Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 6:14/רמב"ן על שמות ו׳:י״ד
אאֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵית אֲבֹתָם לֹא רָצָה הַכָּתוּב לְהַתְחִיל אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי לֵוִי לְתֹלְדֹתָם, שֶׁלֹּא יֵרָאֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לֵוִי בְּכוֹר הַיַּחַס מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ לִכְבוֹד מֹשֶׁה, אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר אֶחָיו הַגְּדוֹלִים מִמֶּנּוּ וְכִי הוּא נִמְנֶה שְׁלִישִׁי. וְהִזְכִּיר בִּבְנֵי לֵוִי "לְתוֹלְדֹתָם", כִּי בִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן לֹא הִזְכִּיר רַק יוֹרְדֵי מִצְרַיִם עִמָּהֶם, וּבְלֵוִי יַזְכִּיר תּוֹלְדוֹתָיו וּשְׁנוֹתָיו וְתוֹלְדוֹת אֲבוֹת הַנְּבִיאִים וּשְׁנוֹתָם לִכְבוֹדָם. וְעוֹד כִּי הֵם בְּעַצְמָם חֲסִידֵי עֶלְיוֹן רְאוּיִין לְסַפֵּר בָּהֶן כַּאֲבוֹת הָעוֹלָם:
1THESE ARE THE HEADS OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES: THE SONS OF REUBEN…. Scripture did not wish to begin with the statement, And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations,80 so that it should not appear that henceforth in honor of Moses, Levi is first in genealogy. Instead, [Scripture therefore] mentioned Levi’s elder brothers, [i.e., Reuben and Simeon], and that Levi is counted third.Now Scripture mentioned the sons of Levi according to their generations80 because in the case of Reuben and Simeon, it mentioned only those who went down to Egypt with them, but in the case of Levi it mentioned his children, the number of years of his life, the birth of the fathers of the prophets — [namely, Kohath the grandfather, and Amram the father of Moses and Aaron] — and the number of years of their lives,81 all in honor of the prophets. Besides, they themselves — [Kohath and Amram] — were the pious ones of the Most High, worthy to be spoken of as the fathers of the world.