Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 16:1/רמב"ן על שמות ט״ז:א׳
אוַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֵלִים וַיָּבֹאוּ וְגוֹ' אֶל מִדְבַּר סִין אָחַז הַכָּתוּב דֶּרֶךְ קְצָרָה, כִּי בְּנָסְעָם מֵאֵילִים חָנוּ עַל יַם סוּף, "וַיִּסְעוּ מִיַּם סוּף וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִדְבַּר סִין" (במדבר לג י יא), כִּי הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה גָּדוֹל, מַגִּיעַ מֵאֵלִים וְעַד סִינַי, וְכַאֲשֶׁר נָסְעוּ מֵאֵלִים חָנוּ עַל יַם סוּף בַּמִּדְבָּר הַהוּא, וְנָסְעוּ מִשְּׂפַת הַיָּם וְנִכְנְסוּ בְּתוֹךְ הַמִּדְבָּר וְעָשׂוּ בּוֹ מַסְּעוֹת דָּפְקָה וְאָלוּשׁ (שם יב יג), וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאָלוּשׁ אֲשֶׁר הוּא בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּרְפִידִים (שם יד). וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (שמו"ר כה ה) הָיָה דְּבַר הַמָּן בְּאָלוּשׁ, כִּי בִּרְאוֹתָם שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹנִים וְנוֹסְעִים וְחוֹנִים בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּדָפְקָה וְאָלוּשׁ וְלֹא יָצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ פָּחֲדוּ וְנִתְרַעֲמוּ, וְזֶה טַעַם וַיִּלֹּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר, כִּי לֹא הָיְתָה תְּלוּנָה בְּיוֹם בּוֹאָם שָׁם רַק בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּמִּדְבָּר:
1AND THEY TOOK THEIR JOURNEY FROM ELIM, AND ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME UNTO THE WILDERNESS OF SIN. Scripture speaks briefly here, for when they journeyed from Elim, they pitched by the Red Sea, and they journeyed from the Red Sea, and they pitched in the wilderness of Sin,277 since this great wilderness extended from Elim to Sinai. Thus, when they travelled from Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea in that wilderness. Then they journeyed from the edge of the sea and entered into the midst of the wilderness, making the stages of Dophkah and Alush,278, Verses 12-13. See Ramban further at beginning of Seder Yithro (Note 25) for how this explanation affects a major problem in Torah exegesis as to when Jethro came, i.e., before or after the Giving of the Torah. and then they journeyed from Alush, which is in the wilderness of Sinai, and they pitched in Rephidim.279, Verse 14.In the opinion of our Rabbis,280 the manna began falling in Alush. When the Israelites saw that they were journeying and camping in the wilderness — in Dophkah and Alush — and had not come out of it, they became frightened and began murmuring. This is the meaning of the verse, And they murmured… in the wilderness,281 for they had not murmured when they came there but only after they were there in the wilderness [for an extended period of time].
בוְטַעַם אֲשֶׁר בֵּין אֵלִים וּבֵין סִינָי לְהַפְרִישׁ בֵּין מִדְבַּר סִין זֶה לְמִדְבַּר צִן הָאַחֵר (במדבר כ א) הַכָּתוּב בְּצָדִ"י, שֶׁבָּאוּ שָׁם בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים, וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם, וּלְכָךְ הִזְכִּיר שָׁם וַיַּחֲנוּ בְמִדְבַּר צִן הִוא קָדֵשׁ (שם לג לו), לְהַפְרִישׁוֹ מִזֶּה:
2THE WILDERNESS OF SIN WHICH IS BETWEEN ELIM AND SINAI. The reason for this [geographic description] is to distinguish between this wilderness of Sin and the other wilderness, Tzin, written with the letter tzade, where the Israelites came in the fortieth year [of their stay in the wilderness] and Miriam died there.282 This is why Scripture mentions there, And they pitched in the wilderness of Tzin — the same is Kadesh,283, 33:36. in order to differentiate it [from the wilderness of Sin mentioned here].