Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 3:14/רמב"ן על במדבר ג׳:י״ד
אוְטַעַם וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִזְכִּיר (במדבר ג׳:א׳) ״בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה בְּהַר סִינָי״, חָזַר וְאָמַר כִּי לֹא הָיְתָה צַוָּאַת הַפְּקִידָה שֶׁל הַלְוִיִּם בְּהַר סִינַי, כִּי בְּחִירַת תּוֹלְדוֹת בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לְבַדָּם הָיְתָה בְּהַר סִינַי בְּיוֹם צַוֹּתוֹ עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּשְׁכָּן, אֲבָל הַלְוִיִּם לֹא נִצְטַוָּה בִּבְחִירָתָם בְּהַר סִינַי, רַק בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, כְּמוֹ הַמִּצְוָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהִנֵּה לֹא הָיוּ שֵׁבֶט הַלְוִיִּם כִּשְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים, כִּי מִבֶּן חֹדֶשׁ וָמַעְלָה לֹא הָיוּ רַק עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם אֶלֶף (במדבר ג׳:ל״ט), וּמִבֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה כֻּלָּם שְׁמֹנַת אֲלָפִים (במדבר ד׳:מ״ח), וְהִנֵּה לֹא יַגִּיעוּ מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל הַפָּחוּת שֶׁבְּכֻלָּם, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא נָשְׂאוּ הָאָרוֹן שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַקְּדֻשָּׁה מְכַלָּה בָּהֶם, וְזֶה תֵּמַהּ אֵיךְ לֹא יִהְיוּ עֲבָדָיו וַחֲסִידָיו בְּרוּכֵי ה' כִּשְׁאָר כָּל הָעָם. וַאֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁזֶּה חִזּוּק לְמַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (תנחומא וארא ו) כִּי שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי לֹא הָיוּ בְּשִׁעְבּוּד מְלֶאכֶת מִצְרַיִם וּבַעֲבוֹדַת פֶּרֶךְ, וְהִנֵּה יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר מֵרְרוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה כְּדֵי לְמַעֲטָם, הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַרְבֶּה אוֹתָם כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרַת מִצְרַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר ״וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ״ (שמות א יב), וְכַאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר עוֹד בִּגְזֵרַת ״אִם בֵּן הוּא וַהֲמִתֶּן אֹתוֹ״ - ״וַיִּרֶב הָעָם וַיַּעַצְמוּ מְאֹד״ (שם פסוק כ), כִּי הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר, נִרְאֶה דְּבַר מִי יָקוּם, מִמֶּנִּי אוֹ מֵהֶם. אֲבָל שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי הָיוּ פָּרִים וְרָבִים כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל הָאָרֶץ, וְלֹא עָלוּ לְמַעְלָה כִּשְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים. וְאוּלַי הָיָה זֶה מִכַּעַס הַזָּקֵן עֲלֵיהֶם, כִּי שִׁמְעוֹן שֶׁהוּא עַכְשָׁיו מְרֻבֶּה בְּאוּכְלוּסִין נִתְמַעֵט בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ לָאָרֶץ לְעֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם אֶלֶף, וְלֵוִי שֶׁהוּא שֵׁבֶט חֲסִידָיו לֹא נִתְמַעֵט בַּמַּגֵּפָה:
1AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI. The reason for this statement is that since Scripture said above in the day that the Eternal spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai,154 it refers back and says [here] that the command for counting the Levites was not given in Mount Sinai; for only the choosing of the [four] children of Aaron [as priests] took place in Mount Sinai on the day that He commanded Moses about the making of the Tabernacle, but he was not given the command about the choosing of [all] the Levites [as ministers to the priests] at Mount Sinai, but in the wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting, just like the commandment mentioned [above] concerning [the counting of] the children of Israel [about which it is clearly stated that it was in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting].135Now the tribe of Levi was not like all the other tribes, for [even though they were counted] from a month old and upward155 [unlike the other tribes who were counted only from the age of twenty years and over], they were still only twenty and two thousand,156 and from thirty years old and over they were all together [only] eight thousand [and five hundred and fourscore].157, 4:48. Thus, their number from twenty years old and over does not reach even a half of the [number of the] smallest of [the other] tribes of Israel!158 And they did not as yet carry the ark, [that we should say] that its holiness took a toll of them!159 This is indeed astonishing, that His servants and His pious ones should not be blessed of the Eternal160 as were the rest of the people!Therefore I am of the opinion that this is a confirmation of what our Rabbis have said,161 6. See also Ramban on Exodus 5:4. that the tribe of Levi was not [subject to] the enslavement of Egyptian bondage and the rigorous work [that was imposed on the rest of the tribes]. Now since the children of Israel’s lives were made bitter by the Egyptians with hard work162 in order to diminish them, the Holy One, blessed be He, increased them [miraculously] to overcome the decree of the Egyptians, just as He said, And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they grew,163, Verse 12. and just as it is said also with reference to the decree that if it be a son, then ye shall kill him164, Verse 16. — and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty165, Verse 20. — since the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “We shall see whose words shall stand, Mine or theirs. ”166 But the tribe of Levi [which was not subject to bondage] reproduced and increased in a normal way, and therefore they did not become as numerous as the other tribes. Perhaps also [their small numbers were] on account of the anger of the patriarch [Jacob] towards them,167 for the tribe of Shimon which now had a large population168. decreased, so that at the time of their entry into the Land [they numbered only] twenty-two thousand [and two hundred169 — whereas most of the other tribes increased in the same period, or decreased relatively slightly]; similarly, Levi, the tribe of His pious ones,170 was not decreased in the plague [caused because of Peor,171 and yet at the time of entry into the Land they numbered only one thousand more172, 26:62. than their present twenty-two thousand! Thus we see that it was the anger of the patriarch which affected the numbers of both Shimon and Levi.]