Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 10:23/רמב"ן על שמות י׳:כ״ג
אוְטַעַם לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו וְלֹא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו כִּי לֹא הָיָה הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה אֲפִיסַת אוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁבָּא שִׁמְשָׁם וְהָיָה כְּמוֹ לַיְלָה, אֲבָל הָיָה חשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה, כְּלוֹמַר אֵיד עָב מְאֹד שֶׁיָּרַד מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, כִּי עַל כֵּן אָמַר (שמות י':כ"א) "נְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם", לְהוֹרִיד מִשָּׁם חֲשֵׁכָה גְּדוֹלָה נוֹפֶלֶת עֲלֵיהֶם. וְהָיְתָה מְכַבָּה כָּל נֵר, כַּאֲשֶׁר בְּכָל הַחֲפִירוֹת הָעֲמֻקּוֹת וּבְכָל מְקוֹמוֹת הַחֹשֶׁךְ הֶעָצוּם לֹא יִתְקַיֵּם הַנֵּר, וְכֵן הָעוֹבְרִים בְּהָרֵי חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא יַעֲמֹד לָהֶם שָׁם הַנֵּר וְלֹא הָאֵשׁ כְּלָל, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו וְלֹא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו, וְאִלְמָלֵא כֵן הָיוּ מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בְּנֵרוֹת, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב "שָׁלַח חֹשֶׁךְ וַיַּחְשִׁךְ" (תהלים קה כח), כִּי הָיָה שִׁלּוּחַ חֹשֶׁךְ, לֹא אֲפִיסַת אוֹר הַיּוֹם בִּלְבַד. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁהָיָה אֵיד עָב מְאֹד מֻרְגָּשׁ שֶׁהָיָה בּוֹ כְּמוֹ מַמָּשׁ, כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (שמו"ר יד א), כַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא בְּיַם אוֹקְיָנוּס כְּעֵדוּת ר"א:
1THEY SAW NOT ONE ANOTHER, NEITHER ROSE ANY FROM HIS PLACE. The meaning thereof is that this darkness was not a mere absence of sunlight where the sun set and it was like night. Rather, it was a thick darkness.56 That is to say, it was a very thick cloud that came down from heaven. It is for this reason that He said, “Stretch out thy hand toward heaven57 to bring down from there a great darkness which would descend upon them58 and which would extinguish every light, just as in all deep caverns and in all extremely dark places where light cannot last [as it is swallowed up in the density of the thick darkness].” Similarly, people who pass through the Mountains of Darkness59 find that no candle or fire can continue to burn at all. It is for this reason that they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place, for otherwise they would have used the light of fire. This is the intent of the verse, He sent darkness, and it became dark.60 It was not the usual absence of daylight above but an extraordinary darkness as well. It is possible that it was such a very thick cloud that there was something tangible in it, as our Rabbis have said,61 and as indeed it happens on the Atlantic Ocean, as Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra testified.62