Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 23:12/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ג:י״ב

אלְמַעַן יָנוּחַ שׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמֹרֶךָ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמִּלַּת "לְמַעַן" כְּמוֹ "בַּעֲבוּר" נְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲשֶׂה כָּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ בַּבַּיִת וּבַשָּׂדֶה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיָּנוּחַ בַּשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּן אֲמָתְךָ וְהַגֵּר לִהְיוֹת כֻּלָּם עֵדִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, כְּטַעַם "אֵת אֲשֶׁר תֹּאפוּ אֵפוּ" (שמות ט"ז:כ"ג), וְכֵן אָמַר (שם כ ט) "שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ", כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם:

1L’MA’AN’ (THAT) THINE OX AND THINE ASS MAY HAVE REST. Because the word l’ma’an is like ba’avur (“in order that”), we must explain³⁶⁴ neither can it be referring to a case where the owner works together with the animal, for if that were so, why does the Torah not mention that the reason is that he himself should have rest? Hence Ramban explains the verse in the following way: “Six days thou shalt do thy work in such a manner as if it were all completed by the Sabbath-day, so that the animal can have rest by itself on that day.” that the verse is stating: “Six days you shall do all your work in the house and in the field, in order that the ox and the ass may have rest on the seventh day. And the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed — in order that they all be witnesses to the Creation.” The verse here is then similar in meaning to: Bake that which ye will bake.³⁶⁵ Similarly He said, Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work,³⁶⁶, 20:9. as I have explained there.