Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 9:31/רמב"ן על שמות ט׳:ל״א

אוְהַפִּשְׁתָּה וְהַשְּׂעוֹרָה וְגוֹ' סִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב מַה שֶׁאֵרַע, וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי לָמָּה נִכְנְסוּ שְׁנֵי הַפְּסוּקִים הָאֵלֶּה בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה, טֶרֶם הִשְׁלִים דְּבַר מֹשֶׁה בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ וְסוּר הַבָּרָד. וְאָמְרוּ בְּשֵׁם הַגָּאוֹן רַב סְעַדְיָה שֶׁהֵן דִּבְרֵי מֹשֶׁה אֶל פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ קֹדֶם שֶׁתִּירְאוּן וַאֲמַרְתֶּם ה' הַצַּדִּיק כְּבָר הֻכְּתָה הַפִּשְׁתָּה וְהַשְּׂעוֹרָה, וְזֶה לֹא יָשׁוּב לִרְפוּאָה, אֲבָל הַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת לֹא נֻכּוּ עֲדַיִן, וּמֵעַתָּה לֹא יִפָּסֵד לָכֶם דָּבָר:
וְאֵין לִי טַעַם בַּפֵּרוּשׁ הַזֶּה, כִּי הַבָּרָד הִכָּה כָּל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה וְכָל הָעֵץ שִׁבֵּר, וְלֹא נִמְלְטוּ הַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת רַק מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן אֲפִילוֹת, לֹא צָמְחוּ כְּלָל, אוֹ מִפְּנֵי קַטְנוּתָן לֹא נִפְסְדוּ כִּי עוֹד תִּצְמַחְנָה, וְאִם כֵּן אֲפִלּוּ יֵרֵד עֲלֵיהֶם הַבָּרָד עוֹד יָמִים לֹא יַזִּיק, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לוֹ מַה שֶׁנִּפְסַד וּמַה שֶׁלֹּא נִפְסָד, כִּי בְּסוּר הַבָּרָד יִרְאֶה. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי שֶׁהֵם דִּבְרֵי מֹשֶׁה אֶל פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם יָדַעְתִּי כִּי טֶרֶם סוּר הַמַּכּוֹת תִּירְאוּן, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן תִּשְׁנוּ בְּאִוַּלְתְּכֶם, אֲבָל הַפִּשְׁתָּה וְהַשְּׂעוֹרָה נֻכָּתָה וְהַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת שֶׁהֵן לְכָל חַיַּתְכֶם לֹא נֻכּוּ בַּמַּכָּה הַזֹּאת, וְהֵן בְּיַד הָאֱלֹהִים לְאַבֵּד אוֹתָם מִכֶּם אִם תָּשׁוּבוּ וְתֶחֶטְאוּ לְפָנָיו, רָמַז לָהֶם לְמָה שֶׁאָמַר (שמות י':ה') "וְאָכַל אֶת יֶתֶר הַפְּלֵטָה הַנִּשְׁאֶרֶת לָכֶם מִן הַבָּרָד":

1AND THE FLAX AND THE BARLEY WERE SMITTEN, etc. Scripture narrates what happened, but I do not know why these two verses were entered in this place before the subject of Moses’ prayer and the removal of the hail was completed. In the name of Rav Saadia Gaon,²³⁰ that there is some proof indicating that Ramban may have seen the Gaon’s commentary in the original Arabic. the commentators have said that these [two verses are also part of] Moses’ words to Pharaoh. He said to him: “Before you had feared G-d and said, The Eternal is the righteous One,²³¹ the flax and the barley were already smitten and these can no longer be saved. But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten yet, and henceforth you will no longer suffer damage.”I find no sense in this explanation. The hail smote every herb of the field²³² and broke every tree,²³² and the wheat and the spelt were saved only because they had not sprouted at all or because they were so tender that they were not destroyed completely by the hail since they could sprout again. That being the case, even if the hail had continued for days more to come down upon them, there would not be a loss. There was thus no need for Moses to inform Pharaoh of what he lost and what he did not lose, for when the hail will be removed, he will himself see!In my opinion, these are Moses’ words to Pharaoh. Moses said to him: “I know that before the plagues are removed, you fear G-d, and afterward you repeat your folly.²³³ Now the flax and the barley were smitten while the wheat and the spelt which are your livelihood were not smitten in this plague, but it is within G-d’s power to destroy them if you return and sin again before Him.” Thus Moses alluded to them that which G-d said later [of the locust], And they shall eat the residue of that which escaped.²³⁴Bo