Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 17:5/רמב"ן על שמות י״ז:ה׳

אעֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הָעָם כִּלְשׁוֹן "הֶעֱבִיר אוֹתוֹ לֶעָרִים" (בראשית מז כא), "וְהַעֲבַרְתִּי אֶת אֹיְבֶיךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא יָדָעְתָּ" (ירמיה טו יד), שֶׁתַּעֲבֹר מֵהֶם אֶל אַחֵר, אוֹ כְּמוֹ "וַיַּעֲבֹר אֶת הַכּוּשִׁי" (שמואל ב י"ח:כ"ג), "וְהוּא עָבַר לִפְנֵיהֶם" (בראשית לג ג), שֶׁקָּדַם לָלֶכֶת קֹדֶם לָהֶם. וְעִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה, כִּי הָעָם הָיוּ בִּרְפִידִים, וְהַצּוּר אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ הַמַּיִם הָיָה בְּחוֹרֵב, וְהוּא הַר סִינַי, עַל דַּעַת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים (ראה במסכת שבת פט:), אוֹ עִיר לִפְנֵי הָהָר קָרוֹב לוֹ עַל דַּעְתִּי, כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲפָרֵשׁ עוֹד (להלן יט א, דברים א ו). וְהִנֵּה הֻצְרַךְ מֹשֶׁה לְקַדֵּם לִפְנֵי הָעָם לַעֲבֹר מֵרְפִידִים אֶל חוֹרֵב כְּמַהֲלַךְ פַּרְסָה אוֹ פַּרְסָאוֹת, רָחוֹק מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה לִפְנֵיהֶם, וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר לוֹ עֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הָעָם וְקַח אִתְּךָ מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהָלָכְתָּ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁתֵּלֵךְ עַד שֶׁתִּרְאֶה אוֹתִי עוֹמֵד לְפָנֶיךָ עַל הַצּוּר בְּחוֹרֵב:
וְהִנֵּה הִכָּה בַצּוּר וְיָצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מַיִם, וְלֹא סִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב "וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם" כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּשְּׁנִיָּה (במדבר כ יא), אֲבָל בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעָשׂוּ כֵן, וּבָרוּר הוּא שֶׁלֹּא הָלְכוּ הָעָם אֶל חוֹרֵב לִשְׁתּוֹת, כִּי לֹא בָּאוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי עַד אַחֲרֵי כֵן בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי. אֲבָל שָׁלְחוּ שָׁם נַעֲרֵיהֶם וּבְהֶמְתָּם לִשְׁאֹב מַיִם וּלְהָבִיא לָהֶם כְּמִנְהַג הַמַּחֲנוֹת. וְקָרוֹב אֵלַי שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מַיִם מִן הַצּוּר בְּחוֹרֵב, מַיִם קָרִים נוֹזְלִים, הָלְכוּ אֶל רְפִידִים, וְשָׁם שָׁתוּ אוֹתָם, וְהוּא שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (תהלים עח טז) "וַיּוֹצִא נוֹזְלִים מִסָּלַע וַיּוֹרֶד כַּנְּהָרוֹת מָיִם", וְכָתוּב (שם קה מא) "פָּתַח צוּר וַיָּזוּבוּ מָיִם הָלְכוּ בַּצִּיּוֹת נָהָר". וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר (שם עח כ) "הֵן הִכָּה צוּר וַיָּזוּבוּ מַיִם וּנְחָלִים יִשְׁטֹפוּ", גַּם הוּא עַל הַצּוּר הַזֶּה בְּחוֹרֵב עַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט: וְהַסֶּלַע הַשֵּׁנִי אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בְּקָדֵשׁ נִבְקַע בּוֹ כְּמוֹ בְּאֵר נוֹבֵעַ מַיִם, וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר (במדבר כא טז) "הִוא הַבְּאֵר אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה' לְמֹשֶׁה", וְאָמְרוּ בַּשִּׁירָה (שם שם יח) "בְּאֵר חֲפָרוּהָ שָׂרִים", כִּי הָיָה כְּמוֹ בְּאֵר חֲפוּרָה, וְלָכֵן אָמַר שָׁם (כ יא) וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם, שֶׁשָּׁתוּ מִיָּד שָׁם בְּאוֹתוֹ הַמָּקוֹם, אֲבָל כָּאן הָיוּ נְהָרוֹת שׁוֹטְפִים מִמֶּנּוּ וְשׁוֹתִין בְּבָתֵּיהֶם לִרְצוֹנָם. וְאע"פ שֶׁהָיָה הַכֹּל בְּאֵרָהּ שֶׁל מִרְיָם, כְּקַבָּלַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (במדב"ר יט כה), יִתָּכֵן שֶׁהָיָה בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְכָל הָאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה מוֹשֵׁךְ מַיִם כַּנְּהָרוֹת, וּבַפַּעַם הַשֵּׁנִית מִפְּנֵי הָעֹנֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה שָׁם נַעֲשָׂה כְּמוֹ בְּאֵר חֲפוּרָה מְלֵאָה מַיִם חַיִּים:

1AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES: PASS ON BEFORE THE PEOPLE. This is similar in usage to the following expressions: he [Joseph] caused them to pass into cities;⁴¹⁸ and I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not.⁴¹⁹ Thus the meaning thereof here is: “go away from them to another place,” [as will be explained further]. Perhaps this is similar to the expressions: and he [Ahimaaz] overran the Cushite;⁴²⁰ and he [Jacob] himself passed over before them,⁴²¹ meaning that he [Jacob] went in the forefront of them.The purport of this verse is that the people were in Rephidim, and the rock from which the waters were to come was in Horeb,⁴²². this being Mount Sinai, according to the opinion of the former ones,⁴²³ or in my opinion, some city near the mountain, as I will yet explain.⁴²⁴ (18:1). Moses therefore had to go first before the people, to pass on from Rephidim to Horeb — a distance of one more parsah [a Persian mile] or more — from the camp before them. It was for this reason that G-d said to him, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel… and go. That is to say, “Go until you will see Me stand before you upon the rock in Horeb.” Now Moses hit the rock, and water came out of it. Scripture however does not relate that the congregation and their cattle drank, as it does in the second incident [at the waters of Meribah],⁴²⁵ for it is self-understood that they did so. It is clear that the people did not go to Horeb to drink, since they did not arrive in front of Mount Sinai until afterwards in the third month.⁴²⁶ Instead, they sent their young men and their cattle there to draw water and bring it to them, as is customary in camps.It appears likely to me that the waters — cold flowing waters⁴²⁷ — came out from the rock in Horeb and flowed to Rephidim, and there the people drank them. This is Scripture’s intent in saying, He brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers,⁴²⁸ and it is further written, He opened the rock, and waters gushed out; they ran, a river in the dry places.⁴²⁹, 105:41. The verse stating, Behold, He smote the rock, that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed,⁴³⁰, 78:20. also applies to the rock in Horeb, in line with the plain meaning of Scripture.⁴³¹ The second rock in Kadesh,⁴³² [instead of gushing forth water], became cleft with a sort of spring welling forth waters, and therefore Scripture states, That is ‘the well’ whereof the Eternal said unto Moses, etc.,⁴³³, 21:16. and Israel said in the Song, ‘The well,’ which the princes digged,⁴³⁴, Verse 18. for it was like a well that was dug. It is for this reason that Scripture says there, and the congregation drank, and their cattle,⁴³⁵, 20:11. which means that there they drank from it at that place immediately, but here [in Horeb], overflowing rivers came from it and they drank of it in their homes at their will. Now although according to the tradition of our Rabbis, it was all Miriam’s Well,⁴³⁶ it is possible that on the first occasion [in Horeb] and during all their forty years’ wandering, the waters came gushing out from the rock like overflowing rivers. The second time, [in Kadesh], as a punishment for that which took place there, it became [only] like a dug well that was full of fresh water [not a gushing spring].

בוְטַעַם וּמַטְּךָ אֲשֶׁר הִכִּיתָ בּוֹ בְּצִוּוּי לְאַהֲרֹן. וְהִזְכִּיר בּוֹ מַכַּת הַיְאוֹר, וְלֹא אָמַר "וְהַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר נֶהְפַּךְ לְנָחָשׁ", אוֹ "וְהַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ בּוֹ אֶת הָאֹתוֹת", לְהַזְכִּיר בּוֹ פֶּלֶא, כִּי אָז הָפַךְ הַמַּיִם לְדָם וְהֵסִיר אוֹתָם מִטִּבְעָם, וְעַתָּה יָבִיא מַיִם בְּצוּר הַחַלָּמִישׁ, וְהִנֵּה יַעֲשֶׂה בּוֹ דָּבָר וְהֶפְכּוֹ:

2AND THY ROD, WHEREWITH THOU SMOTEST THE RIVER, TAKE IN THY HAND. This means “[the staff wherewith] you commanded Aaron [to strike the river].”⁴³⁷ He mentioned the striking of the river, but He did not say, “and the rod which was turned to a serpent”⁴³⁸, Verse 15. or “the rod wherewith you did the signs.”⁴³⁹ This was in order to call attention to the wonder in it, for at that time, the rod turned the waters into blood, thus removing from them their particular nature, and now the rod brought water into a flinty rock,⁴⁴⁰ thus doing things of contrary effect.