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Ramban on Exodus 12:42/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:מ״ב

אוְאָמַר לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה' לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם כִּי שָׁמַר לָהֶם הַדָּבָר מִן הָעֵת שֶׁגָּזַר עֲלֵיהֶם הַגָּלוּת שֶׁיּוֹצִיאֵם בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה בְּבֹא הַקֵּץ מִיָּד, כִּי בְּעִתָּהּ אֲחִישֶׁנָּה (ישעיה ס כב). אוֹ טַעְמוֹ, לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה', שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹמֵר וּמְצַפֶּה לַלַּיְלָה שֶׁיּוֹצִיאֵם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, שהקב"ה מְצַפֶּה לָעֵת שֶׁיִּהְיוּ רְאוּיִים לְהוֹצִיאָם מִשָּׁם:
וְהִנֵּה אִם נֹאמַר שֶׁטַּעַם "כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ" מֵעֵת שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לְךָ זֶרַע, וְנַתְחִיל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן מִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד יִצְחָק, תִּהְיֶה עֲמִידָתָם בְּמִצְרַיִם מָאתַיִם וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה כְּפִי הַפֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְנוּ, גַּם זֶה לְדַעְתִּי אֵינֶנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט עַל נָכוֹן, שֶׁכָּל יְמֵי אַבְרָהָם לֹא יִקָּרֵא הַגָּלוּת בְּזַרְעוֹ. וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁיֹּאמַר "כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" מִן הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה. וְהָעִנְיָן לֵאמֹר לוֹ, לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ בָּנֶיךָ הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָהֶם מִיָּד, אֲבָל יִהְיוּ גֵּרִים כָּמוֹךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, וְעוֹד לֹא יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה עַד הַדּוֹר הָרְבִיעִי לְמַלֹּאת אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וּשְׁלֹשִׁים. וְאִם כֵּן תִּהְיֶה עֲמִידָתָם בְּמִצְרַיִם כְּמוֹ מָאתַיִם וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, אוֹ קָרוֹב לָזֶה. וְאִם יִהְיֶה חֶשְׁבּוֹן שֶׁל אוֹתִיּוֹת "רְד"וּ שָׁמָּה" (בראשית מב ב) מָסֹרֶת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּרְמֹז לַיּוֹרְדִים עַצְמָם, שֶׁאַחֲרֵי מוֹת יַעֲקֹב יַעַמְדוּ הֵם שָׁם מָאתַיִם וְעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים. וְעִם י"ז יִהְיוּ רכ"ז:
וּכְבָר הִזְכַּרְתִּי (בבראשית טו יג) פֵּרוּשׁ רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (שם) שֶׁמַּאֲמַר "כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ" בְּעַבְדוּת וְעִנּוּי עַד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה מִן הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, וְאָמַר כִּי הַשְּׁלֹשִׁים הַנּוֹסָפִים הָיוּ מִיּוֹם צֵאת אַבְרָהָם מֵאַרְצוֹ. וְהִנֵּה יִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב וּמוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד מְלֹאת שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְד' מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה לִהְיוֹתָם גֵּרִים הֵם וַאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם:
וְעוֹד אֲנִי אוֹמֵר כִּי הַפְּשָׁט הַמְּחֻוָּר מִן הַכֹּל הוּא שֶׁנֹּאמַר כִּי הַגְּזֵרָה הָיְתָה אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה מִן הַיּוֹם הַהוּא, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְנוּ, וְהַשְּׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה הָאֵלּוּ הֵם תּוֹסֶפֶת עֲלֵיהֶם בַּעֲוֹן הַדּוֹר הַהוּא, כִּי אִם נִגְזַר עַל הָאָדָם בְּחֶטְאוֹ גָּלוּת וְעִנּוּי שָׁנָה אוֹ שְׁנָתַיִם וְהוּא יֹסִיף עַל חַטָּאתוֹ פֶשַׁע בָּהֶם, יוֹסִיפוּ עָלָיו שֶׁבַע עַל חַטֹּאתָיו וְגָלוּת וְיִסּוּרִין כָּהֵנָּה וְכָהֵנָּה, שֶׁאֵין עָנְשׁוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן הַבְטָחָה לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יֵעָנֵשׁ בְּעָוֹן שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה. וְהִנֵּה הָיָה עַל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ גְּזֵרָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה זַרְעוֹ גֵּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, וְשֶׁלֹּא יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה עַד דּוֹר רְבִיעִי כִּי לֹא שָׁלֵם עֲוֹן הָאֱמֹרִי, וְלֹא הָיְתָה לוֹ הַבְטָחָה רַק בְּאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל, וְהוּא מִיָּד, אוֹ מֻפְלָג כַּמָּה, וְגַם הוּא עַל תְּנַאי כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל", שֶׁיַּעֲמִיד בַּדִּין אֶת הַגּוֹי אִם עָשׂוּ כָּרָאוּי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְפִי מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וּלְפִי הַנִּגְזָר עֲלֵיהֶם. וְעוֹד, שֶׁאֵין שׁוּם הַבְטָחָה שֶׁלֹּא יִגְרֹם הַחֵטְא לְבַטְּלָהּ אֶלָּא בִּמְקוֹם שְׁבוּעָה:
