Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 19:20/רמב"ן על שמות י״ט:כ׳

אוַיֵּרֶד ה' עַל הַר סִינַי אִם תַּשְׂכִּיל בַּפָּרָשָׁה תָּבִין כִּי שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל יָרַד עַל הַר סִינַי וְשָׁכַן עָלָיו בָּאֵשׁ, וְהוּא מְדַבֵּר עִם מֹשֶׁה, וְהַדִּבּוּר עִם מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל הַפָּרָשָׁה בַּשֵּׁם הַמְיֻחָד, וְהָעֲלִיָּה (לעיל פסוק ג) וְהַיְּצִיאָה (שם פסוק יז) לִקְרַאת מְקוֹם הַכָּבוֹד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי (לעיל פסוק ג), וְהִזְהִיר פֶּן יֶהֶרְסוּ אֶל ה' לִרְאוֹת, כִּי גַּם אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא חָזוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל הַשֵּׁם מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ, וְהוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ':א') "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה", כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מכילתא ד), אֵין אֱלֹהִים אֶלָּא דַּיָּן, וְאָמְרוּ (מכות כד), מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה שְׁמַעְנוּם, וּבְמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ה יט) כָּתוּב "אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל כָּל קְהַלְכֶם", בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ "מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ". וְזֶה טַעַם "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" (שם ה ד), וּלְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר "אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ". וְאַל יִקְשֶׁה עָלֶיךָ מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ הֵם לְמֹשֶׁה "כִּי מִי כָל בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע קוֹל אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים מְדַבֵּר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ", כִּי לֹא אָמְרוּ אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים מְדַבֵּר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ, אֲבָל אָמַר "קוֹל אֱלֹהִים", שֶׁאָמְרוּ מַה שֶׁהִשִּׂיגוּ, וּלְכָךְ אָמְרוּ "קְרַב אַתָּה וּשֲׁמָע אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ" (דברים ה כד), וְכֵן אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה "הֲשָׁמַע עָם קוֹל אֱלֹהִים מְדַבֵּר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ" (שם ד לג), כִּי "מְדַבֵּר" תֹּאַר לַקּוֹל, כְּעִנְיַן "וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶת הַקּוֹל מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָיו" (במדבר ז פט):
וּמִזֶּה תָּבִין מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ תָּמִיד בְּמִדְרְשֵׁי הַגָּדוֹת (עי' שמו"ר כח ו) כִּי בְּשִׁבְעָה קוֹלוֹת נִתְּנָה הַתּוֹרָה, וְהֵם שֶׁהִזְכִּיר דָּוִד בְּמִזְמוֹר "הָבוּ לַה' בְּנֵי אֵלִים" (תהילים כ"ט:א'), וְהוּא הַמִּנְיָן הַנִּרְמָז בַּפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת, כִּי וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים חָסֵר וְיִמָּנֶה אֶחָד, וְכֵן וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת יֶחְסַר מִמֶּנּוּ וָ"ו הָרַבִּים, וְהִנֵּה הֵם שִׁשָּׁה, וּכְבָר נֶאֱמַר בְּפֵרוּשׁ וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים, וְכֵן בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ד וה) הִזְכִּיר שִׁבְעָה קוֹלוֹת בְּמַתַּן תּוֹרָה, וּבְמַסֶּכֶת בְּרָכוֹת (ו:) אָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא שֶׁנִּתְּנָה בַּחֲמִשָּׁה קוֹלוֹת, שֶׁהֵם יְחַשְּׁבוּ הַקּוֹלוֹת הַנִּסְתָּרִים וְהַשְּׁנַיִם מְפֹרָשִׁים לָהֶם בַּכָּתוּב, וְהַכַּוָּנָה כִּי לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ נִתְּנָה בְּשִׁבְעָה הַקּוֹלוֹת, וְהוּא הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ וּמִתְבּוֹנֵן בָּהֶם, אֲבָל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקוֹל אֶחָד יִשְׁמְעוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְלֹא יָסָף" (דברים ה יט), וְנֶאֱמַר "קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים וּתְמוּנָה אֵינְכֶם רֹאִים זוּלָתִי קוֹל" (שם ד יב), וְאַף כָּאן רָמַז וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת בְּחֶסְרוֹן וָ"ו אֶחָד, כִּי כָל הַקּוֹלוֹת יֵרָאוּ אֶחָד, וְהוּא מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים סב יב) "אַחַת דִּבֶּר אֱלֹהִים שְׁתַּיִם זוּ שָׁמָעְנוּ", עַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת. וְהִנֵּה הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת מְבֹאָרוֹת, לֹא יִתְחַלֵּף לָהֶם דָּבָר בְּדָבָר:

