Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 28:28/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ח:כ״ח

אוְלֹא יִזַּח הַחֹשֶׁן לְשׁוֹן נִתּוּק, וּלְשׁוֹן עַרְבִי הוּא, כְּדִבְרֵי דּוּנָשׁ בֶּן לַבְּרָאט, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות כ"ח:כ"ח). וְהַקָּרוֹב אֵלַי כִּי הוּא כְּמוֹ יִסַּח, מִן "בֵּית גֵּאִים יִסַּח ה'" (משלי טו כה), "וּבוֹגְדִים יִסְּחוּ מִמֶּנָּה" (שם ב כב), עִנְיַן נְתִיצָה וְנִתּוּק, בְּחִלּוּף הַסָּמֶ"ךְ וְהַזַּיִ"ן, כְּמוֹ "יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְּכָבוֹד" (תהלים קמט ה), "נִתְעַלְּסָה בָּאֳהָבִים" (משלי ז יח). "וְנִתַּצְתֶּם אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָם" (דברים יב ג), "נָתְסוּ נְתִיבֹתַי" (איוב ל יג). וְכֵן "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַבַּיִת מַסָּח" (מלכים ב י"א:ו'), מֵהִנָּתֵץ, יַזְהִירֵם שֶׁלֹּא יִפָּרֵד אֶחָד מֵהֶם וִינַתֵּץ אֶת הַמִּשְׁמָר: וְאוּלַי גַּם כֵּן "וּלְמֵזַח תָּמִיד יַחְגְּרֶהָ" (תהלים קט יט), לְהֶרֶס וּנְתִיצָה, יֹאמַר שֶׁיַּחְגֹּר הַקְּלָלָה תָּמִיד עַד שֶׁיֵּהָרֵס וְיִנָּתֵץ בָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲחֵרִים מִתְאַזְּרִים בַּחֲגוֹרָתָם. "אֵין מֵזַח עוֹד" (ישעיה כג י), אֵין הֲרִיסָה עוֹד, יֹאמַר לְצוֹר, עִבְרִי בְּאַנְשֵׁי אַרְצֵךְ כַּיְאֹר אֶל אֶרֶץ תַּרְשִׁישׁ שֶׁהָיְתָה סוֹחַרְתֵּךְ, וְאֵין הֲרִיסָה וּפֵרוּד עוֹד, שֶׁלֹּא יִפָּרֵד אֶחָד מִכֻּלְּכֶם מִשָּׁם וְלֹא יָשׁוּב לְצוֹר כִּי תֶּחֱרַב לְגַמְרֵי. הַנִּפְרָד מִמַּעֲמַד חֲבֵרָיו יִקָּרֵא "הוֹרֵס", כִּלְשׁוֹן "אַל יֶהֶרְסוּ אֶל ה' לִרְאוֹת" (שמות י"ט:כ"ד), וּכְתִיב "מִמַּעֲמָדְךָ יֶהֶרְסֶךָ" (ישעיה כב יט), וְכֵן "וּמְזִיחַ אֲפִיקִים רִפָּה" (איוב יב כא), נְתִיצַת הָאֲפִיקִים, הֵם הַנְּחָלִים הַשּׁוֹטְפִים וְהוֹרְסִים הֶהָרִים וְהַגֵּאָיוֹת. וּמֵזַח בְּשֶׁקֶל מֵצַח, שְׁנֵיהֶם בַּעֲלֵי הַנּוּ"ן, כִּי הוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן נִצּוּחַ, כִּי חֹזֶק הָרֹאשׁ בַּמֵּצַח:

1AND THE BREASTPLATE SHALL NOT BE ‘YIZACH’ (LOOSENED) FROM THE EPHOD. “Yizach is an expression of ‘breaking away’. It is an Arabic expression, as Dunash ben Labrat explained.”⁵⁹ This is Rashi’s language.It appears likely to me, however, that yizach is like yisach (break away), which is associated with the expressions: The Eternal ‘yisach’ (will pluck up) the house of the proud;⁶⁰ and the faithless ‘yis’chu’ (shall be plucked up) out of it⁶¹, 2:22. — referring to breaking and plucking, and the letter samech (in yisach), is interchanged with the letter zayin (of yizach), just as in the verses: let the saints ‘ya’alzu’ (exult) in glory;⁶² is with a zayin. ‘nithalsa’ (let us solace ourselves) with loves;⁶³. ‘v’nitatztem’ (and ye shall break down) their altars;⁶⁴ ‘nathsu’ (they break up) my path.⁶⁵ interchanges with the samech of the above verse. See in this connection Vol. I, p. 485. Similarly, and they shall keep the watch of the house ‘masach’⁶⁶ — from being torn away; he. [Jehoiada the priest] thus warned the guard that not one of them should leave his position and thus cause the watch to be broken. Perhaps the following verse can also be explained on this basis: ‘ulmeizach’ wherewith he is girded continually,⁶⁷ which means “for separation and breaking,” the verse stating that the wicked shall always be girded with the curse until they will be destroyed and broken up by it, just as others gird themselves with a girdle. There is no ‘meizach’ any more⁶⁸ — there is no more separation, the prophet [Isaiah] telling the people of Tyre: “overflow with the people of your land as the Nile to the land of Tarshish your trafficker; there will be no more separation and scattering for you — for not one will be separated from you there [in the hope of returning to his city], since he will not return to Tyre, because it will have been destroyed completely.” The term horeis applies to one who separates himself from the station of his colleagues, just as in the expression, let them not ‘yehersu’ (break through) towards the Eternal to see,⁶⁹ and it is written, and from thy station ‘yehersecha’ (shalt thou be pulled down).⁷⁰ Similarly: He looseth ‘meziach aphikim’⁷¹ — He abates the destruction of the aphikim, which are flooding rivers that inundate mountains and valleys. The term meizach⁶⁸ is in the same form as meitzach (forehead), both of them having the letter nun missing,⁷² (forehead) is of the root nitzuach (victory), since the strength of the head is in the forehead. Likewise the word meizah is of the root nosach or nozach which means pull or tear away. as [meitzach] is of the root nitzuach (enduring, victory), for the strength of the head is in the forehead.