וּמִן הַיָּדוּעַ שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים מְאֹד, וּבִטְּלוּ גַּם הַמִּילָה, דִּכְתִיב (יחזקאל כ ח) "וַיַּמְרוּ בִי וְלֹא אָבוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵלַי אִישׁ אֶת שִׁקּוּצֵי עֵינֵיהֶם לֹא הִשְׁלִיכוּ וְאֶת גִּלּוּלֵי מִצְרַיִם לֹא עָזָבוּ וָאֹמַר לִשְׁפֹּךְ חֲמָתִי עֲלֵיהֶם בְּתוֹךְ אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם" וְגוֹ', וּכְתִיב (יהושע כד יד) "וְהָסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וּבְמִצְרַיִם וְעִבְדוּ אֶת ה'", וְעַל כֵּן אָרַךְ גָּלוּתָם שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְהָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיִּתְאָרֵךְ יוֹתֵר, אֶלָּא שֶׁצָּעֲקוּ וְהִרְבּוּ תְּפִלָּה. וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיֵּאָנְחוּ מִן הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם, וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת נַאֲקָתָם" (לעיל ב כג כד), "וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה צַעֲקַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָה אֵלָי" (שם ג ט), וּכְתִיב (דברים כו ז) "וַנִּצְעַק אֶל ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' אֶת קֹלֵנוּ וַיַּרְא אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת לַחֲצֵנוּ", כִּי לֹא הָיוּ רְאוּיִים לְהִגָּאֵל מִפְּנֵי הַקֵּץ שֶׁבָּא, אֶלָּא שֶׁקִּבֵּל צַעֲקָתָם וְנַאֲקָתָם מִפְּנֵי הַצַּעַר הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁהָיוּ בּוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּסֵדֶר וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת (ב כה):
וְלָמָּה יִהְיֶה קָשֶׁה עַל הָרִאשׁוֹנִים לְפָרֵשׁ כִּי נִתְאָרֵךְ גָּלוּתָם עַל הַקֵּץ שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה, וְהִנֵּה נִתְאָרֵךְ עֲלֵיהֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בְּחֵטְא הַמְרַגְּלִים, כִּי כָּל הָאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנִים הָהֵם הָיָה לָהֶם עִנּוּי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (דברים ח ב) "וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת כָּל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֹלִיכֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר לְמַעַן עַנֹּתְךָ", וּכְתִיב (שם ג) "וַיְעַנְּךָ וְיַרְעִבֶךָ", וְהָיָה לָהֶם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם רַק לְנָחָשׁ שָׂרָף וְעַקְרָב, וְלֹא נִתְקַיֵּם לָהֶם "וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה", כִּי בְּאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה נִתְחַלֵּף הַדּוֹר הַהוּא בְּוַדַּאי שֶׁכְּבָר נוֹלַד, אֲבָל הַחֲטָאִים גָּרְמוּ הַכֹּל. וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיָה זֶה סִבַּת בְּנֵי אֶפְרַיִם שֶׁיָּצְאוּ שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה קֹדֶם לְבִיאַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין צב:), כִּי הֵם מָנוּ וְלֹא טָעוּ, וַעֲוֹנֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת הָרָשָׁע (משלי ה כב). וְהקב"ה יִמְחֹל לָנוּ עַל כָּל חֵטְא וּשְׁגִיאָה:

1IT WAS A NIGHT OF WATCHING UNTO THE ETERNAL FOR BRINGING THEM OUT FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT. The verse is stating that from the time He decreed the exile upon them, He observed the matter that He bring them out on that night once the end had come, for I will hasten it in its time.³¹⁴ It may be that the verse, It was a night of watching unto the Eternal, means that He was watching and looking forward to the night when He would bring them out from the land of Egypt, for the Holy One, blessed be He, looked forward to the time when they would merit to be brought out therefrom.Now if we are to say [as Rashi did, quoted in the commentary on Verse 40], that the [period referred to in] the verse, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,²⁹⁹. begins from the time that Abraham had seed, and that the reckoning [of the four hundred and thirty years] begins from the birth of Isaac, you will find that they stayed in Egypt two hundred and forty years, according to the explanation we mentioned.