Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 12:28/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:כ״ח

אוַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִלִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְהָלְכוּ אֶל הַצֹּאן וְעָשׂוּ הַפֶּסַח בָּעַרְבַּיִם, וְדֶרֶךְ הַכָּתוּב לִכְפֹּל וְלֵאמֹר כֵּן עָשׂוּ, לְבָאֵר שֶׁלֹּא הִפִּילוּ דָּבָר מִכָּל אֲשֶׁר צִוּוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּנֹחַ (בראשית ו כב). וְכֵן "וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ אֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' כֵּן עָשׂוּ" (שמות ל"ט:מ"ג). וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בָּזֶה מִדְרַשׁ (מכילתא כאן) לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה צָרִיךְ הַכָּתוּב לְהַזְכִּיר הַהֲלִיכָה, אָמְרוּ לִתֵּן שָׂכָר לַהֲלִיכָה וְשָׂכָר לַעֲשִׂיָּה. "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ", וְכִי כְּבָר עָשׂוּ, אֶלָּא מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת הֶעֱלָה עֲלֵיהֶם הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ עָשׂוּ. "כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֶת מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת אַהֲרֹן כֵּן עָשׂוּ", לְהוֹדִיעַ שְׁבָחָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁכְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן עָשׂוּ. ד"א מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "כֵּן עָשׂוּ", אֶלָּא שֶׁאַף מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן כֵּן עָשׂוּ. דָּרְשׁוּ תְּחִלָּה כִּי הַכֶּפֶל לְשַׁבֵּחַ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא שָׁכְחוּ, וְלֹא נָפַל לָהֶם דָּבָר מִכָּל אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לָהֶם, וְהוּא דֶּרֶךְ הַלָּשׁוֹן בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים:

1AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT AND DID SO; AS THE ETERNAL HATH COMMANDED MOSES AND AARON, SO DID THEY. That is, they departed from before Moses and went to the sheep and slaughtered the Passover-offering at eventide [of the fourteenth day of Nisan]. Now such is Scriptural custom to repeat and say, so did they, in order to explain that they did not omit anything from whatever they were commanded, as I have explained in the case of Noah.²⁷⁰ A similar case is the verse, And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Eternal had commanded, even so had they done it.²⁷¹Now our Rabbis have a Midrash on this verse, since it was not necessary for Scripture to mention that the children of Israel “went” [and did so]. Therefore they explained:²⁷² “And the children of Israel went. This indicates that reward is given for going [to perform a religious duty] as well as for actually performing it. And they did so. And had they already done so?²⁷³ No, but once they undertook to perform these duties, Scripture accounts it to them as if they had done them. As the Eternal hath commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. This is to make known the praiseworthiness of Israel, i.e., that they did exactly as Moses and Aaron told them. Another interpretation: What is the meaning of the words, so did they? It is to teach us that Moses and Aaron also did so.”²⁷⁴ The Rabbis thus expounded first that the repetition [of the phrase, so did they], was in praise of Israel, i.e., that they did not forget [all they were commanded], and that they did not omit anything of whatever was told to them. This is the customary way of the [Sacred] Language in many places.