אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃
Jika kamu berjalan menurut ketetapan-ketetapan-Ku, memelihara perintah-perintah-Ku, dan melakukannya,
Avodat HaMelekh
All the mitzvot, etc., were given along with their interpretation. Our Rabbi, may his memory be blessed, in the introduction to his commentary on the Mishnah, indicated the source of these words in the Torat Kohanim, parashat Behar: all the mitzvot were given with their general principles, specific details, and nuances at Mount Sinai. Our Rabbi explained there that this refers to the general and specific principles, that is, the aspects we are to derive from the concepts of "klal" (general rule) and "prat" (specific rule) and from the other thirteen middot (methods of interpretation). And our teacher, the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu, may his memory be blessed, added a reference to Torat Kohanim in parashat Tzav, where it is stated: "That which Hashem commanded…," including all of them. And in Torat Kohanim in parashat Bechukotai, in the verse "on Mount Sinai through the hand of Moshe," it is taught that the Torah was given with its halachot (laws), details, and explanations through Moshe from Sinai. It is explained there: "These are the chukim (decrees), referring to the midrashim, etc." And in the Talmud Yerushalmi, chapter 2 of Peah, we read: "The words, the things" include Mikra (Scripture), Mishnah, Talmud, and Aggadah, etc. And see in Avot de Rabbi Natan, where it says: "These are the chukim, mishpatim (laws), and torot (instructions)." And see in Megillah 19b the explanation of the verse: "And about them, according to all the words."
Ramban
AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI. “What has the subject of the Sabbatical year [stated here in this section] to do with that of Mount Sinai? Were not all the commandments declared on Sinai? [It is to teach us that] just as [this law of] the Sabbatical year was ordained on Sinai with its general rules, its specific prescripts and its minute details, so also were all [the commandments] ordained on Sinai with their general rules, and their specific prescripts and their minute details. Thus it is taught [here] in the Torath Kohanin. It appears to me1I.e. Rashi. Having quoted the text of the Torath Kohanim, Rashi now proceeds to explain the basis of the analogy of this text of the Beraitha between our section and all other commandments. To follow Rashi’s answer it is important to recall that in the final year of Israel’s stay in the wilderness, when they were encamped in the plains of Moab (Numbers 22:1), Moses, in the last days of his life, restated the commandments of G-d, his words being contained in the Book of Deuteronomy. However, since not all the commandments were restated there by Moses, our verse serves as a basis for the interpretation of the Torath Kohanim, as will be explained by Rashi. Ramban will differ with this whole approach, since the text of the Torath Kohanim makes no reference at all to Moses’ restatement of the laws in the plains of Moab. See at end of Note 10. that the following is the interpretation thereof: Since we do not find the law of the resting of the soil [in the Sabbatical year] repeated in the plains of Moab [when Moses restated the law, as contained in the Book of Deuteronomy], we must deduce that all the general rules and specific prescripts [of the Sabbatical year, including those of the resting of the soil] were declared on Sinai. [Why then was it necessary for Scripture to state here in Mount Sinai, since it is self-understood that this entire law was promulgated on Sinai, since the law of the resting of the soil is not mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy? We must say that the reason] Scripture mentioned [the phrase in Mount Sinai] here is in order to teach that every communication [i.e., commandment] that was spoken to Moses on Sinai, was given at Sinai together with its general rules and minute details, and they were [merely] repeated and taught again in the plains of Moab.” Thus far is the language of Rashi.
