Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 16:28/אבן עזרא על שמות ט״ז:כ״ח
אויאמר ה'. משה כנגד כל ישראל והטעם שיאמר לישראל ככה:
1AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES. Moses was Israel’s representative.151 etc., although spoken to Moses, were directed at Israel. The meaning of our verse is: the Lord said unto Moses, tell the following to the Israelites.
בוטעם מצותי על האנשים שהותירו ממנו עד בקר:
2[MY COMMANDMENTS.] This was said in reference to the people who left some of the manna over until the morning.152
גוטעם, ותורתי שהשם הורה להם טעם השבת על כן לקטו לחם משנה, וטעם לשון רבים, מצותי ותורתי כי כל המצוות והתורות הם אמת בלי ספק כמשמעם, ויש להם סודות בדברי הנשמה ולא יבינום רק המשכילים, ועל כן כל מצוה היא שתים:
3[MY LAWS.]153 For God taught them the reason for the Sabbath.154 to mean my teachings, that is, my teachings concerning the Sabbath, namely, that it is God’s day and manna would not fall on it. They therefore gathered twice as much bread on the sixth day. There is a reason why Scripture employs the plural, namely, My commandments and My laws.155 All the commandments and laws are, beyond any doubt, to be taken literally. However, they have secret meanings pertaining to the soul that only the enlightened can understand. Thus every commandment has two meanings.156