Pre-Temple Regel - Re'eh 5772

Let me move on to a Ramban in this week’s Parsha. This Ramban is very important because it explains a mystery in Nach. The Ramban actually has two parts. One is in 12:8 where the Torah commands (לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן--כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים פֹּה, הַיּוֹם: אִישׁ, כָּל-הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו). You should not do as we do today each man what is right in his eyes. What exactly is the Torah forbidding? It is very hard to understand. After all, Moshe Rabbeinu was saying to the people you are doing something wrong, he should have given them Mussar. He seems to be saying that today it is ok but when you enter Eretz Yisrael don’t do what you are doing today. (אִישׁ, כָּל-הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו). The Ramban explains as follows. (וכן אחרי זריקת הדם והקטר החלב בשלמים יאכל אותם במדבר בכל מקום שירצה, כי לא נתן בהם הכתוב מחיצה אבל אוכלים אותם במחנה וחוץ למחנה. והנה אין להם בכל עניין הקורבנות חובה, רק איש כל הישר בעיניו יעשה, על כן ציוה בכאן כי אחרי המנוחה והנחלה לא יעשו כן, אבל יבואו בחובה למקום ידוע ומיוחד נבחר מהשם ויביאו שם הזבחים והמעשרות והבכורות ויאכלום שם במחיצה לפני השם. ומה שאמרו רבותינו (ספרי טז): בדבר הנידר והנדב [שקרב בבמה ושאין נידר ונדב] שאינו קרב בבמה, מדרש מיתור המקרא, כמו שהוא מפורש בפרק בתרא דזבחים (קיז ב):) In the Midbar there was no obligation to bring Korbanos. If one wished he brought a Korban. When a person wanted to eat meat he brought a Korban and ate meat. There was no obligation. Even the Sholosh Regalim there was no obligation to bring a Korban on Yom Tov. Moshe Rabbeinu told them you are going to go to Eretz Yisrael and build a Bais Hamikdash (לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן--כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים פֹּה, הַיּוֹם: אִישׁ, כָּל-הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו). Today is voluntary, you bring a Korban when you want. No, when you enter Eretz Yisrael there will be rules and obligations. Every Chag, every one of the Sholosh Regalim you will be Oleh Regel and you will be obligated to bring specific Korbanos.

At the end of Parshas Re’ey in 16:11 (בַּמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ, לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ, שָׁם) the Ramban says even more. He says (וכן אמר (פסוק טז): שלוש פעמים בשנה יראה כל זכורך וגו' במקום אשר יבחר.
ולא ידעתי, אם לומר כי לאחר שיבנה בית המקדש לא נאסף להקריב קורבנות הרגלים אלא במקום ההוא אשר יבחר ר', כטעם שיאמר (פסוק ה): לא תוכל לזבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך, או שיבאר כאן שלא יתחייבו לעלות לרגל עד אשר יבחר השם מקום לשכנו שם) B’lashon Efsher that even when the Jews entered Eretz Yisrael for the first 440 years there was no Bais Hamikdash and during those years there was no obligation to be Oleh Regel on the 3 Chagim. 16:16 (שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָל-זְכוּרְךָ אֶת-פְּנֵי יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ, בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחָר--בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת וּבְחַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת, וּבְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת; וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה אֶת-פְּנֵי יְרוָר, רֵיקָם). The Mitzvah to be Oleh Regel is only when there is a Bais Hamikdash, however, when there is no Bais Hamikdash there is no obligation to be Oleh Regel. There is a tremendous Chiddush in these 2 Ramban’s. That the Mitzvos that we take for granted, Aliyah L’regel, and many of the Korbanos, the Ramban even mentions the Korban of a B’chor that one was not obligated to bring it to the Bais Hamikdash until the Bais Hamikdash was built. These are the words of the Ramban.

What does this have to do with Nach? Well obviously it teaches us a Chiddush that for 440 years there is no obligation to be Oleh Regel. More than that it explains a mystery. In the beginning of Shmuel Aleph we are told that a man named Elkana would be Oleh Regel, would go to the Bais Hamikdash. A well known Medrash tells us that every year he would take a different route. The reason for this was because people were not being Oleh Regel. By going a different route every time, Elkana who was known as a Gadol B’yisrael would encourage others to follow him and others would come along with him to be Oleh Regel. We wondered this was a great generation, why weren’t the people being Oleh Regel? They needed Elkana? According to the Ramban it is beautiful. There was no obligation to be Oleh Regel it was totally voluntary. Therefore, we understand why Elkana went out of his way to encourage the people to go.

More than that. The Posuk says at the beginning of Shmuel Aleph 1:3 (וְעָלָה הָאִישׁ הַהוּא מֵעִירוֹ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה). This man would go up from his city from year to year. Chazal Darshun (מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה) as the Metzudas Tzion brings on the spot, that once a year he was Oleh Regel. We always wonder what in the world is going on, Elkana the Gadol Hador is only Oleh Regel once a year? It is a Pliya!

According to the Ramban we understand. There was no obligation to be Oleh Regel and therefore, he would go once a year to be Oleh Regel and in that way to keep the Mitzvah of being Oleh Regel which was not obligatory on a voluntary basis. Obviously this Ramban is a big Yesod in understanding the beginning Pesukim in Sefer Shmuel.