(Reference for Genesis 14:18)

14:18

וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הִיא יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים עו ג) "וַיְהִי בְשָׁלֵם סֻכּוֹ", וּמַלְכָּהּ יִקָּרֵא גַּם בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ "אֲדֹנִי צֶדֶק" (יהושע י א), כִּי מֵאָז יָדְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מִבְחַר הַמְּקוֹמוֹת בְּאֶמְצַע הַיִּשּׁוּב, אוֹ שֶׁיָּדְעוּ מַעֲלָתוֹ בְּקַבָּלָה שֶׁהוּא מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית הַמִּקְדָשׁ שֶׁל מַעְלָה, שֶׁשָּׁם שְׁכִינָתוֹ שֶׁל הקב"ה שֶׁנִּקְרָא "צֶדֶק". וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה מ"ג:ו'), הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה מַצְדִּיק אֶת יוֹשְׁבָיו, וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק, אֲדוֹנִי צֶדֶק, נִקְרֵאת יְרוּשָׁלִַם צֶדֶק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו א כא) "צֶדֶק יָלִין בָּהּ":

AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM. This is Jerusalem, just as it is said, In Salem is set His tabernacle. In the days of Joshua, its king was also called Adoni-zedek. Since time immemorial the nations knew that this place, which was the choicest of all places, is in the center of the inhabited region. Or perhaps they knew of its superiority by tradition, i.e., that it is exactly opposite the Heavenly Sanctuary, where the Divine Glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is called Tzedek (Righteousness) abides.

In Bereshith Rabbah [we find that Jerusalem is called Tzedek because] “this place makes its inhabitants righteous. And Melchizedek means ‘the lord of Zedek.’ Jerusalem is called Tzedek, as it is said, ‘Tzedek’ (Righteousness) lodged in it.”

וְהִזְכִּיר וְהוּא כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי אַבְרָהָם לֹא הָיָה נוֹתֵן מַעֲשֵׂר לְכֹהֵן לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, אֲבָל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיָּדַע בּוֹ שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן נָתַן לוֹ הַמַּעֲשֵׂר לִכְבוֹד הַשֵּׁם. וְהָרֶמֶז לְאַבְרָהָם מִזֶּה כִּי שָׁם יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱלֹהִים, וְשָׁם יוֹצִיא זַרְעוֹ הַמַּעֲשֵׂר וְהַתְּרוּמָה, וְשָׁם יְבָרְכוּ אֶת ה'. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (נדרים לב) שֶׁאוֹמְרִים כִּי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק הוּא שֵׁם בֶן נֹחַ, הָלַךְ מֵאַרְצוֹ לִירוּשָׁלִַם לַעֲבֹד שָׁם אֶת ה', וְהָיָה לָהֶם לְכֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן, כִּי הוּא אֲחִי אֲבִיהֶם הַנִּכְבָּד, כִּי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מִגְּבוּל הַכְּנַעֲנִי הִיא מֵעוֹלָם. וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב לְמַעְלָה (יב ו) "וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי אָז בָּאָרֶץ", הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ וְכוֹבֵשׁ אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִזַּרְעוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁם זְקֵנוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁבְּחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁם נָפְלָה כְּשֶׁחִלֵּק נֹחַ לְבָנָיו אֶת הָאָרֶץ (ספרא קכו), שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם". וְאֵין זֶה נָכוֹן, כִּי "גְּבוּל הַכְּנַעֲנִי מִצִּידוֹן" (בראשית י':י"ט) יִכְלֹל כָּל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּגְבוּל בְּנֵי שֵׁם בַּמִּזְרָח מִמַּשָּׂא רָחוֹק מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֲבָל אִם חִלֵּק נֹחַ לְבָנָיו הָאֲרָצוֹת וְנָתַן לְשֵׁם אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָיָה זֶה כִּ"מְחַלֵּק נְכָסָיו עַל פִּיו", וְיָשְׁבוּ בָּהּ בְּנֵי כְּנַעַן עַד אֲשֶׁר יַנְחִיל אוֹתָהּ הַשֵּׁם לְזֶרַע אוֹהֲבוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְתִּי כְּבָר (רמב"ן על בראשית י':ט"ו):

AND HE WAS PRIEST OF G-D THE MOST HIGH. This is stated in order to inform us that Abraham would not give a tithe to the priest of other gods, but since he knew that he was a priest of G-d the Most High, he gave him the tithe as an honor to G-d. He alluded to Abraham through this episode that the House of G-d will be there, and there his descendants will bring the tithe and the Heave-offering, and there they will bless the Eternal.

Now according to the opinion of our Rabbis who say that Melchizedek was Shem, the son of Noah, we must say that he left his country in the east and came to Jerusalem to worship the Eternal. He became the people’s priest of G-d the Most High since he was the honored one among their father’s brothers, as Jerusalem was ever in the boundary of the Canaanites.

Now Rashi wrote above, “And the Canaanite was then in the land. They were gradually conquering the land of Israel from the descendants of Shem, the ancestor of Abraham, for it had fallen to the share of Shem when Noah apportioned the earth among his sons, as it is said, And Melchizedek king of Salem.”

This is not correct because the boundary of the Canaanite was from Sidon, which includes all of the land of Israel. The boundary of the children of Shem, on the other hand, was to the east of Mesha, far from the land of Israel. But if Noah apportioned the countries among his sons and gave Shem the land of Israel, it would be similar to the case of a person who apportions his goods by word of mouth. Meanwhile, the children of Canaan, [who were the descendants of Ham], settled there until the time came when G-d caused the seed of His friend Abraham to inherit it, as I have already mentioned.

וְהוּא כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת בְּכָל הָעַמִּים כֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתִים לַמַּלְאָכִים הַנִּקְרָאִים "אֵלִים", כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טו יא) "מִי כָּמֹכָה בָּאֵלִים", יִקָּרֵא הקב"ה "אֵל עֶלְיוֹן". וְעִנְיָנוֹ, הַתַּקִּיף הַגָּבוֹהַּ עַל כָּל גְּבוֹהִים, כְּמוֹ "יֶשׁ לְאֵל יָדִי" (בראשית ל"א:כ"ט). וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק לֹא הִזְכִּיר הַשֵּׁם, אֲבָל אַבְרָהָם אָמַר "ה' אֵל עֶלְיוֹן" (בראשית י"ד:כ"ב):

AND HE WAS PRIEST OF G-D THE MOST HIGH. Since there were, among all nations, priests serving the angels called eilim (the mighty ones) — even as it is said, Who is like unto Thee ‘ba’eilim’ (among the mighty) — the Holy One, blessed be He, is called G-d the Most High, the purport thereof being “the Mighty One, Who is Supreme over all,” as in the verse, It is ‘le’eil’ (the power of) my hand. Now Melchizedek did not mention the Eternal, whereas Abraham said, the Eternal, G-d of the Most High.

Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976

Source: nli.org.il. Digitization: Sefaria. License: CC-BY