Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 13:8/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ג:ח׳
אבעבור זה. אמר רבי מרינוס פי' בעבור זה, היה ראוי להיותו הפוך זה בעבור שעשה ה' לי, והביא רבים כמוהו לדעתו, ולפי דעתי, אין אחד מהם נכון, כי איך נהפוך דברי אלהים חיים, וטעם הפסוק הפך מחשבתו, כי אין אנו אוכלים מצות בעבור זה, רק פי' בעבור זה, בעבור זאת העבודה שהוא אכילת המצה, ולא יאכל חמץ שהוא תחלת המצוות שצוה לנו השם, עשה לנו השם אותות עד שהוציאנו ממצרים, והטעם לא הוציאנו ממצרים רק לעבדו ככתוב "בהוציאך את העם ממצרים תעבדון את האלהים על ההר הזה" (למעלה ג יב) וכתוב אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים להיות לכם לאלהים (במד' טו מא):
1IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT. Rabbi Merinus says that ba’avur zeh (it is because of that) should have been written, zeh ba’avur; i.e., this is because of what the Lord did for me.24) the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt. Rabbi Merinus could find no sense in this. Prima facie, “because of this” refers to the eating of matzah. What meaning is there in: because of the eating of the matzah, the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt? He thus interprets our verse to mean: It is because of that (zeh ba’avur) which the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt that I eat matzah and abstain from leaven. He cited what in his opinion are many other such instances.25, chap. 28. However, I do not think that he was right in even one instance. For how can we invert the words of the living God? The meaning of the verse is just the opposite of what he understands it to be, because we do not eat unleavened bread “because of this.”26 is not to be interpreted as a reason for the eating of the matzah and abstaining from leaven. Its meaning rather is: it is because of this, i.e., it is because of this service, namely, the eating of unleavened bread and the abstention from leavened bread, which are the first of the precepts that God commanded us, that the Lord did signs for us and brought us out of Egypt.27 Its meaning thus is: God took us out of Egypt only to serve Him, as it is written, when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain (Ex. 20:12). It is furthermore stated, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:28 I am the Lord your God (Num. 15:41).