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Ramban on Exodus 28:35/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ח:ל״ה

אוְלֹא יָמוּת מִכְּלַל לָאו אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ הֵן, אִם יִהְיוּ עָלָיו לֹא יִתְחַיֵּב מִיתָה, הָא אִם יִכָּנֵס מְחֻסָּר אֶחָד מִן הַבְּגָדִים הַלָּלוּ חַיָּב מִיתָה. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות כ"ח:ל"ה). וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן בְּעֵינַי, שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב פָּסוּק זֶה לְאַחַר שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר כָּל שְׁמוֹנָה בְּגָדִים (אחרי פסוק מב), וְלָמָּה הִזְכִּיר זֶה בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה בְּגָדִים חֹשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד וּמְעִיל קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר צִיץ וְכֻתֹּנֶת מִצְנֶפֶת וְאַבְנֵט וּמִכְנָסַיִם. וְכֵן אָמַר וּבְצֵאתוֹ וְלֹא יָמוּת, וְאֵין בַּיְּצִיאָה עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁיִּתְחַיֵּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם מְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים. וְכֵן "וְהָיוּ עַל אַהֲרֹן וְעַל בָּנָיו" (שמות כ"ח:מ"ג), כָּתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות כ"ח:מ"ג), וְהָיוּ כָּל הַבְּגָדִים הָאֵלֶּה עַל אַהֲרֹן וְעַל בָּנָיו הָרְאוּיִים לוֹ וְהָאֲמוּרִים בָּהֶם, "וָמֵתוּ", הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁהַמְשַׁמֵּשׁ מְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים חַיָּב מִיתָה. וְכֵן נִרְאֶה זֶה בְּדֶרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט:
אֲבָל לְפִי הָעוֹלֶה מִן הַסֻּגְיוֹת שֶׁבַּגְּמָרָא אֵין דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ כֵּן, אֲבָל אֶצְלָם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת שָׁוָה בְּכֻלָּם, בְּאַהֲרֹן וּבְבָנָיו, וְהִיא עַל הַמִּכְנָסַיִם, וְהָעֹנֶשׁ גַּם כֵּן בָּהֶם כִּי צִוָּה בָּעֲשִׂיָּה "וַעֲשֵׂה לָהֶם מִכְנְסֵי בָד" (שמות כ"ח:מ"ב), וְצִוָּה עַל הַלְּבִישָׁה "וְהָיוּ עַל אַהֲרֹן וְעַל בָּנָיו" (שמות כ"ח:מ"ג), כִּי בִּשְׁאָר הַבְּגָדִים צִוָּה לְמַעְלָה בַּעֲשִׂיָּתָם (מפסוק ב עד פסוק מ) וְצִוָּה בַּלְּבִישָׁה (בפסוק מא) "וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ אֹתָם אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ", אִם כֵּן הַצַּוָּאָה הַזּוֹ (שמות כ"ח:מ"ג) כֻּלָּהּ עַל הַמִּכְנָסַיִם, וַעֲלֵיהֶן יִהְיֶה הָעֹנֶשׁ: וְלָמַדְנוּ זֶה מִמַּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין (פג:) וּבִשְׁחִיטַת קָדָשִׁים (זבחים יז:) מְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ מְנָא לַן דִּבְמִיתָה, א"ר אַבְהוּ א"ר יוֹחָנָן, וּמָטוּ בָּהּ מִשְּׁמֵהּ דְּר' אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, "וְחָגַרְתָּ אוֹתָם אַבְנֵט וְחָבַשְׁתָּ לָהֶם מִגְבָּעֹת וְהָיְתָה לָהֶם כְּהֻנָּה לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם" (שמות כ"ט:ט'), בִּזְמַן שֶׁבִּגְדֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם כְּהֻנָּתָם עֲלֵיהֶם, אֵין בִּגְדֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם אֵין כְּהֻנָּתָם עֲלֵיהֶם, וַהֲווֹ לָהֶם זָרִים, וְאָמַר מָר זָר שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ בְּמִיתָה. וְאִם הָיָה הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה (שמות כ"ח:מ"ג) אֶצְלָם בְּכָל הַבְּגָדִים הִנֵּה בְּכָאן עֹנֶשׁ מְפֹרָשׁ לִמְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים, כְּמַאֲמַר הָרַב. אֲבָל הִיא בַּמִּכְנָסַיִם בִּלְבַד, וְהַכָּתוּב הָאַחֵר (שמות כ"ט:ט') בִּשְׁאָר הַבְּגָדִים, וְלֹא הֻזְכְּרוּ שָׁם הַמִּכְנָסַיִם. וְהָרְאָיָה עַל דַּעְתָּם שֶׁלֹּא הִזְכִּיר לְמַטָּה (להלן כט ה ט) בְּסֵדֶר הַלְּבִישָׁה מִכְנָסַיִם כְּלָל, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁעָנַשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם בְּכָאן אֵין צֹרֶךְ לַחְזֹר וּלְהַזְכִּירָם, כִּי בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁיִּלְבָּשֵׁם:
וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר לְמַעְלָה (כאן) וְנִשְׁמַע קוֹלוֹ בְּבוֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְלֹא יָמוּת, הוּא עַל דַּעְתִּי בֵּאוּר לְמִצְוַת הַפַּעֲמוֹנִים, כִּי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם צֹרֶךְ בַּלְּבִישָׁה, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ הַנִּכְבָּדִים לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם כֵּן, לְכָךְ אָמַר כִּי צִוָּה בָּהֶם בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיִּשָּׁמַע קוֹלוֹ בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, וְיִכָּנֵס לִפְנֵי אֲדוֹנָיו כְּאִלּוּ בִּרְשׁוּת, כִּי הַבָּא בְּהֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ פִּתְאוֹם חַיָּב מִיתָה בְּטַכְסִיסֵי הַמַּלְכוּת, כְּעִנְיַן אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ (אסתר ד יא): וְיִרְמֹז לְמָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּמַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא יְרוּשַׁלְמִי (א ה) "וְכָל אָדָם לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד" (ויקרא טז יז), אֲפִלּוּ אוֹתָן שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶן "וּדְמוּת פְּנֵיהֶם פְּנֵי אָדָם" (יחזקאל א י) לֹא הָיוּ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, עַל כֵּן צִוָּה לְהַשְׁמִיעַ קוֹלוֹ כְּמִי שֶׁיִּקְרָא "הוֹצִיאוּ כָל אִישׁ מֵעָלָי", וְיָבֹא לַעֲבֹד אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּיִחוּד, וְכֵן בְּצֵאתוֹ, לָצֵאת בִּרְשׁוּת, וְשֶׁיִּוָּדַע הַדָּבָר כְּדֵי שֶׁיּוּכְלוּ מְשָׁרְתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ לָשׁוּב לְפָנָיו. וּבְפִרְקֵי הֵיכָלוֹת יָדוּעַ זֶה הָעִנְיָן. וְהִנֵּה הַטַּעַם שֶׁלֹּא יִפְגְּעוּ בּוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים. וְהִזְהִיר זֶה בְּכ"ג לְמַעֲלָתוֹ, וְזֶה טַעַם "לִפְנֵי ה'", כִּי הוּא הָעוֹבֵד לְפָנָיו שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ כִּי מַלְאַךְ הַשֵּׁם צְבָאוֹת הוּא (מלאכי ב ז), כִּי הַהֶדְיוֹטִים (לא) יִכָּנְסוּ בַּהֵיכָל לְהַקְטִיר וּלְהֵטִיב: וְרָאִיתִי בְּמִדְרַשׁ וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת רַבָּה (ל"ח:ח') בְּאַבְנֵי הַחֹשֶׁן מָה טַעַם, שֶׁיְּהֵא הקב"ה מִסְתַּכֵּל בָּהֶן בְּבִגְדֵי הַכֹּהֵן בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְנִזְכַּר לִזְכוּת הַשְּׁבָטִים. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אוֹמֵר, מָשָׁל לְבֶן מְלָכִים שֶׁהָיָה פֵּדָגוֹג נִכְנָס אֶצְלוֹ מְלַמֵּד עַל בְּנוֹ סָנֵגוֹרְיָא, וְהָיָה מִתְיָרֵא מִן הָעוֹמְדִים עָלָיו שֶׁמָּא יִפְגְּעוּ בּוֹ, מֶה עָשָׂה, הִלְבִּישׁוֹ פּוֹרְפִירָא שֶׁלּוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיוּ רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ וּמִתְיָרְאִין מִמֶּנּוּ, כָּךְ אַהֲרֹן הָיָה נִכְנָס בְּכָל עֵת (ויק"ר כב ו) לְבֵית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וְאִלּוּלֵי זְכֻיּוֹת הַרְבֵּה שֶׁהָיוּ נִכְנָסוֹת עִמּוֹ וּמְסַיְּעוֹת אוֹתוֹ לֹא הָיָה יָכוֹל לִכָּנֵס, לָמָּה, שֶׁהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת שָׁם, מֶה עָשָׂה הקב"ה נָתַן לוֹ מִדְּמוּת לְבוּשֵׁי הַקֹּדֶשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נט יז) "וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן". עַד כָּאן אַגָּדָה זוֹ. וְאע"פ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נִכְנָס לִפְנַי וְלִפְנִים בִּבְגָדִים אֵלּוּ, אַף בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד הֻצְרַךְ לְכָךְ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּתִיב (ויקרא טז יז) "וְכָל אָדָם לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד":

