meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ramban/Torah/Ramban on Exodus/English/Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009.txt"}
text: Ramban on Exodus
  רמב"ן על שמות
  Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009
  
  
  Ramban on Exodus
  
  Introduction
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  And [when] she saw him that he was good, she hid him for three months. All women love their children, whether they are beautiful or not; and certainly, all the Jewish mothers in Egypt hid their children as long as they could. Consequently, why does the verse need to emphasize that she saw he was good? The explanation is that she saw an unusual goodness about him and the thought entered her mind that a miracle would occur whereby he would be saved. Therefore, she took it to heart and began to think of ways to save him. When she saw she could not hide him any longer, she thought of a new strategy and made him a wicker basket. His sister stationed herself at a distance, so she would not be discovered, to know what would be done with him. All this supports the view of our Sages who said that the entire house became filled with light upon his birth (<i>Shmos Rabbah</i> 1:20, <i>Sotah</i> 12a). It also lends support to their statement (Ibid.) that Miriam had prophesized that her mother would give birth to the savior of the people of Israel.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
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  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  I know that he will surely speak. Meaning, I know that he will speak on your behalf, because he loves you, even if I do not command him. Moreover, he is coming forth on his own toward you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. He will not be jealous of your lofty level in that you were chosen for this honorable mission. Later, Hashem needed to say to Aharon (v. 27): “Go toward Moshe, to the desert,” only for the sake of giving him directions, and not as a command. It might also be possible that Aharon heard that Moshe had left Midian and he left on his own to greet him, and when he was on the road Hashem said to him (v. 27): “Go toward Moshe, to the desert,” for that is where you will find him.
  
  Verse 15
  
  And I will be with your mouth. Here Hashem instructed him to speak to Pharaoh, for at this point he was told only that Aharon would speak for him to the people, as it is said (4:16): “And he will speak for you to the people.” However, Moshe would be the one to speak to Pharaoh, possibly because this would be a show of honor to the king. Ultimately, however, Moshe changed his mind and asked (6:29): “Behold, I am of closed lips; so how will Pharaoh hearken to me?” Then, Hashem told him that he would not have to speak to Pharaoh, and this was an advantage for Moshe. Therefore, it is said there (7:1): “See! I have made you a lord over Pharaoh, and Aharon, your brother, will be your spokesman.” The meaning of “And with his mouth” is that his words will find favor with the listeners.
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him. Aharon kissed Moshe, for the humble Moshe treated his older brother with respect. Therefore, the verse did not say that the brothers kissed one another
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  And I will bring you out. He promised to take them out from Egypt so they would not suffer anymore.
  And I will save you from their slavery. The Egyptians will not hold sway over them at all, even to be in their country as forced laborers. 
  I will redeem you. Hashem will judge the Egyptians until they offer to exchange the B’nei Yisrael for their lives; thus redemption in this sense connotes an exchange. And the meaning of “an outstretched arm” is that His arm is outstretched over the Egyptians until He will take the B’nei Yisrael out of Egypt.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  I will set apart. Since the other plagues were stationary it was not surprising they were in Egypt alone and not the land of Goshen. However, this plague was sent forth from other lands, and when the wild animals came from their natural habitats, for example, the lions from their dens and leopards from the mountains, they destroyed the entire land of Egypt. It would have been natural for them to go to Goshen as well, which is a region of Egypt. Therefore, the Torah needed to say: “I will set apart the land of Goshen,” and it will be entirely rescued, because “My people dwell upon it”—the majority of the residents were Jews.I will set a [sign of] deliverance between My people and between your people. For even in Egypt proper if wild animals happened upon a Jew they would not harm him, but they would eat the Egyptians instead, as it is said (Tehillim 78:45): “He incited against them a mixture of wild beasts, which devoured them.” This is the connotation of פדות (deliverance), as in the verse (Yishayahu 43:3): “I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
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  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  The sorcerers could not stand. Embarrassed and exceedingly ashamed of themselves because they were covered with rash and they had no way of escaping it, the sorcerers did not arrive at the palace and avoided Moshe outside as well; they remained closeted in their homes.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
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  Verse 10
  
  
  
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  Verse 12
  
  
  
