דברים, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ה׳

The Ammonites and Moabites are permanently excluded from the assembly of God, a severe consequence stemming from a combination of callousness, historical ingratitude, and active malice shown toward the Israelites during a moment of vulnerability. The primary approach among commentators is that their foundational sin lay in withholding basic human assistance from travelers. While the Israelites did not actually suffer from hunger or thirst in the wilderness—sustained as they were by the Manna and Miriam's well—the accepted and proper custom in the ancient world was to greet wayfarers with provisions [רבנו בחיי, הכתב והקבלה]. Some suggest they refused to provide bread for free [חזקוני], while others maintain they refused even to sell it [שד״ל]. This apathy is particularly jarring given the historical bond between the nations. Ammon and Moab were descendants of Lot, a man whom Abraham raised, risked his life to rescue from captivity, and ultimately saved from the destruction of Sodom. Lot’s descendants were expected to show gratitude to Abraham’s children, yet they turned their backs instead [רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי, בכור שור, ביאור יש״ר]. This stark contrast highlights the immense power of a simple meal; just as offering bread brought Jethro close to the Israelites, withholding it distanced these relatives for eternity [תורה תמימה].

Commentators differ on how to divide the guilt between the two nations. One approach suggests a division of crimes: Ammon was entirely responsible for the failure to offer food and water, even knowing the Israelites were divinely commanded not to attack them, while Moab actually did sell provisions but committed the far graver offense of hiring Balaam [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, ספורנו, ביאור יש״ר]. Conversely, another perspective asserts that both nations collectively sinned by withholding food, while the hiring of Balaam was the specific, personal initiative of Balak, the Moabite king [הכתב והקבלה, ברכת אשר, רלב״ג]. Beneath this debate lies a deeper layer of interpretation. The refusal to provide food was not a passive oversight or a mere lack of hospitality; it was a calculated, organized national conspiracy [רש״י, מזרחי, תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם]. Depriving the Israelites of rations was a deliberate strategy to exhaust them on their journey. By attempting to starve the Israelites and render them vulnerable, the conspirators planned to subsequently lure them with cheap food and wine tainted by idolatry. This premeditated malice was designed to lead the Israelites into sexual immorality with the local women [כלי יקר, משכיל לדוד].

Moab compounded this treachery by deploying the most devastating weapon available: hiring Balaam [שטיינזלץ] to cast a permanent curse upon the Israelites. Even though God intervened, transforming the curse into a blessing, and the promised wages were never fully paid, the sheer malicious intent to annihilate Israel through a curse was enough to seal their eternal banishment [שד״ל, ביאור יש״ר, שפתי כהן]. Ultimately, the nature of these offenses explains the ensuing law that forbids only the men of Ammon and Moab from entering God's assembly, while permitting the women, such as Ruth. In the ancient world, the responsibility to go out to the roads and greet travelers fell strictly upon the men, while women were expected to remain modestly in their homes. Because the men were the ones obligated to provide aid, and because they were the architects of the plot to cause the Israelites to sin, the punishment of exclusion was levied exclusively upon them [רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, כלי יקר].