Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 18:15/רמב"ן על שמות י״ח:ט״ו
אכִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים הֵשִׁיב מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ צְרִיכִים הֵם שֶׁיַּעַמְדוּ עָלַי זְמַן גָּדוֹל מִן הַיּוֹם, כִּי לִדְבָרִים רַבִּים בָּאִים לְפָנַי, כִּי יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עַל חוֹלֵיהֶם וּלְהוֹדִיעָם מַה שֶׁיֹּאבַד לָהֶם, כִּי זֶה יִקָּרֵא "דְּרִישַׁת אֱלֹהִים", וְכֵן יַעֲשׂוּ עִם הַנְּבִיאִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שמואל א ט':ט') "לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה אָמַר הָאִישׁ בְּלֶכְתּוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה עַד הָרֹאֶה", וְכֵן "וְדָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת ה' מֵאוֹתוֹ לֵאמֹר הַאֶחְיֶה מֵחֳלִי זֶה" (מלכים ב ח':ח'), שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו וְיוֹדִיעֶנּוּ אִם נִשְׁמְעָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ, וְכֵן "וַתֵּלֶךְ לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת ה'" (בראשית כה כב), כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם. וְעוֹד שֶׁאֲנִי שׁוֹפֵט אוֹתָם, כִּי יִהְיֶה לָהֶם דָּבָר בָּא אֵלַי וְשָׁפַטְתִּי. וְעוֹד אֲנִי מְלַמֵּד אוֹתָם תּוֹרָה, וְהוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם אֶת חֻקֵּי הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֶת תּוֹרֹתָיו:
1FOR THE PEOPLE COME UNTO ME TO INQUIRE OF G-D. Moses answered his father-in-law: “They must stand about me a great part of the day, for they come before me for many things. Because the people come unto me to inquire of G-d, that is, to pray for their sick, and to inform them of the whereabouts of what they have lost,” this being “the inquiring of G-d.”And thus the people did with the [later] prophets, just as it is said, In former times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of G-d, thus he said: Come and let us go to the seer.92 Similarly, Go meet the man of G-d, and inquire of the Eternal by him, saying: Shall I recover from this sickness?93 meaning that the prophet should pray for his recovery and that he should inform him if his prayer was accepted. This is also the meaning of the verse, and she [Rebekah] went to inquire of the Eternal,94 as I have explained there.“Moreover,” [Moses continued], “I adjudicate matters between them, when they have a matter, it cometh unto me, and I judge.95 And I also teach them Torah, and I make them know the statutes of G-d and His laws.”95