Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 23:36/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ג:ל״ו

אעֲצֶרֶת הִיא עָצַרְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לְפָנַי, כְּמֶלֶךְ שֶׁזִּמֵּן אֶת בָּנָיו לִסְעוּדָה לְכָךְ וְכָךְ יָמִים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ זְמַנָּן לִפָּטֵר, אָמַר, בְּבַקָּשָׁה מִכֶּם עַכְּבוּ עִמִּי עוֹד יוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁקָּשָׁה עָלַי פְּרֵדַתְכֶם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא כ"ג:ל"ו). וְאַגָּדָה זוֹ שְׁנוּיָה בְּוַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת, כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ (שמות כ יא) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי הוּא שַׁבָּת וְאֵין לוֹ בֶּן זוּג, וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בַּת זוּגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ", וְהִנֵּה הִיא שְׁמִינִית, "עֲצֶרֶת הִיא", כִּי שָׁם נֶעְצַר הַכֹּל. וְצִוָּה בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת שִׁבְעָה יָמִים בִּקְדֻשָּׁה לִפְנֵיהֶם וּלְאַחֲרֵיהֶם, כִּי כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם ה', וּמָנָה מִמֶּנּוּ תִּשְׁעָה וְאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, שִׁבְעָה שָׁבוּעוֹת כִּימֵי עוֹלָם, וְקִדֵּשׁ יוֹם שְׁמִינִי כִּשְׁמִינִי שֶׁל חָג, וְהַיָּמִים הַסְּפוּרִים בֵּינְתַיִם כְּחֻלּוֹ שֶׁל מוֹעֵד בֵּין הָרִאשׁוֹן וְהַשְּׁמִינִי בֶּחָג, וְהוּא יוֹם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה, שֶׁהֶרְאָם בּוֹ אֶת אִשּׁוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה וּדְבָרָיו שָׁמְעוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ. וּלְכָךְ יִקְרְאוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל בְּכָל מָקוֹם חַג הַשָּׁבוּעוֹת - עֲצֶרֶת, כִּי הוּא כְּיוֹם שְׁמִינִי שֶׁל חַג שֶׁקְּרָאוֹ הַכָּתוּב כֵּן. וְזֶהוּ מַאֲמָרָם (חגיגה יז), שְׁמִינִי רֶגֶל בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ הוּא לְעִנְיַן פז"ר קש"ב, וְתַשְׁלוּמִין דְּרִאשׁוֹן הוּא, כִּי הוּא אֲצִילוּת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים וְאֵינוֹ כְּאַחְדוּת שֶׁלָּהֶם, וּלְכָךְ יַזְכִּיר בְּפָרָשַׁת כָּל הַבְּכוֹר (דברים טז טו) בְּשָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, חַג הַמַּצּוֹת וְחַג הַשָּׁבוּעוֹת וְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, וְלֹא יַזְכִּיר הַשְּׁמִינִי, כִּי שָׁם אָמַר "יֵרָאֶה כָל זְכוּרְךָ" וְגוֹ' וְהִנֵּה זֶה מְבֹאָר:

1IT IS ‘ATZERETH.’⁴²⁶ is of the root atzor (to hold back, restrain). Rashi will accordingly explain that the eighth day of Tabernacles is the day G-d requested Israel “to hold back” yet another day before leaving for their homes. Ramban will explain atzereth in the sense of “binding,” or “holding in,” because this day represents the assembly of all emanations alluded to by all festivals, as mentioned in the text. “I keep you back before Me. It is similar to the case of a prince who invited his children to a banquet for a certain number of days. When the time came for them to leave, he said, ‘I beg of you stay with me for yet one more day, for your departure is so hard for me!’” This is Rashi’s language. And these are words of Agadah (homily) in Vayikra Rabbah.⁴²⁷By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], for in six days the Eternal made the heaven and the earth,⁴²⁸ and the seventh day is the Sabbath which has no partner, and the congregation of Israel is its partner,⁴²⁹ as it is said, and the earth,⁴²⁸ this being the eighth day. It is ‘Atzereth,’ for there everything is assembled. Now with respect to the Festival of Unleavened Bread He commanded that it be observed for seven days, with the first and seventh [days] being holy, though they are all holy and the Eternal is among them.⁴³⁰ From then on [i.e., beginning with the second day of Passover] we are to count forty-nine days[of the omer], which are seven weeks comparable to the [seven] “days” of the world,⁴³¹ are comparable to “the days” of the world, and Shevuoth is thus like the “eighth day” in the Festival of Tabernacles; and the forty-nine days between the first day and “the eighth day” are thus like the intermediate days of the Festival of Tabernacles (Abusaula). and then to sanctify the “eighth day” [i.e., the Festival of Weeks] just as the eighth day of Tabernacles [is holy]; and [the forty-nine days] counted between them are in the “intermediate days” of the festival, in the interval separating the first day and “eighth day” of the festival, this being the day of the Giving of the Torah when He made them to see His great fire and His words they heard out of the midst of the fire.⁴³² Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed memory, always called the Festival of Weeks by the name of Atzereth⁴³³ [a name here used in the verse for the eighth day of the Festival of Tabernacles], for it is on “the eighth” day of the festival, which Scripture here so called by that name. And this is the [intention of the] saying of the Rabbis:⁴³⁴ “The eighth day is a festival for itself” with respect to ‘p’zar k’shab,’⁴³⁵ (lots), z’man (time), regel (festival), korban (offering), shir (song), brachah (blessing). These are all references to various laws indicating that the eighth day of Tabernacles is not considered as just another day of that festival, but is rather an independent festival by itself. Such acrostics were used in order to assist memory. but yet it complements the first [seven] days⁴³⁶ connected with the first seven days. since it is an emanation of the first days but is not like their unity. Therefore in the section of All the firstlings⁴³⁷ He mentions in speaking of the three festivals — the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles — [that the Festival of Tabernacles] is seven days⁴³⁸, 16:15. and He did not mention the eighth day, for there He said, all thy males appear etc.⁴³⁹, Verse 16. See my Hebrew commentary p. 197. This is thus clear.