Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 14:14/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ד:י״ד
אאֲשֶׁר עַיִן בְּעַיִן נִרְאָה אַתָּה ה' – אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אִבְּן עֶזְרָא (אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ד:י״ד) עַל מַרְאֵה כְּבוֹד ה' לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות כד יז). נִרְאָה פֹּעַל עָבָר, וְטַעְמוֹ נִרְאֵיתָ אַתָּה. וְכֵן ״וְנֵאשֲׁאַר אָנִי״ (יחזקאל ט ח), וְכֵן ״כִּי אֻמְלַל אָנִי״ (תהלים ו ג), בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת הַלָּמֶ״ד בְּפַתַּח גָּדוֹל:
1THAT THOU, ETERNAL, ‘NIR’AH’ (HAST BEEN SEEN) EYE TO EYE. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that “[this verse is to be understood in the light of what it says], And the appearance of the Glory of the Eternal etc. in the eyes of the children of Israel.113 Nir’ah is a verb in the past tense,114 is used for both the second person feminine in the present tense [“you, a woman, are seen”], and for the third person masculine or feminine in the past tense [“he or she, a man or woman has been seen”]. The difficulty in our verse is that nir’ah referring to G-d [the Eternal] clearly is used here in the third person past tense, [since it is not a feminine word, and the context clearly refers to G-d having been seen in the past]. Yet the verse continues: [nir’ah] ‘atah’ using the second person pronoun atah (you), with the verbal form nir’ah, meaning He has been seen! Ibn Ezra therefore explains that this is equivalent to the single word nir’etha, (you have been seen), and quotes other examples of such usages. and it means ‘Thou hast been seen.’ Similarly, ‘v’neisha’ar’ ani115 person verbal form as nir’ah, i.e., v’neisha’ar, used in the first person, with the pronoun ani (I), as if it had said v’neisha’arti (and I remained). [is like v’neisha’arti — ‘and I was left’]. So also, for ‘umlal’ ani116 used in that verse is vowelled with a patach it is clearly a third person form in the past tense; for were it to be a first person form in the present tense, it would be vowelled umlol with a kamatz. Thus we have another example of a third person verbal form followed by the first person pronoun ani (I). Hence it must be understood as if it were umlalti (I have languished away). [is like umlalti — ‘I have languished away’] because the letter lamed is vowelled with a long pathach.”116 used in that verse is vowelled with a patach it is clearly a third person form in the past tense; for were it to be a first person form in the present tense, it would be vowelled umlol with a kamatz. Thus we have another example of a third person verbal form followed by the first person pronoun ani (I). Hence it must be understood as if it were umlalti (I have languished away).
בוְהַכֶּפֶל עַיִן בְּעַיִן אָמְרוּ הַמְפָרְשִׁים כְּדֶרֶךְ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁעֵינָיו יִרְאוּ אֶת עֵינָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ, וְכֵן ״פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֶּר ה' עִמָּכֶם״ (דברים ה ד). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת עַיִן לְשׁוֹן מַרְאֶה, "וְעֵינוֹ כְּעֵין הַבְּדֹלַח״ (במדבר י״א:ז׳), ״וָאֵרֶא כְּעֵין חַשְׁמַל״ (יחזקאל א כז), יֹאמַר אֲשֶׁר מַרְאֶה בְּמַרְאֶה נִרְאָה הוּא שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל. וְכֵן עִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב בִּיחֶזְקֵאל (מג ג): ״וּכְמַרְאֵה הַמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי כַּמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי בְּבֹאִי לְשַׁחֵת אֶת הָעִיר וּמַרְאוֹת כַּמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי אֶל נְהַר כְּבָר״:
2A’YIN B’A'YIN’ (EYE TO EYE). The double use of the word eye [in this phrase] has been explained by commentators117 as indicating human [behavior], for the eyes [of a speaker] look into the eyes of the listener to whom he is speaking. A similar case is the verse, Face to face did the Eternal speak with you.118 And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the word a’yin is an expression for “vision,” [“appearance,” as in these verses:] ‘v’eino k’ein’ (and the appearance thereof was as the appearance of) bdellium;119 and I saw ‘k’ein’ (as the appearance of) electrum.120 The verse here is thus stating: “inasmuch as Thy Great Name is seen through the appearance of an appearance;” and this is also the meaning of the verse with reference to Ezekiel, And the appearance of the vision which I saw was like the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar.121, 43:3.