1THAT HE DIE NOT. “From this negative statement you infer the positive: if these garments are upon him, he will not incur death, but if he enters [the Sanctuary] lacking one of these garments he is liable to death [by the hand of Heaven].” This is Rashi’s language. But it does not appear to me to be correct, for if so He should have written this verse after having mentioned all eight garments [of the High Priest], and why did He mention it after three garments — the breastplate, the ephod, and the robe — before mentioning the frontplate, the upper garment, the mitre, the belt and the breeches! Furthermore, [the verse reads here,] and when he cometh out [of the Sanctuary], that he die not. But the act of going out [from the Sanctuary] is no function for which he should incur death if lacking the [proper number of] garments!Similarly Rashi commented on the verse: “And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons¹²⁰ — they means all these garments; upon Aaron and upon his sons, those which are proper to him, and those specified for them. [That they bear not iniquity,] and die¹²⁰ — thus you learn that he who ministers [the Divine Service] lacking any of these garments incurs death [by the hand of Heaven].” And so indeed it appears from the simple meaning of Scripture. But according to the conclusion reached on these subjects in the discussions in the Gemara,¹²¹, Note 204. The particular texts here referred to are mentioned further on. it would appear that this does not conform to the opinion of our Rabbis, for to them this commandment applies to all alike, to Aaron and his sons, but it refers only to the breeches, and the punishment [of death by the hand of Heaven for lacking them] likewise applies [only] to them [i.e. the breeches]. For He had commanded that they be made, [as it is said,] And thou shalt make them linen breeches,¹²² and then He commanded concerning their being worn [by the priests, saying,] And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons.¹²⁰ As to the rest of the garments, He had already given the command above concerning the making of them and wearing them, [as it is said,] And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him.¹²³ If so, this command [And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons]¹²⁰ refers wholly to the breeches, and the punishment likewise refers [only] to them.We learn this from what the Rabbis have said in Tractates Sanhedrin¹²⁴ and The Slaughtering of Sacrifices:¹²⁵ “Whence do we know that a priest who ministered [the Divine Service] lacking the [proper number of] garments is liable to death [by the hand of Heaven]? Said Rabbi Abohu in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, and they arrived in the chain of tradition up to ‘in the name of Rabbi Eleazar the son of Rabbi Shimon:' And thou shalt gird them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind head-tires on them; and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute,¹²⁶ the interpretation of which is: ‘So long as they wear their [appointed] garments, they are invested with their priesthood; when they do not wear their garments, they are not invested with their priesthood, and they become laymen, and it has been said that a layman who ministers [in the Sanctuary] incurs the penalty of death [by the hand of Heaven].” Now if this verse [that they bear not iniquity, and die]¹²⁰ were held by the Rabbis to apply to all the garments [of the priests], as the Rabbi [Rashi] said, they could have found in it an expressly stated punishment for one who ministers lacking all the garments, [and why did they need to base it upon an inference from another verse]! Rather, this verse refers only to the breeches, and the other verse to the rest of the garments, where the breeches are not mentioned at all. Proof to what the Rabbis have said [that this verse, And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons… that they bear not iniquity, and die,¹²⁰ refers only to the breeches], is that further on when the order of putting on the garments is mentioned,¹²⁷, Verses 5-9. the breeches are not referred to at all, for