Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 16:12/רמב"ן על שמות ט״ז:י״ב

אשָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת תְּלוּנֹּת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דַּבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם זֶה הַדִּבּוּר כְּבָר אֲמָרוֹ מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות ט"ז:ח'), אֲבָל נִשְׁנָה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת תְּלוּנֹּת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה אָמַר (שמות ט"ז:ד') הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם, כְּעוֹשֶׂה עִמָּהֶם חֶסֶד בִּרְצוֹנוֹ אוֹ לִזְכוּתָם, וְעַתָּה הִגִּיד כִּי נֶחְשָׁב לָהֶם לְעָוֹן, וּבַעֲבוּר הַתְּלוּנָה יַעֲשֶׂה עִמָּהֶם כֵּן כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ בּוֹ כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, כִּי עַד עַתָּה אֵינְכֶם מַאֲמִינִם בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, עַל כֵּן אַתֶּם מִתְלוֹנְנִים עַל נְבִיאָיו: וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁמִּתְּחִלָּה לֹא הִבְטִיחָם לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם הַמָּן כָּל יְמֵי הַמִּדְבָּר, וְהָיוּ חוֹשְׁבִים אוּלַי יִהְיֶה לְיוֹם אֶחָד אוֹ לִשְׁנַיִם בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, וּבְנָסְעָם מִשָּׁם יָבֹאוּ אֶל מְקוֹם לֶחֶם, וְעַתָּה אָמַר לָהֶם בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם תֹּאכְלוּ בָשָׂר תָּמִיד וּבְכָל בֹּקֶר יִשְׂבְּעוּ לֶחֶם כָּל יְמֵי הַמִּדְבָּר:
וְכֵן דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיָה הַשְּׂלָו עִמָּהֶם מִן הַיּוֹם הַהוּא וָהָלְאָה כְּמוֹ הַמָּן, וְכֵן נִרְאֶה, כִּי עַל שְׁנֵי הַדְּבָרִים נִתְלוֹנְנוּ וּבִשְׁנֵיהֶם שָׁמַע אֶת תְּלוּנָתָם וְתַאֲוָתָם יָבִיא לָהֶם, כִּי מַה יִּתֵּן לָהֶם וּמַה יּוֹסִיף לָהֶם בָּשָׂר לְיוֹם אֶחָד אוֹ לִשְׁנַיִם, וְהַפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁתְּפָרֵשׁ וְתַאֲרִיךְ בְּעִנְיַן הַמָּן, כִּי כָל מַעֲשָׂיו הֵם נִפְלָאִים, וּתְקַצֵּר בְּעִנְיַן הַשְּׂלָו, וַיְהִי בָעֶרֶב וַתַּעַל הַשְּׂלָו (פרק יג), כִּי הוּא בְּנֹהַג שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם: וְעִנְיַן הַשְּׂלָו הַשֵּׁנִי בְּקִבְרוֹת הַתַּאֲוָה (במדבר יא לא), כִּי לֹא בָּא לָהֶם מִמֶּנּוּ עַתָּה לִשְׂבֹּעַ כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר בְּכָאן תָּמִיד (בפסוקים ח יב) בָּשָׂר לֶאֱכֹל וְלֶחֶם לִשְׂבֹּעַ. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁהָיוּ גְּדוֹלֵיהֶם לוֹקְטִין אוֹתוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה מִזְדַּמֵּן לַחֲסִידִים שֶׁבָּהֶם, וּצְעִירֵיהֶם הָיוּ תְּאֵבִים לוֹ וּרְעֵבִים מִמֶּנּוּ, כִּי לֹא יְסַפֵּר בַּשְּׂלָו וַיִּלְקְטוּ הַמַּרְבֶּה וְהַמַּמְעִיט כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר בַּמָּן, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר שָׁם (במדבר יא ד) "וְהָאסַפְסֻף אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבּוֹ הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה", וְאָמַר (שם) "וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ גַּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", שֶׁהָיוּ גַּם מֵהֶם בּוֹכִים לוֹ וְלֹא כֻּלָּם, וְאָז נָתַן לָהֶם מִמֶּנּוּ לָרֹב מְאֹד, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר (שם לב) "הַמַּמְעִיט אָסַף עֲשָׂרָה חֳמָרִים", וְאָכְלוּ חֹדֶשׁ יָמִים בַּשֶּׁפַע הַהוּא וְשָׁב לְעִנְיָנוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט הָיוּ כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה הַשְּׂלָו לְעִתִּים, וְהַמָּן שֶׁהָיָה חַיּוּתָם הָיָה לָהֶם תָּמִיד, כִּי עִקַּר תְּלוּנָתָם עָלָיו, כְּדִכְתִיב כִּי הוֹצֵאתֶם אֹתָנוּ אֶל הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית אֶת כָּל הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה בָּרָעָב:

1I HAVE HEARD THE MURMURINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. SPEAK UNTO THEM, SAYING: AT DUSK YE SHALL EAT FLESH. This communication [at dusk ye shall eat, etc.], had already been conveyed by Moses to Israel,³⁶⁵ but it is repeated here only because of that which He said I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. At first, He had said, Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven to you;³⁶⁶, Verse 4. He would willingly do it for them as an act of kindness or because of their merits. But now He said that [their murmuring] is accounted to them as sin, and yet because of the very nature of the murmuring, He will do such things for them so that they might know thereby that I am the Eternal your G-d. Until now ye do not believe the Eternal your G-d;³⁶⁷ this is why you murmur against His prophets.It is possible that at first He did not promise them the manna for all the time that they would be in the wilderness. Thus they thought that perhaps it would be for one day or two, as long as they stayed in that place, and that when they would leave it, they would come to a place of food. But now He said to them, “At dusk ye shall eat flesh always, and in every morning ye shall be filled with bread as long as you will be in the wilderness.” And so also is the opinion of our Rabbis,³⁶⁸ that the quail were with them from that day on, just like the manna. It is logically so, for they expressed discontent about the two things — [flesh and bread]³⁶⁹. — and He hearkened to their murmurings on both matters, and He gave them that which they craved.³⁷⁰ What would He give them, and what more,³⁷¹, 120:3. if He supplied them with meat for only one day or two?The reason that the chapter [of the Torah] speaks at length about the matter of the manna is that everything about it was of a wondrous nature, whereas with reference to the matter of the quail, it just writes briefly, And it came to pass at even, that the quail came up,³⁷² because it came in a natural way.³⁷³ [Although the quail were a daily occurrence], the subject of the second [incident of] quail at Kibroth-hata’avah³⁷⁴ [is singled out for mention in Scripture] because right now [in the wilderness of Sin], they did not receive of them to the full, just as He always says here, flesh to eat, and bread to the full.³⁷⁵. This clearly indicates that bread they had to the full, but not flesh.It is possible that only the adults gathered the quail — or it may be that they were marked by chance for the pious ones — while the young craved and hungered for them, since Scripture does not relate concerning the quail, “and they gathered some more, some less,” as it does concerning the manna.³⁷⁶ It is for this reason that Scripture says there [in the narrative of the second quail]: And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting,³⁷⁷ and it further says, and the children of Israel also wept on their part,³⁷⁷ meaning that some of the children of Israel were also weeping for it, but not all. He then gave them in great quantity, as it says, He that gathered least gathered ten heaps,³⁷⁸, Verse 32. and out of that abundance, they ate for a month’s time³⁷⁹, Verse 20. and then the quail reverted to their first state.In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the whole affair with the quail happened only at intervals, but since the manna was their staple food, they always had it, for their chief murmuring concerned it, as it is written, for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to put to death this whole assembly by famine.³⁸⁰