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  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  Man could not see his fellow man, nor could anyone rise. This darkness was not merely an absence of light like the darkness of night. Rather it was like a thick mist that descended from Heaven. For this reason Hashem instructed Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky” (v. 21). It even extinguished their fires the way that the air of a deep excavation does. That is why no man could see his fellow, for had this been an ordinary darkness they would have simply kindled lamps. Thus the meaning of the verse, “He sent darkness and made it dark” (Tehillim 105:28), is that Hashem actually “sent” them darkness rather than merely removing the light of day. According to Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra such a mist-like darkness is sometimes found at sea.
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  You too will give. Moshe did not expect that Pharaoh would actually comply with this admonition, nor do we find that he did so. All he meant was that Hashem’s hand would be so heavy upon the Egyptians that they would be <i>willing</i> to give sacrifices or whatever else was required to save their souls. Indeed, when Pharaoh later said to them, “bless me too” (12:32), he would have gladly given all his flocks to save himself. In practice, though, Moshe would never have offered sacrifices on Pharaoh’s behalf because he knew that Hashem wished to humble him and then to drown him in the sea, not to grant him atonement. According to the Sages, Pharaoh’s later entreaty, “Take your sheep … <i>as you have said</i>” (ibid.), was an allusion to Moshe’s reproof in this verse, but there, too, all that is meant is that Pharaoh was <i>willing</i> to give them sacrifices. Alternatively, perhaps Pharaoh actually did give them animals to sacrifice, but for their own use, not on his behalf.
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  I will not see your face again. That is, Moshe would not see Pharaoh again after he left him, even at the time of the striking of the first born. For although it is written that Pharaoh “called for Moshe and Aharon” (12:31), he only went to the entrance of their house and called out to them in the darkness. Alternatively, perhaps he sent word to them through emissaries, in keeping with the verse, “The <i>Egyptians</i> (i.e. Pharaoh’s emissaries) pressed the people to hurry them” (12:33). Another possibility is that when Moshe said, “I will not see your face again,” what he meant was that he would no longer come to Pharaoh. Instead, Pharaoh would come to him. This is in fact how the Sages interpret his words in <i>Shemos Rabbah</i>.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  Hashem gave the people favor. Not only did the Egyptians not hate B’nei Yisrael on account of the plagues, they grew so friendly towards them that they acknowledged having wronged them and observed that it was only fitting that Hashem should take pity upon them. Even Moshe, who actually brought the plagues upon them became “very great in the land of Egypt,” particularly “in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants,” i.e. the very individuals with whom he had contended. Moshe also became great “in the eyes of the people,” i.e. B’nei Yisrael, for although they had said to him earlier, “Let Hashem look at you and judge” (Shemos 5:21), Moshe’s stature increased tremendously in their estimation when they saw that he was indeed a faithful prophet of Hashem.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 7
  
  
  
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  Verse 9
  
  You must not eat it half-cooked or boiled. This commandment applied for future generations as well. The rule is that all the stipulations mentioned here regarding the body of the sacrifice apply for future generations, whereas those pertaining to the way it was to be eaten—such as the donning their belts and the placing of blood upon the lintel—applied only in Egypt. Similarly, when it is written regarding <i>Pesach Sheini</i> (the make-up sacrifice for those unable to offer in <i>Nisan</i>) that it must be performed, “according to all the statutes of the Pesach-offering” (Bamidbar 9:11-12) what is meant is that it must be roasted, etc.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
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  Verse 4
  
