Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 28:5/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ח:ה׳

אוְהֵם יִקְחוּ אֶת הַזָּהָב הִנֵּה כָּל הַצַּוָּאוֹת עַד כָּאן הָיוּ בְּמֹשֶׁה עַצְמוֹ, "וְעָשִׂיתָ", "תַּעֲשֶׂה" (שמות כ"ו:א'), וְעַתָּה צִוָּה שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ הַבְּגָדִים, וְלָכֵן אָמַר וְהֵם יִקְחוּ אֶת הַזָּהָב, שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּ אֶת הַנְּדָבָה מִן הַצִּבּוּר וְיַעֲשׂוּ בָּהּ אֶת הַבְּגָדִים. וְהַטַּעַם לֵאמֹר, שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁקֹל לָהֶם הַנְּדָבָה וְלֹא יִמְנֶה, כִּי נֶאֱמָנִים הֵם, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים ב י"ב:ט"ז) "וְלֹא יְחַשְּׁבוּ אֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנוּ אֶת הַכֶּסֶף עַל יָדָם לָתֵת לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה כִּי בֶאֱמֻנָה הֵם עֹשִׂים": וְכַאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר בַּבְּגָדִים הוּא הַדִּין בְּכָל מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, כִּי בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן בִּלְבַד כְּתִיב "וַיִּקְחוּ מִלִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה" (שמות ל"ו:ג'), וְגַם הוּא שֶׁלֹּא בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן לָקְחוּ הַכֹּל מִלְּפָנָיו, וּבִשְׁאָר הַיָּמִים הֵבִיאוּ אֲלֵיהֶם, וּלְכָךְ כְּתִיב (שם ה) "וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר מַרְבִּים הָעָם לְהָבִיא", כִּי לָהֶם הָיוּ מְבִיאִים, לֹא שֶׁיִּתְּנוּם לְמֹשֶׁה וְהוּא יִשְׁקֹל עַל יָדָם, אֲבָל הֵם לְאַחַר שֶׁגָּבוּ הַכֹּל מָנוּ וְשָׁקְלוּ וְאָמְרוּ לְמֹשֶׁה כְּדִכְתִיב (שמות ל"ח:כ"ד) "וַיְהִי זְהַב הַתְּנוּפָה" וְגוֹ':

1AND THEY SHALL TAKE THE GOLD. Now up to this point all the commands were directed to Moses himself: and thou shalt make,⁵³ thou shalt make,⁵⁴ but now He commanded that he should speak unto all that are wise-hearted that they make the garments. It is for this reason that He said, and they shall take the gold and the blue-purple, meaning that they are to receive the free-will gifts directly from the public, and make with them the garments. The purport thereof is to state that the gifts should not be weighed out to them, nor be counted, for they are trustworthy people, similarly to that which is said, Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully.⁵⁵ And just as this is said with reference to the garments, the same applied to the whole work of the Tabernacle. Only on the first day [of its construction] is it written, and they received of Moses,⁵⁶ and even then they took everything from him without an accounting. But on the other days the people brought the gifts directly to those who did the work. Therefore it is written, And they spoke unto Moses, saying: The people bring much more than enough⁵⁷, Verse 5. — for it was to them that the people brought the free-will gifts, not that they gave them to Moses for him to weigh it out to them. However, after the workers had collected everything, they did count and weigh it out, and told it to Moses, as it is written, and the gold of the offering was twenty and nine talents etc.⁵⁸, 38:24.