Ramban on Exodus, Introduction

הִשְׁלִים הַכָּתוּב סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁהוּא סֵפֶר הַיְּצִירָה בְּחִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם וִיצִירַת כָּל נוֹצָר וּבְמִקְרֵי הָאָבוֹת שֶׁהֵם כְּעִנְיַן יְצִירָה לְזַרְעָם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁכָּל מִקְרֵיהֶם צִיּוּרֵי דְּבָרִים לִרְמֹז וּלְהוֹדִיעַ כָּל עָתִיד לָבֹא לָהֶם. וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁהִשְׁלִים הַיְּצִירָה הִתְחִיל סֵפֶר אַחֵר בְּעִנְיַן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַבָּא מִן הָרְמָזִים הָהֵם. ‘V’EILEH SHEMOTH’ (AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF…)¹The Hebrew names for the books of the Bible are generally taken from the first words in the Hebrew text. Thus the name “V’eileh Shemoth” for this second book of the Torah, or just “Shemoth,” as it is now known. In the Talmud it is known as Chomesh Sheini, the “Second Fifth” of the five books of the Torah (Sotah 36 b). The English name Exodus stems from the Septuagint, the first Greek translation of the Bible, and is based on the fact that the first fifteen chapters deal with the exodus from Egypt. In the Book of Genesis, which is the book of Creation, the Torah completed the account of how the world was brought forth from nothingness and how everything was created, as well as an account of all the events which befell the patriarchs, who are a sort of creation to their seed.²In his commentary on the Book of Genesis, Ramban develops this theme at great length. See Index to Vol. I, p. 618, Patriarchs. All the events that happened to them were symbolic occurrences, indicating and foretelling all that was destined to come upon their seed. After having completed the account of creation, the Torah begins another book concerning the subject that had been alluded to in those symbolic events [recorded in the Book of Genesis].

וְנִתְיַחֵד סֵפֶר וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּעִנְיַן הַגָּלוּת הָרִאשׁוֹן הַנִּגְזָר בְּפֵרוּשׁ וּבַגְּאֻלָּה מִמֶּנּוּ, וְלָכֵן חָזַר וְהִתְחִיל בִּשְׁמוֹת יוֹרְדֵי מִצְרַיִם וּמִסְפָּרָם אע"פ שֶׁכְּבָר נִכְתַּב זֶה, בַּעֲבוּר כִּי יְרִידָתָם שָׁם הוּא רֵאשִׁית הַגָּלוּת כִּי מֵאָז הוּחַל. The Book of V’eileh Shemoth was set apart for the story of the first exile,³Four exiles were decreed. The first one was in Egypt. See Index to Vol. I, p. 613, Exile. which had been clearly decreed,⁴Genesis 15:13. and the redemption therefrom. This is why He reverted and began [this second book of the Torah] with the names of those persons who went down to Egypt, and mentioned their total number,⁵In Verse 5 here: And all the souls … were seventy souls. although this had already been written.⁶Genesis 46:8-27. It is because their descent thereto constituted the beginning of the exile, which began from that moment on.⁷The exile thus did not begin with the actual enslavement of the Israelites by the Egyptians; rather it started with their very descent into Egypt. Hence here at the beginning of the book of the exile, the Torah uses the same verse found in the Book of Genesis where the actual account of the descent is given, in order to indicate that the exile began at that point. See also Ramban on Genesis 46:2 (Vol. I, p. 553), where he alludes to this thought. Ramban makes further reference to it here in Verse 1.

וְהִנֵּה הַגָּלוּת אֵינֶנּוּ נִשְׁלָם עַד יוֹם שׁוּבָם אֶל מְקוֹמָם וְאֶל מַעֲלַת אֲבוֹתָם יָשׁוּבוּ. וּכְשֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם אע"פ שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים עֲדַיִן יֵחָשְׁבוּ גּוֹלִים, כִּי הָיוּ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם נְבֻכִים בַּמִּדְבָּר. וּכְשֶׁבָּאוּ אֶל הַר סִינַי וְעָשׂוּ הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְשָׁב הקב"ה וְהִשְׁרָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בֵּינֵיהֶם, אָז שָׁבוּ אֶל מַעֲלוֹת אֲבוֹתָם שֶׁהָיָה סוֹד אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵי אָהֳלֵיהֶם וְהֵם הֵם הַמֶּרְכָּבָה, וְאָז נֶחְשְׁבוּ גְּאוּלִים. וְלָכֵן נִשְׁלַם הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה בְּהַשְׁלִימוֹ עִנְיַן הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּבִהְיוֹת כְּבוֹד ה' מָלֵא אוֹתוֹ תָּמִיד. Now the exile was not completed⁸Ramban is now aiming to explain why the second book of the Torah, which as explained above is the book of the first exile and the redemption therefrom, does not close with the actual exodus or with the Revelation on Sinai, but instead proceeds with the account of the building of the Tabernacle. Ramban’s answer is most illuminating and inspiring. until the day they returned to their place⁹See Hosea 5:15. and were restored to the status of their fathers. When they left Egypt, even though they came forth from the house of bondage, they were still considered exiles because they were in a land that is not theirs,.¹¹Genesis 15:13. entangled in the desert.¹⁰See further, 14:3. When they came to Mount Sinai and made the Tabernacle, and the Holy One, blessed be He, caused His Divine Presence to dwell again amongst them, they returned to the status of their fathers when the ‘sod eloka’ (counsel of G-d) was upon their tents¹²See Job 29:4, and Ramban’s commentary thereon, (in my Kithvei Haramban: Vol. I, p. 90), where he interprets the verse as follows: “Job is saying that sod eloka — the counsel of G-d - was known in his tent, as if He foretold all future events. Thus Job and all who were with him were guarded from mishaps and troubles. It may be that sod eloka is a reference to the angels of the Supreme One and the host of the heavens that dwelled upon his tent to guard him from all evil, etc.” Ramban is thus intimating here that the complete redemption of the Israelites from their first exile was not achieved until they were restored to the same position held by the patriarchs. Whereas the Divine Presence rested upon the tents of the patriarchs — see Shabbath 55b, where Rashi clearly states that before the building of the Tabernacle, the Divine Presence was to be found upon the tents of the righteous — so Israel regained its original status only when the Divine Glory came to rest upon the Tabernacle at the time of its completion. See end of Book of Exodus. It is for this reason that the second book of the Torah — devoted as it is to the first exile and the redemption therefrom — continues with the account of the building of the Tabernacle. and “they were those who constituted the Chariot of the Holy One.”¹³Bereshith Rabbah 47:8. See Vol. I, p. 224. Then they were considered redeemed. It was for this reason that this second book of the Torah is concluded with the consummation of the building of the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Eternal filling it¹⁴Further, 40:35. always.¹⁵Numbers 9:16: So it was always: the cloud covered it…