Commento su Esodo 15:10

נשפת — an expression for “blowing”. Similar is (Isaiah 40:24) “He bloweth (נשף) upon them”.

NASHAPHTA’ WITH THY WIND. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that nashaphta is derived from the root nesheph (twilight),¹⁵³“For there are two kinds of nesheph (twilight): the nesheph after sundown, and the nesheph before sunrise” (Ibn Ezra)! Here the nesheph before sunrise is referred to. for it was at twilight that He brought the wind which caused the water to return and drown the pursuers. Rashi explained it “as an expression for ‘blowing,’ similar in usage to the verse, When ‘nashaph’ (He bloweth) upon them, they wither.”¹⁵⁴Isaiah 40:24. Rashi has explained it well.
My opinion, furthermore, is that the purport of nashaphta, [written with the letter phei], is like [that written] with a beth: Thou ‘nashavta’ (didst blow) with Thy wind. The usage of the word is similar to: Because the breath of the Eternal ‘nashva’ (bloweth) upon it;¹⁵⁵Ibid., Verse 7. ‘yasheiv’ (He bloweth) His wind, and the waters flow.¹⁵⁶Psalms 147:18. These two letters — [the phei or pei and the beth] — are of similar usage, just as in the verses: ‘al gapei’ (Upon) the highest places of the city,¹⁵⁷Proverbs 9:3. which is like al gabei; ‘im b’gapo’ (if by himself),¹⁵⁸Further, 21:3. which is like im b’gabo. Similarly: And substance ‘yivzor’ (he shall scatter) among them;¹⁵⁹Daniel 11:24. ‘bizar’ (He hath scattered) the peoples.¹⁶⁰Psalms 68:31. These are expressions of pizur (scattering), [with the letter beth serving here as phei]¹⁶¹See Vol. I, pp. 505-506, for a similar interchange of letters between the gimmel and the kuph. In proper names, these letters also interchange, e.g., Shovach, and Shophach.¹⁶²II Samuel 10:16; I Chronicles 19:16. And our Rabbis say in the Mishnah:¹⁶³Peah 6:1. “[If produce is proclaimed] hevkeir (ownerless) for the benefit of the poor [only], it is deemed hevkeir (ownerless).”¹⁶⁴If a person gives up his ownership of the produce of his field, he is free from the obligation of giving the Tithe. But if he proclaimed it ownerless only for the poor and not for the rich, the School of Shammai say it is deemed ownerless and is therefore Tithe-free. The Mishnah continues that the School of Hillel say that it can be deemed ownerless only if it is proclaimed ownerless equally for the rich. Ramban here is interested only in the language of the Mishnah using a veth (hevkeir) for a phei, and therefore he quotes only the beginning of the Mishnah. [The word hevkeir] is like hephkeir (ownerless). From the expression, The grains ‘avshu’ (shrivel)¹⁶⁵Joel 1:17. comes the word ipush (musty). The term ben p’kua,¹⁶⁶Chullin 69a. Literally: “a child [of an animal] which is ripped open.” [an animal taken alive out of the slaughtered mother’s womb], is used in place of ben b’kua, because the mother was “ripped open” and there was found in it a living offspring of nine months.
In my opinion also, ‘hichpishani’ in ashes¹⁶⁷Lamentations 3:16. is like ‘hichbishani’ (He presses me) [or “He made me cower”] in ashes, the usage of the word being similar to: And replenish the earth, ‘v’chivshuha’ (and subdue it);¹⁶⁸Genesis 1:28. ‘yichbosh’ (He will subdue) our iniquities.¹⁶⁹Micah 7:19. In the language of the Rabbis we also find: “a measure which is k’phushah,”¹⁷⁰Yebamoth 107b. meaning k’vushah, [a measure into which the contents have been “compressed”, and which therefore contains more than its normal measure].
The purport of the verse is thus: “with Your strong and mighty wind, the waters of the sea were piled up, and when You blew the wind with which You control the sea, the sea covered them.” This is the intent of the verse, And the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared,¹⁷¹Above, 14:27. for He caused the wind to blow on it as He does at His strength when He ruleth the proud swelling of the sea.¹⁷²Psalms 89:10.

נשפת ברוחך, You used the very same wind You had used to dry out the sea bed after splitting it to now turn against the pursuers and to turned into overwhelming and turbulent waters.