But this does not appear to me to be correct at all. For there are many commandments like the Sabbatical year which were not repeated in the plains of Moab, and [all] we know about their general rules and specific prescripts is that they were promulgated either on Sinai or in the Tent of Meeting [but not specifically on Sinai, as Rashi said]!2In other words, we can be certain that those commandments which were not mentioned in the plains of Moab [and are recorded in other parts of the Torah], were declared at some preceding time, but we cannot be sure whether they were said with the commandments given at Sinai, or only later on, after the building of the Tabernacle from which G-d communicated to Moses. On what basis, then, does Rashi say that they were all given on Sinai? Moreover, how do we know that the other commandments which were repeated in the plains of Moab are to be likened to the Sabbatical year [which was not repeated? Perhaps this analogy applies only to those commandments which were not repeated in the plains of Moab, like the Sabbatical year; but how do we know that the analogy applies also to those that were repeated by Moses in the plains of Moab, as contained in the Book of Deuteronomy? And how do we know that in the case of those commandments that were repeated by Moses], that only the general rules were declared on Sinai but the specific prescripts were given in the plains of Moab! And indeed it would be more logical to say so, that those commandments which were repeated by Moses, were restated for the sake of explaining their specific prescripts, since on Sinai only their general rules had been declared!
But the interpretation of the above Beraitha is clear: The general rules of the Sabbatical year were declared on Sinai, as it is written in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances):3Exodus 21:1. Since these ordinances were declared before the Tabernacle was erected, they must perforce have been given on Sinai. And on the seventh year thou shalt let it [i.e., the Land] rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat etc.4Ibid., 23:11. These are the laws of the Sabbatical year in a general way. Here He went back [to this subject] and said that in Mount Sinai all its specific prescripts were also given, since all of them are mentioned in this section. And at the end of this subject it is written, These are the commandments, which the Eternal commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai,5Leviticus 27:34. in order to liken all the commandments to the Sabbatical year [previously] mentioned, [teaching] that all of them, likewise, were stated in general terms and with their particular details — that is, all were declared on Sinai. And thus it is taught there in the Torath Kohanim:6Torath Kohanim, end of Seder Bechukothai. “These are the commandments.5Leviticus 27:34. Henceforth no prophet may promulgate any new thing.7This is a major teaching in Judaism, that the prophets who came after Moses only served to exhort Israel to obey the laws given by Moses, but no new Divine commandments were added. Which the Eternal commanded Moses.5Leviticus 27:34. The messenger was [found] deserving before Him Who sent him [since he was the most perfect of all human beings].8Malbim to Torath Kohanim ibid. Moses for the children of Israel. It was the merit of Israel that caused [the Divine Glory to rest upon Moses].9“And that the Torah be given through Moses. For if Israel had not accepted the Torah, the Divine Glory would not have communicated with Moses, because where there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is a flock there must be a shepherd” (Rabad in his commentary to Torath Kohanim, ibid.). In Mount Sinai,5Leviticus 27:34. [this teaches] that all commandments originated at Sinai.” Thus far is the text in the Torath Kohanim. But the reason [that the laws were repeated] in the plains of Moab was only for the purpose of explaining the Torah to the children [of those who had left Egypt, who were born in the wilderness after the Giving of the Torah at Sinai]. This appears to me to be the interpretation [of the Beraitha of the Torath Kohanim mentioned] and “it is well and nicely said.”10The Hebrew expression kaftor vaferach literally means “a knop and a flower.” The term is borrowed from the design of the candelabrum (see Exodus 25:33), and here means “a thing of truth, and beautifully stated.” The usage of this expression is found in Bereshith Rabbah 91:12. It has been suggested that since the candelabrum in the Tabernacle represented the light of wisdom, the knops and flowers in the candelabrum symbolized truth beautifully expressed. Hence the expression kaftor vaferach as applied to a dictum of truth well formulated. — In essence, Ramban’s understanding of the Beraitha mentioned by Rashi is as follows: “Why is the expression in Mount Sinai mentioned here? It cannot be to teach us that the general principles of the Sabbatical year were given on Sinai, for all commandments were declared on Sinai in general terms, the Sabbatical year being merely one of them, as expressly stated in Exodus 23:11. Hence the expression here in Mount Sinai must be to teach that all its specific prescripts were also given on Mount Sinai, and from this you may deduce that the verse at the end of the Book of Leviticus, which states, These are the commandments which the Eternal commanded Moses … in Mount Sinai intends to teach us that the specific prescripts of all the laws were also declared on Sinai. — Ramban’s interpretation is thus not based at all on Moses’ restatement of the laws in the plains of Moab, as is that of Rashi, but instead is founded upon the verses in Exodus 23:11, and at the end of Leviticus, as explained.
