Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 32:18/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ב:י״ח

אוְטַעַם קוֹל עַנּוֹת אָנֹכִי שֹׁמֵעַ אֵינֶנּוּ מִפְּנֵי יְדִיעָתוֹ הַדָּבָר, כִּי הָיָה אוֹמֵר קוֹל עַנּוֹת הוּא, אֲבָל הַטַּעַם כִּי מֹשֶׁה אָב בְּחָכְמָה הוּא וּמַכִּיר נִגּוּנֵי הַקּוֹלוֹת, וְאָמַר כִּי קוֹל עַנּוֹת הוּא הַנִּשְׁמָע אֵלָיו וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בַּהַגָּדָה (במדרש רבה קהלת ט יא) שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה מִי שֶׁעָתִיד לִנְהֹג שְׂרָרָה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינוֹ מַבְחִין בֵּין קוֹל לְקוֹל. וְהִנֵּה מֹשֶׁה בְּעַנְוְתָנוּתוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה לֹא הִגִּיד הָעִנְיָן לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, כִּי לֹא רָצָה לְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲבָל אָמַר לוֹ כִּי קוֹל שְׂחוֹק הוּא:

1THE NOISE OF THEM THAT SING DO I HEAR.³⁵⁵ The meaning of this is not that Moses knew the matter to be so, for in that case he would have said, “It is the noise of them that sing” [instead of saying, “do I hear”]. Rather, its meaning is that since Moses was the father of wisdom,³⁵⁶ 1. See also in Vol. I, pp. 9-10. and recognized the musical character of all sounds, he said that it was a noise of singing which was being heard by him. The Rabbis have likewise said in an Agadah³⁵⁷ that Moses told Joshua, “Is it possible that one who is destined to be the leader of Israel cannot distinguish between the different kinds of sounds?” Now Moses in his great humility did not tell Joshua the cause of the noise, as he did not want to speak of the disgrace of Israel, and so instead he told him that it was a noise of merriment.