Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 23:44/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ג:מ״ד
אוְטַעַם וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי ה' אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁל מַעְלָה אַזְהָרוֹת בְּאַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו, וּמֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר בָּהֶן אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל בָּנָיו וּפְעָמִים יַזְכִּיר אַחֲרֵיהֶם גַּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּסוֹף פָּרָשַׁת מוּמִין (ויקרא כ"א:כ"ד) "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל בָּנָיו וְאֶל כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", כִּי אע"פ שֶׁלֹּא נִצְטַוָּה אֶלָּא "דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן אִישׁ מִזַּרְעֲךָ" (שם פסוק יז) רָצָה לְהַזְהִיר ב"ד שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל כָּךְ. וְאוּלַי הַטַּעַם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָדָם מְכַסֶּה עַל מוּמָיו, וְאֵין הַכֹּהֵן חָפֵץ עוֹד לְהִפָּסֵל מִן הָעֲבוֹדָה, כִּי בֹּשֶׁת הִיא וּכְלִמָּה לוֹ, וְעַל כֵּן יַזְהִיר ב"ד בְּעִנְיָן זֶה. אֲבָל בְּכָאן אָמַר שֶׁדִּבֵּר אֶת מֹעֲדֵי ה' אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְכֻלָּם כְּאֶחָד, לֹא יִחֵד בָּהֶם בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן. וְהַטַּעַם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאַזְהָרָה בְּכֻלָּם שָׁוָה, כִּי עִקַּר הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת לִשְׁבּוֹת בַּשַּׁבָּתוֹת וּבַמּוֹעֲדִים וְלִקְרוֹתָם מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ, וְלֹא נִזְכַּר בָּהֶן מִן הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת לְבַד קָרְבַּן הָעֹמֶר (ויקרא כ"ג:י"ב-י"ג) וּשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם (פסוקים יח כ), שֶׁהֵם הַגּוֹרְמִים. וּבְפָרָשַׁת עִקַּר הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים אָמַר (ויקרא ט"ז:ב') "דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ". וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ בּוֹ (ת"כ פרק יז יב) "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי ה' אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הִלְכוֹת פֶּסַח בְּפֶסַח וְהִלְכוֹת עֲצֶרֶת בַּעֲצֶרֶת וְהִלְכוֹת הֶחָג בֶּחָג, בַּלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹמֵעַ בּוֹ בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַהוּא אוֹמֵר לָהֶם כָּל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא כ"ג:מ"ד) גַּם הוּא נִתְכַּוֵּן לָזֶה, שֶׁאָמַר "וּמַלֵּל מֹשֶׁה יָת סְדַר מוֹעֲדַיָּא דַּה' וְאַלֵּפִנּוּן". וְהַנִּרְאֶה כִּי דַּעְתּוֹ לִרְמֹז שֶׁלִּמְּדָם סֵדֶר הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת בְּתִקּוּנֵי הָעִבּוּר הַנִּמְסָר לוֹ עַל פֶּה בְּסִינַי, וְנִרְמָז בְּ"אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ" (לעיל פסוק ד), וְהוּא לִמְּדָם עַל פֶּה כָּל הַסֵּדֶר הַמְקֻבָּל בְּסוֹד הָעִבּוּר:
1AND MOSES DECLARED UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THE APPOINTED SEASONS OF THE ETERNAL. The meaning thereof is as follows: The above sections contain admonitions directed to Aaron and his sons, and Moses therefore told them to Aaron and his sons, and sometimes He mentions after them also the children of Israel, as He said at the end of the section dealing with blemishes, So Moses spoke unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel,500 for although Moses was only commanded, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever be of thy seed,501, Verse 17. he wanted to exhort the court of Israel about this matter [and therefore he also spoke to all the children of Israel]. Perhaps the reason [why he exhorted the court] is because a person covers up his blemishes, and the priest does not want to be disqualified on account of them from performing the Divine Service, for it is a [source of] shame and disgrace, therefore He exhorted the court about this matter. But here Scripture states that he declared the appointed seasons of the Eternal to all the children of Israel as one man, and it did not single out the sons of Aaron in these commandments, the reason being that the admonition applies to all alike, since the main [commandments] of these sections are that we are to rest on the Sabbaths and festivals, and to proclaim them holy convocations. None of the offerings are mentioned in these sections, except for the offering of the sheaf [on the second day of Passover], and the two loaves [on the Festival of Weeks], as they [these festivals] are the causes for their being offered. And in the section where the main offerings of the Day of Atonement are set forth,502, Chapter 16. it says, Speak unto Aaron thy brother503. Verse 2. [because it was Aaron’s duty to perform the Service on that day].And our Rabbis have interpreted [the verse before us] as follows:504 17:12. “And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Eternal. This teaches that Moses told Israel the laws of Passover on the Passover, and the laws of Atzereth [the Festival of Weeks]505 on Atzereth, and the laws of the Festival of Tabernacles on Tabernacles. In the very language that he heard it, in that language he told them all the sections.” Onkelos also intended to imply this point, for he rendered the verse as follows: “And Moses declared the order506 of the appointed seasons of the Eternal, and taught them to the children of Israel.” It appears [from Onkelos’ additional phrase “the order of “] that his opinion is to allude [to the fact] that Moses taught the children of Israel the order of the festivals by means of the intercalation [of the years with an extra month], which was handed over to him by word of mouth on Sinai, this being alluded to in the Scriptural text, which ye shall proclaim507 holy convocations, and Moses taught the children of Israel by word of mouth the whole traditional order of the secret of intercalation.