Commento su Esodo 14:10

ופרעה הקריב — It should have written ופרעה קרב “and Pharaoh came near” — what is the force of the Hiphil הקריב, “He caused to come near”? He made himself come near — he forced himself to go in front of them as he had arranged with them (cf. Rashi on v. 6).

AND THEY WERE SORE AFRAID; AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CRIED OUT UNTO THE ETERNAL. 11. AND THEY SAID UNTO MOSES: ‘BECAUSE WERE THERE NO GRAVES IN EGYPT, HAST THOU TAKEN US TO DIE IN THE WILDERNESS’? It does not appear logical that people who are crying out to G-d to help them, should at the same time protest against the deliverance He performed for them, and say that it would have been better if He had not saved them! The correct interpretation therefore is that there were conflicting groups,³²As stated in the Mechilta here on Verse 13: “The Israelites at the Red Sea were divided into four groups, etc.” In Rabbeinu Bachya’s rendition of this text of Ramban, it clearly reads: “Therefore we can rely upon the words of our Rabbis who say that these verses represent different groups” (Bachya’s Commentary on the Torah, Vol. II, p. 113, in my edition). Ramban, however, following the plain meaning of Scripture here, does not describe them as four groups but merely as ‘conflicting groups’ without enumeration. and Scripture relates what all of them did. Thus it narrates that one group cried to G-d [for help], and another denied His prophet and did not acknowledge the deliverance done for them. They said it would have been better for them had He not saved them. It is with reference to this group that it is written, They were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.³³Psalms 106:7. This is why Scripture here repeats in the same verse the term, the children of Israel, [saying: and ‘the children of Israel’ lifted up their eyes…] and ‘the children of Israel’ cried out unto the Eternal. It thus indicates that it was the better ones among the people that cried out to G-d; the remainder rebelled against His word. This is why Scripture says afterward, And the people feared the Eternal; and they believed in the Eternal, and in His servant Moses.³⁴Further, Verse 31. It does not say “and Israel feared the Eternal, and they believed,” but it says instead “the people,” for the term the children of Israel signifies the outstanding ones, while the people is a name for the multitude. Similarly, the verse, And the people murmured,³⁵Ibid., 15:24. [clearly indicates the usage of the term people in Scripture]. Our Rabbis have also mentioned it:³⁶Bamidbar Rabbah 20:22. “And the people began to commit harlotry.³⁷Numbers 25:1. Wherever it says the people, it is an expression of reproach, and wherever it says Israel, it is one of praise.”
Now the people did not say, “you have taken us away to die in war,” but [they said], hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness, and again they said, that we should die in the wilderness.³⁸Verse 12. This was due to the fact that long before they feared war,³⁹The Tur renders this passage thus thus: “They said that even if they would not experience any war, they did not want to go out to the desert.” they already did not want to go out to the desert lest they die there from hunger and thirst.
It is possible that they said so to Moses upon their going forth from the country while they were still in the land of Egypt, when G-d led them about by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea.⁴⁰Above, 13:18. Perhaps they said so to Moses at the beginning: “Where shall we go? If by the way of the Philistines, they will war against us, and if by the way of the wilderness, better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”⁴¹Verse 12.
It is also possible to say that the people did believe in G-d and prayed to Him to save them, but a doubt entered their hearts concerning Moses lest he took them out of Egypt in order to rule over them. Although they had seen the signs and wonders he did, they thought that he did them through some manner of wisdom. Perhaps G-d brought the plagues upon the Egyptians on account of their wickedness, [but not necessarily for the purpose of redemption of Israel, and Moses took them out of Egypt just to rule over them], for if G-d had desired their going out, Pharaoh would not have pursued after them.
And Onkelos here translated vayitz’aku (and they cried out) as uz’aku,⁴²Elsewhere Onkelos translates it v’tzalu (and they prayed). See Deuteronomy 26:7, vanitz’ak, which Onkelos renders v’tzaleinu (and we prayed). The word uz’aku, on the other hand, means “complaint,” as is explained in the text. thus making its purport to be “complaint,” meaning that they did not pray to G-d but that they complained to Him for having taken them out of Egypt. It is similar in usage to that in the verse, ‘vayitz’aku’ unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?⁴³Above, 5:15. [which does not mean “and they prayed,” but that they complained.] Similarly, Then there was a great ‘tza’akath’ of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews,⁴⁴Nehemiah 5:1. which means they were complaining against them with a great voice and outcry.
In the Mechilta we find;⁴⁵Mechilta on the verse before us. “They seized upon the occupation of their fathers, [i.e., at first they conducted themselves properly in that they prayed to G-d as their fathers had done]. And they said unto Moses: ‘Because were there no graves, etc.?’ After ‘they had added leaven into the dough,’⁴⁶Ramban will explain further on that this is a euphemism for the yeitzer hara (the evil inclination). In other words, after doubts had entered their minds and excitement was stirred up, they came to Moses and said to him, etc. they came to Moses and said to him, Is not this the word that we spoke unto thee in Egypt, etc.?”⁴¹Verse 12. The “leaven in the dough” is a reference to the evil inclination. Thus the Sages in the Mechilta intended to say that at first the people prayed to G-d to instill in Pharaoh’s heart the desire to turn back from pursuing them. However, when they saw that he was not turning back but instead was marching and drawing near them, they said, “Our prayers have not been accepted,” and an evil thought entered their hearts to find fault with Moses as they had previously done.

ופרעה הקריב, he had brought the entire Egyptian army right up close to the Israelites.