  I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh had been fearful of them ever since the striking of the first born, as evidenced by his request, “bless me too” (12:32), and did not intend on pursuing them even if they tried to flee. Therefore Hashem informed Moshe that <i>He</i> would harden Pharaoh’s heart to chase after them. He repeats this in verse 17 because after the Egyptians saw the sea split and B’nei Yisrael pass through on dry land they should have been too terrified to continue. Hashem, however, caused them to lose their senses and hardened their hearts to enter the sea.
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  Why do you (singular) cry to Me. According to the Sages Hashem is addressing Moshe in specific. Although Scripture does not mention before this that Moshe prayed, apparently it is included in the crying out of the B’nei Yisrael in verse 10. Although Hashem had told him earlier, “I will be glorified through Pharaoh” (14:4), Moshe still did not how to conduct himself now that they were caught at the edge of the sea with the enemy close behind. Hashem replied, “But why do you cry out as if in distress? Why do you not simply ask Me what to do?”
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
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  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  Ad-noy will reign. Onkelos alters the verse to the present tense, rendering, “His kingdom exists forever and ever,” out of concern that the future tense might be misleading, for in truth Hashem reigns supreme at all times.
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  Sister of Aharon. Since both Moshe and Miriam are mentioned in connection with this song the Torah wished to include Aharon as well. Referring to Miriam as his sister is a way of honoring him because it implies he is the elder brother—as well as a prophet and holy man in his own right—through whom she is to be identified. Alternatively, it is usual for the Torah to identify siblings by reference to their eldest brother as in <i>I Divrei HaYamim</i> 2:42.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  He said to Moshe. If Yisro had spoken these words to Moshe face to face he would not have identified himself by name. And if he sent an emissary with an oral message the emissary would not have spoken in the first person. Therefore he must have sent Moshe a written message.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  And the owner shall also die. According to the <i>Mechilta</i> it means that he will die at the hands of heaven. There are a number of instances in the Torah in which “he shall die” has this meaning.
  
  Verse 30
  
  When (literally, “If”) an atonement fine shall be imposed. Since this fine is merely an atonement for the owner, like a sacrifice, if he does not wish to appear in court to have it imposed on him he cannot be compelled to do so and even after it has been imposed on him he cannot be compelled to pay it.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  You must not mistreat any widow. This applies even if the widow is wealthy because she feels vulnerable nevertheless and is easily brought to tears.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  Do not act toward him as a creditor. The lender should act to the borrower as if he did not owe him anything. Moreover, he should think of the loan as an act of pure kindness for which he expects nothing in return, not even honor.
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  I will hear for I am gracious (<i>chanun</i>). <i>Chanun</i> derives from <i>chinam</i>—“for free.” In other words, Hashem hears the pleas even of those who are undeserving. For this reason the lender must not suppose that if he withholds the security of someone who is less than perfectly righteous Hashem will not hear the borrower’s cry.
  
  
  
  
  
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  I will cause the number of your days to be full. You will die only of old age, not of war or sickness. The normal life span, however, may vary from generation to generation. Thus in King David’s time it was seventy or eighty years.
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
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  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  With them or (literally “and”) with their gods. One may not make a pact “with them”—to allow them to live; nor “with their gods”—to refrain from destroying them. Alternatively, one may not make a pact with them <i>along with</i> their gods, i.e. as long as they continue worshipping them. But if they renounce them they may be left in peace.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  Have them take for Me a <i>terumah</i>-offering. The process of transforming the B’nei Yisrael into Hashem’s “treasure among the peoples” (19:5) was as follows: First He gave them the Ten Commandments face-to-face and a few more of the most fundamental commandments through Moshe, the way that a proselyte is introduced to some of the laws before his conversion. Then the people declared their readiness to accept whatever else Hashem would command them, saying, “All the words that Ad-noy has spoken, we will do” (24:3). Finally, Moshe made a covenant with them over all this in verse 24:8. After that they officially became a “kingdom of <i>kohanim</i> and a holy nation” (19:6). Now that they were a holy people it was fitting that a Sanctuary be established in their midst so that the <i>Shechinah</i> would be able to dwell among them and communicate with them. Therefore the next task they were assigned to carry out, was the construction of the Tabernacle.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  They shall take the gold. Only on the first day of the collection were the materials brought to Moshe. Thereafter they were brought directly to the wise men. That is why Moshe did not have any idea how much had been collected, as is clear from verse 36:5. The wise men, by contrast, knew precisely how much had been brought because they counted and weighed everything as it arrived.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Strange incense. According to Rashi this means that they were forbidden from offering any incense voluntarily. Onkelos says, however, that they were only forbidden from offering incense comprised of ingredients other than the ones specified by the Torah.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
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  Verse 19
  
  Aharon and his sons will wash. This washing was required out of respect for God, just as those invited to the table of a king must wash their hands before touching his food. The feet were included because the <i>kohanim</i> served barefoot in the Holy Temple.
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
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  Verse 33
  
