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Ramban on Exodus 24:14/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ד:י״ד

אוְטַעַם וְאֶל הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר שְׁבוּ לָנוּ בָזֶה כִּי בְּהִפָּרְדוֹ מֵהֶם עִם מְשָׁרְתוֹ צִוָּה אוֹתָם שֶׁיֵּשְׁבוּ לָהֶם בָּזֶה. וְאֵין הַטַּעַם שֶׁיַּעַמְדוּ שָׁם כָּל הַיּוֹם וְכָל הַלַּיְלָה עַד שׁוּבָם, כִּי אָמַר וְהִנֵּה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עִמָּכֶם מִי בַעַל דְּבָרִים יִגַּשׁ אֲלֵהֶם, וּבַמַּחֲנֶה יִהְיוּ בַּעֲלֵי הַדְּבָרִים, וְשָׁם מְקוֹם הַמִּשְׁפָּט, וּכְבָר אָמַר לְכֻלָּם "שׁוּבוּ לָכֶם לְאָהֳלֵיכֶם" (דברים ה כז). אֲבָל הַטַּעַם שֶׁיַּעַמְדוּ וְיָבֹאוּ עַד לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, וְלֹא יֶהֶרְסוּ לַעֲלוֹת אֲלֵיהֶם, אֲפִלּוּ אֶל מְקוֹם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, עַד שׁוּבוֹ אֲלֵיהֶם:
וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי יִתָּכֵן לִהְיוֹת פֵּרוּשׁוֹ "שְׁבוּ" בַּעֲבוּרֵנוּ וּבִמְקוֹמֵנוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה, וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עִמָּכֶם, וּ"מִי בַעַל דְּבָרִים", מִן הַדָּבָר הַקָּשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּן אֵלַי, "יִגַּשׁ אֲלֵיהֶם" בִּמְקוֹמִי. וְאָמַר "אֲלֵיהֶם" דֶּרֶךְ מַעֲלָה לְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר, כִּי לִפְנֵי כֻּלָּם יְצַוֶּה לָבֹא וּבְמַעֲמַד אֶחָד יִהְיֶה, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר "עִמָּכֶם". וְהִנֵּה צִוָּה שֶׁיֵּשְׁבוּ הַזְּקֵנִים וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר מוֹשַׁב ב"ד כְּמֹשֶׁה עַל שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת עַד שׁוּבוֹ, כִּי יָדַע שֶׁיִּתְעַכֵּב בָּהָר. וְאָמַר "לָנוּ", דֶּרֶךְ כָּבוֹד לַתַּלְמִיד, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר "בְּחַר לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים" (שמות י"ז:ט'). וְזֶה פֵּרוּשׁ נָכוֹן. אֲבָל רַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על שמות כ"ד:י"ד) "וְאֶל הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר", בְּצֵאתוֹ מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה, "שְׁבוּ לָנוּ בָזֶה", הִתְעַכְּבוּ שָׁם עִם שְׁאָר הָעָם לִהְיוֹת נְכוֹנִים לִשְׁפֹּט לְכָל אִישׁ רִיב. וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן, כִּי לֹא הָיוּ עַתָּה בַּמַּחֲנֶה, וּמַה טַעַם שֶׁיֹּאמַר לָהֶם כֵּן וְהֵם בַּמַּחֲנֶה יֵשְׁבוּ, וּכְבָר נִתְמַנּוּ שׁוֹפְטִים:

1AND UNTO THE ELDERS HE SAID: ‘TARRY YE HERE FOR US.’ The meaning of this is that when Moses parted from them with his minister, he commanded them that they should tarry there. It does not mean that they were to stay there day and night until their return, for he said, and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto them, and it is in the camp that parties to a dispute would be found, since that was where the seat of justice was, and he had already told everybody, Return ye to your tents.⁵⁶⁰ But the meaning of tarry ye here is that they should stay at that place, and should not break through to come up to them, even to the place where Joshua was, until he [Moses] would come back to them.In my opinion it is possible that the explanation of the verse is as follows: “Sit⁵⁶¹ [translated as “tarry”] in its literal meaning: “sit” — sit in court in our place and act as a substitute for us. in our place and serve as a substitute for us in the camp; Aaron and Hur are with you, and whosoever hath a cause — one of those hard causes that they would bring to me⁵⁶² — let him come near unto them in my place.” He said unto them as a special recognition to Aaron and Hur, for they were to come before all the elders and they would all be assembled at one place, just as he said Aaron and Hur are with you. Thus Moses commanded that the elders together with Aaron and Hur should sit as a court, just as he himself did, over the officers of thousands and hundreds, until he returns, since he knew that he would tarry in the mountain. He said: for us [tarry ye here ‘for us’] as a mark of honor to his disciple, just as he said to Joshua, Choose us out men.⁵⁶³ This is a correct interpretation. But Rashi wrote: “And unto the elders he said — when he left the camp, Tarry ye here for us — stay you with the rest of the people so as to be ready to judge each man’s dispute.” But this is impossible, for they were not at that moment in the camp, and what sense would there be for him to tell them so when they were in the camp and had already been appointed as judges!Terumah