Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 8:4/רמב"ן על דברים ח׳:ד׳
אשִׂמְלָתְךָ לֹא בָלְתָה מֵעָלֶיךָ, עַנְנֵי כָּבוֹד הָיוּ שָׁפִין בִּכְסוּתָן וּמְגַהֲצִים אוֹתָם כְּמוֹ כֵּלִים הַמְגֹהָצִים, וְכֵן קְטַנֵּיהֶם כְּשֶׁהָיוּ גְּדֵלִין גָּדַל לְבוּשָׁן עִמָּהֶם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ח':ד') וְדִבְרֵי אַגָּדָה (מדרש תהלים כג). אֲבָל ר"א כָּתַב, וַאֲחֵרִים אָמְרוּ כִּי הוֹצִיאוּ מַלְבּוּשִׁים רַבִּים, וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁאֵין בְּתוֹלֶדֶת הַמָּן לְהוֹלִיד זֵעָה, וְכֵן אָמַר וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא בָּצֵקָה, שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם כֹּחַ אוֹ הוֹלִיכָם לְאַט. וְאֵין דְּבָרָיו נְכוֹנִים, כִּי מֹשֶׁה יַזְכִּיר לָהֶם זֶה לֵאמֹר כִּי בַּעֲשִׂיַּת הַמִּצְוָה יִהְיֶה לָהֶם מָזוֹן וּכְסוּת וְיַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ, כַּאֲשֶׁר חָיוּ בַּמָּן אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וְהָיוּ לָהֶם הַשְּׂמָלוֹת וְאֹרַח בְּרַגְלָם לֹא יָבֹא, וְהַכֹּל מִמַּעֲשֵׂה הַנֵּס, כִּי עַל כָּל מוֹצָא פִי ה' יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם וְיִתְפַּרְנֵס. וְאִם תְּכַסֶּה אֶת הַקּוֹרָה בְּשִׂמְלָה חֲדָשָׁה בְּאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה תִּבְלֶה אע"פ שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ זֵעָה, אַף כִּי אֱנוֹשׁ רִמָּה:
1THY RAIMENT WAXED NOT OLD UPON THEE. “The clouds of [Divine] Glory brushed their garments and pressed them so that they looked like freshly ironed articles; and so it was with their children, as they grew their garments grew with them.” This is Rashi’s language and also are the words of Agadah.72 But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “Other scholars say that they took many garments out [of Egypt]. And it is possible that it was not in the nature of the manna to produce perspiration [thus enabling their garments to last so long]. And so also he stated that neither did thy feet swell, meaning that He gave them strength or that He led them slowly.” But his [Ibn Ezra’s] words are not correct, for Moses mentions this to them in order to say that upon observing the commandment [of G-d] they will have food and raiment, and renew [their] strength, even as they lived by the manna forty years and they had garments, and the way with their feet they treadeth not.73 All of this was miraculous, for by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Eternal doth man live67 and becomes supported. And if you were to cover a rafter with a new cloth it would wear out in forty years even though there is no perspiration, how much less man, that is a worm.74