Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 40:17/רמב"ן על שמות מ׳:י״ז

אוַיְהִי בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב שֶׁהוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן לַעֲמֹד כֵּן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה (שמות מ':ב'). וְאָמַר "וַיָּקֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן" (שמות מ':י"ח), לְסַפֵּר מַה שֶׁעָשָׂה בַּהֲקִימוֹ אוֹתוֹ מִן הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁהִתְחִיל בּוֹ שֶׁהוּא כ"ג בַּאֲדָר. וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בְּכָאן מְשִׁיחַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְכֵלָיו וְלֹא מְשִׁיחַת אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו וְקָרְבְּנוֹת הַמִּלּוּאִים, כִּי לֹא עָשָׂה אוֹתָם עַד שֶׁסִּיֵּם כָּל הַהֲקָמָה וְנִצְטַוָּה בָּהֶם פַּעַם שֵׁנִית "קַח אֶת אַהֲרֹן", כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּפָרָשַׁת צַו (ויקרא ח ב): וְהִנֵּה הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְכֵלָיו לֹא נִתְקַדְּשׁוּ לָעֲבוֹדָה אֶלָּא בִּמְשִׁיחָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות מ':ט') "וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ אֹתוֹ וְאֶת כָּל כֵּלָיו", עַל כֵּן פֵּרוּשׁ "וַיַּעֲרֹךְ עָלָיו עֵרֶךְ לֶחֶם" (שמות מ':כ"ג), "וַיַּעַל הַנֵּרוֹת" (שמות מ':כ"ה), כִּי עָשָׂה כֵן בִּזְמַנָּם אַחַר הַמְּשִׁיחָה, וְהִנֵּה הֵם כְּטַעַם לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן. וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר גַּם כֵּן לְמַעְלָה (שמות מ':ד') "וְהֵבֵאתָ אֶת הַשֻּׁלְחָן וְעָרַכְתָּ אֶת עֶרְכּוֹ", יְצַוֶּה שֶׁיַּעֲרֹךְ אוֹתוֹ אַחֲרֵי הַמְּשִׁיחָה. וְכֵן אָמַר "וְנָתַתָּ אֶת מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב לִקְטֹרֶת" (שמות מ':ה'), וְכֵן "וַיַּעַל עָלָיו אֶת הָעֹלָה וְאֶת הַמִּנְחָה" (שמות מ':כ"ט), בִּזְמַנָּהּ, כִּי עֲדַיִן לֹא הֵקִים הֶחָצֵר סָבִיב לַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְאֵין מַקְרִיבִין בְּלֹא קְלָעִים, כִּי יִהְיוּ שְׁחוּטֵי חוּץ, אֶלָּא כֻּלָּם בִּזְמַנָּם:

1AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FIRST MONTH… ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. In the opinion of our Rabbis [who hold, as mentioned above,⁸⁴ that the eighth day of the installation was on the first of Nisan], Scripture stated that the Tabernacle was first put up on a permanent basis on the first day of the first month, as He had commanded.⁸⁴ It states, And Moses put up the Tabernacle,⁸⁵ in order to tell us what he did when putting it up from the first day that he began to do so, which was on the twenty-third day of Adar. Scripture does not mention here the anointing of the Tabernacle and its vessels, nor the anointing of Aaron and his sons and the offerings of the installation, since Moses did not do these until he had finished putting up the Tabernacle [on each of the seven days of the installation],⁸⁶ and was commanded thereon a second time, Take Aaron and his sons,⁸⁷ as is explained in the section of Tzav.⁸⁷ Now the Tabernacle and its vessels were only sanctified for the Divine Service through their anointing, just as it is said, and thou shalt anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof.⁸⁸ Therefore the meaning of the verses, And he set a row of bread upon it,⁸⁹ And he lighted the lamps,⁹⁰, Verse 25. must be that he did so at the time that was appropriate for them, that is, after they were anointed [on each of the seven days of the installation], and the sense of the verses is that such was their ultimate purpose [i.e., he put the table in the Tent of Meeting so that he would later on be able to set a row of bread upon it; he put the candelabrum so that he would be able to light the lamps]. And that which Scripture states above, And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the bread that is upon it,⁹¹ also means that he is to set the bread upon it after the anointing of the table. The same meaning applies to the verse, And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense.⁹², Verse 5. Similarly, and he offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering⁹³ means at its proper time, for the court around the Tabernacle had not yet been put up,⁹⁴ and no sacrifices can be brought without the hangings of the court, for that would be considered slaughtering outside [the Tabernacle].⁹⁵ But all these mean that they were done at their proper time.And he took and put the Testimony into the ark.