Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 4:26/רמב"ן על במדבר ד׳:כ״ו
אוְאֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר יֵעָשֶׂה לָהֶם כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ יָת כָּל דְּיִתְמְסַר לְהוֹן, לִבְנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ד׳:כ״ו). וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה יֵעָשֶׂה כְּמוֹ ״וְאִישׁ בְּמָעוֹן וּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ בַכַּרְמֶל״ (שמואל א כה ב), נְכָסָיו אֲשֶׁר הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בָּהֶן. וְהַנָּכוֹן יוֹתֵר כָּל אֲשֶׁר יֵעָשֶׂה לָהֶם לַמִּשְׁכָּן וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ, כִּי כֵלִים רַבִּים לָהֶם:
1V’EITH KOL ASHER ‘YEI’ASEH’ LAHEM.1 [literally: “and all which will be made to them”]. The question Ramban discusses is what the pronoun lahem (“to them” or “for them”) refers to and what the meaning of yei’aseh is. “[This is to be understood] as the Targum [of Onkelos rendered it]: ‘and with whatever is handed over to them,’ that is, to the sons of Gershon [so shall they serve].” This is Rashi’s language. But if so [if the pronoun lahem refers to the Gershonites, and not to all the vessels of the Tabernacle and altar mentioned in the first part of the verse], then the word yei’aseh [does not have its usual meaning of “doing,” but is to be understood as “possessions” or “articles in a person’s control,” the sense of the verse being: “and all ‘the objects handed over’ to them — they, the Gershonites shall serve with”], as in the verse: And there was a man in Maon ‘uma’aseihu’ were in Carmel,2 which means “his possessions with which he ‘does’ [his occupation].” A more correct interpretation [of our verse] is that it means: “and with whatever [accessories] are made ‘for them’ — the Tabernacle and the altar — for they had many vessels [so shall they — the sons of Gershon — serve].”