Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 34:27/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ד:כ״ז

אכְּתָב לְךָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה צִוָּה שֶׁיִּכְתֹּב סֵפֶר בְּרִית וְיִקְרָא אוֹתוֹ בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם, וִיקַבְּלוּהוּ עֲלֵיהֶם בְּנַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה (שמו"ר מז ב), כִּי כָל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בַּלּוּחוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת יִרְצֶה לִשְׁנוֹתוֹ עִמָּהֶם בַּלּוּחוֹת הַשְּׁנִיּוֹת. וְאֵין סָפֵק שֶׁעָשָׂה כֵן, אֲבָל לֹא חָשַׁשׁ הַכָּתוּב לְהַאֲרִיךְ לֵאמֹר וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן מֹשֶׁה, כַּאֲשֶׁר הֶרְאִיתִיךָ בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים (לעיל י ב, ועוד): וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל הֵם הַחוֹטְאִים וְהָעוֹבְרִים עַל הַבְּרִית, הֻצְרַךְ הקב"ה לְחַדֵּשׁ לָהֶם בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה שֶׁלֹּא יָפֵר הוּא לָהֶם בְּרִיתוֹ, וְאָמַר, לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁיִּכְתֹּב הַתְּנָאִין, וְזֶה טַעַם כִּי עַל פִּי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כָּרַתִּי אִתְּךָ בְּרִית וְאֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְטַעַם אִתְּךָ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּרְךָ עָשִׂיתִי עִמָּהֶם, וְלֹא הֻצְרְכוּ הֵם לְהָבִיא עַצְמָם בְּמָסֹרֶת הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת, אֲבָל הוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ הִצְרִיךְ לִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית בַּמְּחִילָה שֶׁמָּחַל לָהֶם, וְכָתַב הַמְּחִילָה וְהַתְּנָאִין:

1WRITE THOU THESE WORDS. G-d commanded Moses that he write a book of covenant and read it in the hearing of the people,⁵³⁹ and they should accept it upon themselves by saying, we will do and we will obey,⁵³⁹ as they had done at first; for He wanted that the whole procedure with the first Tablets should now be repeated with the second Tablets. There is no doubt that Moses actually did repeat it; however, Scripture did not want to prolong the account by saying, “and Moses did so,” as I have shown you in many places.⁵⁴⁰, 10:2, etc.The correct interpretation appears to me to be, that since Israel had sinned and violated the [first] covenant, the Holy One, blessed be He, had to renew the covenant with them, so that He should not nullify His covenant with them, and so He told Moses to write the conditions [of the renewed covenant]. This is the sense of the verse, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. The meaning of with thee is that for your sake I have done it with them, and it will not be necessary for them to bring themselves into the bond of this covenant.⁵⁴¹ However, G-d, blessed be He, had to make with them a covenant on the forgiveness that He extended to them [for their sin with the calf], and so [Moses] wrote the forgiveness, and the conditions [of the new covenant].