Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 39:24/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ט:כ״ד
אוְטַעַם וַיַּעֲשׂוּ עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל רִמּוֹנֵי תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן שֶׁעָשׂוּ הָרִמּוֹנִים לָתֵת אוֹתָם עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב, וְעָשׂוּ פַּעֲמוֹנֵי זָהָב טָהוֹר, וַיָּשִׂימוּ הַפַּעֲמוֹנִים בְּתוֹךְ הָרִמּוֹנִים קֹדֶם שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ אוֹתָם בַּמְּעִיל, וְהִנֵּה הַפַּעֲמוֹנִים בְּתוֹךְ הָרִמּוֹנִים בְּתָלוּשׁ, וַיָּשִׂימוּ הָרִמֹּנִים עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב וְהַפַּעֲמוֹנִים בְּתוֹכָם, וּלְכָךְ כָּפַל הַכָּתוּב "בְּתוֹךְ הָרִמֹּנִים" פַּעֲמַיִם, כִּי הָיוּ בְּתוֹכָם מִתְּחִלָּה וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁתָּלוּ אוֹתָם עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב. וְגַם זוֹ רְאָיָה לְמָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ בְּסֵדֶר וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה (רמב"ן על שמות כ"ח:ל"א):
1AND THEY MADE UPON THE SKIRTS OF THE ROBE POMEGRANATES OF BLUE-PURPLE AND RED-PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND TWINED LINEN. This means18. Hence his interpretation: “This means, etc.” that they made the pomegranates in order to put them around the bottom of the skirts of the robe, and they made bells of pure gold,19 and then they put the bells inside the pomegranates before they put them on the robe. Thus the bells were within the pomegranates whilst they were still detached, and they put the pomegranates on the skirts of the robe round about while the bells were within them [i.e., the pomegranates]. This is why Scripture mentions the phrase within the pomegranates twice,20. — The repetition of the phrase is in order to indicate etc. in order to indicate that the bells were within the pomegranates from the beginning, and also when they hung them upon the skirts of the robe round about. This too is proof to what we have explained in Seder V’atah Tetzaveh.21, which indicates that they were so to begin with and also when attached to the robe. But according to Rashi the repetition is redundant. — It should be noted that the J. P. S. translation of b’thoch harimonim: “between the pomegranates” [instead of “within the pomegranates”], follows Rashi’s interpretations.