Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 40:14/רמב"ן על בראשית מ׳:י״ד

אכִּי אִם זְכַרְתַּנִי אִתְּךָ אִם תִּזְכְּרֵנִי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לְךָ תַּעֲשֶׂה עַתָּה עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת וְתִזְכְּרֵנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה. וְאִם יִהְיֶה נָא לְשׁוֹן בַּקָּשָׁה, כִּי אִם זְכַרְתַּנִי וְעָשִׂיתָ כְּחַסְדֶּךָ חֶסֶד עִמָּדִי תִּזְכְּרֵנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה. וְטַעַם "אִתְּךָ" שֶׁתִּזְכְּרֵנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמִּי בַּטּוֹב אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לָךְ שֶׁיָּצָאתָ מִבֵּית הַסֹּהַר, אוֹ יִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁוֹ שֶׁתִּזְכְּרֵנִי בְּלִבְּךָ כְּאִלּוּ אֲנִי עִמְּךָ. וְהַזְּכִירָה אֶל פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁיְּהַלֵּל אוֹתוֹ אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה בְּבֵית שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים עֶבֶד יָפֶה, לִפְנֵי מְלָכִים יִתְיַצָּב. וְהַנָּכוֹן עוֹד בְּעֵינַי שֶׁיֹּאמַר, אִם תִּזְכְּרֵנִי לִהְיוֹת אִתְּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לָךְ וְתָשׁוּב לְמַעֲלָתְךָ וְתַחְפֹּץ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמִּי הַחֶסֶד הַזֶּה, תִּזְכְּרֵנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר בְּפָנָיו, זָכַרְתִּי נַעַר שֶׁהָיָה מְשָׁרֵת לִי בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר, תְּנֵהוּ אֵלַי לִהְיוֹת לִי מְשָׁרֵת, וְהוֹצֵאתַנִי מִן הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה, כִּי חֵטְא גָּדוֹל הוּא עַל הַמַּעֲמִידִים אוֹתִי בְּכָאן. אוֹ יִהְיֶה טַעַם "וְהִזְכַּרְתַּנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה", כִּי רָאָה אוֹתִי פַּרְעֹה בִּהְיוֹתִי עֶבֶד לַשַּׂר שֶׁלּוֹ וּפָקִיד עַל כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ, מְשָׁרֵת לְפָנָיו, וְאִם תִּזְכְּרֵנִי לְפָנָיו תּוֹצִיאֵנִי מִכָּאן, כִּי אֵין בִּי עָוֹן אֲשֶׁר חֵטְא, וְרָאוּי לַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁיּוֹצִיאֵנִי וְיַצִּילֵנִי מִיַּד עוֹשְׁקַי, כִּי כָּל דָּבָר לֹא יִכָּחֵד מִן הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם יַחְפֹּץ:

1BUT HAVE ME IN THY REMEMBRANCE. “If you will remember me when it will be well with you, I now pray for the kindness and truth you will do to me by making mention of me to Pharaoh.” And if the word na²⁷². In the explanation above the Hebrew word na was understood in the sense of ‘now’: “If you will remember me then… I now pray for the kindness and truth you would show me.” But according to the second interpretation, the word na is understood as supplication, as explained in the text. is to be understood as expressing supplication, the sense of the verse is: “If you will remember me and would, in your mercy, do me a kindness, I beg that you remember me to Pharaoh.”The sense of the word itcha (with thee) is that “you should remember to show me mercy in the very same way that it has been shown to you, i.e., that you went out from prison.” The interpretation may be that “you should remember me in your heart as if I am with you.”The purport of mentioning him before Pharaoh is that he should praise him by saying, “Now in the house of the chief of the officers there is an excellent servant fit to enter the service of kings.”It further appears to me correct that Joseph is saying: “If you will remember me to be with you when all goes well with you and you return to your high position, and you should want to do me this kindness, then make mention of me to Pharaoh, saying to him, ‘I remember a lad who served me in the prison; give him to me to be my servant.’ And bring me out of this house for it is a great sin to those who retain me here.”It may be that the meaning of the expression, And make mention of me to Pharaoh, is that “Pharaoh saw me when I was a servant to his minister, in charge of all he had and performing my duties before him,²⁷³ and if you will remember me before him you will bring about my release from here. I have committed no sin, and it is befitting the king to release me and thereby save me from the hands of my oppressors, for there is no matter hid from the king²⁷⁴ if he desires.”