandments have already been annunciated, the verse properly says, ‘After’ the Eternal ye shall walk. The purport of both commands is to walk after G-d, fear Him alone and do whatever He commands. AND BE THOU WHOLE-HEARTED. This is an additional commandment in this matter, similar in meaning to the verse, Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the Eternal thy G-d,, 18:13. which follows G-d’s admonition: There shall not be found among you any one that … useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or sorcerer, etc., Verse 10. The purport of both verses is that one should believe in his heart that the Holy One, blessed be He, alone is the Omnipotent from beginning to end. It is He who has the power to do and to undo, and therefore he should not listen to the soothsayers and diviners or to the enchanters and the sorcerers. He shall in no way believe that their words shall be fulfilled, but he should decree in his heart that everything is in the hand of the Supreme One, who is G-d, G-d Almighty, Who doeth a person good, which was not predestined by his constellation, and bringeth evil upon him despite a constellation that was good and auspicious. In accordance with the manner in which a man walks before Him, He frustrateth the tokens of the impostors, and maketh diviners mad. It is this which the Sages had in mind when they said: “[G-d said to Abraham], ‘Go forth from your astrological speculations, etc.’” Now Rashi explained: “And be thou whole-hearted. Be whole-hearted in all the trials I impose upon you.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the verse means that he should not seek the reason for the commandment of circumcision, it being similar in meaning to the verse: Let my heart be undivided in Thy statutes, in order that I may not be put to shame. The correct interpretation is as I have explained.

AND ABRAM FELL ON HIS FACE. The purpose of this expression was to direct his mind towards the prophecy. When the prophecy concerning the commandment of circumcision was completed, Abraham rose and stood. When the word from heaven came to him a second time, saying to him, As for Sarai thy wife, etc., he once again fell on his face to direct his mind towards the prophecy, and he also prayed concerning Ishmael. in line with the verses: And they fell upon their faces, and said, O G-d, the G-d of the spirits, etc.; That I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces., Verses 21-22.

BEHOLD, MY COVENANT IS WITH THEE, AND THOU SHALT BE THE FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. This refers to the covenant of the circumcision, as He will explain, “This is the sign of the Covenant,. and after the covenant you will be the father of a multitude of nations.” Blessed be the Lord! By Him alone are actions weighed, for He preceded and commanded Abraham to enter into His covenant to be circumcised before Sarah became pregnant so that his seed would be holy.

AND I WILL MAKE NATIONS OF THEE. The language of Rashi: “Israel and Edom are referred to here, for Ishmael was already born to him, and He could not therefore have been making any announcement concerning him.” But in my opinion it is not correct that He should inform him of Esau at the time of the covenant of circumcision since Esau does not observe circumcision and has not been commanded thereon, as the Sages expounded in Tractate Sanhedrin: “For in Isaac shall seed be called to thee, but not all of Isaac.” of the children of Isaac, namely Jacob and Esau, but only “in” Isaac, meaning only one, Jacob. Instead, [the proper interpretation is that] Israel alone is called “nations” and “peoples,” as in the verses: Yea, He loveth the peoples; They shall call peoples unto the mountains;, Verse 19. After thee, Benjamin, among the peoples. Even after the birth of all the tribes, He said: A nation and a company of nations shall be of thee; And I will make of thee a company of peoples., 48:4.

‘VE’ATAH’ (AND AS FOR THEE), THOU SHALT KEEP MY COVENANT. Rashi commented, “The vav of ve’atah connects the verse with the preceding matter [in Verse 4]: ‘As for Me behold My covenant is with thee, and as for thee, thou shalt be careful to keep it.’ And what constitutes this ‘keeping’ of it? This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you — this applies to those who were then alive; and thy seed after thee — this applies to those who are yet to be born.” The Rabbi is correct in his interpretation of the plain meaning of the verse. Now they have said concerning the reason for the commandment of circumcision that He has thereby placed a reminder in the organ of lust, which is the source of much trouble and sin, in order that it should not be used excepting where it is commandatory and permissible. By way of truth,, Note 63. the meaning of the verse, Behold, My covenant is with thee, is similar in meaning to the verses: Behold, I am with thee; And He said, Certainly, I will be with thee; The Eternal our G-d be with us. He is thus saying that the covenant will be with him, and therefore he will be fruitful and multiply. After that He commanded that Abraham keep this covenant, and the circumcision will be as a sign of the covenant. Thus it is that this “sign” is as “the sign” of the Sabbath,. (Exodus 31:17.) and therefore circumcision sets aside the Sabbath. Understand this.

AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED MALE. Here Scripture teaches you that this circumcision must be at the location where the distinction between male and female is evident. Thus the words of Rashi. Our Rabbis have likewise mentioned other reasons. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said: “his foreskin, which is known, for it is in the genital organ. But not so are the expressions: uncircumcised in the heart; uncircumcised lips; their ear is uncircumcised. All of these latter are in a construct state. is not used in the construct state (as in Leviticus 12:3) it refers to the genital organ. In my opinion the matter is clearly explained in Scripture. It does not say, “And ye shall circumcise your foreskin,” thus leaving the meaning in doubt, nor does it say, “the foreskin of your flesh,” just as it says the foreskin of your heart, and “the foreskin of your lips.” But instead it says, And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, meaning that you are to cut off the flesh which is your foreskin, namely, your flesh which obstructs, and there is no flesh in the body which obstructs and covers a limb [as is the case with the genital organ], where one can cut the flesh and remain without the foreskin, other than the “flesh that covers the corona,” which the Sages mentioned..) The word “flesh” in the expression, uncircumcised in flesh, is a euphemism for the genital organ, just as in the verses great of flesh,, 16:26. and an issue of his flesh.

‘VAYITZCHAK’ (AND HE LAUGHED). Onkelos translated: “and he rejoiced.” This is correct since the word tzachak can be used intermittently for sporting or rejoicing, just as in the verses: ‘Mesacheketh’ (Sporting) in His habitable earth, ‘mesachkim’ (rejoiced) before the Eternal. In my opinion the intent of this expression is to convey the thought that whoever sees a favorable unusual event in one’s life rejoices to the point where “his mouth is filled with laughter.” It is this thought which Sarah expressed: G-d hath made laughter for me; everyone that heareth will laugh on account of me, just as in the verse, Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. And this is what Abraham did. When this good tiding was related to him, he rejoiced and his mouth was filled with laughter, and he said in his heart that this is an occasion for rejoicing as it is a very wonderful matter. Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And will this matter not give cause for rejoicing and happiness? Only, Scripture speaks summarily of his wonderment, as it is connected with the word vayitzchak. A similar case is the expression, Have I even here seen, which is connected with the beginning of the verse: for she [Hagar] said, “Have I even here seen G-d, revealing to me that He saw in my affliction, and shall I not call Him E-il-ro’i [the G-d who seeth me]?” Another such example is the expression, Did I reveal Myself unto the house of thy father, which is connected with the following verse, Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at Mine offering,, Verse 29. thus stating, “Have I chosen you so that you kick at My sacrifice and Mine offering? Why then do you do so?” It may be that the question, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? is an expression of amazement, not one of impossibility, just as in the verse, Wilt thou judge the bloody city, which means, “Do you want to judge her and cause her to know all her abominations?” A similar case is the verse, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone. Likewise is the verse, Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat? That is to say, “Has the thought occurred to you to eat of the tree?” This verse likewise is saying, “Has the thought occurred to anyone that a child be born to him that is a hundred years old, and that Sarah, who is ninety years, shall bear?” After that Abraham said to Him that he wishes this miracle be with the life of Ishmael. SHALL A CHILD BE BORN TO HIM THAT IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD? There is no wonder that a person who is a hundred years old should beget children, for men beget as long as they have vigor even if they be ninety years old or a hundred years old, even in these generations. All the more in the days of Abraham, who had not yet lived two thirds of his life. Moreover, forty years after this, he begot many children from Keturah. But Abraham’s saying, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old, expressed this thought: Since he did not beget a child from this woman while he was young, how could he beget from her after he was a hundred and she ninety? He knew that her womanly periods had ceased. Therefore Abraham did not say so originally when he was told, And I will make nations of thee, but only when he was told that he would beget a child from Sarah. Now He commanded him, And thou shalt call his name Isaac, on account of the rejoicing done by Abraham, which is proof that it was out of faith and joy [that Abraham said, Shall a child be born, etc.] And after Abraham called him so, as G-d had commanded him, Sarah said, “Is he not rightly named Isaac? For G-d hath made laughter for me.”

