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Ramban on Numbers 12:6/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ב:ו׳
אאִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם – אִם יִהְיֶה לָכֶם נָבִיא, כְּדִבְרֵי אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על במדבר י״ב:ו׳). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם פֵּרֵשׁ כִּי טַעְמוֹ: אִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם נְבִיא ה', כְּמוֹ ״וְהַנְּבוּאָה עוֹדֵד הַנָּבִיא״ (דהי״ב טו ח). וְיָפֶה אָמַר. וְטַעַם הַכָּתוּב, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם נְבִיא ה', אֵינוֹ מִתְנַבֵּא בִּשְׁמִי הַגָּדוֹל רַק בְּמַרְאֶה אוֹ בְחִידוֹת. וְהִזְכִּיר כֵּן כִּי רַבִּים מִן הַנְּבִיאִים לֹא יַשִּׂיגוּ לָזֶה, אֲבָל יִהְיוּ נְבִיאִים בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״רוּחַ ה' דִּבֶּר בִּי״ (כג ב), וְהִיא "יַד ה'" הָאֲמוּרָה בִּיחֶזְקֵאל, וְיִתְבָּאֵר בְּדִבְרֵי זְכַרְיָה:
1IF THERE BE ‘NEVI’ACHEM’ [literally “your prophet”] - if there be a prophet “among you,” as Onkelos rendered it [“if there be prophets among you”]. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the meaning thereof is: “if there be among you a prophet, a prophet of the Eternal,283. Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word navi (prophet), which is in construct with Hashem — “the prophet of the Eternal.” The reason why Ibn Ezra is forced to do so is because when a noun is in construct it cannot have a pronoun as a suffix, and here it says nevi’achem Hashem, the word nevi’achem having such a pronoun as a suffix. Hence Ibn Ezra adds the word navi (the prophet of), to be in construct with the noun Hashem. The sense of the verse is thus: Im yih’yeh nevi’achem ‘nevi’ Hashem. as in [the expression] and the prophecy of Oded the prophet.”284, which indicates the definite article. Here it is stated: v’hanevua Oded. Hence Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word nevuath (a prophecy of), making the sense of the phrase: “and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet.” He has explained it well. Thus the meaning of the verse is that “even if there is a prophet among you who is a [true] prophet of the Eternal, he can only prophesy by My Great Name through a vision or in riddles.” He mentions this [“if he be a true prophet of the Eternal”] because many prophets did not attain even this [stage], but were prophets by virtue of the Holy Spirit, as it is said, The spirit of the Eternal spoke by me,285 this being the “hand” mentioned in connection with Ezekiel,286] etc. as is explained in the words of Zechariah.287
בבַּמַּרְאָה אֵלָיו אֶתְוַדָּע – לֹא אָמַר הַכָּתוּב בַּמַּרְאָה אֵלָיו אֵרָאֶה, אֲבָל אָמַר אֶתְוַדָּע. וְהִנֵּה הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה כְּפָסוּק ״וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי״ (שמות ו ג). יֹאמַר כִּי הַשֵּׁם הַגָּדוֹל יִהְיֶה בַּמַּרְאָה וּבָהּ יִתְוַדַּע אֶל הַנָּבִיא, לֹא בִּשְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם) ״וּשְׁמִי ה' לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי״. וְאָמַר כִּי הַדִּבּוּר יִהְיֶה בַחֲלוֹם, וְלֹא כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה, כִּי בְּכָל בֵּיתִי אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ יִרְאוּ הַנְּבִיאִים חֲלוֹמוֹת, נֶאֱמָן הוּא וְיוֹדֵעַ מֵעַצְמוֹ כָּל הַמִּדּוֹת, וּמִפֶּה אֶל פֶּה יִהְיֶה לוֹ הַדִּבּוּר מֵאִתִּי, וְהַתְּמוּנָה יַבִּיט בָּהּ לֹא יִרְאֶנָּה בַּחֲלוֹם. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי (בהעלתך קג): ״וּתְמוּנַת ה' יַבִּיט" - זֶה מַרְאֵה אֲחוֹרַיִם. וְהִנֵּה בְּכָאן לִמֵּד הַכָּתוּב מַה בֵּין נְבוּאַת מֹשֶׁה לִנְבוּאַת הָאֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר בְּדוֹרוֹ, וּכְבָר הִזְכִּיר כֵּן בַּקּוֹדְמִים לוֹ ״וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם״ וְגוֹ' כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי, וְיַזְכִּיר כֵּן בְּסוֹף הַתּוֹרָה בַּבָּאִים אַחֲרָיו ״וְלֹא קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר יְדָעוֹ ה' פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים״ (דברים לד י). וְהָעִנְיָן בְּכֻלָּן שָׁוֶה. וְאַל תָּחוּשׁ לְמַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בִּשְׁמוּאֵל שֶׁשָּׁקוּל כְּמֹשֶׁה, דִּכְתִיב ״אִם יַעֲמֹד מֹשֶׁה וּשְׁמוּאֵל לְפָנַי אֵין