  It must not be poured on the flesh of any man. This seems to be contradicted by Vayikra 6:15, from which it is clear that not only was Aharon anointed with it, but all subsequent <i>kohanim gedolim</i> were as well. The resolution is to be found in v. 31 where it is written, “This shall be sacred anointing oil to Me.” In other words, it may only be poured upon those who are considered God’s elect. This includes not only <i>kohanim gedolim</i> but kings as well, as can be seen from the verse, “I have found My servant David; I have anointed him with My holy oil” (Tehillim 89:21).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  That will lead us. They did not intend to accept the calf as a god whom they would worship and to whom they would attribute the power of life and death. They merely intended for it to lead them the way that Moshe had done before his disappearance. This was Aharon’s excuse for making the calf—that the people had only asked for a substitute for Moshe, not God. Moreover, if Moshe returned they were resolved to abandon the calf and to follow Moshe as before. Indeed, the moment they saw him they turned away from it and allowed him to burn it, which they surely would not have done if they had accepted it as a god.
  
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  [When] Aharon saw [this]. When Aharon saw that the people did, in fact, intend on worshipping the calf he quickly built an altar to God and proclaimed a festival to Him for the next day to prevent them from building altars to the calf and offering sacrifices to it. He may have set the festival for following day in order to buy time, hoping that Moshe would return in the meantime.
  
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  Moshe stood at the entrance of the camp. Moshe realized that the disgrace of the B’nei Yisrael would cause a desecration of the name of Heaven. Therefore he made his proclamation at the entrance to the camp and executed the offenders publicly in order that their adversaries would hear of this, too, thereby bringing about a sanctification of Heaven’s name in place of the earlier desecration.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  No man shall go up with you. Unlike the giving of the first tablets, the elders were not allowed to ascend with Moshe even part of the way.  
  Nor shall any man be seen on the entire mountain. This included the area at the foot of the mountain where the B’nei Yisrael had stood the first time.
   Before that mountain. When the first tablets were given they were only prohibited from touching the mountain but now they were not even allowed to stand across from it. The difference between the two episodes is that in the first the Torah was given to the entire nation, while in the second it was given to Moshe alone on account of his personal merit and prayers.
  
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  Write these words down for yourself. Moshe was commanded to record the words of the covenant in a book and read it to the people, just as he did after the giving of the first tablets (24:4 and 7). Undoubtedly Moshe complied, even though Scripture does not record it.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Every man whose heart lifted him up (<i>asher nesa’o libo</i>). This expression is used only in connection with the artisans (see for example 36:2), whereas regarding the donors it is written, “every man whose heart impels him (<i>asher yidvenu libo</i>)” (see 25:2). The artisans are described in this way because none of them had studied their crafts formally. Rather they discovered that they were naturally endowed with these gifts and then were “lifted up” spiritually and inspired to come before Moshe to offer their services.
  
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  And they came—both men and women (lit. “the men in addition to the women”). The women possessed far more jewelry; therefore they were the primary donors of the bracelets, etc., while the men were secondary to them. Every man who had with him. Only a few people possessed the various shades of dyed wool, therefore it is written, “Every man <i>who had with him</i>.” Those who possessed acacia wood were even fewer, therefore it is again written, “everyone <i>who had with him</i> acacia wood”.
  And every man that offered a wave-offering of gold. The donors of gold were fewer than the donors of silver and copper, therefore this donation was called a “wave-offering,” whereas that of the other metals (v. 24) was merely a “<i>terumah</i>-offering.” Apparently the gold was “waved” either by the donor, in recognition of the importance of the donation, or perhaps by the collection officials in acknowledgement of the donor’s generosity.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And they took from before Moshe. Everything that was donated on the first day was brought before Moshe and the artisans took what they needed that day and the following morning. Then on each succeeding morning more material was brought to Moshe’s tent and he instructed that it be brought directly to the craftsmen until they came and informed him that more than enough had been donated already. The people are bringing too much. This is related in order to praise the people for their generosity and the craftsmen for their integrity by not taking the excess materials for themselves. Moshe was also deserving of praise for preventing the people from bringing more, in contrast to most national leaders who are happy to extract from the people whatever they can.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  They beat the plates. This is the only instance in which the Torah explains how the work was carried out. Perhaps this is because gold had never before been used in this fashion and people were puzzled how it was possible to spin gold as wool is spun.
  
  
  
  
  
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  He took … and he placed. He took the tablets from the wooden ark that was in his tent and brought them to the golden ark in the Tabernacle.