Now the reason why this section [of the laws of the Sabbatical year] was written here, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained to be as follows: This is the covenant which was written in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances),11Exodus 24:4-7: And Moses wrote all the words of the Eternal … And he took the Book of the Covenant. and when the people accepted it upon themselves [by saying] we will do, and obey,12Ibid., Verse 7. then the covenant was made,13Ibid., Verse 8. and [Moses] told them this whole section [containing the laws of the Sabbatical year]. Scripture mentioned it in this place in order to put in proximity all the conditions [He laid down for Israel’s inheriting] the Land; for just as He said with reference to forbidden sexual relations that on account of them the Land will vomit them out,14Above, 18:28. so He said in the section of ‘Im Bechukothai’ (If ye walk in My statutes)15Further, 26:3. with regard to [not keeping the laws of] the Sabbaths of the Land,16Ibid., Verse 34. and therefore it was necessary that He mention [here] first [what are the laws of] the Sabbatical years.
In my opinion this section is written here in its proper order, for the expression in Mount Sinai means when Moses went up there to receive the second Tablets [and does not refer, as Ibn Ezra interprets it, to the time immediately after the Giving of the Torah, even before Moses went up the mountain to receive the first Tablets of the Law], and the explanation of the matter is as follows: At the beginning of the first forty days of the first Tablets, Moses wrote in the Book of the Covenant all the words of the Eternal17Exodus 24:4. and all the ordinances stated there [in that section],18Ibid., Chapters 21-23. and he sprinkled the blood of the covenant upon the people.13Ibid., Verse 8. But when the people sinned with the [golden] calf and the Tablets were broken, that was equivalent to a breaking of the covenant with the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled to Moses by giving him the second Tablets, He commanded him concerning a new covenant, as it is said, Behold, I make a covenant;19Ibid., 34:10. and He repeated there the stringent commandments that had been said in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances)20Ibid., 21:1. at the first covenant, and He [now] stated, Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.21Ibid., 34:27. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to make this second covenant with them with greater stringency, and that it should be upon them by means of oaths and curses, and that it should cover, like the first one, all the original commandments and all the ordinances, as it is said of the first covenant, And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Eternal, and all the ordinances.22Ibid., 24:3. Therefore Scripture states here at the end of the exhortations, These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the Eternal made between Him and the children of Israel, in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses,23Further, 26:46. this being an allusion to all the commandments and ordinances which had been said at the first covenant, in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances),20Ibid., 21:1. for they were all embodied in this [second] covenant.
Now in the Book of the first Covenant, the law of the Sabbatical year was stated in a general way as I have mentioned, as it is said, And on the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow etc.,4Ibid., 23:11. and now in this second convenant it was said with its specific prescripts, its minute details, and its penalties. At the time of the first covenant, during the first forty days [after the Giving of the Torah, when Moses went up to the mountain], Moses was commanded concerning the building of the Tabernacle; and when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled to him and commanded him to make a second covenant for them, Moses came down [from the mountain] and he gave them in commandment all that the Eternal had spoken with him in Mount Sinai,24Exodus 34:32. including the making of the Tabernacle. Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them as at first, These are the words which the Eternal hath commanded that ye should do them,25Ibid., 35:1. when making the Tabernacle. Now they accepted the charge joyfully, and departed from his presence at once, and they all came back and brought the donations, and made the Tabernacle and completed its construction. And as soon as it was set up, He immediately called unto Moses, and the Eternal spoke unto him out of the Tent of Meeting,26Above, 1:1. and He commanded him regarding the offerings and the whole Torath Kohanim [“law of the priests,” i.e., the Book of Leviticus], and Moses immediately commanded them all to Aaron and his sons and to all the children of Israel. When he had finished, he said to them: “G-d further commanded me in Mount Sinai to explain to you [the laws of] the Sabbatical year and of the Jubilee, and to make a new covenant with you concerning all the commandments and ordinances, by means of adjuration and oath.” It was not necessary now [for Moses] to slaughter offerings and sprinkle half of the blood upon the people and half upon the altar, as he had done at the first covenant,27Exodus 24:5-6. because now they were [again] accepting upon themselves the original covenant, with these oaths and adjurations. This is the sense of the expression, which the Eternal made between Him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai,23Further, 26:46. for it was He Who made with them this [second] covenant, having forgiven them on the basis of these conditions [i.e., the oaths and adjurations mentioned further on in Chapter 26], as I have explained at the end of [Seder] Ki Thisa.28Ibid., 34:27; 31. See Vol. II, pp. 591-2, 594. Similarly, the covenant at the plains of Moab29Deuteronomy 28:69. 29:9-13. was made likewise, by means of the people accepting upon themselves the Torah with those oaths and adjurations [mentioned in Deuteronomy Chapter 28], this being the covenant, as it is said, These are the words of the covenant which the Eternal commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.30Ibid., 28:69. Ramban’s point is thus to stress that all subsequent covenants mentioned after the one made at Sinai are merely re-affirmations of the original covenant. The Rabbis of blessed memory have spoken the truth in saying31Torath Kohanim, Bechukothai 8:9. that among the conditions on which the Land [was given by G-d to Israel] are [those of observing the laws of] the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee, as He will mention in the exhortations,32Further, 26:34; 43. and they are clearly expressed in this second covenant [as referring to the commandments in this section].
But this does not appear to me to be correct at all. For there are many commandments like the Sabbatical year which were not repeated in the plains of Moab, and [all] we know about their general rules and specific prescripts is that they were promulgated either on Sinai or in the Tent of Meeting [but not specifically on Sinai, as Rashi said]!2In other words, we can be certain that those commandments which were not mentioned in the plains of Moab [and are recorded in other parts of the Torah], were declared at some preceding time, but we cannot be sure whether they were said with the commandments given at Sinai, or only later on, after the building of the Tabernacle from which G-d communicated to Moses. On what basis, then, does Rashi say that they were all given on Sinai? Moreover, how do we know that the other commandments which were repeated in the plains of Moab are to be likened to the Sabbatical year [which was not repeated? Perhaps this analogy applies only to those commandments which were not repeated in the plains of Moab, like the Sabbatical year; but how do we know that the analogy applies also to those that were repeated by Moses in the plains of Moab, as contained in the Book of Deuteronomy? And how do we know that in the case of those commandments that were repeated by Moses], that only the general rules were declared on Sinai but the specific prescripts were given in the plains of Moab! And indeed it would be more logical to say so, that those commandments which were repeated by Moses, were restated for the sake of explaining their specific prescripts, since on Sinai only their general rules had been declared!
