Commentaire sur L’Exode 28:41

והלבשת אתם את אהרן AND THOU SHALT PUT THEM ON AARON — i. e. those which are mentioned in connection with Aaron: the breast-plate, the ephod, the Robe, the inner garment of checker-work, the mitre, the girdle and the Plate, and the breeches which are prescribed later for all of them (for all the priest’s and therefore for Aaron also).

AND THOU SHALT PUT THEM UPON AARON THY BROTHER AND UPON HIS SONS WITH HIM — “those which are mentioned in connection with them.” This is Rashi’s language. The meaning of with him is that they were all clothed with the priestly garments and anointed on the same day.

ומלאת את ידם. Ensure that they complete their task to perfection so that the priests will be equipped to perform the service in the Tabernacle wearing suitable garments.

והלבשת אותם…ומשחת אותם, "and you will dress Aaron and his sons in them and anoint them, etc." The Torah means that the priests are first to put on the garments and that they are to be anointed while still wearing these garments. The act of anointing the priests with the anointing oil helped to make them into priests. When the Torah speaks of ומלאת את ידם, instead of merely of ומלאת אותם, this may mean that the priests would be affected emotionally by this procedure so that they would become recipients of G'd's kindness, known as "His great Hand." Students of the Kabbalah will understand what I refer to.

והלבשת אותם, as soon as the Tabernacle would be erected.

והלבשת אותם את אהרן אחיך ואת בניו אתו, “ you will dress your brother Aaron and his sons with him with them.” Moses was to dress up Aaron and his sons in the garments described previously. The word אתו, normally translated as “with him,” means here that this procedure should be performed with all of them on the same day, just as their anointing took place on the same day.

Those that are mentioned regarding Aharon. . . Not only the undershirt, turban and sash-belt written just before this.

V. 41. מלא יד ,ומלאת את ידם, ganz entsprechend unserem: bevollmächtigen jemandem Macht und Befugnis erteilen.

וקדשת אותם, “you will sanctify them.” This refers to an oral sanctification. (Ibn Ezra) It is comparable to the oral declaration of someone being declared ritually impure by the priest when with the skin disease tzoraat, in Leviticus 13,44.

ואת בניו אתו [AND THOU SHALT PUT THEM ON AARON …] AND ON HIS SONS WITH HIM — i. e. put on them those garments which are prescribed for them.

AND THOU SHALT ANOINT THEM ‘UMILEITHA ETH YADAM’ [literally: “and fill their hands”]. “Every expression of ‘filling the hand’ denotes installation, when one enters for the first time into an office which one is to hold from that day onwards.” This is Rashi’s language. But I have not understood his words. How does the expression of “filling the hand” come to mean “installation?” And as to that which the Rabbi said that “in the [old] French language — when a person is appointed to be in charge of any matter, the ruler puts into his hand a leather glove which they call gant, and by means of that glove gives him the right to that matter, and it is this which is called ‘filling the hand,’” — I do not know whether the Rabbi’s intent is to state that because of that glove the installation is called “filling the hand,” and to this he brought proof from a custom [in France]! Know that this custom they derived from the Torah, as to them this form of taking possession is [what is meant by] the acquisition by exchange mentioned in connection with Boaz, for so they translated: [Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging…] a man drew off ‘na’alo’ (his shoe)¹⁵⁶Ruth 4:7. — “a man drew off his gant,” and they say¹⁵⁷Our accepted law is that acquisition by exchange is accomplished with something that originally belongs to the buyer. Hence it was Boaz [the buyer] who “drew off his shoe” and gave it to the near kinsman. But “they say” differently, that it was the near kinsman [the seller] that gave it to Boaz. Hence they derived the custom that it is the prince [who is in the position of the bestower or seller] who pulls off his gant and gives it to the recipient. that it was the near kinsman that gave it to Boaz. This custom of theirs is mentioned in the books of their scholars. Thus we have engaged in vain talk!
The correct interpretation of milui yadayim in the Torah is that it is an expression of perfection, similar in usage to these verses: ‘ki malu yamai’ (for my days are completed);¹⁵⁸Genesis 29:21. ‘ubimloth’ hayamim ha’eileh’ (and when these days were fulfilled);¹⁵⁹Esther 1:5. until the days ‘m’loth’¹⁶⁰Leviticus 8:33. — be fulfilled. Similarly, ‘b’keseph malei’¹⁶¹Genesis 23:9. means “for the full price.” And the reason for this expression is that one might say of a stranger [i.e., a non-priest] who cannot perform the offering for his cleansing, or of any person who is not empowered to perform some royal service, that his hand misses that function; and when he becomes empowered to do it, his hand has thereby been perfected and made fit for all kinds of work and service. Thus, ‘milu yedchem hayom’¹⁶²Further, 32:29. [generally translated: consecrate yourselves today] means that: “now your hands are full with the whole service of G-d, for even every man upon his son, and upon his brother¹⁶²Further, 32:29. have you served Him [that day].” Or it may be that Moses was hinting to the sons of Levi that by virtue of this merit they would be chosen to perform the Divine Service in the Tabernacle, as it is said, At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi.¹⁶³Deuteronomy 10:8. Similarly King David said to Israel on the occasion of the donations for the House [of G-d], Because I have set my affection on the house of my G-d, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it into the house of my G-d,¹⁶⁴I Chronicles 29:3. and then he continued saying, Who then offereth willingly ‘l’maloth yado’ this day unto the Eternal?¹⁶⁵Ibid., Verse 5. — meaning “to perfect his hand [this day unto the Eternal],” for by doanting towards the building of the House [of G-d] their hands become full with all the sacrifices and all manner of services, for Israel’s worship of G-d is only a complete one in the Sanctuary. Similarly, the ram of ‘milu’im’ mentioned in this section¹⁶⁶Further, 29:22. is so called because the filling of the priests’ duties was accomplished through this offering, for the sin-offering and the burnt-offering¹⁶⁷Ibid., Verse 5. were to effect atonement, and this ram was to fill the priest’s hand with [the right to] sacrifice. I have also found that in Targum Yerushalmi the ram of ‘milu’im’ is translated: d’ashlamutha, (of perfection);¹⁶⁸This translation I found in Targum Yonathan ben Uziel to Leviticus 8:22. similarly also in all expressions of milui yadayim it translated “perfection.” Onkelos, however, [in translating umileitha eth yadam — ‘and you will bring their sacrifices’¹⁶⁹On the seven days of installation it was Moses who acted in the role of the priest and performed the rites of the sacrifices. Hence Onkelos’ translation: “and you [i.e., Moses] will bring their sacrifices,” as during these seven days of installation you will be the priest to offer their sacrifices.] followed the sense of the subject and was not pedantic as to the literal language, as is his custom in many places. Some scholars¹⁷⁰Found in R’dak’s Sefer Hashorashim, root male. explain umileitha eth yadam as meaning that he will fill their hands [with the gifts] from the sacrifices. Similarly: whosoever would, he [Jeroboam] ‘yemalei eth yado’¹⁷¹I Kings 13:33. means that he could fill his hands at will from the sacrifices. But the correct interpretation [of the term milui yadayim] is as I have explained. And the meaning of the expression, whosoever would, ‘yemalei eth yado’ that he might be one of the priests of the high places¹⁷¹I Kings 13:33. is that he would bring for himself an offering of installation as he devised of his own heart,¹⁷²Ibid., 12:33. in order to initiate himself into his office, and thereby he became one of the priests of the high places, for they acted in a manner similar to the ways of the Torah.¹⁷³See Leviticus 6:13. This is also applied to the ordinary priest who brought a meal-offering when he officiated for the first time. Ramban’s intent is thus that in the days of Jeroboam when the king installed a new group of priests in the kingdom of Israel to officiate at the sacrifices on the Bamoth (high places) he adopted the ways of the Torah as explained, in order to give the appearance of his remaining loyal to the commandments of the Torah.

