Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 12:16/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:ט״ז

אכָּל מְלָאכָה לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בָהֶם פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י אֲפִלּוּ עַל יְדֵי אֲחֵרִים. וְלֹא הֲבִינוֹתִי זֶה, שֶׁאִם הָאֲחֵרִים הָאֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֵם עַצְמָן מֻזְהָרִין עָלֶיהָ, וְאֵין אֲנִי מֻזְהָר בִּמְלַאכְתִּי שֶׁלֹּא תֵּעָשֶׂה עַל יָדוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁאִם מַטְעֶה אוֹתוֹ בְּאִסּוּר, מֻזְהָר עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם "וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשֹׁל" (ויקרא יט יד), בֵּין בִּמְלַאכְתּוֹ בֵּין בִּמְלֶאכֶת הָעוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ. וְאִם אֲחֵרִים הַלָּלוּ גּוֹיִם, אֵין אָנוּ מֻזְהָרִים בַּתּוֹרָה עַל מְלָאכָה שֶׁל גּוֹי כְּלָל לֹא בְּיוֹם טוֹב וְלֹא בְּשַׁבָּת, אֶלָּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ שְׁבוּת מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם עִם הָאֲמִירָה שֶׁלָּנוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ אֲמִירָה לְגוֹי שְׁבוּת (שבת קנ.), וְזֶה דָּבָר מְבֹאָר בַּגְּמָרָא:
אֲבָל מָצָאתִי בַּמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן) "כָּל מְלָאכָה לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בָהֶם", לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה אַתָּה, וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה חֲבֵרְךָ, וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה גּוֹי מְלַאכְתְּךָ. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה אַתָּה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה חֲבֵרְךָ וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה גּוֹי מְלַאכְתְּךָ, אוֹ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה אַתָּה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה חֲבֵרְךָ וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה גּוֹי מְלַאכְתּוֹ, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה" (ויקרא כג ג), הָא לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה אַתָּה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה חֲבֵרְךָ אֲבָל יַעֲשֶׂה גּוֹי מְלַאכְתּוֹ. דִּבְרֵי ר' יֹאשִׁיָּה. וְר' יוֹנָתָן אוֹמֵר אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ, וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (שמות כ':ט') "שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ", וַהֲרֵי דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר, וּמָה שַׁבָּת חֲמוּרָה אֵין אַתָּה מֻזְהָר עַל מְלֶאכֶת הַגּוֹי כִּמְלַאכְתְּךָ וְכוּ'. ע"כ בְּבָרַיְתָא זוֹ. וּבְוַדַּאי הִיא אַסְמַכְתָּא בְּעָלְמָא שֶׁבָּאוּ לֶאֱסֹר מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם אֲמִירָה בִּמְלָאכָה שֶׁלָּנוּ, וְסָמְכוּ אוֹתָהּ לַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה, אֲבָל בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַגּוֹי בְּשֶׁלּוֹ מֻתָּר. וּלְפִי דַּרְכֵּנוּ לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא גָּזְרוּ בַּאֲמִירָה לְגוֹי אֶלָּא בְּשֶׁלָּנוּ, אֲבָל בְּשֶׁלּוֹ אוֹמֵר לַגּוֹי וְעֹשֶׂה. וְכֵן פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ב:ט"ז) בַּגְּמָרָא בָּבָא מְצִיעָא (צ.): וְשָׁם בַּמְּכִילְתָּא עוֹד, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם מִשּׁוּם מְלָאכָה, דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵן מִשּׁוּם שְׁבוּת מִנַּיִן, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה" (שמות י"ב:י"ז), לְהָבִיא דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵן מִשּׁוּם שְׁבוּת. וּבָרָיְתוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה מַטְעוֹת וְאֵין רָאוּי לְכָתְבָן כִּפְשׁוּטָן, שֶׁגַּם זֶה נִרְאֶה שֶׁהוּא אַסְמַכְתָּא בְּעָלְמָא. וְיֵשׁ לִי בָּזֶה פֵּרוּשׁ נָכוֹן, עוֹד אֲדַבֵּר עָלָיו בע"ה (בויקרא כג כד):

