Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 1:21/רמב"ן על בראשית א׳:כ״א
אוַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים בַּעֲבוּר גֹּדֶל הַנִּבְרָאִים הָאֵלֶּה שֶׁיֵּשׁ מֵהֶם אָרְכָּם פַּרְסָאוֹת רַבּוֹת, הִגִּידוּ הַיְּוָנִים בְּסִפְרֵיהֶם שֶׁיָּדְעוּ מֵהֶם אֲרֻכִּים חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת פַּרְסָה, וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ גַּם כֵּן הִפְלִיגוּ בָּהֶם (עיין ב"ב עג), בַּעֲבוּר זֶה יִחֵס בָּהֶם הַבְּרִיאָה לֵאלֹהִים כִּי הוּא שֶׁהִמְצִיאָם מֵאַיִן מִבְּרֵאשִׁית, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי לְשׁוֹן בְּרִיאָה (רמב"ן על בראשית א':א'), וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה בָּאָדָם לְמַעֲלָתוֹ, לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי הוּא מוּצָא מֵאַיִן עִם דַּעְתּוֹ וְשִׂכְלוֹ. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ לָמָּה לֹא אָמַר בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה "וַיְהִי־כֵן". וְאוּלַי לֹא יִתָּכֵן לְהַזְכִּיר "וַיִּבְרָא" אַחֲרֵי "וַיְהִי־כֵן", כִּי מִבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה יְדַבֵּר. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (בבא בתרא עד) כִּי הַתַּנִּינִים הַגְּדוֹלִים הוּא לִוְיָתָן וּבַת זוּגוֹ, שֶׁבְּרָאָם זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה וְהָרַג הַנְּקֵבָה וּמְלָחָהּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא. וְאֶפְשָׁר כִּי מִפְּנֵי זֶה לֹא הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר בָּהֶם "וַיְהִי־כֵן", כִּי לֹא עָמְדוּ עוֹד:
1AND G-D CREATED THE GREAT SEA-MONSTERS. Because of the great size of these creatures, some consisting of many Persian miles — the Greeks in their books even relate that they knew some of them to be 500 Persian miles long, and our Rabbi likewise spoke of them in magnifying terms187 — on account of that, Scripture explicitly ascribes their creation to G-d for He brought them forth from nought from the beginning, as I have explained the expression b’riyah (creation). Similarly, Scripture does so in the case of man188. on account of his exaltedness, thus informing us that man, with his mind and reason, also came forth from nought.I wonder why it does not say “and it was so” on this day? Perhaps it would not have been possible to mention And He created after saying, “and it was so,” since it refers to the preceding.189, etc.) would have concluded with the expression and it was so, it would have implied the creation of the sea-monster, since they also swarm in the waters. How then could it say in the following verse, And G-d created the sea-monster, as if it were another act of creation? To say, and it was so after vayibra (And He created) is also not possible for this would be redundant. Hence on the fifth day, the expression and it was so does not appear in Scripture.Our Rabbis have said190 that the great sea-monsters are the Leviathan and its mate which He created male and female. He then slew the female and preserved it in salt for the benefit of the righteous in the hereafter. It is possible that on account of this it would not have been appropriate to say concerning their creation, “and it was so,” since they did not continue to exist [in the form in which they were created].