Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:1/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ט:א׳

אבחדש השלישי. לא ידענו טעם ביום הזה אם לא יהיה פי' ר' משה נכון, שהוא ראש חדש כמו מחר חדש (ש"א כ יח) והזכיר הכתוב זה כי אחר ימים מועטים ליום חנותם היה מתן תורה אולי יום אחד עלה אל השם וירד ודבר עם ישראל וביום השלישי לחדש עלה פעם אחרת להשיב אל השם דברי העם, ושם נאמר לו כי ביום השלישי יהיה מתן תורה, וכל זה מדרך הסברא, כי על הקבלה נסמוך שבששה בסיון נתנה התורה ועל דרך העבור, יום ששי בשבוע היה אם לא היה חדש אייר מעובר אולי טעם ביום הזה כי רחוק מרפידים ובין הר סיני היה רב יותר ממרחק כל מסע:

1IN THE THIRD MONTH. We do not know the meaning of the same day (ba-yom ha-zeh)¹ unless the interpretation of Rabbi Moses² to the effect that it³ (in the month) which opens our verse. See note 5. refers to the new moon is correct.⁴ 86b), the Mekhilta (Parshat Yitro), and Rashi, as well. Ibn Ezra apparently quoted Rabbi Moses’ opinion because it can be linguistically defended, while the Talmud derives it from a gezerah shavah. See Sabbath 86b. Also see next note. It is like Tomorrow is the new moon (I Sam 20:18).⁵ (in the third month). According to Rabbi Moses the word chodesh means new moon, as in I Sam. 20:18 which reads machar ha-chodesh (tomorrow is the new moon). According to Rabbi Moses our verse should be interpreted as follows: On the third new moon, i.e., on the first day of the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day, i.e., on the aforementioned new moon, came they into the wilderness of Sinai. It should be noted that on Ex. 12:2, I.E. quotes Rabbi Moses as saying that the term rosh chodesh (new moon) is tautological because the word chodesh by itself means new moon. Scripture notes this⁶ because the Torah was given a few days after Israel camped.⁷ Perhaps Moses went up to God⁸ on day one⁹ and then came down and spoke to Israel.¹⁰ Then on the third day of the month he went up again to report the words of the people to God.¹¹ It was then told to Moses that the giving of the Torah would take place on the third day.¹² All of this is by way of logical exegesis because we accept the tradition¹³ 86b. that the Torah was given on the sixth day of Sivan.¹⁴ 86b: “The Decalogue was given on the sixth (of the month of Sivan). Rabbi Jose says on the seventh.” According to the rules of the calendar, if¹⁵ a day was not added to the month of Iyyar,¹⁶ then the Torah was given on a Friday.¹⁷ 87b), Israel left Egypt on a Thursday. Now if the new moon at that time was not consecrated by observation but rather by following the rules of the Hebrew calendar, then the sixth of Sivan had to fall on a Friday. See chapter 1 of the Mekhilta on the Torah portion Be-Shallach. It is possible that Scripture reads, the same day because the distance¹⁸ as in Vat. Ebr. 38 rather than rachok as in the printed editions. from Rephidim and Mount Sinai was greater than the distance between each journey.¹⁹ refers to the day that they left Rephidim. Our verse thus tells us that Israel came to the wilderness of Sinai on the same day that they left Rephidim. Scripture notes this because unlike the other journeys, which were normally a day’s journey apart, Rephidim and Sinai were far apart. Yet Israel made the journey in one day. From this comment it is clear that I.E. had serious doubts about whether ba-chodesh ha-shelishi really means on the first day of the third month.