1AND THE ETERNAL CAME DOWN UPON MOUNT SINAI. If you will succeed in having insight into this section [of the Torah], you will understand that His Great Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], came down upon Mount Sinai, and that He abode thereon in fire and spoke to Moses. The communication to Moses in the entire section was by this Proper Name of the Eternal. However, the ascent [of Moses — as mentioned in Verse 3: And Moses went up unto G-d] — and his bringing forth [the people out of the camp — as mentioned in Verse 17] — were towards the place of the Glory, as I have explained.²²⁹ And He warned, lest they break through unto the Eternal to gaze,²³⁰ because even the nobles of the children of Israel²³¹ did not see Him, and all Israel heard the Voice of G-d out of the midst of the fire.²³² It is this which Scripture says, And ‘Elokim’ (G-d) spoke all these words,²³³ just as our Rabbis have said:²³⁴ “Elokim designates the Judge.”²³⁵) And they have also said [with reference to the first two commandments]:²³⁶ (the Almighty) is analogous to “the Judge.” “We have heard them from Hagvurah (the Almighty Himself).” In Deuteronomy it is written: These words the Eternal spoke unto all your assembly.²³⁷ spoke.” That is because, etc. That is because Scripture explains there [in the same verse] that He spoke out of the midst of the fire.²³⁸, 5:4. And this is the sense of the verse, The Eternal spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.²³⁸, 5:4. And this is why it is said, I am the Eternal thy G-d.²³⁹, etc.” (Abusaula). The allusion is to the two Divine Names — the Tetragrammaton and Elokim — mentioned together here in 20:2. Now do not find a difficulty in what the people said to Moses, For who is there of all living flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire?²⁴⁰ speaking (Abusaula). They did not say “that they heard G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire,” but they said the Voice of G-d, referring to what they perceived. This is why they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say.²⁴¹, Verse 24. And so did Moses say to them, Did ever a people hear the Voice of G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire?²⁴², 4:33. The word “speaking” here is referring to “the Voice,” something like the verse, and he heard the Voice speaking unto him.²⁴³From this you will understand what the Rabbis have always said in Midrashic homilies, i.e., that the Torah was given in seven voices.²⁴⁴ They are the ones to which David alluded in the psalm: Ascribe unto the Eternal, O ye sons of might.²⁴⁵, 343). The voice of the Eternal appears seven times in this psalm: The voice of the Eternal is upon the waters (Verse 3); The voice of the Eternal is powerful; the voice of the Eternal is full of majesty (Verse 4); The voice of the Eternal breaketh the cedars (Verse 5); The voice of the Eternal heweth out flames of fire (Verse 7); The voice of the Eternal shaketh the wilderness (Verse 8); The voice of the Eternal maketh the hinds to calve (Verse 9). This is also the number of times [that the Voice] is alluded to in this section of the Torah.²⁴⁶ (Verse 16). Since the word koloth is written defectively without the letter vav, it signifies the singular: “and there was a voice.” 2. And the voice of a horn (ibid.) 3. And the voice of the horn (Verse 19). 4. And G-d answered him by a voice (ibid.) 5. And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth’ (20:15). Here too the Hebrew hakoloth is written defectively and therefore refers only to one voice: “and all the people perceived the voice.” 6. And the voice of the horn (ibid.) 7. And G-d spoke (20:1). Thus there are seven voices mentioned in this section of the Torah (Abusaula). The verse, And there were ‘koloth’ and lightnings,²⁴⁷ is written defectively and therefore counted as one; likewise, the verse, And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth,’²⁴⁸, number 5. is missing the vav which signifies the plural, [and thus refers to only one voice]. Thus there are six [‘voices’ mentioned here in the section], and [in addition] it clearly says, And G-d spoke.²⁴⁹, number 7. In Deuteronomy, Scripture likewise mentions seven ‘voices’ in connection with the Giving of the Torah.²⁵⁰ (Deuteronomy 4:12). 2. Only a voice (ibid.) 3. A great voice (5:19). 4. The voice out of the midst of the darkness (5:20). 5. And we have heard His voice (Verse 21). 6. If we hear the voice of the Eternal our G-d (Verse 22). 7. The voice of the living G-d speaking (Verse 23). In Tractate Berachoth,²⁵¹ however, the Rabbis have said in the Gemara²⁵², Note 204. that the Torah was given in five ‘voices.’ That is because they counted only the voices which are concealed, while the two — i.e., I am the Eternal thy G-d and Thou shalt have no other gods before Me]²⁵³ — are explained in Scripture. The purport of this is that Moses our teacher was given the Torah in seven ‘voices,’²⁵⁴ and he was the one who heard them and contemplated them. The Israelites, however, heard one voice, as it is said, a great voice, and it went on no more,²⁵⁵ and it is said again, Ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice.²⁵⁶, 4:12. Here also Scripture alluded thereto in saying, And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth,’²⁵⁷ with one vav missing, [thus making it singular, ‘the voice’], for all voices appeared as one. By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is Scripture’s intent in saying, G-d hath spoken once, twice we have heard this.²⁵⁸. The sections of the Torah are thus explained, without anything being changed with another.