Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 19:3/רמב"ן על שמות י״ט:ג׳
אוּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים מִיּוֹם בּוֹאָם אֶל הַר סִינַי כִּסָּה הֶעָנָן אֶת הָהָר וְשָׁם כְּבוֹד ה', וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות כ"ד:ט"ז) "וַיִּשְׁכֹּן כְּבוֹד ה' עַל הַר סִינַי וַיְכַסֵּהוּ הֶעָנָן שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים", קֹדֶם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה (יומא ד.), וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמַר וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, כִּי עָלָה אֶל קְצֵה הָהָר לְהִזְדַּמֵּן לְפָנָיו, וְלֹא בָּא אֶל הָעֲרָפֶל אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו הַשֵּׁם מֵרֹאשׁ הָהָר כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות י"ט:ג') כִּי "וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו" מֻקְדָּם, שֶׁקָּרָא לוֹ וְעָלָה אֵלָיו. וְלֹא נִרְאֶה לִי, כִּי הַקְּרִיאָה הִיא כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב, וְהוּא יְפָרֵשׁ וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר לוֹ "כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב". וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן. וְטַעַם עֲלֵה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו ה', כִּי עָלָה אֶל כְּבוֹד הַשֵּׁם שֶׁשָּׁכַן בָּהָר לֵאמֹר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, וּבִשְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל יְדַבֵּר עִם מֹשֶׁה, כְּטַעַם "אִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם" וְגוֹ' (במדבר יב ו-ח):
1AND MOSES WENT UP UNTO G-D. From the day they arrived at Mount Sinai, the cloud covered the mountain and the Glory of G-d was there. It is with reference to this that Scripture says, And the Glory of the Eternal abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days,149 i.e., before the Giving of the Torah. It is for this reason that Scripture says here, And Moses went up unto G-d, meaning that he went up to the edge of the mountain to be ready for Him, but he did not penetrate the thick darkness where G-d was.150, 20:18. And the Eternal called unto him from the top of the mountain, saying: Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob.And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the expression, and He called unto him, is an antecedent, meaning that He had called him [to come up to the mountain] and he went up to Him. But this does not appear to me to be correct, for the calling [mentioned in Scripture after Moses ascended the mountain] was: Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob. Now Ibn Ezra explains the verse to mean as follows: “And the Eternal called unto him to say151, which is generally taken to mean “saying,” as meaning “to say.” The sense of the verse is thus: And Moses went up to G-d, for He had called him out of the mountain to tell him, “Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, etc.” to him, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob.” But this is not correct.The meaning of the expression, he went up unto G-d, and the Eternal called unto him, is that Moses went up towards the Glory of G-d, which was abiding on the mountain to declare the Ten Commandments to Israel, and with His Great Name [the Tetragrammaton] He would speak with Moses, as is the meaning of the verse, If there be a prophet among you, etc.152 (Verses 6-8). See also Ramban in this chapter, further, Verse 20.