But the interpretation of the above Beraitha is clear: The general rules of the Sabbatical year were declared on Sinai, as it is written in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances):3Exodus 21:1. Since these ordinances were declared before the Tabernacle was erected, they must perforce have been given on Sinai. And on the seventh year thou shalt let it [i.e., the Land] rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat etc.4Ibid., 23:11. These are the laws of the Sabbatical year in a general way. Here He went back [to this subject] and said that in Mount Sinai all its specific prescripts were also given, since all of them are mentioned in this section. And at the end of this subject it is written, These are the commandments, which the Eternal commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai,5Leviticus 27:34. in order to liken all the commandments to the Sabbatical year [previously] mentioned, [teaching] that all of them, likewise, were stated in general terms and with their particular details — that is, all were declared on Sinai. And thus it is taught there in the Torath Kohanim:6Torath Kohanim, end of Seder Bechukothai. “These are the commandments.5Leviticus 27:34. Henceforth no prophet may promulgate any new thing.7This is a major teaching in Judaism, that the prophets who came after Moses only served to exhort Israel to obey the laws given by Moses, but no new Divine commandments were added. Which the Eternal commanded Moses.5Leviticus 27:34. The messenger was [found] deserving before Him Who sent him [since he was the most perfect of all human beings].8Malbim to Torath Kohanim ibid. Moses for the children of Israel. It was the merit of Israel that caused [the Divine Glory to rest upon Moses].9“And that the Torah be given through Moses. For if Israel had not accepted the Torah, the Divine Glory would not have communicated with Moses, because where there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is a flock there must be a shepherd” (Rabad in his commentary to Torath Kohanim, ibid.). In Mount Sinai,5Leviticus 27:34. [this teaches] that all commandments originated at Sinai.” Thus far is the text in the Torath Kohanim. But the reason [that the laws were repeated] in the plains of Moab was only for the purpose of explaining the Torah to the children [of those who had left Egypt, who were born in the wilderness after the Giving of the Torah at Sinai]. This appears to me to be the interpretation [of the Beraitha of the Torath Kohanim mentioned] and “it is well and nicely said.”10The Hebrew expression kaftor vaferach literally means “a knop and a flower.” The term is borrowed from the design of the candelabrum (see Exodus 25:33), and here means “a thing of truth, and beautifully stated.” The usage of this expression is found in Bereshith Rabbah 91:12. It has been suggested that since the candelabrum in the Tabernacle represented the light of wisdom, the knops and flowers in the candelabrum symbolized truth beautifully expressed. Hence the expression kaftor vaferach as applied to a dictum of truth well formulated. — In essence, Ramban’s understanding of the Beraitha mentioned by Rashi is as follows: “Why is the expression in Mount Sinai mentioned here? It cannot be to teach us that the general principles of the Sabbatical year were given on Sinai, for all commandments were declared on Sinai in general terms, the Sabbatical year being merely one of them, as expressly stated in Exodus 23:11. Hence the expression here in Mount Sinai must be to teach that all its specific prescripts were also given on Mount Sinai, and from this you may deduce that the verse at the end of the Book of Leviticus, which states, These are the commandments which the Eternal commanded Moses … in Mount Sinai intends to teach us that the specific prescripts of all the laws were also declared on Sinai. — Ramban’s interpretation is thus not based at all on Moses’ restatement of the laws in the plains of Moab, as is that of Rashi, but instead is founded upon the verses in Exodus 23:11, and at the end of Leviticus, as explained.
Now the reason why this section [of the laws of the Sabbatical year] was written here, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained to be as follows: This is the covenant which was written in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances),11Exodus 24:4-7: And Moses wrote all the words of the Eternal … And he took the Book of the Covenant. and when the people accepted it upon themselves [by saying] we will do, and obey,12Ibid., Verse 7. then the covenant was made,13Ibid., Verse 8. and [Moses] told them this whole section [containing the laws of the Sabbatical year]. Scripture mentioned it in this place in order to put in proximity all the conditions [He laid down for Israel’s inheriting] the Land; for just as He said with reference to forbidden sexual relations that on account of them the Land will vomit them out,14Above, 18:28. so He said in the section of ‘Im Bechukothai’ (If ye walk in My statutes)15Further, 26:3. with regard to [not keeping the laws of] the Sabbaths of the Land,16Ibid., Verse 34. and therefore it was necessary that He mention [here] first [what are the laws of] the Sabbatical years.
