Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Numbers 10:17/רמב"ן על במדבר י׳:י״ז

אוְהוּרַד הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְנָסְעוּ בְנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן וּבְנֵי מְרָרִי – מַשְׁמָעוּת הַכְּתוּבִים בָּעִנְיָן הַזֶּה, כִּי אַחֲרֵי נְסֹעַ דֶּגֶל יְהוּדָה יַתְחִילוּ בְּפֵרוּק הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וּתְחִלַּת פֵּרוּקוֹ שֶׁיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו וְהוֹרִידוּ אֶת פָּרֹכֶת הַמָּסָךְ, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבָא אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו בִּנְסֹעַ הַמַּחֲנֶה וְהוֹרִידוּ" וְגוֹ' (במדבר ד׳:ה׳), כְּלוֹמַר בִּנְסֹעַ הַמַּחֲנֶה הָרִאשׁוֹן. וְכַאֲשֶׁר יַשְׁלִימוּ לְכַסּוֹת הָאָרוֹן וְכָל כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁל מַשָּׂא בְּנֵי קְהָת, יוֹרִידוּ הַלְוִיִּם הַמִּשְׁכָּן כֻּלּוֹ וְיִטְעֲנוּ עַל הָעֲגָלוֹת, וְיִסְעוּ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן וּבְנֵי מְרָרִי אַחֲרֵי דֶּגֶל יְהוּדָה, וְהָאָרוֹן וּכְלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ עוֹמְדִים מְכֻסִּים וּנְתוּנִים עַל הַמּוֹטוֹת עַד שֶׁנָּסַע דֶּגֶל רְאוּבֵן. וְיִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ ״וְנָסַע אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מַחֲנֵה הַלְוִיִּם בְּתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנוֹת״ (במדבר ב׳:י״ז), שֶׁיִּסַּע אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְכָל מַחֲנֵה הַלְוִיִּם בְּתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת, כִּי הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּים וְהַמְּרָרִים נוֹסְעִים בֵּין דֶּגֶל יְהוּדָה לְדֶגֶל רְאוּבֵן, וְהַקְּהָתִים נוֹסְעִים בֵּין דֶּגֶל רְאוּבֵן לְדֶגֶל אֶפְרַיִם, כַּאֲשֶׁר יְפָרֵשׁ עוֹד. וְיַזְכִּיר הַטַּעַם, שֶׁיָּקִימוּ הַמִּשְׁכָּן טֶרֶם בּוֹאָם (במדבר י׳:כ״א). אֲבָל בַּבָּרַיְתָא שֶׁל מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן (פרק יג) רָאִיתִי כַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה: תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ, וְנָסַע דִּגְלוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה תְּחִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיִּסַּע דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה בְנֵי יְהוּדָה בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה״ (במדבר י׳:י״ד). נִכְנְסוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וּפֵרְקוּ אֶת הַפָּרֹכֶת וְכִסּוּ בָהּ אֶת הָאָרוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּבָא אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו בִּנְסֹעַ הַמַּחֲנֶה״ וְגוֹ' (במדבר ד׳:ה׳). תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ, וְנָסַע דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן. מִיָּד נִכְנְסוּ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן וּבְנֵי מְרָרִי וּפֵרְקוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְטָעֲנוּ אוֹתוֹ בָּעֲגָלוֹת וְהֶעֱמִידוּהוּ עַד בֹּא בְּנֵי קְהָת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְנָסְעוּ הַקְּהָתִים נֹשְׂאֵי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהֵקִימוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַד בּוֹאָם״ (במדבר י׳:כ״א). תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ, וְנָסַע דֶּגֶל אֶפְרַיִם. מִיָּד נִכְנְסוּ בְּנֵי קְהָת וּפֵרְקוּ אֶת הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּטְעָנוּהוּ בַּכָּתֵף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְכִלָּה אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו״ וְגוֹ' (במדבר ד׳:ט״ו). וְשֶׁמָּא כָּךְ פֵּרוּשָׁהּ, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ לִנְסֹעַ דֶּגֶל רְאוּבֵן, וּמִיָּד מַקְדִּימִין בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן וּבְנֵי מְרָרִי וּפֵרְקוּ הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְנָסְעוּ קֹדֶם בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן. וְכֵן תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ שֶׁיִּסַּע דֶּגֶל אֶפְרַיִם, וּמַקְדִּימִים בְּנֵי קְהָת וְטוֹעֲנִין כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ עַל כִּתְפֵיהֶם וְנוֹסְעִים קֹדֶם בְּנֵי אֶפְרַיִם. לִמְּדוּ עַל נְסִיעַת הַלְוִיִּם שֶׁהָיוּ בִּתְקִיעוֹת וְתֵכֶף לָהֶם נְסִיעַת הַדֶּגֶל שֶׁאַחֲרֵיהֶם:

1AND THE TABERNACLE WAS TAKEN DOWN; AND THE SONS OF GERSHON AND THE SONS OF MERARI WHO BORE THE TABERNACLE SET FORWARD. The indication of the verses on this subject is as follows: After the standard of Judah had set forward, they would begin dismantling the Tabernacle, and the beginning of this dismantling was when Aaron and his sons came [into the Tabernacle] and took down the partition Veil, as it says, And when ‘the camp’ setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the Veil etc.,¹²⁵ that is to say, when the first camp [i.e., that of Judah] set forth. When they [the priests] finished covering the ark and all the holy vessels which were to be borne by the Kohathites, the Levites would take down the whole Tabernacle and load it upon the wagons; and the sons of Gershon and Merari then journeyed [with these wagons] after the standard of Judah, the ark and the holy vessels remaining covered and placed upon the staves until