נַפְשִׁי אֶל הָעָם הַזֶּה״ (ירמיהו טו א), כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִזְכִּירוֹ עִמּוֹ חֲשָׁבוּהוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לִגְדֻלָּה, לֹא שֶׁיַּשְׁווּ הַנְּבוּאוֹת חָלִילָה לָהֶם. וְעִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב כִּי הִזְכִּיר מֹשֶׁה מִפְּנֵי עָמְדוֹ לְפָנָיו בַּפֶּרֶץ לְהָשִׁיב חֲמָתוֹ מֵהַשְׁחִית, גַּם בָּעֵגֶל וְגַם בַּמְרַגְּלִים שֶׁהָיוּ חַיָּבִים כְּלָיָה, וְהִזְכִּיר שְׁמוּאֵל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה עַל דִּבְרֵי הַבַּצָּרוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ צְרִיכִים גֶּשֶׁם, אָמַר ״הֲיֵשׁ בְּהַבְלֵי הַגּוֹיִם מַגְשִׁימִים״ וְגוֹ' (שם יד כב). וְאָמַר הַשֵּׁם שֶׁאִם יַעֲמֹד שְׁמוּאֵל לְפָנָיו הַמּוֹרִיד גֶּשֶׁם שֶׁלֹּא בְּעִתּוֹ בִּימֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים (שמואל א יב יז), לֹא יִשְׁמַע אֵלָיו לְהוֹרִידוֹ לְאֵלֶּה בְּעֵת צָרָתָם. וְהִנֵּה הִזְכִּיר גְּדוֹלֵי הַשֵּׁבֶט אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר הַשֵּׁם לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ בִּשְׁמוֹ הַמִּתְפַּלְלִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְכֵן הַטַּעַם בְּמַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן בְּכֹהֲנָיו וּשְׁמוּאֵל בְּקֹרְאֵי שְׁמוֹ״ וְגוֹ' (תהלים צט ו):
2IN A VISION I DO MAKE MYSELF KNOWN TO HIM. Scripture does not say: “I will appear to him in a vision,” but it says ‘I will make Myself known.’ This verse is then similar to the one which states, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as G-d Almighty,288 [the verse here] stating that the Great Name appears in a vision and through it He becomes known to the prophet, but [the prophet does not know Him]289 by His Great Name, just as He said, but by My Name the Eternal I made Me not known to them.288 And Scripture stated [further] that the communication is in a vision, but My servant Moses is not so, for in all My house in which the prophets see dreams, he is trusted,290 knowing of his own accord all the [Divine] attributes, and from mouth to mouth291 the communication comes to him from Me, and he beholds the similitude,291 not in a dream. In the words of the Sifre:292 103. “And the similitude of the Eternal doth he behold.291 This refers to the vision of ‘the back.’”293Thus Scripture here teaches us the difference between the Divine communication received by Moses and that of the other prophets of his generation, in the same way that it mentioned this [difference between him and] those who preceded him [as it says in the verse], And I appeared unto Abraham, etc.,288 as I have explained; and likewise it mentions at the end of the Torah in relation to those who came after him, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Eternal knew face to face,294 the intention being the same in all these places. Do not be disquieted by the statement of the Rabbis295 concerning Samuel, that he was equal to Moses, as it is written, Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people,296 since it is because G-d mentioned Samuel together with Moses that our Rabbis considered it an indication of his [Samuel’s] greatness, but not that they were comparing the prophecies [of Moses and Samuel] to each other — far it be for them [to say so]! And the intention of this verse [which mentions Moses and Samuel together is as follows]: He mentioned Moses because he stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy them,297 both at the [incident of the] golden calf and that of the spies, when the people were in danger of destruction; and so Scripture also mentioned Samuel, because this verse is in connection with the drought298 when they needed rain, and He said, Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? etc.299, Verse 22. Thus G-d said that even if Samuel — the prophet who brought rain when it was not due, in the days of the wheat-harvest300 — were to stand [in prayer] before Him, He would not listen to him to bring it for these people in their time of trouble. Thus Scripture mentioned the great men of the tribe whom G-d chose to minister unto Him, and to bless in His Name,301 who prayed for Israel. This is also the sense of the verse which says, Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name.302