הִנֵּֽה־רִבְקָ֥ה לְפָנֶ֖יךָ קַ֣ח וָלֵ֑ךְ וּתְהִ֤י אִשָּׁה֙ לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶ֔יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃
Lihatlah, Ribka ada di hadapanmu. Bawalah dia dan pergilah, supaya ia menjadi istri anak tuanmu, seperti yang telah difirmankan Yang Mahakekal.”
Ramban
AND G-D SAID, ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT.’ The word “saying” here indicates Will, as in the verse, What dost thy soul say, that I should do it for thee?65I Samuel 20:4. which means, “What do you want and desire?” Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken66Genesis 24:51. means, “…as He hath willed, for such is the Will before Him.” Or, it may be [that the word “saying” here means] “thinking,” as in the verses, Thou sayest in thy heart;67Isaiah 47:8. And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart.68Zechariah 12:5. The purport is to state that the creation was not done with toil. Our Rabbis have also called this “thought.” Thus they have said:69Bereshith Rabbah 12:14. “The thought [concerning what was to be created on a particular day] was during the day; the deed itself was at sunset.” This teaches that creation was thought out, that there is a reason for everything created, that creation was not a simple manifestation of mere Will alone.
The word “being” [Let there ‘be’] indicates a deed for the present time,70Thus unlike Rashi and R’dak (Rabbi David Kimchi), who hold that the reference here is to the creation of the luminaries, such as the sun, moon, etc., which were not suspended in the firmament until the fourth day (see Rashi, Verse 14), Ramban explains that the light of the first day was of a special substance; hence Scripture does not say, And it was so, since that light did not remain forever in its original state. just as: And thou wouldst be their king71Nehemiah 6:6. [meaning: their king from this moment on]. Therefore Scripture says that when He created the substance of the heavens, He said that from that substance there should come forth a shining matter called “light.”
The word “being” [Let there ‘be’] indicates a deed for the present time,70Thus unlike Rashi and R’dak (Rabbi David Kimchi), who hold that the reference here is to the creation of the luminaries, such as the sun, moon, etc., which were not suspended in the firmament until the fourth day (see Rashi, Verse 14), Ramban explains that the light of the first day was of a special substance; hence Scripture does not say, And it was so, since that light did not remain forever in its original state. just as: And thou wouldst be their king71Nehemiah 6:6. [meaning: their king from this moment on]. Therefore Scripture says that when He created the substance of the heavens, He said that from that substance there should come forth a shining matter called “light.”
Ramban
THIS IS THAT THE ETERNAL SPOKE, SAYING: ‘THROUGH THEM THAT ARE NIGH UNTO ME I WILL BE SANCTIFIED.’ “Where had He spoken this? In the verse, and [the Tent] shall be sanctified ‘bichvodi’ (by My Glory).64Exodus 29:43. Do not read the word as bichvodi (by My Glory) but bimechubodai (through My honored ones). Moses said to Aaron: ‘My brother Aaron, I knew that this Sanctuary was to be hallowed by those who are beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, and I thought that it would be either through me or through you. Now I see that your sons were holier65In Rashi: “greater.” than I and you.’” Thus the language of Rashi, based on the interpretation of our Rabbis. But if so, the verse, and [the Tent] shall be sanctified ‘bichvodi’64Exodus 29:43. means “that it will become holy in the eyes of all the people through my honored ones, and they will know that I dwell therein.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra also wrote: “This is that the Eternal spoke, saying, means: G-d had already told me that He would show His sanctity through those that were near to Him. This is similar in meaning to the verse, You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.66Amos 3:2. And when I will show them this holiness of Mine, then I will become glorified before all the people and they will fear Me.” But if this is so, then this is a statement not written [in the text], that G-d informed Moses of His ways and that such is the nature of His attribute!
In my opinion there is no need for all this. For by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the expression “G-d spoke” refers to His decrees, His thought, and the manner of His ways, and the term “speaking” is used with reference to all these [in humans]. Thus: I spoke with my own heart,67Ecclesiastes 1:16. means “I reflected on this thought.” And this is ‘hadavar’ that Joshua did circumcise,68Joshua 5:4. means “this is ‘the cause’ why Joshua did so.” ‘Al d’var’ (because of) the money.69Genesis 43:18. Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken,70Ibid., 24:51. means “as He hath decreed.” Likewise: In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite built Jericho; with his firstborn he laid the foundation thereof, and with his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof; according to the word of the Eternal, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.71I Kings 16:34. Here too, it does not mean “which G-d spoke,” since we nowhere find that He did say so, but “which He decreed.” Cf. the words of Joshua (Joshua 6:26). Thus Moses said here: “This incident is that which G-d decreed, ‘saying to His heart': Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified so that they should not break forth into My sanctity; and before all the people I will be glorified, so that they treat My dwelling-place with respect.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra also wrote: “This is that the Eternal spoke, saying, means: G-d had already told me that He would show His sanctity through those that were near to Him. This is similar in meaning to the verse, You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.66Amos 3:2. And when I will show them this holiness of Mine, then I will become glorified before all the people and they will fear Me.” But if this is so, then this is a statement not written [in the text], that G-d informed Moses of His ways and that such is the nature of His attribute!
In my opinion there is no need for all this. For by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the expression “G-d spoke” refers to His decrees, His thought, and the manner of His ways, and the term “speaking” is used with reference to all these [in humans]. Thus: I spoke with my own heart,67Ecclesiastes 1:16. means “I reflected on this thought.” And this is ‘hadavar’ that Joshua did circumcise,68Joshua 5:4. means “this is ‘the cause’ why Joshua did so.” ‘Al d’var’ (because of) the money.69Genesis 43:18. Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken,70Ibid., 24:51. means “as He hath decreed.” Likewise: In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite built Jericho; with his firstborn he laid the foundation thereof, and with his youngest son Segub he set up the gates thereof; according to the word of the Eternal, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.71I Kings 16:34. Here too, it does not mean “which G-d spoke,” since we nowhere find that He did say so, but “which He decreed.” Cf. the words of Joshua (Joshua 6:26). Thus Moses said here: “This incident is that which G-d decreed, ‘saying to His heart': Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified so that they should not break forth into My sanctity; and before all the people I will be glorified, so that they treat My dwelling-place with respect.”
Tur HaArokh
הוא אשר דבר ה' לאמור, “of this did G’d speak, saying:” Rashi claims that G’d referred to Exodus 29,43 ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל ונקדש בכבודי, “I shall set My meeting there with the Children of Israel, and I will be sanctified with My glory.” Some commentators hold that G’d referred to Exodus 19,22 וגם הכהנים הנגשים אל ה' יתקדשו, “even the priests who approach Hashem shall sanctify themselves lest He burst forth against them.” Nachmanides writes there is no need to search for relevant verses, for G’d can issue decrees at any time in any place, such as when the angel speaking through the mouth of Bethuel announced (Genesis 24,51) “let her become the wife of your master’s son.” [This is strange as Nachmanides does not offer this comment in his commentary on that verse. Presumably, the fact that a man such as Bethuel quoted G’d as having said this, showed that he was being manipulated by G’d. Ed,. The expression כאשר דבר ה' in the mouth of Bethuel means “as G’d has decreed.” Here too Moses means to tell Aaron that what happened was nothing else but a decree of Hashem. He softens the blow by saying that G’d, by killing the sons of Aaron at this stage, had tried to prevent them who are so near to Him by dint of being priests, i.e. בקרובי, from becoming guilty of an unforgivable trespass, i.e. their ruining His sanctity.