Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 38:22/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ח:כ״ב

אוּבְצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה עָשָׂה אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' הָעִנְיָן כִּי עַל פִּיו נַעֲשָׂה הַכֹּל, כִּי הוּא הַמּוֹרֶה לְכָל הַחֲכָמִים, וּלְפָנָיו הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים כֻּלָּם וּמַרְאִים אֵלָיו כָּל מְלַאכְתָּם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שמות ל"ה:ל"ד) "וּלְהוֹרוֹת נָתַן בְּלִבּוֹ", אֲבָל גַּם כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב עָשׂוּ בַּמְּלָאכָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם לו ח) "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כָל חֲכַם לֵב בְּעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן". וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ירושלמי פאה א א) יִהְיֶה זֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ אוֹתוֹ וְלוֹמַר שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר לוֹ רַבּוֹ הִסְכִּימָה דַּעְתּוֹ לְמַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי, וְלֹא בָּא הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא עָשָׂה הַכֹּל, אֶלָּא שֶׁקִּיֵּם בְּכָל הַנַּעֲשֶׂה עַל יָדוֹ כָּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה, וּלְפִיכָךְ לֹא אָמַר בְּכָל הַנַּעֲשֶׂה עַד הֵנָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה, כִּי הָיָה בַּמַּשְׁמָע כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר מֹשֶׁה בִּדְבַר ה', וְהוּא שִׁנָּה הַסֵּדֶר בָּהֶם מִמַּה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה, וּלְפִיכָךְ כָּלַל זֶה בְּכָאן לוֹמַר שֶׁעָשָׂה הַכֹּל כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר הַשֵּׁם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי לְמַעְלָה (לו ח):

1AND BEZALEL THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR, OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, MADE ALL THAT THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES. The meaning of this is that everything was done through his direction, for he acted as instructor to all the wise men, and they all did heir work in his presence and showed him all that they had done, just as it is said, And He hath put in his heart that he may teach.¹² But all the wise-hearted men also did the work, as it is said, and every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work made the Tabernacle.¹³, 36:8. In the opinion of our Rabbis,¹⁴ this verse is intended to praise Bezalel, and to say that even these things that his master Moses did not tell him, he understood through his own mind in exactly the same way that they had been told to Moses on Sinai.¹⁵ Note 72. Moses agreed that originally G-d had told him to do it as Bezalel said it should be done. Thus the intention of Scripture is not to state that Bezalel did all the work, but that in all which was done through him, he fulfilled all that the Eternal commanded Moses. It is for this reason that Scripture does not state in connection with anything that was done until now: “as G-d spoke to Moses,” for this would have implied: “as Moses said by the word of G-d,” and he [i.e., Bezalel] changed their order from that which Moses had told him. Therefore Scripture stated everything in general terms, and said that Bezalel did everything as G-d had said, as I have written above.¹⁶