Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 6:9/רמב"ן על שמות ו׳:ט׳
אמִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה לֹא בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁלֹּא יַאֲמִינוּ בַּה' וּבִנְבִיאוֹ, רַק שֶׁלֹּא הִטּוּ אֹזֶן לִדְבָרָיו מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ, כְּאָדָם שֶׁתִּקְצַר נַפְשׁוֹ בַּעֲמָלוֹ, וְלֹא יִרְצֶה לִחְיוֹת רֶגַע בְּצַעֲרוֹ, מִדַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁיִּרְוַח לוֹ אַחֲרֵי כֵן, וְקֹצֶר הָרוּחַ הוּא פַּחְדָּם שֶׁלֹּא יַהַרְגֵם פַּרְעֹה בַּחֶרֶב כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ שׁוֹטְרֵיהֶם אֶל מֹשֶׁה, וַעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה, הוּא הַדֹּחַק שֶׁהָיוּ הַנּוֹגְשִׂים אָצִים בָּהֶם וְלֹא יִתְּנוּם לִשְׁמֹעַ דָּבָר וְלַחְשֹׁב בּוֹ:
1BUT THEY HEARKENED NOT UNTO MOSES FOR IMPATIENCE OF SPIRIT, AND FOR CRUEL BONDAGE. It was not because they did not believe in G-d and in His prophet [that they hearkened not]. Rather, they paid no attention to his words because of impatience of spirit, as a person whose soul is grieved on account of his misery and who does not want to live another moment in his suffering even though he knows that he will be relieved later. The “impatience of spirit” was their fear that Pharaoh would put them to death, as their officers said to Moses,47 and the “cruel bondage” was the pressure, for the taskmasters pressed upon them and hurried them [in their daily task],48, Verse 13. which gave them no chance to hear anything and consider it.