Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 12:8/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:ח׳

אוּמַצּוֹת עַל מְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ שִׁעוּרוֹ וְאָכְלוּ אֶת הַבָּשָׂר בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה צְלִי אֵשׁ, וּבְמַצּוֹת עִם מְרוֹרִים יֹאכְלוּהוּ, וְכֵן "עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרוֹרִים" (במדבר ט יא), כְּמוֹ עִם, וְכָמוֹהוּ "וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים עַל הַנָּשִׁים" (שמות ל"ה:כ"ב), וְכֵן "רֹאשׁוֹ עַל כְּרָעָיו וְעַל קִרְבּוֹ" (שמות י"ב:ט'). וְלֹא אָמַר "עִם", לְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹבָה שֶׁיְּהֵא כּוֹרְכָן בְּבַת אַחַת וְאוֹכְלָן. וְיֶחְסַר הַכָּתוּב בֵּי"ת, כְּמוֹ "יִרְחֲצוּ מַיִם" (שמות ל':כ'), "וַיָּמָת סֶלֶד לֹא בָנִים" (דהי"א ב ל). וִילַמֵּד הַכָּתוּב שֶׁאֵין מִצְוָה בַּמְּרוֹרִים אֶלָּא עִם אֲכִילַת הַבָּשָׂר, אֲבָל הַמַּצּוֹת חָזַר וְצִוָּה (שמות י"ב:י"ח) "בָּעֶרֶב תֹּאכְלוּ מַצּוֹת", אֲפִילּוּ בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָן, כְּדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (פסחים קכ.):
וְיוֹתֵר נָכוֹן שֶׁנֹּאמַר כִּי וּמַצּוֹת נִמְשָׁךְ לְמַעְלָה, וְאָכְלוּ אֶת הַבָּשָׂר וּמַצּוֹת, וְחָזַר וְצִוָּה עִם מְרוֹרִים יֹאכְלוּהוּ לַבָּשָׂר הַנִּזְכָּר. וְהִנֵּה צִוָּה בַּאֲכִילַת הַבָּשָׂר וּבַאֲכִילַת הַמַּצּוֹת, וְלֹא צִוָּה בַּאֲכִילַת הַמְּרוֹרִים, רַק אָמַר שֶׁיֹּאכְלוּ לַבָּשָׂר עִם מְרוֹרִים, יִרְמֹז שֶׁאֵין בַּמְּרוֹרִים מִצְוָה רַק לֶאֱכֹל הַבָּשָׂר עִמָּהֶם, וּבִזְמַן שֶׁאֵין בָּשָׂר אֵין בַּמְּרוֹרִים מִצְוָה וְגַם אֵינָם מְעַכְּבִים הַבָּשָׂר. וְאִם אָכַל פֶּסַח וְלֹא אָכַל מְרוֹרִים יְדֵי פֶּסַח יָצָא, כִּי הַמִּצְוָה בַּפֶּסַח כְּמוֹ הַמִּצְוָה בַּמַּצָּה, כָּל אַחַת צַוָּאָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ:

1AND UNLEAVENED BREAD, ‘AL’ (WITH) BITTER HERBS THEY SHALL EAT IT. The purport of the verse is as follows: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and with unleavened bread with bitter herbs, they shall eat it. [The word al here thus means “with,” and not “upon,” as it generally does.] Similarly: ‘al’ unleavened bread and bitter herbs¹⁶⁹ means “with”; And they came both men ‘al’ women¹⁷⁰ [means “with” the women]; its head ‘al’ its legs ‘v’al’ the inwards thereof¹⁷¹ [means its head “with” its legs “and with” the inwards thereof]. Scripture does not say im (with) [but instead uses al] in order to instruct that it is not obligatory to wrap them together, [i.e., insert the paschal meat and the bitter herbs between the unleavened bread], and eat them.¹⁷² on the night of Passover, the wrapping together of unleavened bread and bitter herbs is observed “according to the custom of Hillel.” Thus [the word umatzoth (and unleavened bread)] is missing the letter beth, [which would make it ubematzoth (and with unleavened bread)], similar to the expressions: they shall wash ‘mayim’ (water)¹⁷³ [the word missing a beth, which would make it b’mayim, (with water)]; And Seled died ‘lo’ (no) children,¹⁷⁴ [the word lo missing a beth, which would make it b’lo (without) children]. Thus Scripture teaches that there is no commandment for eating the bitter herbs alone, but only with the eating of the flesh of the Passover-offering.¹⁷⁵ (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Chametz Umatzah, 7:12). Concerning unleavened bread, however, Scripture repeated it by commanding, At even ye shall eat unleavened bread,¹⁷⁶ even by itself [when there is no Passover-offering], as is the opinion of our Rabbis.¹⁷⁷A more correct interpretation is that we say that the word, umatzoth (and unleavened bread), is connected with the earlier part of the verse: And they shall eat the flesh … and unleavened bread. The verse then continues to command that the flesh mentioned be eaten with bitter herbs. Thus He commanded the eating of the flesh with the eating of the unleavened bread, but He did not command the eating of bitter herbs, except by saying that they should eat the meat with bitter herbs, thus hinting that there is no [separate] commandment regarding the bitter herbs. It is only that the meat must be eaten with them, and when there is no Passover-offering there is no specific commandment [of the Torah] regarding the eating of the bitter herbs. It also teaches us that the bitter herbs do not invalidate the meat. Thus, if one ate the meat of the Passover-offering and did not eat bitter herbs, he has [nevertheless] fulfilled his duty of eating the Passover-offering, since the commandment concerning the eating of the Passover-offering is like the commandment of eating unleavened bread, each one an independent commandment in itself.¹⁷⁸