Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 32:16/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ב:ט״ז
אוְהַלֻּחֹת מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה הַלּוּחוֹת בַּפָּסוּק "וַיִּתֵּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה" (שמות ל"א:י"ח), כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר "כְּתוּבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים". אֲבָל הִזְכִּירוֹ בְּכָאן לְסַפֵּר בְּמַעֲלָתָן, לוֹמַר כִּי לֹא נִמְנַע מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל זֶה מִלְּשַׁבֵּר אוֹתָם, כִּי חָרָה לוֹ בִּרְאוֹתוֹ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הָרַע הַהוּא, וְלֹא יָכוֹל לְהִתְאַפֵּק. אוֹ כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (בשמות רבה ט יא) שֶׁפָּרַח הַכְּתָב עַתָּה בְּבוֹאוֹ בִּגְבוּל הָעֵגֶל בִּמְקוֹם הַטֻּמְאָה וְהַחֵטְא:
1AND THE TABLETS WERE THE WORK OF G-D. It would have been proper for Scripture to mention everything connected with the work of the Tablets of the Law in the verse, And He gave unto Moses [… the two Tablets of the Testimony],353 as He said [there], written with the finger of G-d.353 It is, however, mentioned here in order to tell of their high distinction [that they were the work of G-d], thus stating that despite all this Moses did not hesitate to break them, because he was angered upon seeing that evil sight and he could not restrain himself from breaking them. Or the matter may be as our Rabbis have mentioned,354 that the writing vanished from the Tablets as he approached the border [of the camp] where the calf was, the place of defilement and transgression.