Why is the word "Rak" coming to preclude?
Ramban: It comes to stress that, even though you will have a king like the surrounding nations, he should not emulate them, inasmuch as their sole ambition is to amass a large cavalry of horses and riders. 1
Refer to 17:16:2:2*.
What does the Torah consider too many horses?
Rashi: More than he needs for riding purposes. 1
Targum Yonasan: More than two. 2
See Torah Temimah, note 82. Refer also to 17:16:2.3:1 & 17:16:2.1:1. See Oznayim la'Torah, who points out that, apart from the king, at no stage, did Yisrael ever own horses - and that they fought their battles with infantry alone. See Oznayim la'Torah who elaborates. Refer to 17:16:2.1:1
In case the princes take to riding them and become lax in their Torah-studies.
Why does the Torah forbid a king to have too many horses?
Rashi: To prevent him from returning to Egypt, which was the address for the best horses. 1
Rashi: As we find in Melachim 1, 10:29, in connection with Shlomoh ha'Melech. The Ramban queries this, since the Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 10:8) permits returning there for business or to conquer it.
Ramban: Rather than on Hashem.
Ramban: And it applies to horses from wherever they are obtained, even from Eretz Yisrael itself.
What does the Torah mean when it writes "ve'Lo Yashiv es ha'Am Mitzraymah ... ?
Targum Yonasan: Refer to 17:16:2.1:2*. It means that the Bitul Torah of the princes will result in Yisrael's going back to Egypt. 1
Oznayim la'Torah: It means that the king may not own too many horses, so that the people should not learn from him 2 and go to Egypt to purchase horses.
Yerushalmi Sukah, 5:1: This is one of three locations where the Torah forbids (individuals) 3 to return to Egypt.
Why does the Torah write "Lema'an Harbos Sus" (singular)?
Sanhedrin: 21b: To teach us that the king transgresses "Lo Yarbeh" even he has one horse more than he needs - and the Torah writes "Lo Yarbeh lo Susim" (plural) to teach us that if he owns more than one, he transgresses a La'av for each one.
Why does the Torah discuss the prohibition against too many horses before the prohibition against too many wives?
Oznayim la'Torah: a. Because the reason behind too many horses - not returning to Egypt - affects all the people, whereas too many wives concerns only the king himself; b. Because the king's first concern is the safety of the people - which in those dys, depended largely on a strong cavalry.
Why does the Torah insert the (otherwise superfluous) word "Lo Yirbeh lo Susim:"?
Sanhedrin, 21b: To extrapolate "Lo Yirbeh lo Susim" - for his personal use, but he may have as many horses as he needs for his chariot and for his cavalry. 1
What is the phrase "ve'Lo Yashiv es ha'Am Mitzraymah" referring to?
Rashi: It is the reason for the prohibition of having too many horses. 1
Ramban: The Torah is adding an additional La'av, prohibiting sending agents to reside in Egypt in order to export the best horses from there to Eretz Yisrael.
And the 'Vav' in "ve'Lo" means 'in order that'.
Where did Hashem issue the prohibition against returning to Egypt?
Ramban #1: He is telling them here via Moshe Rabeinu.
Ramban #2: The Pasuk means that Hashem instructed Moshe to tell them ... . 1
Ramban #3 (citing the Yerushalmi in Sukah, 5:1): He issued the command in Beshalach Sh'mos, 14:13 when He said "Lo Sosifun Lir'osam Od ad Olam!" 2
Yerushalmi Sukah, 5:1: The current Pasuk is one of three locations where Yisrael are warned not to return to Egypt: here, in Beshalach Sh'mos, 14:13, and in Ki Savo, 28:68.
What is the implications of "Lo Sosifun Lashuv ... "?
Yerushalmi Sanhedrin, 10:9: It implies that we are forbidden to return to Egypt to live there, but not to do business or to trade there - and even to capture it and reside there temporarily 1 is permitted.
See Torah Temimah, note 86, citing the Rambam.
What is the reason for the prohibition against going back to live in Egypt?
Ramban: The Egyptians and the Cana'anim were particularly pervert, 1 and Hashem was 'afraid' that they we would learn from them. Consequently, in order not to learn from their evil deeds, the Torah issued the command a. to kill every Cana'ani 2 and not to allow them to live in our land, 3 and b. forbidding us to return to Egypt.
Targum Yonasan: To prevent a situaation where the princes will ride on the fine Egyptian horses and become vain, which in turn, will result in Bitul Torah.
Ramban: As the Torah testifies in Acharei-Mos Vayikra, 18:3.
See 20:16.
See Mishpatim Sh'mos, 23:33
If the Torah forbids returning to live in Egypt, why do many communities of Jews live there, and why did the Ramban go to study there?
Riva #1: Perhaps it is because Sancheriv mixed up the world (exiled nations to different places), including Egypt - like R. Akiva told Manimin, the Egyptian convert. 1
Riva #2 (citing R. Eliezer mi'Metz (citing the SeMaG): The Torah forbids only returning 'in this way'
See Yevamos 76b. Riva: This is difficult however, since, in Yadayim 4:4, R. Gamliel and R. Yehoshua disagreed with that, and the Tosefta, Yadayim 2:18, maintains that Hashem placed a deadline for the Egyptians to return to their land - in which case, they are in their place]. Moreover, in Sukah 51b, the Gemara states that the Jews of Alexandria were punished for returning to Egypt - and that occurred after Sancheriv?
