Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 34:28/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ד:כ״ח

אוַיְהִי שָׁם עִם ה' אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלֻּחֹת יֹאמַר שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה שָׁם בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה וַיִּכְתֹּב שָׁם עַל הַלּוּחוֹת. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (במדרש תנחומא תשא לא) עִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב שֶׁהָיָה שָׁם עִם ה' אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה בְּעֵת שֶׁכָּתַב עַל הַלֻּחֹת אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת הַשֵּׁנִית, אֲבָל אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אֲחֵרִים עָמַד שָׁם קֹדֶם לָזֶה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל כָּל עִנְיַן הַבַּקָּשָׁה, שֶׁאָמַר (שמות ל"ג:י"ב) "רְאֵה אַתָּה אֹמֵר אֵלַי הַעַל אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה" וּבָהֶם נֶאֱמַר בְּמִשְׁנֵה תוֹרָה (דברים ט כה) "וָאֶתְנַפַּל לִפְנֵי ה' אֵת אַרְבָּעִים הַיּוֹם וְאֶת אַרְבָּעִים הַלַּיְלָה אֲשֶׁר הִתְנַפָּלְתִּי כִּי אָמַר ה' לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם". וְכָאן לֹא פֵּרֵשׁ כַּמָּה יְמֵי הַתְּחִנָּה וְהַתְּפִלָּה הַזֹּאת, כִּי הוּא יָדוּעַ מֵעֵת עֲלוֹתוֹ אֶל הָהָר עַד רִדְתּוֹ לִפְסֹל הַלּוּחוֹת הָאַחֲרוֹנוֹת. אֲבָל סִפֵּר כִּי הָיָה עִנְיַן הַלּוּחוֹת הַשְּׁנִיּוֹת כְּכָל עִנְיַן הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת בְּמִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים וּבַיָּמִים שֶׁעָמַד שָׁם לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁלֹּא יַחְשֹׁב שֶׁכְּבָר לָמַד הַתּוֹרָה בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְלֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ עַתָּה לַעֲמֹד שָׁם הַרְבֵּה:

1AND HE WAS THERE WITH THE ETERNAL FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS… AND HE WROTE UPON THE TABLETS THE WORDS OF THE COVENANT, THE TEN WORDS. The verse is stating that Moses was on top of the mountain for forty days and forty nights, and he wrote there upon the Tablets. And in the opinion of our Rabbis⁵⁴² the meaning of the verse is that Moses was there with G-d for forty days and forty nights,⁵⁴³ during which time He wrote on the Tablets the words of this second covenant. But he had stayed there for another forty days⁵⁴⁴ prior to these to pray for all his requests, as is narrated in the section beginning, See, Thou sayest unto me: Bring up this people;⁵⁴⁵ and with reference to these days it is said in the Book of Deuteronomy, So I fell down before the Eternal the forty days and forty nights that I fell down; because the Eternal had said He would destroy you.⁵⁴⁶ Here, however, Scripture did not explain how many days were the duration of this period of supplication and prayer, for it is known that it was from the time he went up to the mountain until he came down to hew the second Tablets.⁵⁴⁷ But it said that the matter of the second Tablets was like that of the first in every respect — the writing of G-d, and the number of days he stood before G-d, so that he should not think that he had already learned the Torah during the first time, and that therefore it would not be necessary for him to stay there many days.

בוְטַעַם וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלּוּחוֹת פֵּרוּשׁ ה', וְלֹא יַחְזֹר לְמֹשֶׁה, כִּי כֵן אָמַר (שמות ל"ד:א') "וְכָתַבְתִּי עַל הַלּוּחוֹת", וְכֵן בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים י ג ד) "וָאֶפְסֹל שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וָאַעַל הָהָרָה וּשְׁנֵי הַלֻּחֹת בְּיָדִי, וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלֻּחֹת כַּמִּכְתָּב הָרִאשׁוֹן". וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמַר "כַּמִּכְתָּב הָרִאשׁוֹן", יָדַעְנוּ כִּי הֵם כְּתוּבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים, וְיִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ "וְכָתַבְתִּי" (שמות ל"ד:א'), בְּאֶצְבָּעִי, וְיָדַעְתָּ פֵּרוּשׁ אֶצְבַּע מִן הַיָּד (רמב"ן על שמות י"ד:ל"א):

2‘Va’yichtov’ upon the Tablets — this means that G-d wrote, and does not refer back to Moses [mentioned in the preceding phrase, he did neither eat bread, nor drink water], for so He said, and I will write upon the Tablets.⁵⁴⁸ Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy it says, and I hewed two Tablets of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two Tablets in my hand. And He wrote on the Tablets, according to the first writing.⁵⁴⁹ And since it says according to the first writing, we know that they were written with the finger of G-d.⁵⁵⁰ Thus the meaning of the expression, and I will write⁵⁴⁸ means “with the finger,” and you know [already] the meaning of “finger” from that of “the hand.”⁵⁵¹, 14:31. See Ramban there.