ומלאת את ידם, “you will inaugurate them.” According to Rashi whenever the expression מלוי ידים occurs, it refers to a kind of consecration, inauguration. The party so described begins a new assignment, one that is a long term assignment, not a short term one. Nachmanides explains the words ומלאת את ידם as being similar to מלאת ימים, completing a certain length of preparatory days, such as the nine months of pregnancy, or completing a tour of service, as when Yaakov demanded to be given Rachel as his wife, his reason being described with the words כי מלאו ימי, “the seven years I contracted to work for her are complete..” (Genesis 29,21). We encounter the phrase ובמלאת הימים האלה, “at the completion of these years, etc.” (Esther 1,5) It describes what the occasion was for the party Ahasverus gave to both his ministers, and subsequently to the citizens of Shushan. The connection with our consecration is that any non-priest who nonetheless performs service in the Tabernacle, even if he copies the exact procedure performed by the priests, lacks something. This something is added through the anointment to the priesthood of Aaron and his sons, and the garments they wore that were testimony to their qualifications as priests. The ”uniform” completes the act of consecration, officially makes the wearer the appointee to the King’s service, his “guard.” Another element completing this appointment to the priesthood was the איל המלואים, the ram as well as the other offerings listed in chapter 29 which were one-time offerings to mark this occasion. The occasion could not recur, as from that time on the priesthood became a hereditary status. Having offered these sacrifices once, initiated Aaron and his sons into the priesthood, so that their performing similar tasks on behalf of others had become legitimate.

Mentioned later concerning all of them. . . I.e., [the verse about] pants refers both to the Kohein Gadol and to ordinary kohanim.

וקדשת אותם, "and you will sanctify them." This refers to the performance of the sacrificial service which (Moses) would perform in order to sanctify them. This had to be mentioned here in order for us to know that until Aaron and his sons wore the priestly garments and had been anointed, the sacrificial service performed by Moses did not accomplish the change in their status.

ומשחת אתם AND THOU SHALT ANOINT THEM — viz., Aaron and his sons, with the oil of anointing.

Those that are mentioned in connection with them. Which are: the undershirt, turban and sash-belt, along with the later-mentioned pants.

ומלאת את ידם AND THOU SHALT CONSECRATE THEM (more lit., fill their hand) — wherever the term “filling the hand” is used it denotes the installation ceremony performed when one enters for the first time into an office, as a sign that he is entitled to it from that day and henceforth. And in the old French language — when a person is appointed to the charge of a matter, the Prince puts into his hand a leathern glove which they call “gant” in old French and by that means he gives him a right to the matter, and they term that transmission of the glove and the office, revestir in old French This is the connection between the literal and the metaphorical meaning of “filling the hand”.

Aharon and his sons. . . Rashi is coming to tell us that [this term אותם ] does not refer to the garments, as does the term אותם at the beginning of the verse. Rashi says, “With the anointing oil,” to tell us that it does not mean with olive oil or something else. [Rashi knows this] because it is written in the next section: “Take the garments. . . and take the anointing oil, etc.” (29:5-7).

And that is the expression of filling the hand. Explanation: When one’s hand fills a glove it acts as a sign that he has control over that to which he has been appointed. This is because a person has control over that which he holds in his hand. And holding on with a full hand gives one more control than holding it with only part of his hand. Therefore, he who takes control over something does so by “filling the hand.”