having declared here the punishment if they are lacking [when ministering in the Sanctuary], there was no more need to mention them again further on, as it is understood already that he would wear them.And that which He said above [i.e., in Verse 35 before us], and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Eternal, and when he goeth out, that he die not, is [not as Rashi has it that from here we learn that if he enters the Sanctuary lacking one of these garments he incurs death at the hand of Heaven, but is] in my opinion an explanation for the commandment of the bells [upon the robe], since there was no need to wear them, nor are they customary amongst dignitaries. Therefore He said that He commanded that they be made in order that the sound thereof be heard in the Sanctuary, that the priest enter before his Master as if with permission. For he who comes into the king’s palace suddenly, incurs the penalty of death according to the court ceremonial, just as we find in the case of Ahasuerus.¹²⁸. It thus alludes to what the Rabbis have said in Yerushalmi Tractate Yoma:¹²⁹, Note 204. “And there shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place¹³⁰ — even those [heavenly beings] of whom it is written, As for the likeness of their faces they had the face of a man,¹³¹ they too are not to be then in the Tent of Meeting.” Therefore He commanded that [the ministering High Priest] make a sound be heard, as if crying out, ‘Cause everyone to go out from before me,’¹³² so that he can come to minister before the King alone. Similarly, when going out from the Sanctuary his sound is heard in order to leave with permission, and that the matter be known so that the King’s ministers can go out before Him. In the Chapters of the Palaces¹³³ this subject is known. Thus the reason [for the bells upon the robe of the High Priest] is that he should not be encountered by the angels of G-d. He gave this warning concerning the High Priest¹³⁴ on account of his high position. This is Scripture’s intent in saying, when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Eternal, for it is the High Priest who passes¹³⁵ before Him so that He cause His Divine Glory to rest upon his service, for he is the messenger of the Eternal of hosts,¹³⁶ even though the common priests also enter the Sanctuary to burn the incense and to kindle [the lamps].¹³⁷Now I have seen in the Midrash Shemoth Rabbah¹³⁸ with reference to the stones upon the breastplate: “For what reason were the stones? It was in order that the Holy One, blessed be He, observe them in the garments of the priest when he enters on the Day of Atonement,¹³⁹ and He be gracious to the tribes [whose names were inscribed upon the stones in the breastplate]. Rabbi Yehoshua in the name of Rabbi Levi says: This may be compared to a king’s son, whose tutor came before the king to speak in his defense, but was afraid of those standing there lest they strike him. What did the king do? He dressed him in his purple cloak in order that they see it and be afraid of him. In the same way Aaron entered at all times¹⁴⁰ the Holy of Holies, and were it not for the many merits that entered with him and helped him, he could not have entered. Why? Because of the ministering angels who were there. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He gave him a likeness of His sacred garment, as it is said, And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail.”¹⁴¹ Thus far is the language of this Agadah. Now even though the High Priest did not enter into the innermost part of the Sanctuary [i.e., the Holy of Holies] with these garments, yet on the Day of Atonement he needed these [garments] even in the Tent of Meeting, for it is written, And there shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting.¹⁴²