Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 24:12/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ד:י״ב

אוַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה עֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה הִיא הַמִּצְוָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ מֵאֶמֶשׁ "עֲלֵה אֶל ה', וְנִגַּשׁ מֹשֶׁה לְבַדּוֹ אֶל ה'" (לעיל פסוקים א-ב), וְעַתָּה בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי הוֹסִיף לוֹ לֵאמֹר "וֶהְיֵה שָׁם וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ", כִּי יִתְעַכֵּב בָּהָר עַד כִּי יִתֵּן אֵלָיו לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה. וַ"אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי" יַחְזֹר עַל הַלּוּחוֹת, וּ"לְהוֹרוֹתָם" עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה. וְשִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב, וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי, וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה לְהוֹרוֹתָם, וְהוּא כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ה כח) וַאֲדַבְּרָה אֵלֶיךָ אֵת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תְּלַמְּדֵם":
וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על שמות כ"ד:י"ב) "אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי" בְּתוֹךְ לוּחוֹת הָאֲבָנִים. "לְהוֹרוֹתָם", שֶׁכָּל שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וּשְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִצְוֹת בְּתוֹךְ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הֵם: ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות כ"ד:י"ב) "הַתּוֹרָה", הַדִּבּוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן וְהַשֵּׁנִי, "וְהַמִּצְוָה", הַשְּׁמוֹנָה הַנִּזְכָּרִים. וְאֵינוֹ כְּלוּם, כִּי הַכָּתוּב בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (שם) "וַאֲדַבְּרָה אֵלֶיךָ", יָעִיד כִּי עַל כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת כֻּלָּן יְדַבֵּר. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (דב"ר ג יב) יִתָּכֵן כִּי יִהְיֶה רֶמֶז שֶׁהָיְתָה כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כְּתוּבָה לְפָנָיו קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְתִּי בִּתְחִלַּת סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית (בהקדמה):

1AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES: ‘COME UP TO ME INTO THE MOUNTAIN.’ This is the same command which He had said to him on the preceeding day [i.e., on the sixth of Sivan], Come up unto the Eternal;⁵⁵¹ and Moses alone shall come near unto the Eternal,⁵⁵² and now on the seventh day of Sivan He said additionally to him, and be there, and I will give thee the Tablets of stone etc., for Moses was to stay on the mountain until He would give him the Tablets of stone, and the law and the commandment. The expression which I have written refers back to the Tablets of stone; that thou mayest teach them relates to the law and the commandment. Thus the meaning of the verse is: “and I will give thee the Tablets of stone which I have written, and the law and the commandment that thou mayest teach them.” This is identical with what He said in the Book of Deuteronomy, And I will speak unto thee all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which thou shalt teach them.⁵⁵³Rashi wrote: “Which I have written in the Tablets of stone.⁵⁵⁴ That thou mayest teach them, for all the six hundred and thirteen commandments are implicit in the Ten Commandments.”⁵⁵⁵ And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “The law, this refers to the first and second commandments; and the commandment refers to the other eight mentioned.” It is a comment of no value, since the verse in Deuteronomy mentioned above, And I will speak unto thee, etc.⁵⁵³ testifies that He is speaking about all the commandments. In accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis it is possible that the expression which I have written is a hint that the whole Torah was written before Him before the creation of the world, as I have mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Genesis.⁵⁵⁶