Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Numbers 17:2/אור החיים על במדבר י״ז:ב׳
אאֱמֹר אֶל אֶלְעָזָר. טַעַם אֶלְעָזָר, לְצַד שֶׁלֹּא הֶחְשִׁיב ה׳ הַדָּבָר שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה עַל יְדֵי אַהֲרֹן שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, אוֹ לְצַד שֶׁעַל יְדֵי אַהֲרֹן נַעֲשָׂה הַמִּשְׁפָּט וּמֵתוּ מַקְרִיבֵי הַמַּחְתּוֹת, לֹא רָצָה ה׳ שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה עַל יָדוֹ הֲרָמַת הַמַּחְתּוֹת.
1 אמר אל אלעזר, "say to Eleazar, etc." The reason Moses instructed Eleazar to collect these censers rather than Aaron was that he did not think the High Priest should perform such a menial task. It is also possible that seeing that these people had died in order to prove that Aaron was the High Priest, i.e. that Aaron had been a cause of their death, G'd did not want that the act of giving some status to these censers should be performed by Aaron.
בוְיָרֵם אֶת הַמַּחְתֹּת. צָרִיךְ לָדַעַת לָמָּה אָמַר וְיָרֵם בְּוָא״ו כֵּיוָן שֶׁזֶּה הוּא הַתְחָלַת הַמִּצְוָה. וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁנִּתְכַּוֵּן לְהוֹסִיף עַל עִנְיָן רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁהוּא בְּלִיעַת קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ, שֶׁרָאוּ עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי מֵה׳ יָצָא דְּבַר כְּהוּנַּת אַהֲרֹן, וְעוֹד הוֹסִיף תּוֹקֶף וְחוֹזֶק הַכְּהוּנָּה בְּיַד אַהֲרֹן לְדוֹרוֹת, שֶׁיָּרֵם הַמַּחְתּוֹת וְגוֹ׳ וְעָשׂוּ אוֹתָם רִקּוּעֵי פַחִים וְגוֹ׳ וְיִהְיוּ לְאוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳ זִכָּרוֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳.
2וירם את המחתות, and he shall lift up the censers, etc. In view of the fact that this was a totally new commandment why did the Torah write the conjunctive letter ו at the beginning of the word וירם? Perhaps the Torah considered this use of the censers as part of the demise of Korach and associates. G'd wanted the people to see that the Priesthood of Aaron had been His doing and that He would reinforce this decision by reminding the people of it throughout the generations when they would observe that the censers of the people who had challenged Aaron's status were being used by Aaron when he performed the sacrificial service on the altar.