Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 12:32/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:ל״ב

אוְטַעַם וּבֵרַכְתֶּם גַּם אוֹתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר תִּזְבְּחוּ לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתֶּם, וְתִתְפַּלְּלוּ עַל נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם שֶׁלֹּא יִפְגַּע אֶתְכֶם בַּדֶּבֶר אוֹ בֶּחָרֶב, תַּזְכִּירוּ גַּם אוֹתִי עִמָּכֶם. וְאָמַר רַשִׁ"י, הִתְפַּלְּלוּ עָלַי שֶׁלֹּא אָמוּת שֶׁאֲנִי בְּכוֹר. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁיְּבָרְכוּ אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת מַמְלַכְתּוֹ, כִּי בִּכְלַל בִּרְכַּת הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלוֹם כָּל הַמַּלְכוּת. וּבַמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן), הִתְפַּלְּלוּ עָלַי שֶׁתִּכְלֶה מִמֶּנִּי הַפּוּרְעָנוּת, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא יֵעָנֵשׁ עוֹד בַּעֲבוּרָם:

1AND BLESS ME ALSO. The purport of it is that “when you will sacrifice to the Eternal your G-d as you have said, and you will pray for yourselves that He should not strike you with pestilence or sword,²⁹³ remember me also in your prayers together with yourselves.”Now Rashi commented: “Pray on my behalf that I should not die, for I am a firstborn.” The plain meaning thereof is that they should bless him and his kingdom, for included within the blessing to a king is the state of peace of the whole kingdom. And in the Mechilta we read:²⁹⁴ “And bless me also. Pray on my behalf that the punishment may desist from me,” meaning that he should no longer be punished on their account.