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Ramban on Exodus 12:12/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:י״ב

אוּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים שֶׁל עֵץ הָיְתָה נִרְקֶבֶת וְשֶׁל מַתֶּכֶת הָיְתָה נִתֶּכֶת. וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ הַכָּתוּב בַּשְּׁפָטִים הָאֵלֶּה, בַּעֲבוּר כִּי מוּסַר הֲבָלִים עֵץ הוּא. וְכֵן בִּשְׁעַת מַעֲשֶׂה כָּתוּב (שמות י"ב:כ"ט) וַה' הִכָּה כָל בְּכוֹר אָדָם וְכָל בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה, וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר הַשְּׁפָטִים בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם, כִּי לְמִיתַת הַבְּכוֹרוֹת חָרְדוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם פסוק ל) "וַיָּקָם פַּרְעֹה לַיְלָה הוּא וְכָל עֲבָדָיו וְכָל מִצְרַיִם", וְהַשְּׁפָטִים בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם לֹא נוֹדְעוּ עַד הַבֹּקֶר שֶׁהָלְכוּ לְבֵית תּוֹעֲבוֹתָם. וּכְתִיב "וּמִצְרַיִם מְקַבְּרִים אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה ה' בָּהֶם כָּל בְּכוֹר, וּבֵאלֹהֵיהֶם עָשָׂה ה' שְׁפָטִים" (במדבר לג ד).
וְעַל דַּעְתִּי יִרְמֹז הַכָּתוּב לְשָׂרֵי מַעְלָה, אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם, כְּעִנְיַן "יִפְקֹד ה' עַל צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם בַּמָּרוֹם וְעַל מַלְכֵי הָאֲדָמָה עַל הָאֲדָמָה" (ישעיה כד כא), וְהִנֵּה הִשְׁפִּיל מַזָּלָם וְשָׂרֵי הַמַּזָּלוֹת שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶם. וְהַכָּתוּב יִרְמֹז וִיקַצֵּר בַּנֶּעֱלָם:

1AND AGAINST ALL THE GODS OF EGYPT WILL I EXECUTE JUDGMENTS. The idol of wood rotted, and the one of metal melted.¹⁸³Now Scripture did not elucidate the nature of these judgments because the vanities by which they are instructed are but timber.¹⁸⁴ Similarly, at the time when this actually took place, it is written, And the Eternal smote all the firstborn … and all the firstborn of cattle,¹⁸⁵ but does not mention the judgments executed against their gods. Their apprehension [on that night] concerned the death of the firstborn, as it is said, And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians,¹⁸⁶, Verse 30. The verse there clearly states that “the great cry” was due to the death of the firstborn. whereas the judgments executed against their idols did not come to be known till the morning when they went to the house of their abominations. And it is written, And the Egyptians were burying them that the Eternal had smitten among them, even all their firstborn, and upon their gods the Eternal executed judgments.¹⁸⁷In my opinion, Scripture alludes here to the lords on high, the gods of Egypt, something like the verse, The Eternal will punish the host of the high heavens on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.¹⁸⁸ Thus He subdued the power of the Egyptians and that of the lords over them. But Scripture hints and deals briefly with hidden matters.

באֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים אֲנִי ה' אֲנִי בְּעַצְמִי וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי הַשָּׁלִיחַ. זֶה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ב:י"ב). וּמִדְרַשׁ חֲכָמִים אֵינוֹ כֵן, אֶלָּא וְעָבַרְתִּי בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, אֲנִי וְלֹא מַלְאָךְ וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל בְּכוֹר, אֲנִי וְלֹא שָׂרָף, וּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים, אֲנִי וְלֹא הַשָּׁלִיחַ, אֲנִי ה', אֲנִי הוּא וְלֹא אַחֵר. וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהַפָּרָשָׁה דִּבּוּר מֹשֶׁה עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר "וְעָבַר ה' בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, וְהִכָּה כָל בְּכוֹר", וּלְכָךְ יִדְרְשׁוּ כִּי וְעָבַרְתִּי אֲנִי בְּעַצְמִי, לֹא עַל יְדֵי מַלְאָךְ שָׁלוּחַ מֵאִתּוֹ בַּמַּגֵּפוֹת, כָּעִנְיָן בְּדָוִד (שמואל ב כ"ד:ט"ז) וּבְסַנְחֵרִיב (מלכים ב י"ט:ל"ה). וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל בְּכוֹר, אֲנִי וְלֹא שָׂרָף, לוֹמַר כִּי גַּם הַמַּכָּה תִּהְיֶה עַל יַד הקב"ה, לֹא כְּמֶלֶךְ שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה נְקָמָה בְּשׂוֹנְאָיו לְפָנָיו עַל יְדֵי סְפַּקְלְטוֹרִים שֶׁלּוֹ, שֶׁהֵם הַשְּׂרָפִים שֶׁמֵּהֶם תֵּצֵא אֵשׁ שׂוֹרֶפֶת בְּאוֹיְבָיו, כְּעִנְיַן אֵלִיָּהוּ בְּשָׂרֵי הַחֲמִשִּׁים: וּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי הַשָּׁלִיחַ הַשָּׁלוּחַ מֵאִתּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ לְכָל הַמַּעֲשִׂים הַנַּעֲשִׂים בָּאָרֶץ, וְהוּא הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁנִּקְרָא בַּעֲבוּר כֵּן מְטַטְרוֹן. כִּי פֵּרוּשׁ הַמִּלָּה מוֹרֵה הַדֶּרֶךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּסִפְרֵי (האזינו שלח), אֶצְבָּעוֹ שֶׁל הקב"ה נַעֲשָׂה מְטַטְרוֹן לְמֹשֶׁה וְהֶרְאָהוּ כָּל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבִילַמְּדֵנוּ (מובא בערוך ערך מטטר), "וַיִּשְׁמַע בָּלָק כִּי בָא בִלְעָם" (במדבר כב לו), שֶׁשָּׁלַח מְטַטְרוֹן לְפָנָיו. וְעוֹד שָׁם "רְאֵה הַחִלֹּתִי תֵּת לְפָנֶיךָ" (דברים ב לא), אִי אִכְפַּת לְךָ אֲנִי מְטַטְרוֹן שֶׁלְּךָ. וְאַל תִּתְמַהּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֲנִי עָתִיד לֵעָשׂוֹת מְטַטוֹר לִפְנֵי אָדָם עָרֵל, לִפְנֵי כּוֹרֶשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ אֵלֵךְ" (ישעיה מה ב), לִפְנֵי אִשָּׁה אֲנִי עָתִיד לְקַדֵּם, לִפְנֵי דְּבוֹרָה וּבָרָק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "הֲלֹא ה' יָצָא לְפָנֶיךָ" (שופטים ד יד), וְכֵן בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים. וְכֵן שָׁמַעְתִּי כִּי שָׁלִיחַ בִּלְשׁוֹן יָוָן "מְטַטָּר". וְדָרְשׁוּ אֲנִי ה', אֲנִי הוּא וְלֹא אַחֵר, שֶׁהוּא אֶחָד וְאֵין אֱלֹהִים עִמּוֹ לִמְחוֹת עַל יָדוֹ. וְזֶהוּ עִנְיַן הַמִּדְרָשׁ הַזֶּה:

2I WILL EXECUTE JUDGMENTS: I AM THE ETERNAL. “I Myself and not by means of the¹⁸⁹ messenger.” Thus the language of Rashi. But the Midrash of the Sages is not so. Instead, the Midrash reads:¹⁹⁰ “And I will go through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel. And I will smite all the firstborn — I, and not a seraph. And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I, and not the messenger. I am the Eternal — I am He, and no other.” The purport of the Midrash is as follows: Since this chapter contains the words of Moses to Israel,¹⁹¹. it would have been proper for the verse here to say, “And the Eternal will go through the land of Egypt and He will smite all the firstborn,” [instead of saying, And I will go through]. It is for this reason that the Rabbis interpreted the expression, and I will go through the land of Egypt, as meaning “I Myself” and not a messenger sent by Him in plagues, as in the days of David¹⁹² and Sennacherib.¹⁹³ “And I will smite all the firstborn — I, and not a seraph,” means that the striking of the plague will be done by the Holy One, blessed be He, and not like a king who wreaks vengeance on his enemies through his executioners, their counterparts on high being the seraphim from whom the fire comes forth consuming His enemies, as in the case of Elijah and the captain of the fifty.¹⁹⁴, 1:10. “And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments, and not by means of the messenger” sent by Him, blessed be He, for whatever is to be done upon the earth. This is the great angel, who on account of it is called Mattatron, the meaning of the word being “the guide of the road.” Thus the Rabbis have said in the Sifre:¹⁹⁵, 338. “The Holy One, blessed be He, was the mattatron (guide) for Moses, and He showed him the entire Land of Israel.” And in the [Midrash] Yelamdeinu¹⁹⁶ (may our master teach us) i.e., about some matter of Halachic (legal) content. The Rabbi answered the question briefly and then turned to elaborate on the moral and ethical aspects connected therewith. This Midrash is now practically lost except for some sections found in the Tanchuma. The particular Midrash Ramban mentions here is found in the Aruch, under the root mattator. we find: “And Balak heard that Balaam came¹⁹⁷ for Balaam sent his mattatron before him.” And it is furthermore written there:¹⁹⁸, which mentions it in the name of the Yelamdeinu. “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee.¹⁹⁹ Do not let it worry you. I am your mattatron. And be not surprised at this for I am even to be the mattatron before an uncircumcised person, i.e., before Cyrus [king of Persia], as it is said, I will go before thee.²⁰⁰ Before a woman — Deborah and Barak — I will lead on the way, as it is said, Is not the Eternal gone out before thee.”²⁰¹ [We find this word mattatron] also in many other places. I have also heard that in the Greek language, a messenger is called mattator. And [finally] the Rabbis interpreted [in the Midrash mentioned at the beginning of this discussion]: “I am the Eternal — I am He, and no other,” meaning that He is one, and there is no other god beside Him to protest against His act. This is the purport of this Midrash.