Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 4:1/רמב"ן על שמות ד׳:א׳
אוַיַּעַן מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה דִּבֵּר מֹשֶׁה שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֹגֶן, הקב"ה אָמַר לוֹ "וְשָׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלֶךָ" (שמות ג':י"ח), וְהוּא אָמַר וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי, מִיָּד הֱשִׁיבוֹ הקב"ה בְּשִׁיטָתוֹ וְנָתַן לוֹ אוֹתוֹת לְפִי דְּבָרָיו, לְשׁוֹן וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת רַבָּה (ג':י"ב). ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות ד':א') עַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט, כִּי ה' אָמַר שֶׁיַּאֲמִינוּ בּוֹ הַזְּקֵנִים רַק לֹא הִזְכִּיר שֶׁיַּאֲמִינוּ הָעָם, אוֹ שֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלוֹ וְאוּלַי לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם. וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן. אֲבָל יִתָּכֵן שֶׁנֹּאמַר כִּי "וְשָׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלֶךָ" אֵינֶנָּה הַבְטָחָה רַק צַוָּאָה, וְשָׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלֶךָ כִּי רָאוּי לָהֶם שֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ, וְתָבֹא אַתָּה וְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, וְכֵן "וְשָׁמְעוּ מִצְרַיִם כִּי הֶעֱלִיתָ בְכֹחֲךָ וְאָמְרוּ אֶל יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ" (במדבר יד יג יד), רָאוּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כָּכָה, וְכֵן "בְּזֹאת תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי ה'" (שמות ז':י"ז), רָאוּי, לֹא מִתְקַיֵּם. וְכֵן "וְהֶאֱמִינוּ לְקֹל הָאֹת הָאַחֲרוֹן" בַּפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת (שמות ד':ח'), וְרַבִּים כֵּן: וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי, כִּי "וְשָׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלֶךָ" לָבֹא עִמְּךָ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֵאמֹר לוֹ אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָא עָלֵינוּ, כִּי מַה יַפְסִידוּ, וְהִנֵּה הַשֵּׁם הוֹדִיעוֹ כִּי לֹא יִתֵּן אוֹתָם מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַהֲלֹךְ, וְלָכֵן אָמַר מֹשֶׁה וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי אַחֲרֵי רְאוֹתָם שֶׁלֹּא יִתֵּן אוֹתָם פַּרְעֹה לַהֲלֹךְ וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ עוֹד לְקוֹלִי כְּלָל, כִּי יֹאמְרוּ לֹא נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ ה', שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיִיתָ שְׁלִיחַ הַשֵּׁם לֹא יַמְרֶה פַּרְעֹה אֶת דְּבָרוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ הַשֵּׁם הַגָּדוֹל בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים לַעֲשׂוֹת לָנוּ אוֹתוֹת וּמוֹפְתִים כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ, כִּי אֵינְךָ גָּדוֹל מֵהָאָבוֹת, וְלָכֵן לֹא שָׁמַע פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁאִלּוּ פַּרְעֹה הָיָה מַאֲמִין בִּדְבָרֶיךָ הָיִינוּ יוֹצְאִים עַל כָּל פָּנִים, וְאֵין עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ מַבְדִּילִים בֵּינֵינוּ וּבֵין הָרַחֲמִים:
1AND MOSES ANSWERED AND SAID: BUT, BEHOLD, THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE ME, NOR HEARKEN UNTO MY VOICE. “At that moment, Moses spoke improperly. The Holy One, blessed be He, had told him, And they shall hearken to thy voice,246 and he said, But, behold, they will not believe me. Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him according to his opinion,247 and gave him signs commensurate with his words.” Thus the language of V’eileh Shemoth Rabbah.248And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, that G-d related to Moses that the elders will believe him, but He did not mention that the people will believe. Perhaps they may hearken to his voice but would not believe him wholeheartedly. But this does not appear to be correct. Rather, it is possible to say that v’sham’u l’kolecha (and they shall hearken to thy voice) does not constitute a promise but a command: “And they must hearken to your voice” — for it is to their advantage to listen — and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt.246 A similar case is found in the verse, When the Egyptians shall hear — for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them — they will say to the inhabitants of this land,249 meaning it is fitting that the Egyptians should say so. Similarly, the verse, In this thou shalt know that I am the Eternal,250 means it is fitting that it be so, but not that it so happened. In a similar vein is the verse in this chapter, and they will believe the voice of the latter sign,251 [which means it is fitting that they believe the latter sign], and many similar cases.The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the expression v’sham’u l’kolecha means that “they will listen to you to come with you to the king and say to him, The G-d of the Hebrews hath happened to meet us,252, 5:3. for what will they lose by it?” Thus G-d informed Moses that the king of Egypt would not give them leave to go, and this was why Moses said, But, behold, they will not believe me, for after seeing that Pharaoh did not give them permission to go, they would no longer believe him at all, for they will say: “The Eternal hath not appeared unto thee. If you were G-d’s messenger, Pharaoh would not have rebelled against His word.” It may be that they will say that “G-d has not appeared to you by the Great Name with the attribute of mercy, to do for us signs and wonders as you have said, for you are not greater than the patriarchs.253. See Ramban above, 3:13, for a full explanation of this matter. This was why Pharaoh did not hearken, for if Pharaoh had believed your words, we would have gone out from Egypt under all circumstances, and it is not our iniquities that have separated between us and the G-d of mercies.”254