Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Exodus 5:2/אור החיים על שמות ה׳:ב׳
א״אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁמַע וְגוֹ׳ לְשַׁלַּח״ וְגוֹ׳. יְכַוֵּן לוֹמַר: מַה כֹּחוֹ הַגָּדוֹל לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹלוֹ בְּדָבָר גָּדוֹל כָּזֶה לְשַׁלַּח וְכוּ׳? וְחָזַר לוֹמַר שֶׁדְּבָרָיו לִרְבוּתָא נֶאֶמְרוּ, הֲגַם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה גָּדוֹל עַד מְאֹד לֹא יוֹעִיל זֶה לְשַׁלַּח יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאֵין כַּוָּנָתוֹ בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא יוֹדְעוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵינוֹ גָּדוֹל בְּעֵינָיו לְשַׁלַּח יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדְעוֹ כָּל עִקָּר, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ ״לֹא יָדַעְתִּי״ וְגוֹ׳. וְאָמְרוֹ ״וְגַם״, פֵּרוּשׁ, וַהֲגַם שֶׁיּוֹדִיעֵהוּ וְיַשְׂכִּיל כִּי גָּדוֹל הוּא, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן ״אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא״ וְגוֹ׳, וְהֵם תְּחִלַּת דְּבָרָיו, וְהָבֵן.
1 אשר אשמע בקולו, "that I should listen to His voice." Pharaoh challenged Moses regarding his G'd's great power. Surely the Jewish G'd was not so powerful that He could demand such obedience in a matter of such overriding importance! He added gratuitously: "to dismiss the Jewish people," meaning that however great His power it would surely not suffice to liberate the Jewish people. Pharaoh did not mean to concede that he did know of the Jewish G'd after all, but that the latter was not great enough to make such a demand; rather he said: 1) "I do not know of Him;" 2) even if I would be told that He does indeed exist this would not mean that He could demand the freeing of the Jewish people." The word גם refers to a hypothetical situation.