Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 2:6/רמב"ן על שמות ב׳:ו׳
אוְהִנֵּה נַעַר בּוֹכֶה קוֹלוֹ נִשְׁמָע כְּנַעַר, לְשׁוֹן רַבֵּינוּ שְׁלֹמֹה. וּכְבָר דָּחוּ זֶה וְאָמְרוּ אִם כֵּן עָשִׂיתָ לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ בַּעַל מוּם (סוטה יב: שמו"ר א' כ"ח). וְעוֹד, מָה טַעַם שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב עֳבִי קוֹלוֹ. ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות ב':ו') שֶׁהָיוּ אֵיבָרָיו גְּדוֹלִים כְּנַעַר. וְאוּלַי הִזְכִּיר זֶה לְיָפְיוֹ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר טוּבוֹ וְיָפְיוֹ חָמְלָה עָלָיו, כִּי הִכִּירָה בּוֹ שֶׁנּוֹלַד מִקָּרוֹב וְאֵבָרָיו יָפִים וּמְתֻקָּנִים כְּאִלּוּ הוּא נַעַר. וְיוֹתֵר נָכוֹן שֶׁנְּפָרֵשׁ בּוֹ שֶׁהָיָה בּוֹכֶה כְּנַעַר בַּחֲרִיצוּת וּזְרִיזוּת, וְלָכֵן חָמְלָה עָלָיו. וְאַגָּדָה נַעַר בּוֹכֶה, יֶלֶד הָיָה וּמִנְהָגוֹ כְּנַעַר, בָּא גַּבְרִיאֵל וְהִכָּהוּ לְמֹשֶׁה כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּבְכֶּה וְתִתְמַלֵּא עָלָיו רַחֲמִים (שמו"ר א כח):
וְעַל דַּעְתִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ לְכָל זֶה, כִּי הַיֶּלֶד מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ יִקָּרֵא נַעַר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנַּעַר הַיּוּלָּד" (שופטים יג ח), וְכֵן "וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים בְּעַד הַנָּעַר" (שמואל ב י"ב:ט"ז). וְיִקָּרֵא יֶלֶד וְהוּא גָּדוֹל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּיִשְׁמָעֵאל (בראשית כא טו), וְכֵן "וְהַנַּעַר נָעַר" (שמואל א א':כ"ד), רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא יֶלֶד קָטָן בֶּן כ"ד חֳדָשִׁים. כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר נִגְמַל מֵחָלָב מִיָּד הֶעֱלַתְהוּ, כְּדִכְתִיב (שם שם כ"ג כ"ד) "וַתֵּינֶק אֶת בְּנָהּ עַד גָּמְלָהּ אֹתוֹ וַתַּעֲלֵהוּ עִמָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר גְּמָלַתּוּ":
וְעַל דַּעְתִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ לְכָל זֶה, כִּי הַיֶּלֶד מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ יִקָּרֵא נַעַר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנַּעַר הַיּוּלָּד" (שופטים יג ח), וְכֵן "וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים בְּעַד הַנָּעַר" (שמואל ב י"ב:ט"ז). וְיִקָּרֵא יֶלֶד וְהוּא גָּדוֹל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּיִשְׁמָעֵאל (בראשית כא טו), וְכֵן "וְהַנַּעַר נָעַר" (שמואל א א':כ"ד), רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא יֶלֶד קָטָן בֶּן כ"ד חֳדָשִׁים. כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר נִגְמַל מֵחָלָב מִיָּד הֶעֱלַתְהוּ, כְּדִכְתִיב (שם שם כ"ג כ"ד) "וַתֵּינֶק אֶת בְּנָהּ עַד גָּמְלָהּ אֹתוֹ וַתַּעֲלֵהוּ עִמָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר גְּמָלַתּוּ":
1AND BEHOLD IT WAS A WEEPING LAD. “His voice sounded like that of a grown lad.”69. Hence, in accordance with Rabbi Yehudah’s opinion in Sotah 12 b, Rashi construed that he was a child with the voice of a young lad. Thus the language of Rabbeinu Shlomo. Now the Rabbis have already rejected this opinion, saying,70). “If so, you have made Moses our teacher appear as having a blemish [and being unfit for Levitical service in the Tabernacle].”71 Besides, what reason is there for Scripture to mention his unnatural voice?And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that his limbs were developed as that of a young lad. Perhaps Scripture mentioned this in order to denote the child’s beauty. It was due to his exquisite beautiful appearance that she [the princess] had compassion for him since she recognized that he had been recently born and yet his limbs were well-developed like those of a lad.A more correct interpretation is that his was a strong and unrelenting cry like that of a lad, and therefore she had compassion for him. A homiletic exposition has it:72 “A weeping lad. He was a child whose behavior was that of a lad [who is not prone to crying]. At that moment, the angel Gabriel came and struck him so that he would cry and she would be compassionate towards him.”In my opinion there is no need for all this. From the day of his birth, a child is called na’ar (lad) [in Scripture], as it is said, What shall we do ‘lana’ar’ (to the lad) that shall be born?73 Similarly, And David besought G-d for ‘hana’ar’ (the lad).74 Conversely, Scripture calls a grown lad yeled (child), as it is said in the case of Ishmael.75 (Genesis 21:15). At that time, Ishmael was seventeen years old. (See Ramban, Vol. I, p. 270, and Note 329, ibid.). Yet he is called yeled. Similarly, ‘v’hana’ar na’ar’ (and the lad was young),76. meaning that he [Samuel] was a young child of twenty-four months. As soon as she [his mother, Hannah] had weaned him, she brought him up to Shiloh, as it is written, And she gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her.77, Verses 23-24.
בוַתֹּאמֶר מִיַּלְדֵי הָעִבְרִים זֶה נָתְנָה אֶל לִבָּהּ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה, כִּי אָמְרָה לְבַעֲבוּר הַצִּיל אוֹתוֹ אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ בְּמוֹת הַיֶּלֶד שָׂמוּהוּ שָׁם, וְאִישׁ מִצְרִי לָמָּה יַעֲשֶׂה כֵן. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁרָאַתְהוּ נִמּוֹל (סוטה יב. שמו"ר א כט). וְאִם כֵּן הֵסִירָה בְּגָדָיו וּבָדְקָה בּוֹ. וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ:
2AND SHE SAID, THIS IS ONE OF THE HEBREWS’ CHILDREN. [She came to this conclusion because] contemplating what happened, she said [that his mother had done it] in order to save him or that she had placed him there so that she might not look upon the death of her child, and why should an Egyptian do that? Some Rabbis say78 that [she knew he was a Hebrew because] she saw that he was circumcised. If so, [we must assume that] she removed his clothes and examined him. But there is no need for this.79