Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 8:2/רמב"ן על ויקרא ח׳:ב׳

אקַח אֶת אַהֲרֹן פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ נֶאֶמְרָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים קֹדֶם הֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, שֶׁאֵין מֻקְדָּם וּמְאֻחָר בַּתּוֹרָה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא ח':ב'). וְלָמָּה נַהֲפֹךְ דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים, וְעוֹד כִּי צִוָּה בְּפָרָשַׁת בְּיוֹם הַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן (שמות מ) בְּכָל הֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּבִלְבִישַׁת אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו וּבִמְשִׁיחַת כֻּלָּם, וְסִפֵּר שָׁם מַעֲשֵׂה מֹשֶׁה בְּעִנְיַן הַהֲקָמָה, וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בְּאַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו דָּבָר עַד הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה, וְאֵיךְ הִפְרִישׁ עִנְיָן אֶחָד בִּשְׁתֵּי פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת וְאִחֵר הַמֻּקְדָּם. אֲבָל הַנָּכוֹן שֶׁנֹּאמַר כִּי נִצְטַוָּה בַּהֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן בְּכ"ג בַּאֲדָר וְהֵקִים אוֹתוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר עָמַד הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַל מַעֲמָדוֹ מִיָּד קָרָא לוֹ הש"י שֶׁהוּא יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים וְצִוָּה אוֹתוֹ עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת כָּל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה שֶׁמִּתְּחִלַּת וַיִּקְרָא עַד כָּאן, כִּי רָצָה לְלַמְּדוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת וּמִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶם קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּקְרִיב מֵהֶם כְּלָל, כִּי יֵשׁ בְּקָרְבְּנוֹת הַמִּלּוּאִים חַטָּאת וְעוֹלָה וּשְׁלָמִים וְלֹא יִוָּדְעוּ כָּל דִּינֵיהֶם רַק מִן הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה שֶׁהִקְדִּים לוֹ, וְאַחַר כֵּן אָמַר לוֹ "קַח אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ", לְזָרֵז אוֹתוֹ בִּשְׁעַת מַעֲשֶׂה בַּמֶּה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה (שמות כט א) "וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם לְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתָם לְכַהֵן לִי" וְגוֹ', וְהוֹסִיף לוֹ בְּכָאן (ויקרא ח':ג') "וְאֵת כָּל הָעֵדָה הַקְהֵל אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד", שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה בְּמַעֲמַד כֻּלָּם שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ שֶׁהש"י בָּחַר בְּאַהֲרֹן וּבְזַרְעוֹ. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר נִצְטַוָּה מֹשֶׁה בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן קֹדֶם לְמַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, וּכְשֶׁנִּתְרַצָּה לוֹ הקב"ה וְהִבְטִיחוֹ שֶׁיַּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בְּתוֹכָם יָדַע מֵעַצְמוֹ שֶׁמִּצְוַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן בִּמְקוֹמָהּ עוֹמֶדֶת, וְצִוָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֶיהָ כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּפָרָשַׁת וַיַּקְהֵל (שם לה א), וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁהִשְׁלִימוּ הַמְּלָאכָה נֶאֱמַר לוֹ פָּרָשַׁת "בְּיוֹם הַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ תָּקִים אֶת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד" (שם מ ב), וְשָׁם נֶאֱמַר לוֹ "וְהִקְרַבְתָּ אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו" וְגוֹ' (שם פסוק יב), וְהִנֵּה יָדַע שֶׁגַּם אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו בְּמַעֲלָתָם וּבְחִבָּתָם לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, וְעַכְשָׁו חָזַר וְזֵרְזוֹ בְּיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל מִלּוּאִים וּבִשְׁעַת מַעֲשֶׂה. וְהִנֵּה כָּל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת כְּסִדְרָן, אֶלָּא שֶׁהִקְדִּים "וַיְכַס הֶעָנָן אֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד" (שם פסוק לד) שֶׁהוּא בְּיוֹם שְׁמִינִי לַמִּלּוּאִים כְּדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (בת"כ ריש שמיני) לְסַדֵּר כָּל עִנְיַן הֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, כִּי כֵן דֶּרֶךְ הַכְּתוּבִים בְּכָל מָקוֹם לְהַשְׁלִים עִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר הִתְחִיל בּוֹ:

1TAKE AARON. “This section [concerning the seven days of consecration of the priests] was said seven days before the [final] erection of the Tabernacle [which took place on the first day of Nisan],¹⁶⁷ for there is no strict chronological order in the narrative of the Torah.”¹⁶⁸ the final erection, we must perforce say that there is no strict chronological order in the narrative of the Torah. In other words, chronologically the proper place of this section here in the Book of Leviticus is before Exodus, Chapter 40! Ramban will strongly dissent to this interpretation of Rashi. Thus the language of Rashi. But why should we invert the words of the living G-d! Moreover, in the section of On the first day of the first month,¹⁶⁹ He commanded concerning the erection of the whole Tabernacle, the clothing of Aaron and his sons and the anointing of all of them, and there He narrated Moses’ deeds in the matter of the erection of the Tabernacle,¹⁷⁰, Verse 17-33. but did not mention anything concerning Aaron and his sons till here. And how could it be that He separated one subject into two sections, [as follows from Rashi], placing the later one [i.e., the final erection of the Tabernacle which took place on the first of Nisan, as recorded in the Book of Exodus], before the earlier one [i.e., the seven days of consecration that began on the twenty-third of Adar which He placed here in the Book of Leviticus]!Rather, the correct interpretation is that we say that Moses was commanded about the erection of the Tabernacle on the twenty-third day of Adar, and he erected it [on that day]. As soon as the Tabernacle stood in its position G-d, blessed be He, Who sitteth upon the cherubim¹⁷¹ called Moses and commanded him about the actions involved in the bringing of the offerings — all those sections from the beginning of the Book of Vayikra until here. [This was because] He wanted to teach him the actions and statutes of all the offerings before he offered up any of them, since among the initiation-offerings were the sin-offering, burnt-offering and peace-offering, and they could only know all their laws from these sections with which He preceded [to command him]. Afterwards He said to him, Take Aaron and his sons with him etc., to urge him on when the time came for performing what He had told him at first — And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto Me etc.,¹⁷² adding here, And assemble thou all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting,¹⁷³ so that it should be done in the presence of all of them, that they should know that G-d, blessed be He, chose Aaron and his sons [to minister unto Him].By way of the proper interpretation of Scripture, Moses was commanded about the building of the Tabernacle prior to the incident of the golden calf [as is the order of these chapters in the Book of Exodus],¹⁷⁴ (Chapters 25-27), and the story of the golden calf is in Seder Ki Thisa (Chapter 32). — This is unlike Rashi’s statement (ibid., 31:18) that the incident of the golden calf happened a considerable time before the command regarding the work of the Tabernacle. Hence Ramban preceded this discussion with the expression, “by way of the proper interpretation …” in order to indicate that his view is different than that stated elsewhere in Rashi’s commentary. and when the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled to him and promised him that He would cause His Divine Glory to dwell among them, Moses understood of his own accord that the command concerning the Tabernacle remained valid as before, and he then commanded Israel regarding it, as I have explained in the section of Vayakheil.¹⁷⁵, 35:1. After they had completed the work, he was then told the section of On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting,¹⁷⁶, 40:2. and he was then told, And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the Tent of Meeting etc.¹⁷⁷, Verse 12. Thus Moses knew that Aaron and his sons also remained in their esteemed and beloved position before G-d. Here He urged them again on the first day of the consecration, at the time of performing the command [And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons etc.]¹⁷⁷, Verse 12. Thus all the sections of the Torah are in chronological order, except that He placed before its sequence the verse, And the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting,¹⁷⁸, Verse 34. which in the opinion of our Rabbis¹⁷⁹. was on the eighth day of the initiation, in order to arrange in order the whole matter of the erection of the Tabernacle, it being the customary way of Scripture in all places to finish a subject that it has started to explain.¹⁸⁰