Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Ulangan 13:2

He hath not given his money upon usury: – Already he has said, Nor doeth evil to his friend, and in this it is understood that he does not oppress or rob him, or steal from him. Now he says that even with his consent he does not take his money, together with something against which there is a prohibition – that is, usury. Although he gives it of his free will, he is obliged to give it, because he (the borrower) must borrow from him; and if he restores his money and the interest besides, and he takes his neighbour's money, it is wrong, even if it be done with his consent. Now as regards this matter, just because men are accustomed to it and do not denounce it as spoliation as they do robbery or stealing, therefore the Law is severe upon it and often warns against it. The Prophets also class it among the flagrant offences. And he who is accustomed to have recourse to it loses his money in a short time. But David and Ezekiel only forbid what the Law forbids, and the Law only forbids it in the case of Israel, but allows it in the case of the foreigner, as it is said (Deut. 23:21): “Unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon usury.” But it is not so said of robbery and stealing and loss and fraud, for even in the case of the stranger to oppress or rob him or steal his money is forbidden; but usury which is received from him with his knowledge and consent is permitted. An Israelite is bound to shew kindness to his fellow-Israelite, and the loan without interest is kindness and goodness; at times a greater kindness even than a gift, for men often will hesitate to accept a gift, but not a loan. Such, however, is not the case between the Israelite and the Gentile, for the former is under no obligation to shew him kindness or to lend him money gratuitously, for generally these hate Israel. But assuredly if the Gentile shews kindness and goodness to an Israelite, he, for his part, is bound to return his kindness and to do him good. Now I have enlarged on this matter so that you can answer the Christians who say that David did not distinguish between Jew and Gentile, and that all interest is forbidden. This, however, will not hold, for David does not forbid what Moses our teacher permitted at the command of God. Notice that the Torah says (Deut. 13:1): “Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish there-from.”

AND IT BE STOLEN OUT OF THE MAN’S HOUSE. Rashi explained it as meaning that it was stolen out of the man’s house “according to his statement,” meaning that this is what the unpaid guardian claims.²¹¹It cannot mean that it was admittedly stolen, for then how could Scripture say in the next verse that if the thief was not found, the guardian must swear, since it is admitted that it was stolen from him? Hence the verse must mean that he claims it was stolen. Scholars have brought parallel cases in Scripture [as proof to Rashi’s explanation]. Thus: If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet;²¹²Deuteronomy 13:2. The case there speaks of a false prophet. The term “prophet” must therefore be understood as “one who claims to be a prophet.” Hananiah the son of Azzur the prophet,²¹³Jeremiah 28:1. [The reasoning is as in the previous Note.] for he is not referred to by that epithet [“prophet”] as a true description, but only because he claimed to be so. But there is no need for this. For Scripture is stating that if it was really stolen out of the man’s house and the thief be found, he shall pay double; and if the thief be not found,²¹⁴Verse 7. they shall come to court and the guardian shall swear concerning the stolen article whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbor’s goods,²¹⁴Verse 7. and he whom the court condemns as the thief of this article shall pay double,²¹⁵Verse 8. as the court will not convict anyone and make him pay double unless he stole it, since the law of twofold restitution applies only to a thief, as He said above, If the theft be found in his hand alive… he shall pay double.²¹⁶Verse 3.

ONLY TAKE HEED TO THYSELF etc. LEST THOU FORGET THE THINGS. “[Only] then when you will not forget them and fulfill them in their true form, will you be accounted wise and understanding men; but if you pervert them due to forgetfulness you will be regarded as fools.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is completely incorrect.⁴⁸Ramban’s point seems to be that since the verse uses the expression, hishamer (take heed), it should be interpreted as a prohibition as will be explained. According to Rashi, however, it is not a prohibition, but a mere negation: if they do not observe the commandments, they will not be considered wise and understanding men. Rather, this verse, in my opinion, is a negative commandment in which he admonishes [us] severely [as follows]: For, as he stated that we should be careful concerning all the commandments and be heedful to perform the statutes and the ordinances, he again stated: “Only I warn you exceedingly to take heed and guard yourselves very, very much to remember whence the commandments came to you, that you should not forget the Revelation on Mount Sinai,⁴⁹See Vol. II, p. 251, Note 17. nor all the things which your eyes saw there — the thunderings, and the lightnings,⁵⁰Exodus 20:15. His glory and His greatness⁵¹Further, 5:21. and His words that you have heard there out of the midst of the fire.⁵¹Further, 5:21. And you should convey all the things which your eyes saw at that glorious Revelation unto thy children and thy children’s children⁵²Verse 9 before us. forever.” He explained the reason [for this prohibition]: G-d made that Revelation so that you might learn to fear Him all the days and teach your children⁵³See Verse 10. during all generations. Therefore, do so [remember the Revelation and convey it to your offspring] and do not forget it. Thus before mentioning the commandments which were proclaimed there [on Mount Sinai] he admonished with a negative commandment that we are not to forget a thing from the Revelation [of the Eternal at Mount Sinai], and we are never to remove it from our hearts. He further charged in the form of a positive commandment that we should inform all our children from generation to generation of everything that happened there — what we saw and what we heard.⁵⁴Here in the commentary Ramban clearly holds that our duty to remember the Revelation on Sinai is comprised of two parts: 1) the prohibition against ever forgetting it, and 2) the positive duty of informing our children of the event. However, in his notes to Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvoth (Book of the Commandments), Ramban lists as one of his supplementary commandments the prohibition against ever forgetting the Revelation (see also “The Commandments,” Vol. II, p. 335, Commandment 2), but he does not mention the positive commandment to inform our children thereof (see ibid., Vol. I, pp. 263-265). To resolve this difficulty we must say that Ramban includes the positive duty in the general commandment of teaching our children the words of the Torah (further 6:7; “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 16-18), which of course includes the narrative of the Revelation.
The benefit of this commandment is very great. For if the words of the Torah had come to us only through the mouth of Moses, even though his prophecy was verified with signs and wonders, yet if there [were to] arise in the midst of us a prophet or a dreamer of dreams⁵⁵Further 13:2. and he were to command us [to do] the opposite of what the Torah commanded us, and he [were to] give us a sign or wonder,⁵⁵Further 13:2. then a doubt would enter the people’s hearts. But since the Torah reaches us from the mouth of the Almighty to our ears, and our eyes behold that there is no intermediary, we will reject anyone who differs and who casts doubt [upon the words of the Torah] and will declare him to be false. No sign will help him, nor will any wonder save him from death at our hands for we know his falsehood. It is this which He stated there [before the Revelation], and they may also believe in thee [Moses] forever,⁵⁶Exodus 19:9. See Vol. II, pp. 277-278. for when we shall also transmit the matter [of the Revelation] to our children they will know that the thing was true without doubt as if all the generations had seen it, for we would not testify falsely to our children to cause them to inherit vanity and things wherein there is no profit,⁵⁷Jeremiah 16:19. and they will not doubt at all the testimony we will give them. Instead they will believe for a certainty that all of us saw it with our eyes, and likewise [they will believe] all that we told them. This subject will come up again in the section, If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams etc.⁵⁵Further 13:2. I have already mentioned it there in the section of In the third month.⁵⁸Exodus 19:1. See Vol. II, p. 278.