‘LU’ (O) THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE BEFORE THEE. The meaning of this word lu everywhere is as the word im (if), and it is also found combined in the word lulei, which means “if not.” [The Hebrew word lulei, ordinarily written with a yud at the end] is sometimes written with an aleph at the end., 43:10. It is also combined into the form of ilu, as in the verses: ‘Ve’ilu’ (But if) we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen; ‘Ve’ilu’ (And if) a thousand years twice told. The purport of this word ilu is “even if,” and its meaning is as if it said, “if if,” the double use of the word being for the purpose of emphasis, as in the expressions: Is it only through Moses alone;) are redundant and used for emphasis. Was it because there were no graves; are both negatives. Again the redundancy is for special emphasis. and other similar cases. Abraham thus said: “If Ishmael live before Thee, I will be pleased with this blessing with which Thou hast blessed me, namely, with seed from Sarah.” For since He promised him at first, One born of your own body is to be your heir, and the heir was to be one person, he [Abraham] had thought that this referred to Ishmael. But now that he was told that he will beget a child from Sarah and he understood that this child was to be the heir, he feared lest Ishmael die. Therefore, he said this: [O that Ishmael might live before Thee]. Live before Thee. Rashi explained: “Live in reverence of Thee, similar in meaning to Walk before Me, which Onkelos renders, ‘Worship Me.’” But this is not correct, since He said, And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Instead, its meaning is that he live and his seed will always exist.

‘AVAL’ SARAH THY WIFE. This is like the verse, “Aval” she has no son, the word aval meaning “only.” He thus said: “Only the son of whom I informed you, your wife Sarah will give birth to, and with him will I establish My covenant forever and with his seed after him; and Ishmael I will bless by making his children numerous, but this will not be because of My covenant with him.”

AND G-D WENT UP FROM ABRAHAM. This is an expression of respect towards G-d, was standing beside Abraham, why then is it written, And He went up, suggesting that G-d had been above him? It is out of respect to G-d that this is so written. (Gur Aryeh.) and we learn from it that the righteous are the Chariot of the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus the language of Rashi. But the saying of the Sages in the Bereshith Rabbah is: “It is the patriarchs that constitute the Chariot.” This is an allusion to that which is written: Thou wilt give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham; And the Fear of Isaac had been on my side. The student learned [in the mysteries of the Torah] will understand.

IN THE SELFSAME DAY WAS ABRAHAM CIRCUMCISED. Rashi wrote: “In the selfsame day when Abraham completed his ninety-ninth year and Ishmael his thirteenth, they were circumcised.” But what reason is there to mention this? Moreover, there is already general agreement with the words of Rabbi Eliezer, 27a. See also Seder Noach, Note 148, for fuller discussion of this point. who said that in the month of Tishri the world was created, and in Tishri the patriarchs were born, with the exception of Isaac who was born on Passover. Now Scripture says that the birth of Isaac will be at this time in the next year, and Rashi himself wrote further on in Seder Vayeira that the tidings were given on Passover. Consequently, Isaac was born on the next Passover! Instead, the expression, In the selfsame day, means that on the very day he was charged with this commandment, he and the men of his house — three hundred and eighteen — and all those purchased with his money were circumcised. Scripture thus tells of Abraham’s distinction with respect to the fear of G-d, as well as that of all the men of his house, i.e., that they were all zealous, fulfilling their religious duty as promptly as possible. Now the meaning of the phrase, was Abraham circumcised and Ishmael his son, is not that Abraham was circumcised first. Instead, it was Ishmael who was circumcised first, and then all the men of Abraham’s house, for it is so written: And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and after that it says, And Abraham was ninety years and nine when he was circumcised. The reason for this was that Abraham was zealous concerning the commandment to circumcise them first, either doing it himself or perhaps inviting many circumcisers whom he supervised, and then he circumcised himself. Had he performed his circumcision first, he would have been sick or in danger on account of his advanced age, and he would then not have been in a position to concern himself with their circumcision. Vayeira