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Ramban on Deuteronomy 34:12/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ד:י״ב

אוּלְכֹל הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה, קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (שמות יד לא) וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה. וּלְכֹל הַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל, מַעֲמַד הַר סִינַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (שם כ כ) לְבַעֲבוּר תִּהְיֶה יִרְאָתוֹ עַל פְּנֵיכֶם. וּלְפִיכָךְ הִזְכִּיר בְּאֵלּוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁכְּבָר הִזְכִּיר כָּל הַנַּעֲשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל עֲבָדָיו וּלְכָל אַרְצוֹ. וּבְסִפְרֵי (בסופו), וּלְכֹל הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה, זוֹ מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (שמות ו א) כִּי בְיָד חֲזָקָה יְשַׁלְּחֵם. וּלְכֹל הַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל, זוֹ קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף. ד"א וּלְכֹל הַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל, זוֹ מַתַּן תּוֹרָה. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת, הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה זוֹ מִדַּת הַדִּין, כִּלְשׁוֹן הָיְתָה עָלַי יַד ה' (יחזקאל לז א שם מ א), וְכֵן כִּי יַד ה' עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת (ישעיהו מא כ), וְלָכֵן יֹאמְרוּ בַּמִּשְׁפָּט (רות א יג) כִּי יָצְאָה בִּי יַד ה'. וְהַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל, מִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיהו ח יג), אֹתוֹ תַקְדִּישׁוּ וְהוּא מוֹרַאֲכֶם. וְלָזֶה מִתְכַּוְּנִים בְּסִפְרֵי בְּמַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת וּבִקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף, כִּי כָּתוּב בָּם (שם סג יד) לַעֲשׂוֹת לְךָ שֵׁם תִּפְאָרֶת:

1AND IN ALL THE MIGHTY HAND. This alludes to the division of the Red Sea concerning which it is said, And Israel saw the great hand.³⁴⁷ AND IN ALL THE GREAT TERROR. This is a reference to the Revelation³⁴⁸) at Mount Sinai.” See Vol. II, p. 251, Note 17. concerning which it is stated and that His fear may be before you.³⁴⁹ He mentioned concerning these [two events] that they were done in the sight of all Israel, because he had already referred to all that was done to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land.³⁵⁰ And in the Sifre it is stated:³⁵¹. “And in all the mighty hand — this refers to the smiting of the firstborn, about which it is said, for by a mighty hand shall he send them away.³⁵² And in all the great terror — this alludes to the division of the Red Sea. Another interpretation: And in all the great terror — this is the Giving of the Torah.”And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the mighty hand is the attribute of justice, similar to the expressions: the hand of the Eternal was upon me;³⁵³ for the hand of the Eternal hath wrought this.³⁵⁴ Therefore it is said with reference to [His] judgment, for the hand of the Eternal is gone forth against me.³⁵⁵ And the great terror is the attribute of mercy, similar to what is written, Him shall ye sanctify, and let Him be your fear.³⁵⁶ The Rabbis in the Sifre³⁵¹. meant this when referring to the smiting of the firstborn [which was done by the mighty hand, alluding to the attribute of justice] and the division of the Red Sea [which is alluded to in the phrase and in all the great terror referring to the attribute of mercy], for concerning them it is written, to make Thyself a Glorious Name.³⁵⁷, 63:14. The rescue of Israel at the Red Sea displayed G-d’s mercy to His people just as the retributive punishment upon the Egyptian firstborn manifested His justice. Both were to make Him a glorious Name.

בוְטַעַם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה, שֶׁהֵכִין וְהֶרְאָה זֶה לְעֵינֵי כָל הָעָם, כִּלְשׁוֹן וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן (בראשית יב ה), וַיְמַהֵר לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתוֹ (שם יח ז), לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת (דברים ה':ט"ו), כִּי מֹשֶׁה לֹא עָשָׂה הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה וְהַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל, רַק הֵכִין אוֹתָם וּבַעֲבוּרוֹ נַעֲשׂוּ לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל:

2WHICH MOSES ‘ASAH’ (WROUGHT) — for he prepared and displayed it in the sight of all the people. It is similar to the expressions: and the souls that they ‘asu’ (made) in Haran;³⁵⁸, i.e., which Abraham and Sarah brought beneath the sheltering wings of the Divine Presence.” (Rashi). and he hastened ‘la’asoth’ (to make) it;³⁵⁹, 18:7. Make, i.e., the servant “dressed” the meat. ‘la’asoth’ (to make) the Sabbath-day.³⁶⁰, i.e., to “keep” the Sabbath. For Moses did not make the mighty hand and the great terror, he merely arranged [that they be displayed by G-d], and for His sake they were wrought in the sight of all Israel.

