Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 36:3/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ו:ג׳
אוַיִּקְחוּ מִלִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה הִנֵּה בְּיוֹם אֶחָד הֵבִיאוּ כָּל הַנְּדָבָה הַזֹּאת (לעיל לה כב-כט) אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד שֶׁהוּא שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה, וְהַחֲכָמִים לָקְחוּ בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם מִלְּפָנָיו וּבְמָחֳרָת בְּהַשְׁכָּמָה, וְכֵן בַּשֵּׁנִי הֵבִיאוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד אֶל אָהֳלוֹ נְדָבָה וְהוּא צִוָּה לְהָבִיא אוֹתָהּ אֶל הָאֻמָּנִים, עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ לוֹ שֶׁהֵם מַרְבִּים לְהָבִיא, וְהָיְתָה דַּיָּם וְהוֹתֵר. וְלֹא הָיָה הַיִּתְרוֹן דָּבָר חָשׁוּב שֶׁיְּסַפֵּר בְּפָרָשַׁת אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי מֶה עָשׂוּ בּוֹ, אוּלַי הָיָה מֻנָּח בָּאֹהֶל לְחַזֵּק בָּהּ אֶת בֶּדֶק הַמִּשְׁכָּן, אוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהּ כְּלֵי שָׁרֵת כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ בַּמּוֹתָרוֹת (שקלים פ"ד ה"ד): וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב (שמות ל"ו:ה') "מַרְבִּים הָעָם לְהָבִיא", לְשַׁבֵּחַ אֶת הָעָם הַמְּבִיאִים בְּנִדְבָתָם, וּלְפָאֵר הַחֲכָמִים בְּנֶאֱמָנוּתָם, וְגַם הַנָּגִיד עֲלֵיהֶם מְשֻׁבָּח בָּזֶה שֶׁהֶעֱבִיר קוֹל בַּמַּחֲנֶה לְמָנְעָם, כִּי אֵין לוֹ חֵפֶץ בְּכַסְפָּם וּזְהָבָם כִּשְׁאָר הַמּוֹשְׁלִים בְּעַמָּם, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר "לֹא חֲמוֹר אֶחָד מֵהֶם נָשָׂאתִי" (במדבר טז טו):
1AND THEY TOOK FROM BEFORE MOSES ALL THE OFFERING. In one day they brought all this donation to the Tent of Meeting where Moses was,45 and the wise men took it from Moses on that very same day and on the following day, early in the morning. On the second day, too, the people still continued to bring the donation to Moses’ tent and he commanded them to bring it to the craftsmen, until they told him that the people bring much more;46 thus there was sufficient [for all the work to make it], and too much.47 The surplus, however, was not a sufficiently important amount to warrant Moses’ telling in the section of Eileh Pekudei what they did with it. Perhaps it remained in the tent to repair the breaches of the Tabernacle, or to make with it vessels used in the Tabernacle service, as they used to do with the surpluses in the Sanctuary.48 Scripture mentions, the people bring much more than enough,46 in order to praise the people who brought with such generosity, and to glorify the wise men for their honesty. The one who was in charge principally over them [namely Moses], also comes in for praise for having caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp49 that the people should stop bringing, telling us that he had no desire for their silver and gold, as do other rulers over peoples, in a similar way to that which it says, I have not taken one ass from them.50