Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 14:21/רמב"ן על שמות י״ד:כ״א

אוַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת יָדוֹ עַל הַיָּם וַיּוֹלֶךְ ה' אֶת הַיָּם בְּרוּחַ קָדִים וְגוֹ' הָיָה הָרָצוֹן לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ לִבְקֹעַ הַיָּם בְּרוּחַ קָדִים מְיַבֶּשֶׁת, שֶׁיֵּרָאֶה כְּאִלּוּ הָרוּחַ הִיא הַמַּחֲרֶבֶת יָם, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב (הושע יג טו) "יָבֹא קָדִים רוּחַ ה' וְיֵבוֹשׁ מְקוֹרוֹ וְיֶחֱרַב מַעְיָנוֹ", הִשְׂגִּיא לְמִצְרַיִם וַיְאַבְּדֵם, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר זֶה חָשְׁבוּ אוּלַי הָרוּחַ שָׂם הַיָּם לֶחָרָבָה, וְלֹא יַד ה' עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל, אע"פ שֶׁאֵין הָרוּחַ בּוֹקַעַת הַיָּם לִגְזָרִים לֹא שָׂמוּ לִבָּם גַּם לָזֹאת, וּבָאוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם מֵרֹב תַּאֲוָתָם לְהָרַע לָהֶם, וְזֶה טַעַם "וְחִזַּקְתִּי אֶת לֵב פַּרְעֹה וְיָבֹאוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם", שֶׁחִזֵּק לִבָּם לֵאמֹר אֶרְדֹּף אוֹיְבַי וְאַשִּׂיגֵם בַּיָּם, וְאֵין מִיָּדִי מַצִּיל, וְלֹא זָכְרוּ עַתָּה כִּי ה' נִלְחָם לָהֶם בְּמִצְרָיִם:

1AND MOSES STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND OVER THE SEA; AND THE ETERNAL CAUSED THE SEA TO GO BACK BY A STRONG EAST WIND ALL THE NIGHT. It was His will, may He be blessed, to divide the sea by a strong drying wind, making it appear as if the wind dried the sea, something like that which is written, An east wind shall come, the wind of the Eternal coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up.⁶⁹ He thus caused the Egyptians to err and then destroyed them,⁷⁰, etc. Ramban interprets it in the sense of mashgi (He causes to err.) A similar usage of this verse appears in Rashi above, Verse 2. The source of this rendition of the verse is in the Mechilta, ibid. for because of this, they thought that perhaps it was the wind which made the sea into dry land, but that it was not the power of G-d that did this for the sake of Israel. Although the wind does not split the sea into sections, they paid no attention even to this and they followed after the Israelites into the sea out of their desire to harm them. This is the intent of the expressions: and I will harden Pharaoh’s heart;⁷¹ and they shall go in after them.⁷² He hardened their hearts [so that each one] would say: “I will pursue my enemies and I will overtake them in the sea,⁷³ and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”⁷⁴ They did not remember now [what they themselves had said], for the Eternal fighteth for them against the Egyptians.⁷⁵