Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Numbers 3:3/ספורנו על במדבר ג׳:ג׳
אהַכֹּהֲנִים הַמְּשֻׁחִים. וְלֹא קָרָה כֵן לְדוֹרוֹת, כִּי אָמְנָם לֹא נִמְשַׁח אַחֲרֵיהֶם שׁוּם כֹּהֵן הֶדְיוֹט בְּחַיֵּי הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל. וְהַטַּעַם הָיָה אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת יָדָם לְכַהֵן, שֶׁהֻצְרְכָה אָז הַמְּשִׁיחָה, כִּי זוּלָתָהּ לֹא הָיוּ כֹּהֲנִים כְּלָל, בִּהְיוֹת שֶׁנּוֹלְדוּ קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּבְחַר אַהֲרֹן לְכַהֵן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁקָּרָה לְפִינְחָס קֹדֶם שֶׁהָרַג אֶת זִמְרִי.
1הכהנים המשוחים, future priests were not described in such terms as they were not anointed while the High Priest was alive. אשר מלא ידם לכהן, the reason why the sons of Aaron were also anointed with the oil of anointment was to enable them to perform priestly duties, as otherwise there would have been no priests other that Aaron, no one having been born as priest to a father who was a priest. Had they been born after Aaron’s appointment, they would not have required such anointing as heredity would have sufficed.