In my opinion this section is written here in its proper order, for the expression in Mount Sinai means when Moses went up there to receive the second Tablets [and does not refer, as Ibn Ezra interprets it, to the time immediately after the Giving of the Torah, even before Moses went up the mountain to receive the first Tablets of the Law], and the explanation of the matter is as follows: At the beginning of the first forty days of the first Tablets, Moses wrote in the Book of the Covenant all the words of the Eternal17Exodus 24:4. and all the ordinances stated there [in that section],18Ibid., Chapters 21-23. and he sprinkled the blood of the covenant upon the people.13Ibid., Verse 8. But when the people sinned with the [golden] calf and the Tablets were broken, that was equivalent to a breaking of the covenant with the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled to Moses by giving him the second Tablets, He commanded him concerning a new covenant, as it is said, Behold, I make a covenant;19Ibid., 34:10. and He repeated there the stringent commandments that had been said in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances)20Ibid., 21:1. at the first covenant, and He [now] stated, Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.21Ibid., 34:27. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to make this second covenant with them with greater stringency, and that it should be upon them by means of oaths and curses, and that it should cover, like the first one, all the original commandments and all the ordinances, as it is said of the first covenant, And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Eternal, and all the ordinances.22Ibid., 24:3. Therefore Scripture states here at the end of the exhortations, These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the Eternal made between Him and the children of Israel, in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses,23Further, 26:46. this being an allusion to all the commandments and ordinances which had been said at the first covenant, in the section of ‘V’eileh Hamishpatim’ (And these are the ordinances),20Ibid., 21:1. for they were all embodied in this [second] covenant.
Now in the Book of the first Covenant, the law of the Sabbatical year was stated in a general way as I have mentioned, as it is said, And on the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow etc.,4Ibid., 23:11. and now in this second convenant it was said with its specific prescripts, its minute details, and its penalties. At the time of the first covenant, during the first forty days [after the Giving of the Torah, when Moses went up to the mountain], Moses was commanded concerning the building of the Tabernacle; and when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled to him and commanded him to make a second covenant for them, Moses came down [from the mountain] and he gave them in commandment all that the Eternal had spoken with him in Mount Sinai,24Exodus 34:32. including the making of the Tabernacle. Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them as at first, These are the words which the Eternal hath commanded that ye should do them,25Ibid., 35:1. when making the Tabernacle. Now they accepted the charge joyfully, and departed from his presence at once, and they all came back and brought the donations, and made the Tabernacle and completed its construction. And as soon as it was set up, He immediately called unto Moses, and the Eternal spoke unto him out of the Tent of Meeting,26Above, 1:1. and He commanded him regarding the offerings and the whole Torath Kohanim [“law of the priests,” i.e., the Book of Leviticus], and Moses immediately commanded them all to Aaron and his sons and to all the children of Israel. When he had finished, he said to them: “G-d further commanded me in Mount Sinai to explain to you [the laws of] the Sabbatical year and of the Jubilee, and to make a new covenant with you concerning all the commandments and ordinances, by means of adjuration and oath.” It was not necessary now [for Moses] to slaughter offerings and sprinkle half of the blood upon the people and half upon the altar, as he had done at the first covenant,27Exodus 24:5-6. because now they were [again] accepting upon themselves the original covenant, with these oaths and adjurations. This is the sense of the expression, which the Eternal made between Him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai,23Further, 26:46. for it was He Who made with them this [second] covenant, having forgiven them on the basis of these conditions [i.e., the oaths and adjurations mentioned further on in Chapter 26], as I have explained at the end of [Seder] Ki Thisa.28Ibid., 34:27; 31. See Vol. II, pp. 591-2, 594. Similarly, the covenant at the plains of Moab29Deuteronomy 28:69. 29:9-13. was made likewise, by means of the people accepting upon themselves the Torah with those oaths and adjurations [mentioned in Deuteronomy Chapter 28], this being the covenant, as it is said, These are the words of the covenant which the Eternal commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.30Ibid., 28:69. Ramban’s point is thus to stress that all subsequent covenants mentioned after the one made at Sinai are merely re-affirmations of the original covenant. The Rabbis of blessed memory have spoken the truth in saying31Torath Kohanim, Bechukothai 8:9. that among the conditions on which the Land [was given by G-d to Israel] are [those of observing the laws of] the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee, as He will mention in the exhortations,32Further, 26:34; 43. and they are clearly expressed in this second covenant [as referring to the commandments in this section].
