Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Numbers 9:14/רמב"ן על במדבר ט׳:י״ד

אוְטַעַם וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר – לְצַוּוֹת הַגֵּרִים בְּפֶסַח זֶה שֶׁל מִדְבָּר כַּאֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה בּוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי מַה שֶׁאָמַר בְּסֵדֶר בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה ״וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּךָ גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח״ (שמות יב מח) הוּא עַל פֶּסַח מִצְרַיִם, כִּי הַפָּרָשָׁה הַהִיא עַל פֶּסַח מִצְרַיִם נֶאֶמְרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם, וְהָיָה בְּמַשְׁמָע כִּי הַגֵּרִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִמִּצְרַיִם, עֵרֶב רַב, יַעֲשׂוּ פֶּסַח, שֶׁאַף הֵם הָיוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַנֵּס, אֲבָל הַמִּתְגַּיְּרִים אַחֲרֵי כֵן בַּמִּדְבָּר אוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִתְחַיְּבוּ בַּפֶּסַח, שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ הֵם אוֹ אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם בִּכְלַל ״וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם״ (דברים ו כג). לְפִיכָךְ הֻצְרַךְ בְּכָאן לְחַיְּבָם בְּפֶסַח דּוֹרוֹת בַּמִּדְבָּר וּבָאָרֶץ:

1AND IF A STRANGER SHALL SOJOURN AMONG YOU. The purpose of this is to command the stranger to bring this Passover-offering in the wilderness just as He commanded the Israelites. It is possible that when He said in Seder ‘Bo El Par’oh’ (Go in unto Pharaoh),⁹⁰ And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep the Passover,⁹¹, 12:48. it refers [only] to the [original] Passover kept in Egypt, for that section was said with reference to the Passover of Egypt, as I have explained there. In that case we might have thought that those strangers who joined us in going out from Egypt, the mixed multitude,⁹², Verse 38. should keep the Passover, because they were also included in that miracle [of the exodus], but those who become proselytes afterwards, in the desert or in the Land of Israel, [we might have thought] do not have to bring the Passover-offering, since neither they nor their ancestors were included among [those of whom it is said], and He brought us out from thence;⁹³ therefore He had to make them liable here to bring the Passover-offering in [subsequent] generations, in the wilderness and in the Land.