Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 5:19/רמב"ן על דברים ה׳:י״ט

אמִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ הֶעָנָן וְהָעֲרָפֶל, בֵּאוּר לְמִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ, כִּי עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל סְבִיבָיו:

1OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE, OF THE CLOUD, AND OF THE THICK DARKNESS. “The cloud and the darkness” explain the expression out of the midst of the fire, for Clouds and darkness are round about Him.¹⁷⁶

בקוֹל גָּדוֹל וְלֹא יָסָף, מְתַרְגְּמִינַן וְלֹא פְּסַק, לְפִי שֶׁמִּדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם אֵינָן יְכוֹלִין לְדַבֵּר דִּבְרֵיהֶם בִּנְשִׁימָה אַחַת, וּמִדַּת הקב"ה אֵינוֹ כֵן, לֹא הָיָה פּוֹסֵק, וּמִשֶּׁלֹּא הָיָה פּוֹסֵק לֹא הָיָה מוֹסִיף, לְפִי שֶׁקּוֹלוֹ חָזָק וְקַיָּם לְעוֹלָם, ד"א לֹא יָסָף, לֹא הוֹסִיף לְהֵרָאוֹת בְּאוֹתוֹ פֻּמְבִּי, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ה':י"ט). וְהַכָּתוּב אָמַר (שמות יט יט) וַיְהִי קוֹל הַשּׁוֹפָר הוֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק מְאֹד, וְאָמְרוּ (מכילתא יתרו ד) לָמָּה רַךְ בַּתְּחִלָּה, לְשַׁכֵּךְ אֶת הָאֹזֶן בַּמֶּה שֶׁיְּכוֹלָה לִשְׁמֹעַ. וְאוּלַי בְּקוֹל הַשּׁוֹפָר הָיָה כֵן, אֲבָל קוֹל הַשֵּׁם בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הָיָה שָׁוֶה. וְהַנָּכוֹן כִּי הָאוֹמֵר לֹא פָּסַק עָשָׂה יָסַף מִן וְנֶאֶסְפָה שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל (ירמיהו מח לג), תּוֹסֵף רוּחָם יִגְוָעוּן (תהלים קד כט), שֶׁעִנְיָנָם לְדַעְתּוֹ הִמָּנַע הַדָּבָר, יֹאמַר כִּי לֹא נִמְנַע גָּדְלוֹ וְתָקְפּוֹ עַד שֶׁהִשְׁלִים כָּל הַדִּבְּרוֹת. וְכֵן אָמַר וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ וְלֹא יָסְפוּ (במדבר יא כה). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט וְלֹא יָסַף שֶׁלֹּא יָסַף לִהְיוֹת עוֹד גָּדוֹל כָּמוֹהוּ. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת יֹאמַר כִּי כָל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא יָסַף לְהַשְׁמִיעַ אֶל כָּל קְהַלְכֶם אֶלָּא קוֹל אֶחָד כִּי אוֹתוֹ קוֹל בִּלְבַד הִשִּׂיגוּ הֵם. וּכְבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי עִנְיָן זֶה שָׁם (שמות יט כ) וְכָל הַפָּרָשָׁה:

2A GREAT VOICE, ‘V’LO YASAF.’ “We render this [in the Targum Onkelos] as ‘and He did not pause.’ Because it is the nature of human beings that they cannot say all their words in one breath, but the nature of the Holy One, blessed be He, is different; He did not pause. And since He did not pause [in uttering the Ten Commandments] He did not have to resume, for His voice is strong and eternally enduring. [Thus, the words v’lo yasaf which literally mean ‘did not resume’ or ‘did not continue’ are translated by Onkelos as ‘did not pause,’ because, had He paused, He would have had to continue after the pause. Since G-d can say all the words in one breath, there was no need for a pause followed by a resumption.] Another interpretation of lo yasaf: He ‘never again’ revealed Himself in such a public manifestation.” This is Rashi’s language. But the verse states, And the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder!¹⁷⁷ And the Rabbis also said:¹⁷⁸ 13. This text also shows that the sound was not constant. “And why was it [i.e., the voice of the horn] soft at first [growing gradually stronger]? In order to accustom the ear with [a sound] it was able to hear.”¹⁷⁹ Perhaps this was so with respect to the voice of the horn, but the voice of G-d throughout the Ten Commandments was even. The correct interpretation is that of the Sage who says that [the meaning of v’lo yasaf is] “He did not pause,” thus deriving the translation of yasaf from the expressions: ‘v’ne’esfah’ gladness and joy,¹⁸⁰ ‘toseif’ their breath, they perish¹⁸¹ which signify, in his opinion, the act of taking something away. The verse here thus states that His greatness and power were “not withdrawn” until He finished all the commandments. Similarly it says, and they prophesied ‘v’lo yasafu’¹⁸² [which Onkelos renders, “and they did not cease”]. And in line with the plain meaning of Scripture v’lo yasaf means that “there will never again be so great [a voice].” And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala,] the verse is stating that they heard all these words [proclaimed by] the voice of the Great One,¹⁸³. and He did not add anything [perceivable] to all your assembly, except for this one voice, for it was only that voice that they grasped. There I have already explained this subject as well as the whole section.¹⁸⁴ except that one voice,” meaning that they heard the voice but Moses explained to them the words (Abusaula). See my Hebrew commentary, p. 369.