Ramban
‘E-IL SHA-DAI.’ These are two distinct Divine names, each one descriptive in itself.367And not as Abraham ibn Ezra has it, i.e., that they both constitute one descriptive noun: “a G-d who is almighty” and “an almighty G-d.” Now the meaning of the word eil is “mighty”, derived from the expression, Eilei Moab (the mighty ones of Moab).368Exodus 15:15. The meaning of Sha—dai, according to Rashi, is “He whose G-dship suffices for every creature.” In the book Moreh Nebuchim369I, 63 (toward the end). the Rabbi294Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam). See Seder Bereshith, Note 139. explained that the name Sha—dai signifies “he who is sufficient.” That is to say, He does not require the existence of what He created or the conservation of any other being; rather, His existence is self-sufficient. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained in the name of the Nagid370Shmuel Hanagid. In our text of Ibn Ezra, it appears anonymously as “And many explain.” that the name is from the root shodeid, meaning “victor and prevailer over the hosts of heaven.” This is the correct interpretation, for the name Sha—dai represents the attribute of power which conducts the world, concerning which the Sages have said that it is “the attribute of Justice of the world below.”371Bereshith Rabbah 35:4.
The reason for mentioning this Divine Name now is that with it are done the hidden miracles372All miracles which a man can deny, saying that they are part of the natural order, are called “hidden,” while those that cannot be denied but are clearly the intervention of the power of G-d are called “open.” (Ma’or Veshamesh.) This concept is a major foundation in Ramban’s thinking. It will appear in many other places in a more developed manner. See e.g., further, 46:15; Exodus 6:2; Leviticus 26:11. for the righteous, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine,373Psalms 33:19. as well as to redeem them in war from the power of the sword,374See Job 5:20. just as all the miracles done to Abraham and to the other patriarchs, and as all the blessings and curses mentioned in the Torah in the section Im Bechukothai375Leviticus 26:3-46. and in the section Vehaya Ki Thavo.376Deuteronomy 28:1-69. These blessings and curses are all miracles for it is not in nature that the rains should come in their due season377Leviticus 26:4. when we worship G-d, nor are the skies to be like iron378Ibid., Verse 19. if we plant our fields in the seventh year, and similarly all promises in the Torah. Rather, they are all miracles by which the disposition of natural law is overpowered, except that no change from the natural order of the world is noticeable, as was the case with the miracles done through Mosheh Rabbeinu with the ten plagues, the dividing of the Sea, the Manna, the well, and their like, for these are miracles which openly changed nature, and they were done with the Tetragrammaton which He told to him. It is for this reason that He now told Abraham our father that He is the Almighty, the Victor Who will prevail over his constellation of birth so that he will have a son, and thus there will be a covenant between Him and his seed forever, meaning that the portion of the Eternal is His people,379Deuteronomy 32:9. and that He will lead them at His own will, as they will not be under the rule of a star or constellation.
Know and consider that our father Abraham did not mention the Tetragrammaton [Eternal] in any of his utterances except in combination with the Divine Name written [G-d],380Such as in 15:2 above. or in combination with E-il Elyon [G-d Most High],381Ibid., 14:22. but he did mention in his affairs the name Elokim [G-d]. Thus he will say, The Eternal, the G-d of heaven.382Further, 24:3. He said, however, the Eternal seeth,383Ibid., 22:14. In this case Abraham used the Tetragrammaton (Eternal) by itself. This would contradict the principle stated by Ramban above that Abraham never used this Divine Name except in some combination with another Name. Ramban answers that since the reference there is to the Sanctuary which was destined to be built on that mountain in the future and where the sacrifices were to be brought, the Tetragrammaton is the proper name to be used, as will be explained in the beginning of the book of Leviticus when sacrifices are discussed. because it refers to the place of the future Sanctuary. Jacob, on the other hand, always mentioned E-il Sha-dai [G-d Almighty],384Ibid., 43:14; 48:3. which Moses our teacher never mentions. If you will be worthy you will understand this entire matter from that which the Rabbis said in Tractate Yebamoth:38549b. “All prophets contemplated Deity through an unlucid speculum,” which is why Isaiah said, And I saw G-d,386Isaiah 6:1. [i.e., the Divine Name written Aleph Dalet]. “But Moses contemplated Deity through a lucid speculum.” This is why He said, For a man shall not see Me and live,387Exodus 33:20. whereas Isaiah’s verse, and I saw G-d,386Isaiah 6:1. is written with the Aleph Dalet. I will mention this theme again in Parshath Va’eira388Ibid., 6:2. if G-d will look upon my grief.389A personal reference of Ramban to the difficult times in his life when he was engaged in the writing of this work.
