What is the
most famous passage from Ramban? I asked AI and here's what AI had to say:
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The most
famous passage from the Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman) is widely considered
to be his commentary on Leviticus 19:2, regarding the
commandment "Kedoshim Tihyu" (You shall be holy).
In this
passage, the Ramban explains that it is possible for a person to technically
observe all the laws of the Torah and still be a "scoundrel within the
permissible realm of the Torah" (navul b'reshut ha-torah).
Key
Takeaways from the Passage:
- Beyond the Letter of the Law: Ramban argues that the
Torah requires a person to go beyond the strict letter of the law to
achieve the spirit of the law.
- Moral Moderation: He emphasizes that
holiness is achieved by practicing moderation—avoiding gluttony,
drunkenness, and excessive speech, even regarding permitted things.
- Ethical Behavior: The goal is to act with
kindness and integrity in all dealings, as the Torah cannot explicitly
detail every single interaction, so it provides a general principle to be
holy.
Other
Notable Famous Passages
- Iggeret HaRamban (The Letter of
the Ramban): A
famous ethical letter written to his son, stressing the importance of
humility, calm speech, and constant awareness of standing before God.
- Commentary on Exodus 13:16: A passage defining the
purpose of the commandments, explaining that they are designed to
inculcate faith, remember miracles, and thank God.
- Introduction to the Torah: Where he discusses his
approach to the "hidden" secrets of the Torah (al derekh
ha-emet).
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Why do I ask
this question? I ask because this Shabbos I was in a shul looking over some
books while the rabbi gave a shiur during Shalosh Seudos. The rabbi, who I
suspect from other encounters is Zionistic said with great emphasis that
Ramban's most famous statement is “easily” that concerning mitzvos and EY, that
they are only practice in chutz. This is not the first time that I have walked
into a Modern Orthodox shul while a rabbi was presenting this Ramban to his
congregation. It’s a favourite of Modern Orthodox people because aliyah has
become the obsession of the MO world and the Ramban more than anything else is
used to manipulate people into making aliyah. When you are told that your mitzvahs
are defective without EY, that will have an effect.
The irony is
that Rabbi Soloveitchik objected to this Ramban and said that the Ramban didn’t
even say it. It’s based on a Sifri for which we don’t have the exact text, and
the statement attributed to the Ramban doesn’t make sense. A verse says that
Hashem says “Ki li col Haaretz,” meaning the whole world is Hashem’s. Thus mitzvos
are mitzvos everywhere.
I’ll give
another proof. Ramban didn’t move to EY until the last two years of his life
when he was chased out of Spain. That he made the trip shows the trip was
doable. He didn’t live in Chicago. From Spain it’s a boat road across the
Mediterranean. If he felt that his
mitzvos were flawed or just practice outside of EY how could he not make aliyah?
Hershel Schachter might say that a rabbi has an excuse because he needs to teach
Torah. But according to the Vilna Gaon that is not acceptable. The Gaon says
that a fulfilment of a person’s mitzvos takes precedence over teaching Torah.
And of course, Rav Moshe Feinstein says that Ramban views living in Israel as a voluntary mitzvah. So as much as MO people like to parade this Ramban in people’s faces, it’s not the stick that they are looking for. And as we see, it also isn’t ‘easily’ the most famous Ramban. It’s only famous to aliyah addicts who try to push all Jews to move to Israel even though for most of them it’s an unwise move which has ruined many lives.
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