the standard of Reuben set forth. And the meaning of the verse Then the Tent of Meeting, with the camp of the Levites, shall set forward in the midst of the camps¹²⁶, 2:17. is that the Tent of Meeting together with all the camps of the Levites shall set forward in the midst of those camps perviously mentioned, for the Gershonites and Merarites journeyed between the standard of Judah and that of Reuben, while the Kohathites journeyed between the standard of Reuben and that of Ephraim, as He is to explain. He mentioned the reason [for the Gershonites and Merarites journeying before the Kohathites, namely] so that they might set up the Tabernacle before they [the Kohathites who carried the ark and the holy vessels] arrive¹²⁷ [and thus they could immediately deposit the holy vessels therein].However, in the Beraitha of the Work of the Tabernacle¹⁰⁵, Chapter 13. I have seen the following text: “They blew t’kiah, t’ruah, ‘t’kiah,¹⁰² is a succession of nine tremulous or quavering sounds. A t’kiah is a continuous plain sound. The sh’varim are broken disconnected sounds, but they are not as broken as those of the t’ruah. The three broken sounds of the sh’varim are equal [in length of time] to the nine quavering sounds of the t’ruah. and the standard of Judah would set forth first, as it is said, And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward.¹²⁸ The sons of Aaron would then enter [the Tent of Meeting] and take down the Veil, and cover the ark with it, as it is said, And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons etc.¹²⁵ They then blew t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah,¹⁰² is a succession of nine tremulous or quavering sounds. A t’kiah is a continuous plain sound. The sh’varim are broken disconnected sounds, but they are not as broken as those of the t’ruah. The three broken sounds of the sh’varim are equal [in length of time] to the nine quavering sounds of the t’ruah. and the standard of the camp of Reuben would set forth. The sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari would immediately enter and dismantle the Tabernacle, and load it upon wagons and re-erect it [in the new resting-place] by the time the sons of Kohath arrived, as it is said, And the Kohathites the bearers of the Sanctuary set forward, that the Tabernacle might be set up against their coming.¹²⁷ They blew t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah,¹⁰² is a succession of nine tremulous or quavering sounds. A t’kiah is a continuous plain sound. The sh’varim are broken disconnected sounds, but they are not as broken as those of the t’ruah. The three broken sounds of the sh’varim are equal [in length of time] to the nine quavering sounds of the t’ruah. and the standard of Ephraim would set forth. The sons of Kohath would immediately enter and dismantle the Sanctuary,¹²⁹ (the Sanctuary) is evidently to be understood as in Verse 21 here: And the Kohathites the bearers of ‘the Sanctuary’ set forward, which Rashi explains as meaning: “the bearers of ‘the holy vessels’” [and not of the Sanctuary itself, for it was carried by the sons of Gershon and Merari]. This explanation is also clearly evident from the language of Ramban further on [“and the sons of Kohath would … load the holy vessels upon their shoulders”]. and put it upon their shoulders, as it is said, And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the Sanctuary etc.”¹³⁰, since the Beraitha states that they journeyed after the standard of Reuben. Ramban now interprets the Beraitha so that it accords with the above interpretation which is in line with the simple meaning of Scripture. But perhaps the following is the correct interpretation of the Beraitha: “They blew t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah¹⁰² is a succession of nine tremulous or quavering sounds. A t’kiah is a continuous plain sound. The sh’varim are broken disconnected sounds, but they are not as broken as those of the t’ruah. The three broken sounds of the sh’varim are equal [in length of time] to the nine quavering sounds of the t’ruah. to alert the standard of Reuben to set forth, [but they did not actually set forth at once, for] immediately the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari would precede them and dismantle the Tabernacle, but they would journey before the sons of Reuben. Similarly, they blew t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah¹⁰² is a succession of nine tremulous or quavering sounds. A t’kiah is a continuous plain sound. The sh’varim are broken disconnected sounds, but they are not as broken as those of the t’ruah. The three broken sounds of the sh’varim are equal [in length of time] to the nine quavering sounds of the t’ruah. that the standard of Ephraim be ready to set forth, and the sons of Kohath would immediately set forth and load the holy vessels upon their shoulders, and they would journey before the sons of Ephraim.” Thus the Rabbis taught that the journeying of the Levites should be preceded by blowing [of the trumpets], and immediately after them came the standard which followed them.