³¹⁵, 47:9). We thus have one hundred and ninety years since the birth of Isaac. Deduct them from the sum of four hundred and thirty, and you have two hundred and forty years remaining for the stay in Egypt. But this too in my opinion is not correct according to the plain meaning of Scripture, since all the days of Abraham cannot be counted as exile with respect to his seed.The correct interpretation is that He was saying to Abraham “that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs … four hundred years²⁹⁹. from this day on.”³¹⁶ The purport thereof was to tell him: “your children will not immediately inherit this land which I give them, but instead they will be strangers like you were, in a land not theirs [for a period of] four hundred years and more. They will not return here till the fourth generation³⁰⁸ when four hundred and thirty years will be completed.” But if so, then their stay in Egypt lasted about two hundred and twenty years or thereabouts.³¹⁷ Now if the numerical value of the word ‘r’du’ (get you down) thither,³¹⁸ (go you), but r’du (get you down), because the numerical value of the word r’du is two hundred and ten. There was thus an allusion here to the time the Israelites would stay in Egypt. [which is two hundred and ten], be an established tradition in Israel, it is possible that [Jacob, by using the word r’du], alluded to those who arrived in Egypt that after Jacob’s death they would stay there two hundred and ten years. With the seventeen years that Jacob lived in the land of Egypt,³¹⁹ their stay altogether totalled two hundred and twenty-seven years.And I have already mentioned³²⁰, 15:13 (in Vol. I, Seder Lech Lecha, p. 203). the explanation of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra that the expression, that thy seed shall be a stranger, means “in servitude and affliction until the end of a four-hundred year period commencing from this day of the covenant.” And Ibn Ezra further said that the thirty additional years [mentioned here in Verses 40-41] represent the time that elapsed between Abraham’s departure from his country³²¹ [and the day of the covenant]. Accordingly, the explanation of the verse here is as follows: “Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt until the end of the period when they and their ancestors were strangers in a land not theirs, was four hundred and thirty years.”I maintain further that the most lucid explanation of all is that we say that the decree of the four-hundred year period, [as mentioned in Genesis 15:13], is to be reckoned from that day [of the “covenant between the parts],” as we have mentioned, and these thirty additional years — [in Verses 40-41 here] — were due to the sin of that generation. If exile and affliction are decreed upon a person for a year or two because of his sin and he will fully continue to add to his transgressions, exile and visitation of seven times³²² the original magnitude will be his lot; his first punishment is no guarantee against his being punished for the additional sin he committed. Now it had been decreed upon Abraham that his children would be strangers in a land not their own [for a period of] four hundred years, and that they will not return until the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.³⁰⁸ Abraham was given no assurance [concerning the precise ending of the exile], except in the promise, And afterward they will come out with great substance,³²³ and that [“afterward”] could be immediately [after the four-hundred year period] or some subsequent time. Even that promise was given conditionally, as He said, And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance,³²³ meaning that He will bring them to judgment to determine whether they did to Israel in accordance with their deeds and as was decreed upon them.³²⁴ Besides, no assurance is immune to annulment because of subsequent sin unless it is accompanied by an oath. And it is a known fact that the Israelites in Egypt were wicked and exceeding sinners, having also done away with circumcision, as it is written, And they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt.³²⁵ Again it says, And put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve ye the Eternal.