Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 25:10/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ה:י׳

אוְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן יַחְזֹר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְמַעְלָה, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן "וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ" (שמות כ"ה:י"א), "וְיָצַקְתָּ לּוֹ" (שמות כ"ה:י"ב), וְכֻלָּן בִּלְשׁוֹן יָחִיד, כִּי מֹשֶׁה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל (מכילתא יתרו א). וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּרְמֹז שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִשְׁתַּתְּפִין בַּעֲשִׂיַּת הָאָרוֹן בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהוּא קְדוֹשׁ מִשְׁכְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן, וְשֶׁיִּזְכּוּ כֻּלָּם לַתּוֹרָה. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בְּמִדְרַשׁ רַבָּה (שמות לד ב) מִפְּנֵי מָה בְּכָל הַכֵּלִים כָּתוּב "וְעָשִׂיתָ", וּבָאָרוֹן כְּתִיב "וְעָשׂוּ אָרוֹן", א"ר יְהוּדָה בֵּר' שַׁלּוּם אָמַר הקב"ה יָבֹאוּ הַכֹּל וְיִתְעַסְּקוּ בָּאָרוֹן שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לַתּוֹרָה. וְהָעֵסֶק, שֶׁיִּתְנַדֵּב כָּל אֶחָד כְּלִי זָהָב אֶחָד לָאָרוֹן, אוֹ יַעֲזֹר לִבְצַלְאֵל עֵזֶר מְעַט, אוֹ שֶׁיְּכַוְּנוּ לַדָּבָר:

1AND THEY SHALL MAKE AN ARK. The plural [and ‘they’ shall make] refers back to the children of Israel mentioned above.⁹⁶ But afterwards Scripture states: And thou shalt overlay it,⁹⁷ And thou shalt cast for it⁹⁸ — all in the singular, as Moses is the leader of all Israel. It is possible that [in using the plural — and they shall make] He is indicating His wish that all Israel should share in the making of the ark because it is the holiest dwelling-place of the Most High,⁹⁹ and that they should all merit thereby [a knowledge of] the Torah. Thus the Rabbis have said in Midrash Rabbah:¹⁰⁰ “Why is it that with reference to all the vessels it says, and thou shalt make, and in the case of the ark it says, and they shall make? Said Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shalom: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, Let all the people come and engage themselves in the making of the ark, so that they should all merit [a knowledge of] the Torah.” The “engaging themselves” of which the Rabbi speaks means that they should each offer one golden vessel [for the making of the ark, in addition to their general offering for the building of the Tabernacle], or that they should help Bezalel in some small way, or that they should have intent [of heart in the making thereof].¹⁰¹