Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 5:5/רמב"ן על דברים ה׳:ה׳
אאָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם בָּעֵת הַהִוא לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת דְּבַר ה', כִּי הוּא הָיָה עוֹלֶה לָהָר וְשׁוֹמֵעַ דִּבְרֵי הַשֵּׁם, וְיוֹרֵד וְאוֹמֵר לָהֶם עַד שֶׁדִּבֵּר הַשֵּׁם עִמָּהֶם פָּנִים בְּפָנִים. וְזֶה רֶמֶז אֶל כָּל מָה שֶׁנִּזְכַּר בְּפָרָשַׁת בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי מִתְּחִלַּת כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב עַד וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו ה' לֶךְ רֵד (שמות יט ג-כד). ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על דברים ה':ה') כִּי זֶה אַחַר מַעֲמַד הַר סִינַי, וְהַטַּעַם הוּא דִּבֵּר עִמָּכֶם פָּנִים בְּפָנִים וּמֵאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם הָיִיתִי אֲנִי עוֹמֵד בֵּין הַשֵּׁם וּבֵינֵיכֶם. וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי יִרְמֹז לְמָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ שָׁם (כ ז), כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא הֵבִינוּ מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה אֶלָּא אָנֹכִי וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ, וּשְׁאָר הַדִּבְּרוֹת מֹשֶׁה הוּא הַמַּגִּיד לָהֶם מָה שֶׁיֹּאמַר הַשֵּׁם. וְזֶהוּ לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת דְּבַר ה', לְפָרֵשׁ לָכֶם כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר: וְטַעַם בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם, כִּי בְּעֵת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הָיָה הוּא קָרוֹב אֶל מְקוֹם הַשְּׁכִינָה יוֹתֵר מֵהֶם, כִּי הֵם הִרְחִיקוּ לְעַצְמָם כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם (כ טו), וְזֶהוּ כִּי יְרֵאתֶם. וְלֹא עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר, שֶׁלֹּא קְרַבְתֶּם אֵלָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה לָכֶם רְשׁוּת, עַל כֵּן הָיִיתִי אֲנִי עוֹמֵד בֵּינֵיכֶם וּבֵין מְקוֹם הַכָּבוֹד בָּאֶמְצַע, כִּי רָחוֹק הָיָה בֵּינֵיכֶם וּבֵינָיו, וּמִשָּׁם הָיִיתִי אֲנִי מַגִּיד הַדִּבְּרוֹת:
1I STOOD BETWEEN THE ETERNAL AND YOU AT THAT TIME, TO DECLARE UNTO YOU THE WORD OF THE ETERNAL. For Moses would go up to the mountain and hear the words of G-d and come down and tell them to the people, until G-d spoke with them face to face.123 This is an allusion to all that is mentioned in the section In the third month,124 beginning with Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob125, Verse 3. [and concluding with] And the Eternal said unto him, Go, get thee down.126, Verse 24. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that this [occurrence referred to in the verse, I stood between the Eternal and you etc.,] happened after the Revelation at Mount Sinai, the purport of the verse being as follows: “He spoke with you face to face123 [at the giving of the Ten Commandments], and from that day on I stood between G-d and you.” But it is not correct.It appears to me that the correct interpretation is that Moses is alluding to what we have explained there127, 20:7 — Vol. II, pp. 305-306. that Israel understood from the mouth of the Almighty only the commandments I am the Eternal thy G-d etc.128, Verse 2. and Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.129, Verse 3. As for the rest of the commandments, it was Moses who declared to them what G-d said. This is the meaning [of the expression here], to declare unto you the word of the Eternal, for he explained to them each and every commandment. And the meaning of the expression (I stood) between the Eternal and you is that, at the time of the giving of the commandments, Moses was nearer than they to the place of the Divine Glory, for they had removed themselves far [from the mountain] as I have explained there.130, Verse 15 — Vol. II, pp. 324-326. This is [the sense of the words] for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the Mount meaning that you did not approach it [even the part] that was permissible to you [to approach]. Therefore I stood between you and the place of the Glory — in the middle — because it was distant between you and Him, and from there I declared [the rest of] the commandments [to you].
בלֵאמֹר, מוּסָב עַל דִּבֶּר ה' עִמָּכֶם בָּהָר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ לֵאמֹר, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ה':ה'). וְאָמַר ר"א (אבן עזרא על דברים ה':ה') אַל תָּשִׁית לִבְּךָ בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת מִלַּת לֵאמֹר רְחוֹקָה, כִּי כֵן רַבִּים, וְהַמְּדַבֵּר לֹא הִפְסִיק פְּסוּקִים וְלֹא פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת. וְנָכוֹן יוֹתֵר שֶׁנַּדְבִּיק לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת דְּבַר ה' לֵאמֹר, כִּלְשׁוֹן וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר (שם יג ח). וּלְדַעְתִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ כְּלָל, אֲבָל טַעְמוֹ כִּי יְרֵאתֶם מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר לֵאמֹר לֹא נַעֲלֶה כִּי יָרֵאנוּ מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ, יַזְכִּיר כִּי הֵם הִגִּידוּ לוֹ כֵן בְּפֵרוּשׁ וְלֹא מִמַּחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ יֹאמַר כֵּן:
2SAYING. “This [word] refers to [the expression in the preceding verse], the Eternal spoke with you in the Mount out of the midst of the fire123 — saying: I am the Eternal thy G-d etc.” This is Rashi’s language. And Rabbi Abraham [ibn Ezra] said: “Pay no attention to the fact that the word saying is far [from the phrase it modifies in the preceding verse], for there are many such cases in Scripture, and the one who spoke [Moses] neither separated his words into verses nor sections.” It would be more correct to connect the word saying with [the preceding phrase in the same verse],131 (saying) with a phrase in the preceding Verse 4. Ramban holds that if the word leimor is to be interpreted as referring to a preceding phrase in the above text, we need not look for that phrase in the preceding verse, but find a preceding phrase in the same verse. Ramban will, however, continue that the word leimor requires no connection with any preceding verse or phrase. Instead it can be properly interpreted in the natural sequence of the verse as it is written. to declare unto you the word of the Eternal—saying: I am the Eternal thy G-d, similar to the expression, And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying132 [in which case the word saying connects itself properly with the preceding and following phrases: saying — It is because of that which the Eternal did for me when I came forth out of Egypt].132 But in my opinion there is no need at all [for either interpretation], for its meaning is as follows: “for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the Mount, saying, ‘We will not go up, for we are afraid because of the fire.’” He is thus mentioning that they told him so clearly, and not that he is saying so from his own assumption.