Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 18:13/רמב"ן על שמות י״ח:י״ג
אוַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת מִמָּחֳרַת הַיּוֹם שֶׁעָשׂוּ זֶה שֶׁנִּזְכַּר, יָשַׁב מֹשֶׁה לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת הָעָם, וְאָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן), מִמָּחֳרַת יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. וְאֵין דַּעְתָּם לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִמָּחֳרָת רֶמֶז לְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, כִּי יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים לֹא נִזְכַּר בַּכָּתוּב שֶׁיֹּאמַר עָלָיו מִמָּחֳרָת. וְגַם כֵּן אֵין הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִמָּחֳרָתוֹ מַמָּשׁ, כִּי לֹא אָכְלוּ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, אִם הָיָה לָהֶם יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים בְּשָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בּוֹ. וְעוֹד, כִּי בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים נִתְּנוּ לוּחוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת וּמִמָּחֳרָתוֹ יָרַד מֹשֶׁה וְדִבֵּר עִם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְצַוֵּם אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר הַשֵּׁם אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינַי (שמות ל"ד:ל"ב), וְאֵינֶנּוּ יוֹם הַמִּשְׁפָּט שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עָלָיו מִן בֹּקֶר עַד עָרֶב. וְגַם כֵּן אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּשָׁנָה שְׁנִיָּה בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, כִּי בִּנְסֹעַ הַדְּגָלִים אָמַר "כִּי אִם אֶל אַרְצִי וְאֶל מוֹלַדְתִּי אֵלֵךְ" (במדבר י ל). אֲבָל הַכַּוָּנָה לַבָּרַיְתָא הַזּוֹ לוֹמַר שֶׁהָיָה זֶה אַחַר יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, כִּי אֵין לָהֶם יוֹם פָּנוּי לְמִשְׁפָּט מִיּוֹם בּוֹאָם לְהַר סִינַי עַד אַחַר יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁל שָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה הַזֹּאת:
1AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE MORROW, i.e., on the morrow of the day on which they held the above-mentioned [feast], THAT MOSES SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE. In the Mechilta, the Rabbis have said:81 “On the morrow. That is, on the morrow after the Day of the Atonement.” Now the intent of the Rabbis was not that on the morrow alludes to the Day of Atonement, for Scripture has not mentioned the Day of Atonement at all that it should now refer to it by saying on the morrow thereof. Nor is the term on the morrow to be understood literally, [i.e., the day after the Day of Atonement], for they did not eat on the Day of Atonement, that is, if they observed such a day in the first year before they were commanded concerning it.82 Moreover, it was on the Day of Atonement that the second Tablets of the Law were given. On the following day, Moses came and he spoke to the children of Israel, and he gave them in commandment all that the Eternal had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.83 It thus could not have been a day on which he sat to judge the people, when the people stood about him from the morning unto the evening. It is also impossible to say that this was on the morrow of the Day of Atonement of the second year, for after the Israelites journeyed [from Sinai on the twentieth day of Iyar in the second year (Numbers 10:11)], Hobab [i.e., Jethro], said, I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.84Rather, the intent of this Beraitha, [i.e., the Mechilta quoted above, “on the morrow after the Day of Atonement”], is that it was some day after the Day of Atonement, since Moses had no free day on which to sit in judgment from the day they came to Mount Sinai until after the Day of Atonement of that first year.85
בואָמַר עוֹלָה וּזְבָחִים לֵאלֹהִים, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיִּתְרוֹ עֲדַיִן לֹא יָדַע ה', כִּי מֹשֶׁה אָמַר אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה' לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם וְגוֹ' וַיַּצִּלֵם ה' (שמות י"ח:ח'), אֲבָל יִתְרוֹ הִקְרִיב לֵאלֹהִים וְכָכָה לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְּכָל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁבְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲפָרֵשׁ בע"ה (ויקרא א ט). וְכֵן כִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים, וְהוֹדַעְתִּי אֶת חֻקֵּי הָאֱלֹהִים (להלן פסוק טו-טז), דִּבְרֵי מֹשֶׁה לְחָמִיו. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ כֵּן בַּעֲבוּר כִּי הַמִּשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהִים הוּא (דברים א יז), כְּמוֹ שֶׁמַּזְכִּירִין רַבּוֹתֵינוּ תָּמִיד אֱלֹהִים זוֹ מִדַּת הַדִּין (בר"ר עג ג):
2Scripture says, a burnt-offering and sacrifices to G-d,86 because Jethro did not yet know the Eternal. It was Moses who said, all that the Eternal had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake… and how the Eternal delivered them,87, Verse 8. but Jethro sacrificed to Elokim (G-d). You will not find this concerning any of the sacrifices in Torath Kohanim (the law of the priests) [i.e., the Book of Leviticus], as I will explain with the help of G-d.88 Similarly, Because the people come unto me to inquire of G-d… and I make them know the statutes of G-d,89 are the words of Moses to his father-in-law, [who did not yet know the Eternal]. It is possible that Moses spoke to him thus, [using the name Elokim and not the Tetragrammaton], because of the verse which states, for the judgment is G-d’s,90 just as our Rabbis always mention:91 “Elokim (G-d): this is the attribute of justice.”