Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 21:6/רמב"ן על שמות כ״א:ו׳

אוְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים לְב"ד, צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּמָּלֵךְ בְּמוֹכְרָיו שֶׁמְּכָרוּהוּ לוֹ (מכילתא). וְאָמַר ר"א (אבן עזרא על שמות כ"א:ו') כִּי נִקְרְאוּ הַשּׁוֹפְטִים אֱלֹהִים בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהֵם מְקַיְּמֵי מִשְׁפְּטֵי הָאֱלֹהִים בָּאָרֶץ. וּלְדַעְתִּי יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, "עַד הָאֱלֹהִים יָבֹא דְּבַר שְׁנֵיהֶם" (שמות כ"ב:ח'), לִרְמֹז כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים יִהְיֶה עִמָּהֶם בִּדְבַר הַמִּשְׁפָּט, הוּא יַצְדִּיק וְהוּא יַרְשִׁיעַ, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר (שם) "אֲשֶׁר יַרְשִׁיעוּן אֱלֹהִים", וְכָךְ אָמַר מֹשֶׁה "כִּי הַמִּשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהִים הוּא" (דברים א יז). וְכָךְ אָמַר יְהוֹשָׁפָט "כִּי לֹא לְאָדָם תִּשְׁפְּטוּ כִּי לַה' וְעִמָּכֶם בִּדְבַר מִשְׁפָּט" (דהי"ב יט ו). וְכֵן אָמַר הַכָּתוּב "אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט" (תהלים פב א), כְּלוֹמַר בְּקֶרֶב עֲדַת אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט, כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים הוּא הַשּׁוֹפֵט. וְכֵן אָמַר "וְעָמְדוּ שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם הָרִיב לִפְנֵי ה'" (דברים יט יז). וְזֶה טַעַם "כִּי לֹא אַצְדִּיק רָשָׁע" (שמות כ"ג:ז') עַל הַפֵּרוּשׁ הַנָּכוֹן. וּבְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת רַבָּה (שמות רבה ל':כ"ד) רָאִיתִי אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַדַּיָּן יוֹשֵׁב וְדָן בֶּאֱמֶת, כִּבְיָכוֹל מַנִּיחַ הקב"ה שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וּמַשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בְּצִדּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שופטים ב יח) "כִּי הֵקִים ה' לָהֶם שֹׁפְטִים וְהָיָה ה' עִם הַשֹּׁפֵט":

1THEN HIS MASTER SHALL BRING HIM UNTO ‘HA’ELOHIM’ — “to the court. The servant must take counsel with those who sold him.”⁵¹ [Thus is the language of Rashi.] And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the judges are called elohim because they uphold the laws of G-d on earth.In my opinion Scripture uses these expressions: Then his master shall bring him unto ‘ha’elohim;’ the cause of both parties shall come before ‘ha’elohim,’⁵² in order to indicate that G-d will be with the judges in giving their judgment. It is He Who declares who is just, and it is He Who declares who is wicked. It is with reference to this that Scripture says, he whom ‘Elokim’ (G-d) shall condemn.⁵² And so did Moses say, for the judgment is G-d’s;⁵³ so also did Jehoshaphat say, for ye judge not for man, but for the Eternal, and He is with you in giving judgment.⁵⁴ Similarly Scripture says, G-d standeth in the congregation of G-d; in the midst of ‘elohim’ (the judges) He judgeth,⁵⁵ that is to say, in the midst of a congregation of judges He judges, for it is G-d Who is the Judge. And so also it says, Then both men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Eternal.⁵⁶ And this is the purport of the verse, For I will not justify the wicked,⁵⁷ according to the correct interpretation. In Eileh Shemoth Rabbah I have seen it said:⁵⁸ “But when the judge sits and renders judgment in truth, the Holy One, blessed be He, leaves, as it were, the supreme heavens and causes His Presence to dwell next to him, for it is said, When the Eternal raised them up judges, then the Eternal was with the judge.⁵⁹

בוַעֲבָדוֹ לְעוֹלָם פֵּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (במכילתא כאן) כִּי הוּא עַד הַיּוֹבֵל. וְאָמַר ר"א (אבן עזרא על שמות כ"א:ו') כִּי פֵּרוּשׁ "עוֹלָם" זְמַן בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, "כְּבָר הָיָה לְעֹלָמִים אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִלְּפָנֵינוּ" (קהלת א י), זְמַנִּים, "וְיָשַׁב שָׁם עַד עוֹלָם" (שמואל א א':כ"ב). וְלָכֵן אָמַר וַעֲבָדוֹ לְעוֹלָם, לִזְמַנּוֹ שֶׁל יוֹבֵל, שֶׁאֵין בְּמוֹעֲדֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל זְמַן אָרֹךְ מִמֶּנּוּ, וִיצִיאַת חֵרוּת כְּאִלּוּ עוֹלָם מִתְחַדֵּשׁ לוֹ, וְיִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁוֹ שֶׁיָּשׁוּב לִזְמַנּוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁהָיָה חָפְשִׁי. וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין כִּי "לְעוֹלָם" כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, כִּי הָעוֹבֵד עַד הַיּוֹבֵל עָבַד כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם. וּלְשׁוֹן מְכִילְתָּא (כאן) רַבִּי אוֹמֵר בֹּא וּרְאֵה שֶׁאֵין עוֹלָם אֶלָּא חֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַעֲבָדוֹ לְעוֹלָם", עַד הַיּוֹבֵל. וְשָׁכַח ר"א מַה שֶׁהִשְׂכִּיל וְכָתַב בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:

2AND HE SHALL SERVE HIM ‘L’OLAM’ (FOREVER). Our Rabbis interpreted⁶⁰ this to mean until the jubilee year. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that “the meaning of olam in the Sacred Language is ‘time.’ It hath been already, ‘l’olamim’ which were before us means ‘the times’ [or ‘the ages’] which were before us.⁶¹ And there he may abide ‘ad olam’⁶² [cannot mean ‘forever,’ for Samuel did not stay all his life in Shiloh; it must therefore mean ‘until a certain time,’ i.e., until he comes of age]. This is why the Rabbis have said, and he shall serve him l’olam means up to the time of the jubilee year, for of all appointed seasons in Israel the jubilee year is the most remote, and the going out to freedom is as if the world was made anew for him. The sense of the verse is then, that he should return to his status in his first time, when he was free.” The student learned [in the mystic lore of the Cabala] will understand that l’olam is to be taken in its usual sense [i.e., forever], for he who works until the jubilee year has worked all the days of old.⁶³ In the words of the Mechilta:⁶⁰ “Rabbi⁶⁴, “Our holy teacher,” or simply “Rabbi.” says: Come and see that olam cannot mean more than fifty years, for it is said and he shall serve him ‘l’olam,’ which means until the jubilee year.” Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra forgot that which he wrote with understanding in another place.⁶⁵: “This is what the Rabbis have received by tradition concerning the verse, and he shall serve him ‘l’olam,” meaning that he is to serve him until the jubilee year.” Thus Ibn Ezra did understand the verses there and found in them Scriptural proof that olam means fifty years, whilst here he wrote that it means “time.” Apparently, “he forgot” — as Ramban puts it — “what he wrote with understanding elsewhere.”