Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 5:4/רמב"ן על שמות ה׳:ד׳

אלָמָּה מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן שָׁאַל לָהֶם שְׁמוֹתָם וְהִזְכִּירָם בִּשְׁמָם דֶּרֶךְ כָּבוֹד:

1WHEREFORE DO YE, MOSES AND AARON…? Pharaoh asked them for their names, and he mentioned them by name in a manner indicating respect.

בתַּפְרִיעוּ אֶת הָעָם מִמַּעֲשָׂיו אָמַר אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות ה':ד') "תְּבַטְּלוּ", וְכֵן "פּוֹרֵעַ מוּסָר" (משלי יג יח), "וַתִּפְרְעוּ כָל עֲצָתִי" (שם א כה):

2TAPHRI’U’ THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR WORK. Onkelos translated: t’vatlu (you cause them to idle from their work). Similarly: ‘porei’a’ (refuseth) instruction;³³² as meaning: “taking them away.” Ramban therefore calls attention to Onkelos, who interpreted it as meaning “idle,” “making to nought all their work.” ‘vatiphr’u’ (and ye have set at nought) all my counsel.³³³, 1:25.

גלְכוּ לְסִבְלוֹתֵיכֶם עַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט עֲבוֹדַת הַמֶּלֶךְ, שֶׁהָיוּ מִכְּלַל הָעָם, כִּי בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת בָּאוּ לְפָנָיו עִם כָּל הָעָם, וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם וְצִוָּה אוֹתָם שׁוּבוּ כֻּלְּכֶם אֶל הָעֲבוֹדָה. וְשָׁבוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן לְפָנָיו (שמות ז':י'), וְאָמַר לָהֶם פַּרְעֹה תְּנוּ לָכֶם מוֹפֵת, וְעָשׂוּ כֵן, אָז הָיוּ בְּעֵינָיו כְּחַרְטֻמִּים וּמְכַשְּׁפִים וַחֲכָמִים, וְנָהַג בָּהֶם כָּבוֹד, וּמֵעֵת הֵחֵלּוּ הַמַּכּוֹת עָלָיו נָהַג בָּהֶם מוֹרָא גָּדוֹל. וְכֵן נִרְאֶה עוֹד שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ כָּל עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹבְדִים כָּל הַיָּמִים לְפַרְעֹה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים, כִּי הָיוּ מְמַלְּאִים אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עָרִים, אֲבָל בְּמַס הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין, רַק כִּי הִכְבִּיד עֲלֵיהֶם עֻלּוֹ לָקַחַת מֵהֶם רַבִּים:

3GET YOU TO YOUR BURDENS. If we follow the simple interpretation of Scripture, reference here is to the work for the king,³³⁴ since Moses and Aaron were part of the [Hebrew] people for at this time they came before him with all the people. But he did not listen to them and commanded them: “Return you all to the work.” Later when Moses and Aaron returned before Pharaoh and he said to them, Show a wonder for you,³³⁵ and they did so, they appeared to him like the magicians, sorcerers, and wise men, and he showed them respect. Still later, when the plagues began coming upon him, he was in dread fear of them.It appears furthermore that not all the children of Israel worked all the time for Pharaoh in mortar and in brick,³³⁶ for in that case they would have filled the whole land of Egypt with cities. Rather, they worked in levies, and he pressed his yoke upon them by taking many of the Israelites [into his labors].

דוְרַשִׁ"י פֵּרֵשׁ (רש"י על שמות ה':ד') לְסִבְלוֹתֵיכֶם, לִמְלַאכְתְּכֶם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּבָתֵּיכֶם, אֲבָל מְלֶאכֶת שִׁעְבּוּד מִצְרַיִם לֹא הָיָה עַל שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי, וְתֵדַע, שֶׁהָיוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן יוֹצְאִים וּבָאִים. וְנָכוֹן הוּא, כִּי כָל עֲבוֹדַת הָאָדָם בַּבַּיִת וּבַשָּׂדֶה נִקְרָא כֵן, כְּמוֹ "לְכָל סֵבֶל בֵּית יוֹסֵף" (מלכים א י"א:כ"ח), וּמִנְהָג בְּכָל עַם לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם חֲכָמִים מוֹרֵי תּוֹרָתָם, וְלָכֵן הִנִּיחַ לָהֶם פַּרְעֹה שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי שֶׁהָיוּ חַכְמֵיהֶם וְזִקְנֵיהֶם. וְהַכֹּל סִבָּה מֵאֵת ה'. וּבְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת רַבָּה (ה':ט"ז) רָאִיתִי, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי פָּנוּי הָיָה מֵעֲבוֹדַת פָּרֶךְ, אָמַר לָהֶם פַּרְעֹה, בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁאַתֶּם פְּנוּיִים אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים נֵלְכָה נִזְבְּחָה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ, לְכוּ לְסִבְלוֹתֵיכֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אָמַר לָהֶם דַּיְכֶם שֶׁאַתֶּם עוֹמְדִים פְּנוּיִים, שֶׁמָּא רַע לָכֶם שֶׁאֵין אַתֶּם עוֹשִׂים בִּמְלָאכָה, לְכוּ לְסִבְלוֹתֵיכֶם. וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם פֵּרֵשׁ לְכוּ לְסִבְלוֹתֵיכֶם, סִבְלוֹת הָעָם, כִּי יְדַבֵּר עִמָּהֶם בַּעֲבוּר כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל:

4Now Rashi explained: “Get you to your burdens, i.e., ‘to your work which you have to do in your homes.’ But [it cannot signify ‘go to your labors as slaves,’ for he was speaking to Moses and Aaron, who were of the tribe of Levi, and] the work of Egyptian slavery was not imposed upon the tribe of Levi. You may know that this was so because Moses and Aaron went and came as they pleased.” This is correct. All man’s work whether at home or in the field is so called [sebel (labor)], just as in the verse: over all the ‘sebel’ (labor) of the house of Joseph.³³⁷ And it is customary among all people to have wise men who teach them their laws. Therefore Pharaoh did not impose slavery upon the tribe of Levi, who were the teachers and the elders of the children of Israel, and it was all caused by G-d.I have seen in V’eileh Shemoth Rabbah:³³⁸ “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that the tribe of Levi was free from servile labor. Pharaoh said to them, ‘It is because you are free [from the forced labor] that you therefore say, Let us go and sacrifice to our G-d.³³⁹ Get ye unto your burdens for Israel.’³⁴⁰ Another interpretation: Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, ‘It is enough for you that you are free! Perhaps you are displeased because you are not doing this forced labor; [if so], get ye unto your burdens.’”And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained the verse, Get ye unto your burdens, as meaning the burdens of the entire people, since Pharaoh spoke to them for all Israel.