Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 32:7/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ב:ז׳

אכִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ אָמַר הַשֵּׁם לְמֹשֶׁה כִּי עָשׂוּ שְׁתַּיִם רָעוֹת, הָאַחַת, כִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ, וְעִנְיַן הַהַשְׁחָתָה הֲרִיסַת בִּנְיָן, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְאִישׁ כְּלִי מַשְׁחֵתוֹ בְּיָדוֹ" (יחזקאל ט א), "הִנְנִי אֵלֶיךָ הַר הַמַּשְׁחִית" (ירמיה נא כה), בָּבֶל הַהוֹרֵס כָּל חוֹמָה וּמִגְדָּל, וּפֵרוּשׁ הַהַשְׁחָתָה בְּכָאן הַדָּבָר שֶׁקָּרְאוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מְקַצֵּץ בַּנְּטִיעוֹת. וְהַשֵּׁנִי, כִּי עָשׂוּ עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ וַיִּזְבְּחוּ לוֹ: וְהִנֵּה הָעֲבֵרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה לֹא יֵדָעֶנָּה רַק הַשֵּׁם לְבַדּוֹ שֶׁהוּא יוֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלוּמוֹת לֵב, וְהַשֵּׁנִית מַעֲשֵׂה הַזּוֹבְחִים הַחוֹטְאִים שֶׁבָּהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי. וְהִנֵּה רֹב הָעָם חָטְאוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, כִּי כֵן כָּתוּב וַיִּתְפָּרְקוּ כָּל הָעָם אֶת נִזְמֵי הַזָּהָב, וְלוּלֵי זֶה לֹא הָיָה הַכַּעַס בְּכֻלָּם לְכַלּוֹתָם. וְהִנֵּה הַנֶּהֱרָגִים וְהַנִּגָּפִים מוּעָטִים, כִּי בְּרֻבָּם הָיָה הַחֵטְא בְּמַחְשָׁבָה רָעָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי:

1FOR THY PEOPLE HAVE DEALT CORRUPTLY. G-d said to Moses that they have committed two evils.³⁰⁵ One is that thy people have dealt corruptly. The meaning of the term hashchathah (corruption) is destruction of a structure, similar to that which is said, every man with his weapon of ‘mashchetho’ (destruction) in his hand;³⁰⁶ behold, I am against thee, ‘hamashchith’ (O destroying) mountain³⁰⁷ — Babylon — which destroyed every wall and tower [of the fortified cities]. And the meaning of “the destruction” here is that which our Rabbis have called³⁰⁸ “mutilating the shoots,” [of faith, by seeking to undermine the principle of the Unity]. Secondly, they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it.³⁰¹ Now as regards the first transgression it was known only to G-d, for it is He Who knoweth the secrets of the heart,³⁰⁹ but the second one, [the open disregard of the Law] was by the sinners amongst them, as I have explained, [in bringing sacrifices to the golden calf; and that was a matter known to all]. Now most of the people shared in the sin of the incident of the calf, for so it is written, And all the people pulled off the golden pendants.²⁹¹ And were it not for this [participation of theirs in the incident], the anger [of G-d] would not have been directed against them to destroy them all. For even though the numbers of those who were killed for this sin³¹⁰. and those smitten by G-d³¹¹ were few [in comparison to the total number of the people, this was because] most of them shared in the sin only in their evil thought [and not in action], as I have explained.

בוְטַעַם אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלֵיתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם יוּבַן מִפָּסוּק "וַיַּסַּע מֹשֶׁה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּם סוּף" (שמות ט"ו:כ"ב), אוֹ שֶׁרָצָה לוֹמַר לוֹ כְּמַאֲמָרָם אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ "כִּי זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם", וְכֵן בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ט יב) "אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ מִמִּצְרַיִם", כִּי עַל יָדְךָ יָצְאוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵם אוֹמְרִים. וּמֹשֶׁה אָמַר בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ "אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֹל וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה" (שמות ל"ב:י"א), כִּי אַתָּה לְבַדְּךָ הוּא הַמּוֹצִיא, כִּי לְךָ הַכֹּחַ וְהַגְּבוּרָה, כִּי "בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֹל" יְמִין ה' נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ, "וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה" יְמִין ה' תִּרְעַץ אוֹיֵב (שמות ט"ו:ו'). וְכֵן אָמַר "בְּכֹחֲךָ הַגָּדוֹל וּבִזְרוֹעֲךָ הַנְּטוּיָה" (דברים ט כט), כַּאֲשֶׁר רָמַזְתִּי (לעיל טו ו ד"ה ימינך) בְּסוֹד מִדַּת הַזְּרוֹעַ:

2THAT THOU [i.e., Moses] BROUGHTEST UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. This is to be understood in the light of the verse, And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea.³¹² Or it may be that G-d wanted to tell it to Moses in the same way as the people had said it — for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt.³¹³ Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy, He said, thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt,³¹⁴ meaning that through you [Moses] they have gone out of Egypt, as they say. But in his prayer Moses said, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand,³¹⁵ meaning that You alone are the One Who took them out of Egypt, for Yours is the might and the power; for it was with great power that Thy right hand, O Eternal is glorious in power,³¹⁶ and with a mighty hand Thy right hand, O Eternal dasheth in pieces the enemy.³¹⁶ Similarly it is said, by Thy great power and by Thy outstretched arm,³¹⁷ as I have hinted at³¹⁶ in connection with the secret of the attribute of the Arm.