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Ramban on Exodus 10:4/רמב"ן על שמות י׳:ד׳

אהִנְנִי מֵבִיא מָחָר אַרְבֶּה אָמְרוּ הַמְפָרְשִׁים שֶׁהָיוּ יָמִים רַבִּים בֵּין מַכַּת הַבָּרָד לְמַכַּת הָאַרְבֶּה בַּעֲבוּר הַצֹּמֵחַ לָכֶם מִן הַשָּׂדֶה (שמות י':ה') וְעַל דַּעְתִּי לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים רַבִּים בֵּינֵיהֶם, רַק מְעַט, כִּי בְּיָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁלֹּא נִמְשַׁךְ דִּין הַמִּצְרִיִּים יוֹתֵר מִשָּׁנָה, כִּי מִשְּׁנוֹת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ יִוָּדַע זֶה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ בְּמַסֶּכֶת עֵדֻיוֹת (ב י) מִשְׁפַּט הַמִּצְרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ, וְכֵן אָמַר (שמות י':ה') יֶתֶר הַפְּלֵיטָה הַנִּשְׁאֶרֶת לָכֶם מִן הַבָּרָד וּכְתִיב (שמות י':י"ב) "אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁאִיר הַבָּרָד", כִּי הָיְתָה הַשָּׁנָה הַהִיא בְּעַצְמָהּ, אִם כֵּן הָיָה הַבָּרָד בְּחֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִיא, לֹא מִקֹּדֶם לָכֵן, כִּי הַשְּׂעוֹרָה אָבִיב וְהַחִטָּה אֲפִילָה וְלֹא יַזִּיק אֵלֶיהָ אִם יַכֶּה הַבָּרָד מַה שֶׁצָּמַח מִמֶּנָּה כִּי תָּשׁוּב וְתַצְמִיחַ. וַעֲדַיִן לֹא פָּרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן וְלֹא הֵנֵצוּ הָאִילָנוֹת, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (שמות ט':כ"ה) "וְאֶת כָּל עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה שִׁבֵּר", כִּי שָׁבַר הָעֲנָפִים וְהַפֹּארוֹת. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן בְּחֹדֶשׁ יָמִים בְּנִיסָן צָמְחָה הַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת, וְהִיא הַפְּלֵיטָה הַנִּשְׁאֶרֶת לָהֶם מִן הַבָּרָד, וְהִתְחִילוּ הָעֵצִים לְהוֹצִיא פֶּרַח וְהַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ. וְזֶה טַעַם "הַצּוֹמֵחַ", כִּי בָא הָאַרְבֶּה וְאָכַל פִּרְחֵיהֶם וְהִשְׁחִית הַכֹּל אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִשְׁאִיר לָהֶם פֶּרַח אוֹ צִיץ, וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה עַצְמוֹ נִגְאֲלוּ, וְהַכָּתוּב שֶׁאָמַר (שמות י':ט"ו) "וְאֵת כָּל פְּרִי הָעֵץ", יֹאמַר עַל הַנֵּץ שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה פְּרִי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם) "כָּל יֶרֶק בָּעֵץ":

1BEHOLD, TOMORROW WILL I BRING LOCUSTS. Commentators¹⁴ have said that there was a long interval between the plague of hail and that of locusts, as is suggested by the expression, and [the locusts] shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.¹⁵ In my opinion, the interval between these plagues was not a long one but rather was very brief. It is known that the judgment of the Egyptians did not last more than a year, this being so established through our knowledge of the years of Moses our Teacher,¹⁶ just as we have been taught in Tractate Eduyoth:¹⁷ “The judgment of the Egyptians in Egypt endured twelve months.” And so it is indicated by Scripture when saying, and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail.¹⁸ And it is further written, even all that the hail had left,¹⁹ thus indicating that it was in that very same year. If so, [we must say that] the hail came down that year during the month of Adar, not before, for the barley was in the ears²⁰ [and therefore smitten by the hail], but the wheat had not grown up²¹, Verse 32. and therefore its tender sprouts could not be completely destroyed by the hail, as they would grow back again. Then too the vine had not yet budded, and the trees were not in flower. It is for this reason that Scripture states, and [the hail] broke every tree of the field,²² meaning that it broke the branches and boughs. Then, in one month’s time, in the month of Nisan, the wheat and the spelt grew, these being the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail,¹⁸ and the trees began to blossom and the flowers appeared. This then is the purport of the word hatzomei’ach (which groweth),¹⁸ since the locusts came and ate their blossoms and thus destroyed everything since they did not leave them a blossom or flower. And in this very month, the children of Israel were redeemed [from Egypt]. The verse which states [that the locusts consumed] all the fruit of the tree,²³ [which would indicate that there were fruits already on the tree and, therefore, that a long interval must have passed between the plagues of hail and locusts], is to be understood as referring to the flower which produces the fruits, similar to the expression, every herb on the tree,²³ [which cannot be understood literally, since herbs do not grow on trees. Consequently, it must be understood as Rashi has it: “any green leaf on the tree.” Here too then, “the fruit of the tree” is not to be taken literally, but should be understood as “the flower of the tree”].