Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 16:11/רמב"ן על במדבר ט״ז:י״א
אלָכֵן אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ – לָכֵן, בִּשְׁבִיל כָּךְ, אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה', כִּי בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ עָשִׂיתִי לָתֵת כְּהוּנָּה לְאַהֲרֹן, וְלֹא לָנוּ הַמַּחְלֹקֶת הַזֶּה - לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ט״ז:י״א). וְאִם כֵּן יֹאמַר: אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ אַתֶּם הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה', לֹא עַל אַהֲרֹן. וְר״א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על במדבר ט״ז:י״א) כִּי ה״א הַנּוֹעָדִים נוֹסָף. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיֹּאמַר: לָכֵן אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה' - כִּי לֹא עַל אַהֲרֹן הָיוּ - לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם עִם אַהֲרֹן מָחָר, וּמִקְרָא קָצָר הוּא בַּתְּנָאִים אֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר. וְעִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה דִּבֵּר אֶל קֹרַח וְאֶל כָּל עֲדָתוֹ לֵאמֹר: ״בֹּקֶר וְיוֹדַע ה'" וְגוֹ', וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזַר לְדַבֵּר עִם קֹרַח: ״רַב לָכֶם בְּנֵי לֵוִי״, וְאָמַר לְקֹרַח לְבַדּוֹ: ״שִׁמְעוּ נָא בְּנֵי לֵוִי״. וּלְכָךְ חָזַר וְאָמַר: ״אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה'״, כִּי אֵין עָלָיו לְבַדּוֹ הָעֹנֶשׁ, רַק עַל כָּל עֲדָתוֹ, כִּי כֻלָּם נוֹעָדִים עַל ה':
1THEREFORE THOU AND ALL THY COMPANY. “Therefore, because of this [i.e., because of what I have previously said: Hear now, ye sons of Levi: is it but a small thing etc.] thou and all thy company that are gathered together [are] against the Eternal, for I acted as His agent in giving the priesthood to Aaron, and this controversy is [therefore] not directed against us.” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, the verse is saying: “thou and all thy company — it is ye that are gathered together against G-d, and not against Aaron.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the letter hei in the word hano’adim (‘that’ are gathered together) is redundant [thus the verse means: “thou and all thy company ‘are gathered together not against us but against G-d”]. It is possible that the verse is stating: “Therefore thou and all thy company that are gathered together against G-d — for it is not against Aaron [that you are gathered together] — be ye before G-d with Aaron tomorrow,”80 and the verse is elliptic with respect to the conditions that Moses mentioned. The purport of the verses is thus as follows: At first he [Moses] spoke unto Korach and unto all his company, saying: ‘In the morning the Eternal will make known etc.,’81] Moses spoke only to Korach. This is made necessary because, as Ramban has stated above, among the assembled were people from all tribes. and afterwards he continued speaking to Korach, saying: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi,49 and told Korach alone, Hear now, ye sons of Levi.82 Therefore he repeated himself saying, thou and all thy company that are gathered together against G-d,83 meaning that the punishment would not be directed against Korach alone, but against his whole company, for they are all gathered together against G-d.