Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 33:6/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ג:ו׳
אוְטַעַם וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֶדְיָם כִּי בְּשָׁמְעָם זֶה הִתְנַצְּלוּ וַיִּתְפָּרְקוּ מִכָּל עֲדִי יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶׁעָשׂוּ תְּחִלָּה. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות ל"ג:ו') שֶׁתִּרְגֵּם בַּ"עֲדִי", "תִּקּוּן זֵין", דַּעְתּוֹ כְּדִבְרֵי הָאוֹמֵר בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (עיין שמו"ר מה ב) זֵינָאוֹת חָגַר לָהֶם, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁחָגַר לָהֶם הקב"ה בִּשְׁעַת מַתַּן תּוֹרָה כְּלֵי זַיִן לְהִנָּצֵל מִכָּל פֶּגַע וּמִמַּלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ (שמו"ר לב א) "חָרוּת עַל הַלּוּחוֹת" (שמות ל"ב:ט"ז), חֵרוּת מִמַּלְאָךְ הַמָּוֶת, וְהֵם שְׁמוֹתָיו שֶׁל הקב"ה. וְהִנֵּה יִשְׂרָאֵל קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הַמִּיתָה בִּרְצוֹן נַפְשָׁם מִפְּנֵי עֹנֶשׁ הָעֵגֶל, וְזֶה עִנְיַן תְּשׁוּבָה גְּדוֹלָה וַחֲרָטָה בְּחֶטְאָם:
1AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL STRIPPED THEMSELVES OF THEIR ORNAMENTS. The meaning of this is that when they heard this declaration, they stripped and divested themselves of all their ornaments, even more so than they had done before. Now Onkelos who translated the word edi (ornament) as “the equipment of armor,” was in agreement with the opinion of the Sage430 in Bereshith Rabbah431 who said “He tied them with belts.” That is to say, at the time of the Giving of the Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, girded them with weapons of armor to save them from all mishaps and the angel of death, just as the Rabbis have interpreted:432 “‘charuth’ (graven) upon the Tablets433 — ‘cheiruth’ (freedom) from the angel of death” [was given to the Israelites together with the Tablets of the Law], these [weapons of armor] being the Names of the Holy One, blessed be He.434 Thus Israel now accepted upon themselves death from their own free will as a form of punishment for the incident of the calf. This was indeed an expression of great repentance and regret for their sin.