Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 16:15/רמב"ן על במדבר ט״ז:ט״ו
אאַל תֵּפֶן אֶל מִנְחָתָם – לְפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ הַקְּטֹרֶת שֶׁהֵם מַקְרִיבִים לְפָנֶיךָ לְמָחָר אַל תֵּפֶן אֵלֶיהָ. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ, אָמַר, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק בִּתְמִידֵי צִבּוּר, חֶלְקָם לֹא יִקְרַב לְפָנֶיךָ לְרָצוֹן. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ט״ז:ט״ו). וְאֵינוֹ נָכוֹן בְּעֵינַי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עַל הַקְּטֹרֶת, לְפִי שֶׁעַל דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם הוּא אוֹמֵר כֵּן שֶׁחָרָה לוֹ עַל דִּבְרֵיהֶם, וְהֵם לֹא הָיוּ בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַנּוֹעָדִים לְהַקְטִיר קְטֹרֶת. אֲבָל פְּשׁוּטוֹ כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיוּ אֵלֶּה רוֹצִים בַּכְּהֻנָּה לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבָּן, אָמַר מֹשֶׁה: "אַל תֵּפֶן אֶל מִנְחָתָם", אַל תֵּפֶן אֶל קָרְבָּן שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ לְפָנֶיךָ וְאֶל תְּפִלָּה שֶׁיִּתְפַּלְּלוּ לְךָ, כִּי כָל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת גַּם הַתְּפִלָּה יִקָּרְאוּ מִנְחָה בַּכָּתוּב. וְגַם אָמַר אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על במדבר ט״ז:ט״ו) "קֻרְבָּנְהוֹן", אֵיזֶה דָּבָר שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּ לְפָנֶיךָ:
1RESPECT NOT THOU ‘MINCHATHAM’ (THEIR OFFERING). “According to its plain sense [the meaning of ‘their offering’ is] ‘the incense which they will offer up before You tomorrow — do not turn to it.’ The Midrashic explanation is that Moses said: ‘I know that they have a portion in the Daily Whole-offerings of the congregation; let not [their part in it] be accepted before You favorably.’” This is Rashi’s language. But it does not seem to me to be correct that it is referring to the incense, because it was with reference to Dathan and Abiram that Moses said this, because he became angered by their words, and they were not amongst the company who gathered together to burn the incense. But the plain meaning [of the verse] is that because these people wanted the priesthood, to be able to perform the service of the offerings, Moses said: “Respect not Thou their offering, meaning: respect not the offering which they want to bring before You, nor the prayer which they will pray unto You,” for all offerings, including prayer, are called minchah (offering) in Scripture. Onkelos also rendered [minchatham] as kurbanhon (their offering), meaning “anything that they will offer before You.”
בוְטַעַם לֹא חֲמוֹר אֶחָד מֵהֶם נָשָׂאתִי, אָמַר, מָה שְׂרָרָה אֲנִי מִשְׂתָּרֵר עֲלֵיהֶם, כִּי מֵעוֹלָם לֹא לָקַחְתִּי מֵהֶם אֲפִלּוּ חֲמוֹר אֶחָד לַעֲשׂוֹת צְרָכַי כְּדֶרֶךְ הַמְּלָכִים אוֹ הַשָּׂרִים, כִּי זֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַמְּלוּכָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְאֶת חֲמוֹרֵיכֶם יִקָּח וְעָשָׂה לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ״ (שמואל א ח טז). וְזֶה טַעַם שֶׁל אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על במדבר ט״ז:ט״ו) "שַׁחַרִית", שֶׁכָּךְ נִקְרָא אַנְגַּרְיָא שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ שַׁחְוָר (ב״ב מז). הִזְכִּיר הַדָּבָר הַקָּטָן שֶׁבְּדִינֵי מַלְכוּת, וְחָזַר וְאָמַר "וְלֹא הֲרֵעוֹתִי אֶת אַחַד מֵהֶם" לְשׂוּמוֹ בְּמֶרְכַּבְתִּי וּבִמְלַאכְתִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָאוֹת לְמֶלֶךְ, אוֹ לְהַטּוֹת דִּינוֹ וּלְבַזּוֹת עַל כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי כָּלַל הָרָעוֹת כֻּלָּן:
2I HAVE NOT TAKEN ONE ASS FROM THEM. The meaning thereof is that Moses said: “What lordship am I exercising over them, for I have never taken from them even one ass to do my work, as is the manner of kings and princes?” For this is the manner of the kingdom,95 as it is written, and he will take your asses, and put them to his work.96, 8:16. This is the meaning of Onkelos’ rendition: [“I have not taken one ass from them] sh’chorith (as a levy),” for [in Aramaic] the king’s levy is called shichvur. Thus Moses mentioned the smallest incident amongst the laws of royalty, and then he said, Neither have I hurt one of them by appointing him to my chariot97, Verse 12. or to do my work, as is befitting for a king, or by perverting his judgment [in a lawsuit] or by treating him with disrespect, for [the phrase “hurting” in neither have I ‘hurt’ one of them] includes all kinds of injustice.