Shema-Blessings-The Order of Nature-Ramban

The 11th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban, (1194-1270). Born in Gerona, he remained there most of his life. He was a student of the Ramah (Rabbeinu Meir ha’Levi Abulefia). He authored the Milchamos Hashem on the Rif Alfasi against the critique of Baal HaMaor and Ravad. He also wrote a work defending the Bahag against the Rambam’s criticisms of his classification of mitzvos. He wrote an account of his public disputation in Barcelona with the convert Pablo Christiani in 1263. The Ramban’s commentary on Chumash is multi-dimensional including all methods of interpretation from simple pshat to esoteric Kabbala. The Ramban held that the mitzva of settling Eretz Yisrael applies even today and ultimately settled there himself during the last years of his life.

This is the mystery of magic and its forces, regarding which the Sages say, “They repudiate the Divine Agencies in a variety of ways by denying the simple forces of nature (Chullin 7b).” Therefore, the Torah saw fit to prohibit them in order to conduct the world according to plain natural law, as is the will of the Creator.

This is also the reason for the prohibition of “Mixed Fibers,” for via the mixing of fibers they [the magicians] will do strange acts, which will lead to changes in the customary functioning of the world, for better or for worse; aside from that, they themselves constitute alterations in Creation (Deuteronomy 18:9).”