Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 5:3/רמב"ן על שמות ה׳:ג׳
אפֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ פֶּן יִפְגָּעֲךָ הָיוּ רוֹצִים לוֹמַר, אֶלָּא שֶׁחָלְקוּ כָּבוֹד לַמַּלְכוּת. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות ה':ג'). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות ה':ג') פֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ כּוֹלֵל אֲנַחְנוּ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִים גַּם אַתָּה פַּרְעֹה וְכָל מִצְרַיִם, וְלָכֵן בִּרְאוֹתָם מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת אָמְרוּ "כֻּלָּנוּ מֵתִים" (שמות י"ב:ל"ג), כִּי נִתְבָּרֵר לָהֶם דִּבְרֵי מֹשֶׁה שֶׁאָמַר "פֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ בַּדֶּבֶר", וְגֵרְשׁוּ אוֹתָם לָלֶכֶת לִזְבֹּחַ. וְאֵין דְּבָרוֹ זֶה נָכוֹן, כִּי לֹא צֻוּוּ לֵאמֹר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דֶּבֶר אוֹ חֶרֶב אִם לֹא יִזְבְּחוּ, וְהֵם לֹא יְשַׁנּוּ בִּשְׁלִיחוּת הַשֵּׁם דָּבָר: וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת הוּא סוֹד הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁהֵם כֹּפֶר מִן הַפְּגִיעָה, כִּי לְפָנָיו יֵלֶךְ דָּבֶר (חבקוק ג ה) אוֹ בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה. וְאָמַר זֶה, כִּי הקב"ה צִוָּה אוֹתָם "וַאֲמַרְתֶּם אֵלָיו ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָה עָלֵינוּ וְנִזְבְּחָה לַה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ" (שמות ג':י"ח), וְהֵם אָמְרוּ "כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שַׁלַּח עַמִּי" (שמות ה':א'), וְהִנֵּה פַּרְעֹה הָיָה חָכָם גָּדוֹל וְיוֹדֵעַ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וּמוֹדֶה בּוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר הוּא אוֹ מוֹרִישׁוֹ לְיוֹסֵף, "אַחֲרֵי הוֹדִיעַ אֱלֹהִים אוֹתְךָ" (בראשית מא לט), "אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים בּוֹ" (שם לח), אֲבָל לֹא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ אֶת הַשֵּׁם הַמְיֻחָד, וְעָנָה "לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אֶת ה'" (ה' פסוק ב), וְהֵם נִזְכְּרוּ, וְחָזְרוּ וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר צֻוּוּ "אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָא עָלֵינוּ" (ה' פסוק ג), כִּי הִזְכִּירוּ לוֹ אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים בִּלְבַד שֶׁהוּא אֵל שַׁדַּי, וְאָמְרוּ "נִקְרָה עָלֵינוּ" שֶׁהוֹדִיעוּהוּ לְשׁוֹן הַמִּקְרֶה כַּאֲשֶׁר נִצְטַוּוּ לוֹ, וּפֵרְשׁוּ לוֹ כִּי בַּמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָה עֲלֵיהֶם יִצְטָרְכוּ לִזְבֹּחַ לְפָנָיו, פֶּן תִּהְיֶה הַפְּגִיעָה בַּדֶּבֶר אוֹ בַּחֶרֶב. וְכָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה בָּא בִּדְבַר בִּלְעָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיִּקָּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל בִּלְעָם, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֶת שִׁבְעַת הַמִּזְבְּחֹת עָרַכְתִּי וָאַעַל פָּר וָאַיִל בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ" (במדבר כג ד):
1LEST HE FALL UPON US WITH PESTILENCE. “Moses and Aaron wanted to say [to Pharaoh], ‘Lest He fall upon thee,’ but they showed respect to royalty.” Thus the language of Rashi. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: “‘Lest He fall upon us; that is, including us Israelites, also you Pharaoh and all Egypt.’ Therefore when the Egyptians saw the slaying of the firstborn, they said, ‘We are all dead men,’320 for the words of Moses now became clear to them when he said, Lest he fall upon us with pestilence, and therefore they drove them to go to sacrifice [to G-d].”This explanation of Ibn Ezra is not correct, for Moses and Aaron were not commanded to say that Israel too would share in the punishment of pestilence or sword if they would not sacrifice [to G-d],321 and Moses and Aaron would by no means change anything in the mission of G-d.By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is the secret of the offerings,322 as they constitute a redemption from punishment, for before Him goeth the pestilence.323. Ramban then proceeds to explain the end of the verse: or with the sword.Or with the sword, this means the harsh [attribute of justice]. Moses said this because the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded them, saying, And you shall say unto him: ‘The Eternal, the G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us. And now let us go … that we may sacrifice to the Eternal our G-d.’324 and they said to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Eternal, the G-d of Israel: ‘Let My people go.’324 Now Pharaoh was indeed a very wise man. He knew [of the existence of] G-d and acknowledged Him, as he — or his predecessor325 (above, 1:8). One Rabbi said that he was really a new king; the other said that it was the same king but he decreed new edicts, and comported himself as though he did not know him. — said to Joseph: Forasmuch as G-d had shown thee all this;326 a man in whom the spirit of G-d is.327, Verse 38. But Pharaoh did not know the Proper Name of G-d, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton],328 and accordingly, he answered, I know not the Eternal.329 Therefore they replied and said to him, as they were commanded, The G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us,330 mentioning to him only the G-d of the Hebrews, which is equivalent to E-il Sha-dai. They said, He hath met with us, relating to Pharaoh the exact language of the message they were commanded to bring him, and they explained to him that in this meeting which they would have [with G-d], it would be necessary for them to sacrifice before Him, lest the meeting be with pestilence, or with the sword. In a similar vein did Scripture set forth in connection with Balaam, as it is said, And G-d met Balaam, and he said unto Him: I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.331