Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 3:4/רמב"ן על במדבר ג׳:ד׳
אעַל פְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֲבִיהֶם – בְּחַיָּיו, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ג׳:ד׳). וְאֵין הָעִנְיָן לְהַגִּיד שֶׁכִּהֲנוּ בְּחַיֵּי אֲבִיהֶם, כִּי כָל אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים יְכַהֵן בְּחַיֵּי אָבִיו. רַק בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר "הַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְּשׁוּחִים", שֶׁהָיוּ גַּם הֵם כְּכֹהֲנִים גְּדוֹלִים נִמְשָׁחִים כָּמוֹהוּ בְּחַיָּיו, וְלֹא יֵעָשֶׂה כֵּן לְדוֹרוֹת. וְהַנָּכוֹן כִּי "עַל פְּנֵי" יַחְזֹר עַל הָרָחוֹק, וַיָּמָת נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא לִפְנֵי ה' עַל פְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֲבִיהֶם בְּהַקְרִיבָם אֵשׁ זָרָה. וְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בְּדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים (א כד ב): ״וַיָּמָת נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא לִפְנֵי אֲבִיהֶם וּבָנִים לֹא הָיוּ לָהֶם וַיְכַהֲנוּ אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר״. וְטַעַם לִפְנֵי ה' שֶׁמֵּתוּ בְּנֵס שֶׁבָּא מֵאִתּוֹ, וְכֵן נֶאֱמַר בַּמְרַגְּלִים: ״בַּמַּגֵּפָה לִפְנֵי ה'״ (במדבר י״ד:ל״ז):
1AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED ‘AL PNEI’ AARON THEIR FATHER - “that is, during the lifetime [of Aaron their father].” This is the language of Rashi. Now [Rashi] does not mean to say that they ministered during their father’s lifetime, for all priests of the family of Aaron may minister during their fathers’ lifetime [so why should Scripture single out Eleazar and Ithamar in this respect?] Rather, [the verse says that they were anointed during Aaron’s lifetime], because He had stated [that Aaron’s sons were] the priests that were anointed,149 meaning that they too were like the High Priests in that they were anointed during Aaron’s lifetime, just as he [Aaron] was anointed, a procedure which was not applicable in later generations.150But the correct interpretation is that the expression al pnei refers to the beginning [of the verse, and the order of the phrases is to be understood as if inverted, as follows]: “And Nadab and Abihu died before the Eternal ‘al pnei’ (in the presence of) Aaron their father, when they offered strange fire.”151. And so indeed it is stated in the Book of Chronicles: And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children, and Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office.152 The meaning of [the expression] before the Eternal is that they died a miraculous death which came [directly] from Him. Similarly it is stated in the case of the spies that they died by the plague before the Eternal.153