גנִשְׁלְמוּ חֲמִשָּׁה הַסְּפָרִים הָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר קָצְרָה בָּהֶם חָכְמַת אָגוּר וְאִיתִיאֵל, וְאַלְפֵי בְּרָכוֹת וְהוֹדָאוֹת לָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר גְּמָלַנִי כְּרַחֲמָיו וּכְרֹב חֲסָדָיו וַיָּבֵא אֲשֶׁר לְבָבִי שׁוֹאֵל, וְהוּא לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ יוֹאֵל, וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל, בִּמְהֵרָה בְּיָמֵינוּ יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל, לִבְנוֹת הַבַּיִת וְהָאֲרִיאֵל, וִיקַיֵּם מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב עַל יְדֵי יְחֶזְקֵאל (לז כח), וְיָדְעוּ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי אֲנִי הַשֵּׁם מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בִּהְיוֹת מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם לְעוֹלָם. וּבָרוּךְ ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם:

3Completed are these five books [of the Torah],In which the wisdom of Agur and Ithiel³⁶¹ was little.And thousands of blessings to G-d,Who hath bestowed on me according to His compassions,And according to the multitude of His mercies,³⁶²And bring him whom my heart requests,And He for His Name’s sake consent thereto,And a redeemer will come to Zion!³⁶³, 59:20.Speedily in our days-may Michael stand up,³⁶⁴To build the House [of G-d] and the Ariel,³⁶⁵ is a reference to the altar.And fulfill the verse written by Ezekiel,And the nations shall know,That I am the Eternal that sanctify Israel,When My Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them, forever.³⁶⁶

דמָצָאתִי בְּמִדְרַשׁ מִשְׁלֵי, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבִּקְשׁוּ סַנְהֶדְרִין לִמְנוֹת שְׁלֹמֹה עִם שְׁלֹשָׁה מְלָכִים וְאַרְבָּעָה הֶדְיוֹטוֹת, עָמְדָה שְׁכִינָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְאָמְרָה, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, חָזִיתָ אִישׁ מָהִיר בִּמְלַאכְתּוֹ וְכוּ' (משלי כב כט). וּבַגְּמָרָא דִּידַן בְּפֶרֶק חֵלֶק, בָּאתָה דְּמוּת דְּיוֹקְנוֹ שֶׁל אָבִיו וְנִשְׁטְחָה לִפְנֵיהֶם וְכוּ', וּבַיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי, בָּא דָּוִד וְנִשְׁתַּטֵּחַ לִפְנֵיהֶם. וְכֻלָּם לְדָבָר אֶחָד נִתְכַּוְּנוּ, לוֹמַר שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹצֵא וּבָא לוֹ מִמִּדָּה לְמִדָּה, יוֹצֵא מִמִּדַּת הַדִּין וּבָא לוֹ לְמִדַּת רַחֲמִים, וְהִיא מִדָּתוֹ שֶׁל דָּוִד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּקִדּוּשׁ הַחֹדֶשׁ דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי וְקַיָּם. וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין:

4And blessed be the Eternal, the G-d of Israel,From everlasting even to everlasting.³⁶⁷I have found³⁶⁸” he proceeds now in a concluding note to refer to the approaching time of redemption when “G-d will go forth from attribute to attribute — from the attribute of justice to that of mercy to hasten the redemption.” in Midrash Mishlei the following text:³⁶⁹ “When the Sanhedrin wanted to count Solomon among the three kings and four commoners [that have no share in the World to Come],³⁷⁰ the Divine Glory stood up before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said: ‘Sovereign of the universe! Seest thou a man diligent in his work? he shall stand before kings etc.’”³⁷¹ [in the World to Come] and he shall not stand before mean men [together with those who have no share in the World to Come]. (Rashi Sanhedrin 104b). And in our Gemara, in Chapter Cheilek³⁷² [the same text is stated in the following way]: “A vision of [Solomon’s] father’s face appeared and prostrated itself before [the members of the Sanhedrin] etc.” And in the Yerushalmi it is stated:³⁷³ “David came and prostrated himself before them.” All these texts mean to express the same thought, namely, that the Holy One, blessed be He, “cometh forth and goeth forth from attribute to attribute; He cometh forth from the attribute of justice, and goeth to the attribute of mercy,”³⁷⁴ this being “the attribute of David,” just as the Rabbis have said with reference to the sanctification of the moon, “David king of Israel ever lives.”³⁷⁵ The student learned [in the mysteries of the Torah] will understand.