Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 6:28/רמב"ן על שמות ו׳:כ״ח

אוַיְהִי בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם יִתָּכֵן לְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁהַכָּתוּב מוּסָב לְמַעְלָה, אָמַר וַיְהִי זֶה שֶׁהָיוּ הֵם הַמְדַבְּרִים אֶל פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, בָּעֵת אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר "הוּא אַהֲרֹן וּמֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה' לָהֶם הוֹצִיאוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם" הָיָה נִרְאֶה שֶׁהַדִּבּוּר לִשְׁנֵיהֶם בְּשָׁוֶה, וְעַתָּה פֵּרֵשׁ שֶׁהָיָה הַדִּבּוּר לְמֹשֶׁה וְהַמִּצְוָה לִשְׁנֵיהֶם שֶׁיּוֹצִיאוּם, וְזֶה טַעַם הֶפְסֵק הַפָּרָשָׁה:

1AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE DAY WHEN THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN THE LAND OF EGYPT. It is possible to explain that the verse refers to the one above.⁹¹…. Ramban finds this difficult to accept since the plain meaning would seem to indicate that Verses 29-30 constitute an independent section not connected with the preceding verse. Therefore he interprets Verse 28 as being connected with the preceding verse, as explained in the text. Scripture is thus stating: “And it came to pass that it was they — [Moses and Aaron] — who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt⁹² at the time when the Eternal spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt.” For since Scripture said, These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Eternal said: Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,⁹³ it might have appeared that the communication came to both of them equally. Therefore it now explains [in Verse 28] that the communication came to Moses, and the command to bring them forth from Egypt was to both of them. This is why Scripture closed the chapter [of the genealogy of Moses and Aaron with this subject].