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Ramban on Deuteronomy 10:8/רמב"ן על דברים י׳:ח׳

אבָּעֵת הַהִיא הִבְדִּיל ה' אֶת שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי, מוּסָב לְעִנְיָן רִאשׁוֹן, בְּעֵת הַהִיא בַּשָּׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁיְּצָאתֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וּטְעִיתֶם בָּעֵגֶל וּבְנֵי לֵוִי לֹא טָעוּ, הִבְדִּילָם הַמָּקוֹם מִכֶּם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים י':ח'). וְאִם כֵּן יֹאמַר כִּי מִן הָעֵת הַהִיא הֻבְדְּלוּ לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ, כִּי לֹא הִבְדִּילָם בְּמַעֲשֵׂה עַד הַשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי. אוֹ יִרְמֹז לְמָה שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם (שמות לב כט), מִלְאוּ יֶדְכֶם הַיּוֹם לַה', כִּי יִהְיֶה זֶה לָכֶם מִלּוּא יָדַיִם בַּעֲבוֹדַת כְּהֻנָּה וּלְוִיָּה. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי בָּעֵת הַהִיא הַשֵּׁנִי כָּרִאשׁוֹן (דברים י':א'), כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים (שמות לד א) נִתְרַצָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִצְטַוָּה עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְאָז נִתְרַצָּה גַּם לְאַהֲרֹן וְנִצְטַוָּה (שם כח ד) וְעָשׂוּ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וּלְבָנָיו לְקַדְּשׁוֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי, וְצִוָּהוּ בַּמִּלּוּאִים. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר כִּי אֶלְעָזָר כִּהֵן תַּחַת אָבִיו, שֶׁהָיְתָה בָּהֶם מָשְׁחָתָם לִכְהֻנַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתָם. וְעָשָׂה הַבְדָּלַת כָּל הַשֵּׁבֶט עִנְיָן אֶחָד, כִּי מִן הַיּוֹם הַהוּא הָיָה לְפָנָיו שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שִׁבְטוֹ נְתוּנִים נְתוּנִים לוֹ לַעֲבֹד עֲבוֹדַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן. אוֹ יֹאמַר כִּי שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי נִבְדַּל בָּעֵת הַהִיא לִהְיוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים מֵהֶם, כִּי גַּם הֵם נוֹשְׂאִים הָאָרוֹן, וְכֵן וַיִּתְּנָהּ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי הַנֹּשְׂאִים אֶת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה' (דברים ל"א:ט'), וְהֵם שֶׁיְּשָׁרְתוּ לַשֵּׁם וִיבָרְכוּ בִּשְׁמוֹ. וְטַעַם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, בַּעֲבוּר כְּהֻנַּת אֶלְעָזָר, כְּאוֹמֵר אָז הִבְדִּילָם לְשָׁרְתוֹ וַיְהִי כֵן עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה:

1AT THAT TIME THE ETERNAL SEPARATED THE TRIBE OF LEVI. “This refers back to the first subject. At that time, in the first year of your departure from Egypt when you sinned by worshipping the calf and the sons of Levi did not sin, G-d separated them from you.” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, he is stating that from that time the sons of Levi were separated before Him, blessed be He [but only in thought], for He did not separate them in fact until the second year in the second month [after the first census which took place on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt]!²²⁵ Or it may be that he is alluding to what he said to them [at the affair of the calf], Consecrate yourselves today to the Eternal,²²⁶ for thereby you dedicate yourselves to the service of priests and Levites.The correct interpretation, it appears to me, is that the expression at that time means that the second [giving of the Tablets] was like the first. For, from the time He said to Moses Hew thee two Tablets of stone,²²⁷, 34:1. He was reconciled with Israel, and Moses was instructed regarding the construction of the Tabernacle. Then He was reconciled also with Aaron, and Moses was commanded, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons — to sanctify him — that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office,²²⁸, 28:4. The phrase to sanctify him is found there in Verse 3. and He further commanded him concerning the initiation [of the priests]. Therefore he said [here in Verse 6] that Eleazar ministered in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, since their anointing was to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.²²⁹, 40:15. Moses regarded the separation of the entire tribe [of Levi — priests and Levites] as one matter [therefore he said here, At that time — when the second Tablets were given, even though only the priests were formally separated, it was equivalent to a designation of the entire tribe, with the formal designation of the Levites to come after the first census], for, from that day on it was [resolved] before Him that His tribe be wholly given unto Him²³⁰ to perform the service of the Tabernacle. Or perhaps he is saying that the tribe of Levi was separated at that time for the priests to be [chosen] from them, for they [i.e., the priests] also carried the ark.²³¹ … Now, according to the interpretation that the verse means that the tribe of Levi was separated to be the source of the priests, rather than as a special tribe in its entirety, the following question arises: The verse indicates that the priests [derived from the tribe of Levi] were to carry the ark, but it is known that the Levites, not the priests, carried the ark (Numbers 7:9). Ramban answers that the priests, too, were permitted to carry the ark. See “The Commandments.” Vol. I, pp. 43-44, for a fuller discussion on this subject. And so it is said, and he [Moses] delivered it [the Torah] unto the priests the sons of Levi; that bore the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,²³² and they [the priests] are the ones who minister to G-d and bless in His Name [as the verse before us concludes]. And the meaning of the expression unto this day [at the end of this verse] is that it refers [back] to Eleazar’s ministering in the priest’s office [in Aaron’s stead — mentioned in Verse 6], as if saying: “then He separated them [the priests] to minister to Him, and it [so] was to this day” [i.e., the time when Moses spoke these words, that Eleazar served as High Priest].²³³ (Verse 8) as referring to the designating of the priests, from the tribe of Levi, to minister in the Tabernacle, why does the verse conclude with the expression, unto this day, since on “this day,” when Moses spoke these words, the whole tribe of Levi was already elevated to its exalted position? But if it refers back to Eleazar’s office as High Priest (mentioned in Verse 6) that it was so “unto this day,” there is of course no difficulty as to why the Levites are not mentioned here.