1NO MANNER OF WORK SHALL BE DONE IN THEM. Rashi commented: “Even by the agency of others.”I do not understand this. If these “others” are Israelites, they themselves are commanded not to work on the Festival, and I am not bound to ensure that my work is not done through them. It is only where one deceives another in a matter which is prohibited — whether it be in the deceiver’s work or in that of the deceived that the deceiver transgresses the prohibition, Before the blind do not put a stumbling-block.²⁰² And if these “others” are non-Israelites, we are by law of the Torah not admonished at all against their working either on a Festival or on a Sabbath, except that there is a prohibition by the Rabbis if we tell him [the non-Israelite] to do the work, just as the Rabbis have said:²⁰³ “Telling a non-Israelite [to do work on the Sabbath or Festival] is prohibited by law of the Rabbis,” and this is a principle clearly established in the Gemara.²⁰⁴ [How then could Rashi derive this principle of prohibiting telling a non-Israelite to do work for us on a Festival from a verse in the Torah, when it is only prohibited by Rabbinic law?]However, I have found this text in the Mechilta:²⁰⁵ “No manner of work shall be done in them. This means that neither you nor your fellow-Israelite shall do any work, nor shall a non-Israelite do your work. You so interpret it to mean that neither you nor your fellow-Israelite shall do any work, nor shall a non-Israelite do your work, but perhaps it rather means that neither you nor your fellow-Israelite shall do any work, and the non-Israelite shall not do even his own work! Scripture therefore says, Six days shall work be done.²⁰⁶. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 330, for a detailed explanation of how the principle discussed is derived from the language of the verse. This teaches that neither you nor your fellow-Israelite shall do any work [on the Sabbath], but the non-Israelite may do his own work. These are the words of Rabbi Yashiya. Rabbi Yonathan says that there is no need for this proof. Has it not already been said, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work?²⁰⁷ Now by the syllogism of kal vachomer,²⁰⁸ we proceed as follows: If on the Sabbath, in regard to which the Torah is so strict, you are not admonished against a non-Israelite’s work as you are against your own work, [it is logical to assume that on a Festival-day, in regard to which the Torah is not so strict — inasmuch as preparation of food is permitted on a Festival-day but not on the Sabbath — you are surely not admonished against a non-Israelite’s work as you are against your own work].” Thus far extends the text of this Beraitha.²⁰⁹ Now surely this is but a case of a mere asmachta, [a Scriptural text used as a mere support for a Rabbinical enactment]. Since they aimed to prohibit, by law of the Rabbis, telling a non-Israelite to do our work [on a Sabbath or Festival], they used this verse as a support, [but it is actually a Rabbinical law]. It is however permissible for a non-Israelite to do his own work. And thus we incidentally learn that the Rabbinical enactment against telling a non-Israelite to do work applies only to doing our work, but one may tell him to do his own work and he may do it. So did Rashi explain it in the Gemara²⁰⁴ of [Tractate] Baba Metzia.²¹⁰There in the Mechilta it further says:²¹¹ “I know only that work which can be regarded as labor is prohibited. Whence do we learn that activities which are prohibited by Rabbinical enactment [are also forbidden]? Scripture therefore says, And ye shall observe this day,²¹² including all activities prohibited by Rabbinical law.” Now Beraithoth²⁰⁹ like these, [if not accompanied by a proper interpretation], may lead one into a mistaken opinion and should not be quoted literally, for this Beraitha too apparently is a mere asmachta, and I have a correct interpretation thereof. I will yet discuss it, with the help of G-d.²¹³ (Leviticus 23:24). Ramban’s interpretation there of this topic has been called by the Ritba (see Vol. I, Preface, x), “a gem which has come down to us from the teachings of our master Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman.”

בלְכָל נֶפֶשׁ אֲפִלּוּ נֶפֶשׁ בְּהֵמָה. יָכוֹל אַף לַגּוֹיִים, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לָכֶם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ב:ט"ז). וְגַם זֶה אֵינֶנּוּ כַּהֲלָכָה. אֲבָל לָכֶם וְלֹא לַגּוֹיִים, לָכֶם וְלֹא לַבְּהֵמָה (עי' ביצה כא.):

2SAVE THAT WHICH MAY BE EATEN BY EVERY BEING, [THAT ONLY MAY BE DONE FOR YOU]. “Even [the food eaten] by cattle [may be prepared on the Festival-day]. One might think that [food may be prepared] for non-Israelites too. Scripture therefore states, for you: [you are permitted to prepare food only for that which belongs to you and for which you have the responsibility of feeding].” Thus the language of Rashi. This too is not in accordance with the final decision of the law. Rather, [the word lachem (for you) signifies]: for you and not for non-Israelites, for you and not for cattle.