Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 19:5/רמב"ן על שמות י״ט:ה׳

אוְטַעַם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת בְּרִיתִי הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים וּלְזַרְעָם אַחֲרֵיהֶם (בראשית יז ז). ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות י"ט:ה'), הַבְּרִית שֶׁיִּכְרֹת מֹשֶׁה עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחַר מַתַּן תּוֹרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שמות כ"ד:ח') "הִנֵּה דַם הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת ה' עִמָּכֶם עַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה": וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת, שֶׁתִּשְׁמְרוּ אֶת בְּרִיתִי לְדָבְקָה בִּי, (שמות כ"ג:כ"ב) "כִּי אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקֹלוֹ וְעָשִׂיתָ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אֲדַבֵּר":

1AND YE WILL KEEP MY COVENANT. I.e., “the covenant which I have made with your fathers to be a G-d unto them and to their seed after them.”¹⁵³ Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it as referring to the covenant which Moses was to make with Israel after the Giving of the Torah, as he said, Behold, the blood of the covenant, which the Eternal hath made with you in agreement with all these words.¹⁵⁴By way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala, the verse is to be understood as meaning] that “you should keep My covenant to cleave unto Me, for if thou shalt indeed hearken unto My voice and do all that I speak,¹⁵⁵, 23:22.

בוִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים שֶׁתִּהְיוּ בְּיָדִי סְגֻלָּה, כְּדָבָר נֶחְמָד לֹא יִמְסְרֶנּוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּיַד אַחֵר, כְּמוֹ "וּסְגֻלַּת מְלָכִים וְהַמְּדִינוֹת" (קהלת ב ח): וְאָמַר כִּי לִי כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּטַעַם "אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה' אֹתָם לְכֹל הָעַמִּים, וְאֶתְכֶם לָקַח ה'" (דברים ד יט כ). וְכָךְ אָמַר "וָאַבְדִּל אֶתְכֶם מִן הָעַמִּים לִהְיוֹת לִי" (ויקרא כ כז): אוֹ יִהְיֶה "סְגֻלָּה" דְּבֵקוּת, כִּי לִי הָאָרֶץ הַנִּקְרֵאת "כֹּל", כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בַּפָּסוּק "וַה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל" (בראשית כד א) וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין: וְכֵן "וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי" (שמות י"ט:ו'), שֶׁתִּהְיוּ אַתֶּם לִי בְּיִחוּד, וְלֹא כִּשְׁאָר הָעַמִּים. וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא (שם), וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי, כִּבְיָכוֹל אֵינִי מַעֲמִיד וְאֵינִי מַשְׁלִיט עֲלֵיכֶם אֶלָּא אֲנִי, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר "הִנֵּה לֹא יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל" (תהלים קכא ד):

2then ye shalt be Mine own ‘s’gulah’ (treasure) from among all peoples.”¹⁵⁶ This means that “you will be a treasure ‘in My hand,’” for a king does not hand over a precious object into the hand of another [for permanent possession]. The word s’gulah here is similar in meaning to the expression: ‘us’gulath’ (and treasure) such as kings and the provinces have as their own.¹⁵⁷ FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE. This is similar in meaning to the verses: Which the Eternal thy G-d hath allotted unto all the peoples… But you hath the Eternal taken.¹⁵⁸ And thus He said, “And I have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be Mine¹⁵⁹ [own] treasure.” It may be that the word s’gulah connotes “attachment.” [The sense of the verse would then be: “and you shall be attached to Me from among all peoples], for unto Me is the earth called kol (all),” as I have explained on the verse, And the Eternal had blessed Abraham ‘bakol’ (in all things).¹⁶⁰ The student learned [in the mystic lore of the Cabala] will understand. Similarly, And ye shall be unto me¹⁶¹ means that “you will be Mine in a special sense, and not as the rest of the peoples.” And so did the Rabbis interpret it in the Mechilta:¹⁶² “And ye shall be unto Me. As though it were possible to say it, [He is stating], ‘I shall neither appoint nor delegate [any power] to rule over you, but I Myself will rule over you.’ And thus it says, Behold He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.”¹⁶³