Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 9:15/רמב"ן על דברים ט׳:ט״ו

אוָאֵפֶן וָאֵרֵד מִן הָהָר, כְּבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי בִּמְקוֹמוֹ (שם שם יא) כִּי קֹדֶם שֶׁיָּרַד מִן הָהָר הִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם, וּבִתְפִלָּתוֹ נֶאֱמַר (שם שם יד) וַיִּנָּחֶם ה' עַל הָרָעָה, אֲבָל לֹא הִזְכִּיר זֶה עַתָּה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהַסְדִּיר לָהֶם עַתָּה הַטֹּרַח הַגָּדוֹל וְהֶעָמָל שֶׁטָּרַח עֲלֵיהֶם, כִּי הֵבִיאוּ אוֹתוֹ לִשְׁבֹּר הַלּוּחוֹת, וּלְהִתְנַפֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה, וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל גַּם עַל אַהֲרֹן כִּי הִתְאַנַּף הַשֵּׁם עָלָיו מְאֹד. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן (דברים ט':כ"ה-כ"ט) יַזְכִּיר הַתְּפִלָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁחִלָּה אֶת פְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהָיו טֶרֶם רִדְתּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַשְׁמִידֵם:

1SO I TURNED AND CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNT. I have already explained in its place¹³², Verse 11 (Vol. II, pp. 558-561). that before Moses came down from the mountain [and burned the calf] he prayed for them,¹³³ and, as a result of his prayer, it was said to him, And the Eternal repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.¹³⁴, Verse 14. The word “repented” here is an anthropomorphism (Ibn Ezra). Now, however, he did not mention it because he wanted to give them a [general] review of the great burden and suffering that he undertook for their sake — that they caused him to break the Tablets, to pray for them forty days and forty nights, and also to pray on behalf of Aaron because G-d was very angry with him.¹³⁵ Afterwards he mentioned the first supplication¹³⁶, Verses 25-29. with which he [immediately] before he came down from the mountain besought the face of the Eternal his G-d¹³⁷ not to destroy them.