Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 1:3/רמב"ן על בראשית א׳:ג׳
אוַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר מִילַת אֲמִירָה בְּכָאן לְהוֹרוֹת עַל הַחֵפֶץ, כְּדֶרֶךְ "מַה תֹּאמַר נַפְשְׁךָ וְאֶעֱשֶׂה לָּךְ" (שמואל א כ ד), מָה תִּרְצֶה וְתַחְפֹּץ, וְכֵן "וּתְהִי אִשָּׁה לְבֶן אֲדֹנֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה'" (בראשית כ"ד:נ"א), כַּאֲשֶׁר רָצָה; כִּי כֵן הוּא הָרָצוֹן לְפָנָיו. אוֹ הוּא כְּגוֹן מַחְשָׁבָה, כְּמוֹ "הָאֹמְרָה בִּלְבָבָהּ" (ישעיהו מז ח); "וְאָמְרוּ אַלֻּפֵי יְהוּדָה בְּלִבָּם" (זכריה יב ה). וְהָעִנְיָן, לוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בְּעָמָל. וְכָךְ קָרְאוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לָזֶה "מַחְשָׁבָה"; אָמְרוּ: מַחְשָׁבָה – בַּיּוֹם; הַמַּעֲשֶׂה – עִם דִּמְדּוּמֵי חַמָּה. וְהוּא לְהוֹרוֹת עַל דָּבָר מְחֻשָּׁב שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ טַעַם, לֹא חֵפֶץ פָּשׁוּט בִּלְבַד. וּמִילַת הֲוָיָה – מוֹרֶה עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַזְּמַן הָעוֹמֵד, כְּמוֹ "וְאַתָּה הֹוֶה לָהֶם לְמֶלֶךְ" (נחמיה ו ו). וְלָכֵן אָמַר הַכָּתוּב, כִּי כְּשֶׁבָּרָא חֹמֶר הַשָּׁמַיִם – אָמַר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִן הַחֹמֶר הַהוּא דָּבָר מַזְהִיר, קְרָאוֹ אוֹר.
1AND G-D SAID, ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT.’ The word “saying” here indicates Will, as in the verse, What dost thy soul say, that I should do it for thee?65 which means, “What do you want and desire?” Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken66 means, “…as He hath willed, for such is the Will before Him.” Or, it may be [that the word “saying” here means] “thinking,” as in the verses, Thou sayest in thy heart;67 And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart.68 The purport is to state that the creation was not done with toil. Our Rabbis have also called this “thought.” Thus they have said:69 “The thought [concerning what was to be created on a particular day] was during the day; the deed itself was at sunset.” This teaches that creation was thought out, that there is a reason for everything created, that creation was not a simple manifestation of mere Will alone.The word “being” [Let there ‘be’] indicates a deed for the present time,70, since that light did not remain forever in its original state. just as: And thou wouldst be their king71 [meaning: their king from this moment on]. Therefore Scripture says that when He created the substance of the heavens, He said that from that substance there should come forth a shining matter called “light.”
בוַיְהִי אוֹר לֹא אָמַר "וַיְהִי־כֵן", כָּאָמוּר בִּשְׁאָר הַיָּמִים, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא עָמַד הָאוֹר בַּתְּכוּנָה הַזֹּאת כָּל הַיָּמִים כִּשְׁאָר מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית. וְיֵשׁ לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בָּזֶה מִדְרָשׁ בְּסוֹד נֶעֱלָם. וְדַע, כִּי הַיָּמִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית הָיוּ בִּבְרִיאַת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ יָמִים מַמָּשׁ, מְחֻבָּרִים מִשָּׁעוֹת וּרְגָעִים, וְהָיוּ שִׁשָּׁה כְּשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא. וּבִפְנִימִיּוּת הָעִנְיָן יִקָּרְאוּ "יָמִים" הַסְּפִירוֹת הָאֲצוּלוֹת מֵעֶלְיוֹן, כִּי כָל מַאֲמָר פּוֹעֵל הֲוָיָה תִּקָּרֵא "יוֹם". וְהָיוּ שִׁשָּׁה, כִּי לַה' הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה. וְהַמַּאֲמָרִים עֲשָׂרָה, כִּי הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת אֵין שֵׁם "יוֹם" נִתְפָּס בָּהֶם. וְהַפֵּרוּשׁ בְּסִדּוּר הַכְּתוּבִים בָּזֶה נִשְׂגָּב וְנֶעֱלָם, וְדַעְתֵּנוּ בּוֹ פָּחוֹת מִטִּפָּה מִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל.
2AND THERE WAS LIGHT. The verse does not say, “And it was so,” as it is said on other days, because the light did not remain in this state all the time, as did the other creations. Concerning this matter, our Rabbis have an interpretation with a profound secret.72Know that the term “day” as used in the story of the creation was, in the case of the creation of heaven and earth, a real day, composed of hours and seconds, and there were six days like the six days of the workweek, as is the plain meaning of the verse. In the profounder sense, the Emanations issuing from the Most High are called “days,” for every Divine Saying73, found in the chapter of Creation. which evoked an existence is called “day.” These were six, for Unto G-d there is the greatness, and the power, etc.74 The Sayings,73, found in the chapter of Creation. however, are ten because regarding the first three Emanations, the term “day” does not apply at all. The explanation of the order of the verses in terms of this profound interpretation is sublime and recondite. Our knowledge of it is less than that of a drop from the vast ocean.