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Ramban on Numbers 16:29/רמב"ן על במדבר ט״ז:כ״ט
אאִם כְּמוֹת כָּל הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן אֵלֶּה הִנֵּה גַּם רַבִּים בָּעָם אָמְרוּ לוֹ פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת "לָמָּה הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם", אֲבָל הָיָה הָעֹנֶשׁ עַל אֵלֶּה מִכָּל הָאָדָם בְּאָמְרָם ״כִּי תִשְׂתָּרֵר עָלֵינוּ גַּם הִשְׂתָּרֵר״ (במדבר ט״ז:י״ג), כִּי עָשׂוּ שְׁתַּיִם רָעוֹת: בִּזּוּ עַל כְּבוֹד הָרַב, וְכָפְרוּ בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה ה' אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּמִצְרַיִם וּבַמִּדְבָּר, וְגַם בְּמַעֲמַד הַר סִינַי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ ״וְגַם בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם״ (שמות יט ט), וְהֵם אָמְרוּ שֶׁאֵינוֹ כְּדַאי לְהִשְׂתָּרֵר עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא בָּא לָהֶם עַל יָדוֹ רַק רַע. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה אָמַר (במדבר ט״ז:ט״ו) ״וַיִּחַר לְמֹשֶׁה מְאֹד״. וְגַם קֹרַח אָמַר (במדבר ט״ז:ג׳) ״וּמַדּוּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ״, וְעַל כֵּן נִבְלַע אָהֳלוֹ עִמָּהֶם. וְזֶה טַעַם ״לֹא ה' שְׁלָחָנִי״ - שֶׁלֹּא שְׁלָחַנִי כְּלָל לְהוֹצִיאָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, כְּטַעַם ״אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם״ (דברים לד יא), ״וְזֶה לְּךָ הָאוֹת כִּי אָנֹכִי שְׁלַחְתִּיךָ״ (שמות ג יב). וְכֵן ״כִּי ה' שְׁלָחַנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה״ (במדבר ט״ז:כ״ח) - הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם בְּעֵינֵיכֶם, רָמַז לְכָל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מִיּוֹם שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ ״לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֶל פַּרְעֹה״ (שמות ג י), כִּי תְּחִלַּת בִּיאַת הַנָּבִיא יִקָּרֵא שְׁלִיחוּת, כְּעִנְיַן ״אֶת מִי אֶשְׁלַח וּמִי יֵלֶךְ לָנוּ״ (ישעיהו ו ח), ״וָאֶשְׁלַח לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם״ (מיכה ו ד). וְאֵין טַעַם "כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים" לְהַחֲלִיף הַבְּכוֹרִים לַלְוִיִּם וּכְהֻנַּת אַהֲרֹן כְּדִבְרֵי הַמְפָרְשִׁים, אֶלָּא לִכְלַל הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי:
1IF THESE MEN DIE THE COMMON DEATH OF ALL MEN. Now many of the people had said to Moses many times, Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt?143 [and yet Moses did not ask for them to be especially punished]. But these people deserved punishment more than all other [previous sinners] because they said that thou wouldst make thyself altogether a prince over us.144 Thus they committed two evils:145 they trampled upon the honor due to a teacher, and they denied all the deeds of G-d which He did in Egypt and the wilderness, and even at the Revelation on Mount Sinai,146 where it is said and they will believe in thee [Moses] forever,147 by saying that Moses was not worthy to rule over them, and that nothing but evil had befallen them through him. Therefore it is said, and Moses was very wroth.148 Also Korach said, wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of the Eternal?139 Therefore his tent149 was swallowed up by the earth together with them. This was the intention of Moses’ words [when he said: if these men die the common death of all men] then the Eternal hath not ‘sent’ me, meaning that He has not sent me at all to take the people out of Egypt, the expression being similar to: which the Eternal ‘sent’ him [Moses] to do in the land of Egypt;150 and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have ‘sent’ thee.151 Similarly, [And Moses said]: “Hereby, ye shall know that the Eternal hath ‘sent’ me to do all these works”152 means the deeds which you have seen with your [own] eyes, and refers to all that he had done from the day G-d told him, Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh;153 for the beginning of a prophet’s activity is called sh’lichuth (being sent, a commission), similar to the expressions: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?;154 And I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.155 And the meaning of the expression all these works152 is not, as the commentators have said,156 the appointment of the Levites instead of the firstborn, and [the appointment of] Aaron to the priesthood,157 but it refers to the totality of the activities which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel,158 as I have explained.