Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 5:14/רמב"ן על דברים ה׳:י״ד
אוְהוֹסִיף לֵאמֹר כָּאן וְשׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמוֹרְךָ, לְבָאֵר שֶׁיֵּאָסֵר גַּם בַּעֲבוֹדַת הָאֲדָמָה שֶׁהֵם חַיֵּי הָאָדָם, וּכְעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר (שם לד כא) בֶּחָרִישׁ וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבֹּת, וְאָמַר כָּאן לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ וְגוֹ', לְבָאֵר כִּי בּוֹ יְצַוֶּה בִּמְנוּחַת הָעֶבֶד כָּמוֹךָ בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיִיתָ עֶבֶד וְהִנִּיחַ לְךָ הַשֵּׁם, וְגַם אַתָּה תַּנִּיחַ לְעַבְדְּךָ. וְהִנֵּה טַעְמוֹ כְּשֶׁיָּנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ תִּזְכֹּר כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ וְגוֹ':
1He added here [in the commandment on the Sabbath] stating nor thine ox, nor thine ass153 to explain that He prohibits working the earth [on the Sabbath] even though it involves the livelihood of man, similar to what He said, in plowing time and in harvest shalt thou rest.154 He stated here that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou; and thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt etc.,155 in order to explain that He commanded concerning the resting of the servant as well as yourself, because, since you were a servant and G-d gave you rest, so you too are to give rest to your servant.156 Thus the sense of the verses is as follows: “When your manservant and your maidservant will rest as well as you then you will remember that you were a servant etc.”