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Ramban on Exodus 13:8/רמב"ן על שמות י״ג:ח׳

אבַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי. בַּעֲבוּר זֶה שֶׁעָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם, וְכֵן "וְהוֹדַעְתָּ לָהֶם אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ" (שמות י"ח:כ'), וְרַבִּים כֵּן. יֹאמַר, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר זֶה שֶׁעָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם אֲנִי עוֹבֵד אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה הַזֹּאת, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר לְמַטָּה (שמות י"ג:ט"ו) "עַל כֵּן אֲנִי זֹבֵחַ לַה' כָּל פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם" וְאָמַר זֶה, כְּלוֹמַר תַּגִּיד לוֹ זֶה שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ שֶׁעָשָׂה ה' לְךָ בְּצֵאתְךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ (במכילתא כאן) כִּי עַל מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר שֶׁמֻּנָּחִים לְפָנָיו יִרְמֹז. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שִׁעוּרוֹ וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם, כְּאוֹמֵר כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה ה' לִי, כִּי מִלַּת בַּעֲבוּר תְּשַׁמֵּשׁ גַּם בְּעֶצֶם עִנְיָן, כְּמוֹ "בַּעֲבוּר הַיֶּלֶד חַי צַמְתָּ וַתֵּבְךְּ" (שמואל ב י"ב:כ"א), אֵינוֹ בִּגְלַל. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות י"ג:ח') כִּי בַּעֲבוּר זֶה שֶׁאֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה וְעוֹבֵד לְפָנָיו בַּאֲכִילַת הַפֶּסַח וְהַמַּצָּה עָשָׂה ה' לִי אוֹתוֹת עַד שֶׁהוֹצִיאַנִי מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן. וְעוֹד אֲפָרֵשׁ הַכָּתוּב (רמב"ן על שמות י"ג:ט"ז):

1IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT THE ETERNAL DID FOR ME. This is equivalent to saying, “It is because of that which the Eternal did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.” A similar case is the verse: And thou shalt show them the way they are to go in,³⁸⁵ [which means “wherein they are to go”]. There are many such cases. The father is thus stating [to his son]: “It is because of that which G-d did for me when I came forth out of Egypt that I observe this service.” It is similar to that which is stated further on: Therefore I sacrifice to the Eternal all that openeth the womb.³⁸⁶The intent of the word zeh (that) [in the verse, It is because of ‘that’], is: “tell him ‘that’ which you yourself see, i.e., what G-d did for you when you came forth out of Egypt.” And our Rabbis have explained³⁸⁷ that the word zeh (that) alludes to the unleavened bread and bitter herbs that are laid before him.It is possible that the purport of the verse, And thou shalt tell thy son… It is ‘ba’avur’ (because) of that the Eternal did for me when I came forth out of Egypt, is equivalent to the verse’s saying “such and such did G-d do unto me.” The word ba’avur also serves to indicate something within a subject itself, [and it does not only convey the idea: “because” of some other subject]. This is as the case in the verse, ‘ba’avur’ the child that was alive thou didst fast and weep,³⁸⁸ [which means “while” the child was alive], and not “because”. [David did not fast and weep “because” the child was alive; he fasted and wept “while” the child was alive so that it should get well.]Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the purport of the verse is: “Because of that which I do and worship Him by eating the Passover-offering and the unleavened bread, the Eternal did for me wonders until He brought me forth out of Egypt.” But it is not correct. I will yet explain this verse.³⁸⁹