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Ramban on Numbers 17:5/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ז:ה׳
אכַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לוֹ – כְּמוֹ עָלָיו, עַל קֹרַח. וּמַהוּ "בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה" וְלֹא כָּתַב "אֶל מֹשֶׁה"? רֶמֶז לַחוֹלְקִים עַל הַכְּהוּנָּה שֶׁלּוֹקִין בְּצָרַעַת כְּמוֹ שֶׁלָּקָה מֹשֶׁה בְּיָדוֹ, וְעַל זֶה לָקָה עֻזִּיָּהוּ בְּצָרַעַת. וּלְפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָּלוּעַ וְשָׂרוּף כְּקֹרַח וְכַעֲדָתוֹ, אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה לְמֹשֶׁה בְּיָדוֹ שֶׁלָּקָה בְּצָרַעַת. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים: לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִקְרַב אִישׁ זָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזֶּרַע אַהֲרֹן הוּא, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הוּא וּבָנָיו כֹּהֲנִים וְלֹא זָר - לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר י״ז:ה׳). וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁהוּא רוֹמֵז אֶל אֶלְעָזָר הַנִּזְכָּר, שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: ״אֱמֹר אֶל אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן" וְגוֹ' (במדבר י״ז:ב׳), וְשִׁעוּרוֹ: וַיִּקַּח אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן אֵת מַחְתּוֹת הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר הִקְרִיבוּ הַשְּׂרוּפִים וַיְרַקְּעוּם צִפּוּי לַמִּזְבֵּחַ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לוֹ זִכָּרוֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" וְגוֹ':
1THAT HE BE NOT AS KORACH, AND AS HIS COMPANY, AS THE ETERNAL SPOKE BY THE HAND OF MOSES ‘LO.’ “The word lo [literally: ‘to him’] is like alav (‘about him’), that is, about Korach. And what is the meaning of by ‘the hand’ of Moses, and why is it not written ‘unto Moses’ [as is written elsewhere]? It is a hint to those who dispute the priesthood, that they will be stricken with leprosy, just as Moses was stricken [with it] on ‘his hand.’170 It was for this reason that Uzziah [king of Judah] was stricken with leprosy [when he attempted to usurp the function of the priests and to offer incense].171 And according to the plain meaning of Scripture,172 [the interpretation is as follows: if anybody disputes the priesthood and claims it for himself, his punishment] will not be that of being swallowed up and burnt, as happened to Korach and his company; instead, [his punishment] will be like that which Moses received on his hand when it was stricken with leprosy. And some scholars173 interpret [the verse to mean]: that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the Eternal174 — as the Eternal spoke by the hand of Moses with regard to Aaron, that he and his sons should be priests, and not a layman.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation is that [the word lo (to him)] refers to Eleazar who is mentioned [at the beginning of the section], when Scripture said, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest etc.,175 and the correct order [in meaning] of the verses [before us] is as follows: And Eleazar the priest took the copper censers wherewith they that were burnt had offered, and they beat them out for a covering of the altar176 — as the Eternal spoke to him by the hand of Moses174 — to be a memorial unto the children of Israel etc.174