Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 4:15/רמב"ן על שמות ד׳:ט״ו

אעִם פִּיךָ לְהוֹרוֹתְךָ אֲשֶׁר תְּדַבֵּר אֶל פַּרְעֹה. כִּי עַתָּה לֹא אָמַר שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר אַהֲרֹן בַּעֲבוּרוֹ רַק אֶל הָעָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְדִבֶּר הוּא לְךָ אֶל הָעָם, אֲבָל לְפַרְעֹה מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה זֶה לִכְבוֹד הַמַּלְכוּת. וּבַסּוֹף חָזַר מֹשֶׁה וְאָמַר "הֵן אֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתַיִם וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמַע אֵלַי פַּרְעֹה" (שמות ו':ל'), וְנָתַן לוֹ רְשׁוּת שֶׁלֹּא יְדַבֵּר גַּם לְפַרְעֹה, וְהִיא מַעֲלָה לְמֹשֶׁה, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר שָׁם "רְאֵה נְתַתִּיךָ אֱלֹהִים לְפַרְעֹה וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֶךָ" (שמות ז':א'): וְטַעַם וְעִם פִּיהוּ לִהְיוֹת דִּבְרֵי פִיהוּ לַשּׁוֹמְעִים חֵן:

1AND I WILL BE WITH THY MOUTH. I.e., “to teach you that which you are to speak to Pharaoh.” G-d now told Moses that Aaron will speak on his behalf only to the people, as it is said, And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people,²⁸⁴ but Moses himself was to speak to Pharaoh. It is possible that this was out of respect to the king. But in the end, Moses came back and said, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?²⁸⁵ G-d then permitted him that he should not speak even to Pharaoh. This [consent] was a distinction to Moses, and therefore He said there, See, I have set thee in G-d’s stead to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.²⁸⁶, 7:1 And the intent of the expression [here in the verse], and I will be with his [Aaron’s] mouth,²⁸⁷ is that his words will find favor with everyone that will hear them.