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Ramban on Leviticus 24:23/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ד:כ״ג

אוּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַף לִסְמִיכָה אַף לִדְחִיָּה אַף לִתְלִיָּה אַף לְ"לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ", תּוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק כ י). וְר"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על ויקרא כ"ד:כ"ג) בִּפְשׁוּטוֹ, כִּי עָשׂוּ מֵאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם וָהָלְאָה כַּמִּשְׁפָּט הַזֶּה בְּחוֹבֵל. וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כָּתוּב עַל הֶעָתִיד. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ "וַיִּרְגְּמוּ אוֹתוֹ אָבֶן" כִּי עָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה, כִּי כֵן יִכְפֹּל בְּכָל הַשּׁוֹמְרִים מִצְוַת הַשֵּׁם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּפָרָשַׁת הַפֶּסַח (שמות יב כח), וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּפָרָשַׁת הַפְּקוּדִים "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ" (במדבר א נד), וְכֵן בְּמַטּוֹת הַנְּשִׂיאִים "וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֹתוֹ כֵּן עָשָׂה" (שם יז כו). וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי בְּכָאן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁפֵּרֵט בַּתְּחִלָּה הַסְּקִילָה וְאַחַר כֵּן חָזַר וְאָמַר "וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשׂוּ", כִּי טַעַם הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹצִיאוּ מִיָּד אֶת הַמְקַלֵּל וְרָגְמוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְעָשׂוּ כֵּן כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה הַשֵּׁם אֶת מֹשֶׁה, לֹא לְשִׂנְאַת בֶּן הַמִּצְרִי שֶׁנָּצָה עִם הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי, אֶלָּא לְבַעֵר הַפָּגוּם מִתּוֹכָם:

1AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID AS THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES. “This includes the leaning of hands,⁵⁴⁰ casting from a height, and hanging the dead body, as well as the regulation, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree.”⁵⁴¹ [This is the language of the] Torath Kohanim.⁵⁴². And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the plain meaning thereof is that from that day onwards they acted in accordance with the law concerning one who wounds [a fellowman or causes him damage, mentioned here above in Verses 17-21]. But it is not a correct [explanation] that this verse be referring to the future. The plain meaning thereof is as follows: “and they stoned him with stones because the children of Israel did according to the commandment which the Eternal commanded Moses.” Such a repetition of expressions is found with respect to all those who keep the commandments of G-d, just as it is said in the section of the Passover,⁵⁴³ and as He stated in the section of the census, Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that the Eternal commanded Moses, so did they;⁵⁴⁴ and so also with regards to the rods of the princes: Thus did Moses; as the Eternal commanded him, so did he.⁵⁴⁵, 17:26.The correct interpretation here appears to me to be that since Scripture mentioned first the stoning, it went back afterwards and stated, and the children of Israel did etc., for the meaning of Scripture is to declare that when Moses spoke to the children of Israel they immediately brought forth him that had cursed, and they stoned him; and all the children of Israel did so in order to keep and fulfill [the commandment] as the Eternal commanded Moses, but not out of hatred to the son of the Egyptian who had striven with the Israelite, for [they did it] in order to remove the unworthy one from their midst.Behar