³²⁶ It was for this reason that He prolonged their exile for thirty years.In fact, it should have been prolonged even more, but on account of their cries and many prayers, [it was shortened to thirty years]. This is the sense of the verses: And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto G-d;³²⁷ And G-d heard their groaning,³²⁸, Verse 24. And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me.³²⁹, 3:9. And it further states, And we cried unto the Eternal, the G-d of our fathers, and the Eternal heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression,³³⁰ since they did not deserve to be redeemed on account of the end [of the four-hundred year period], but only because He accepted their cry and their groaning on account of the great agony they were in, as I have explained in Seder V’eileh Shemoth.³³¹ Why should the earlier scholars — [i.e., Rashi and Ibn Ezra] — find it difficult to explain that their exile was prolonged after the end [of the four-hundred year period] by thirty years, when on account of the sin of the spies their stay in the wilderness was later prolonged forty years!³³² Those forty years were indeed an affliction to them, as Scripture states, And thou shalt remember all the way which the Eternal thy G-d hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee.³³³ And it further says, And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger.³³⁴, Verse 4. Thus they were subject [in the wilderness] to complete exile in a land given over to serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions,³³⁵, Verse 15. and the promise, And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither,³⁰⁸ was not fulfilled in them, since during those forty years, that generation surely passed away after the [fifth] generation was already born. Thus the sins caused all delays.It is possible that this [delay of the thirty years] was on account of the children of Ephraim who went out [from the land of Egypt] thirty years before the coming of Moses our teacher, and as our Rabbis have mentioned.³³⁶ They reckoned [the end of the four-hundred year period from the time it was declared to Abraham], and they made no error, but his own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked.³³⁷ And may the Holy One, blessed be He, forgive us all sin and error.

בוְטַעַם הוּא הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לַה' שִׁמֻּרִים לְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם שֶׁזֶּה הַלַּיְלָה שֶׁהָיָה שָׁמוּר לַשֵּׁם לְהוֹצִיאָם מִמִּצְרַיִם הוּא לַה', כְּלוֹמַר מְקֻדָּשׁ לִשְׁמוֹ, שִׁמֻּרִים לְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם, שֶׁיִּשְׁמְרוּ אוֹתוֹ לַעֲבֹד בּוֹ לְפָנָיו בַּאֲכִילַת הַפֶּסַח וּזְכִירַת הַנִּסִּים, וְלָתֵת הַלֵּל וְהוֹדָאָה לִשְׁמוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שמות י"ג:י') "וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת הַחֻקָּה הַזֹּאת", וְאָמַר (דברים טז א) "שָׁמוֹר אֶת חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב". וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות י"ב:מ"ב) כִּי טַעַם לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה', שֶׁהַשֵּׁם שְׁמָרָם וְלֹא נָתַן הַמַּשְׁחִית לָבֹא אֶל בָּתֵּיהֶם. וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:

2THIS SAME NIGHT IS A NIGHT OF WATCHING UNTO THE ETERNAL FOR ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THROUGHOUT THEIR GENERATIONS. The intent of this is “that this night set aside by G-d to bring Israel out of Egypt is unto the Eternal. That is to say, it is to be sanctified to His Name. [It is] a night of watching for all the children of Israel throughout their generations, meaning that they are to observe it by worshipping Him through the eating of the Passover-offering, the remembering of the miracles, and the reciting of praise and thanksgiving to His Name,” just as He said, And thou shalt keep this ordinance.³³⁸ (and thou shalt keep) is of the same root as shimurim (watching) here. And He further said, Observe the month of Aviv, and keep the Passover.³³⁹ (observe) is of the same root as shimurim in the verse before us. It thus proves that leil shimurim (a night of watching) means “a night of observance of the Passover service.”Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the intent of the expression, It was a night of watching unto the Eternal, is that G-d watched the Israelites and did not suffer the destroyer to come into their homes. This is not correct, since Scripture continues to state, It was a night of watching… for bringing them out from the land of Egypt.