The reason for mentioning this Divine Name now is that with it are done the hidden miracles372All miracles which a man can deny, saying that they are part of the natural order, are called “hidden,” while those that cannot be denied but are clearly the intervention of the power of G-d are called “open.” (Ma’or Veshamesh.) This concept is a major foundation in Ramban’s thinking. It will appear in many other places in a more developed manner. See e.g., further, 46:15; Exodus 6:2; Leviticus 26:11. for the righteous, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine,373Psalms 33:19. as well as to redeem them in war from the power of the sword,374See Job 5:20. just as all the miracles done to Abraham and to the other patriarchs, and as all the blessings and curses mentioned in the Torah in the section Im Bechukothai375Leviticus 26:3-46. and in the section Vehaya Ki Thavo.376Deuteronomy 28:1-69. These blessings and curses are all miracles for it is not in nature that the rains should come in their due season377Leviticus 26:4. when we worship G-d, nor are the skies to be like iron378Ibid., Verse 19. if we plant our fields in the seventh year, and similarly all promises in the Torah. Rather, they are all miracles by which the disposition of natural law is overpowered, except that no change from the natural order of the world is noticeable, as was the case with the miracles done through Mosheh Rabbeinu with the ten plagues, the dividing of the Sea, the Manna, the well, and their like, for these are miracles which openly changed nature, and they were done with the Tetragrammaton which He told to him. It is for this reason that He now told Abraham our father that He is the Almighty, the Victor Who will prevail over his constellation of birth so that he will have a son, and thus there will be a covenant between Him and his seed forever, meaning that the portion of the Eternal is His people,379Deuteronomy 32:9. and that He will lead them at His own will, as they will not be under the rule of a star or constellation.
Know and consider that our father Abraham did not mention the Tetragrammaton [Eternal] in any of his utterances except in combination with the Divine Name written [G-d],380Such as in 15:2 above. or in combination with E-il Elyon [G-d Most High],381Ibid., 14:22. but he did mention in his affairs the name Elokim [G-d]. Thus he will say, The Eternal, the G-d of heaven.382Further, 24:3. He said, however, the Eternal seeth,383Ibid., 22:14. In this case Abraham used the Tetragrammaton (Eternal) by itself. This would contradict the principle stated by Ramban above that Abraham never used this Divine Name except in some combination with another Name. Ramban answers that since the reference there is to the Sanctuary which was destined to be built on that mountain in the future and where the sacrifices were to be brought, the Tetragrammaton is the proper name to be used, as will be explained in the beginning of the book of Leviticus when sacrifices are discussed. because it refers to the place of the future Sanctuary. Jacob, on the other hand, always mentioned E-il Sha-dai [G-d Almighty],384Ibid., 43:14; 48:3. which Moses our teacher never mentions. If you will be worthy you will understand this entire matter from that which the Rabbis said in Tractate Yebamoth:38549b. “All prophets contemplated Deity through an unlucid speculum,” which is why Isaiah said, And I saw G-d,386Isaiah 6:1. [i.e., the Divine Name written Aleph Dalet]. “But Moses contemplated Deity through a lucid speculum.” This is why He said, For a man shall not see Me and live,387Exodus 33:20. whereas Isaiah’s verse, and I saw G-d,386Isaiah 6:1. is written with the Aleph Dalet. I will mention this theme again in Parshath Va’eira388Ibid., 6:2. if G-d will look upon my grief.389A personal reference of Ramban to the difficult times in his life when he was engaged in the writing of this work.