Commentaire de citation sur L’Exode 40:25

צו את בני ישראל, “command the Children of Israel, etc.” Rashi explains that the paragraph following as well as the portion commencing with Exodus 27,20-21 both pertain only to the chapters dealing with the building of the Tabernacle, even though it deals with the lighting of the lights in the menorah. The paragraph dealing with the construction of the menorah in Exodus 27 was mentioned there only as it was needed to list the furnishings of the Tabernacle. Nachmanides writes that this interpretation does not appear appropriate to him, as the portion is not linked to a paragraph dealing with the menorah at all. Moreover, the Torah had already reported that Moses placed the lights in the menorah in Exodus 40,25, just as he placed the remainder of the furnishings inside the Tabernacle. In other words, both the commandment and the execution of it were mentioned already in the Book of Exodus. Therefore, in Nachmanides’ view the need for the present paragraph is twofold. 1) In Exodus the matter is related in conjunction with the commandment to the Israelites to supply the fuel for the menorah just as they were invited to supply all the building materials for the Tabernacle. The princes are reported as having supplied the initial quantities of the spices for the incense as well as the initial amount of olive oil for the menorah. However, in the Book of Exodus no mention is made of the supply of materials that were being used up on a daily basis. This is so in spite of the fact that the composition of the materials is described as חקת עולם, as a law of unlimited duration. (Exodus 27,21) Those words referred to the manner in which the menorah was to be lit. By now the initial supply had been exhausted and new arrangements had to be made. 2) In Exodus the instructions had been limited for either Aaron or his sons to perform the task of lighting the menorah, nothing having been said about what procedure to follow if the original menorah were to become defunct, or lost, as when the Israelites went into exile, etc. In Exodus the word תמיד, permanently, has not been mentioned in connection with the lighting of the menorah, whereas here mention is made specifically of regulations pertaining to the “pure menorah.”

COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. “This is the section containing the [actual] commandment of lighting the lamps. And the section of V’atah Tetzaveh (And thou shalt command)⁵⁰⁸Exodus 27:20. [where the same subject is mentioned], is stated only for the sake of giving an orderly account of the work of the Tabernacle, explaining what the purpose of the candelabrum is, and the sense of the verse there is as follows: ‘and thou wilt at some future time command the children of Israel on this matter.’” This is Rashi’s language.
But it does not appear to me to be correct, for that section [there in Exodus 27:20] is not in fact adjoined to the section of the candelabrum [which is mentioned previously in Exodus 25:31-40]; and [also] it has already been stated, And he lighted the lamps before the Eternal, as the Eternal commanded Moses,⁵⁰⁹Ibid., 40:25. thus both the commandment and fulfillment were already mentioned and kept! Rather, the need for [restatement of] this section is for two purposes. For there He commanded that they bring you a donation on the behalf of the children of Israel,⁵¹⁰Ibid., 27:21. that is to say, from every man with whom was found pure olive oil [beaten] for the light,⁵⁰⁸Exodus 27:20. together with the other donations for the Tabernacle. And so they did, as it is said, And the princes brought etc. and the spice, and the oil, for the light.⁵¹¹Ibid., 35:27-28. And although it says there, it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations,⁵¹⁰Ibid., 27:21. this refers to the lighting of the lamps. But now the oil which the princes brought as a donation was used up, and therefore He commanded that the children of Israel take from the public treasury throughout the generations⁵¹²Verse 3 here. pure olive oil beaten for the light, as was the first oil [of the princes]. This is similar to the expression, that they bring thee a Red Heifer,⁵¹³Numbers 19:2. meaning that they should seek it and it is to be brought from the public treasury. Also, there [in the section of V’atah Tetzaveh]⁵⁰⁸Exodus 27:20. He stated only, Aaron and his sons shall set it in order etc.,⁵¹⁰Ibid., 27:21. which might mean [set it in order] on the candelabrum, or without the candelabrum if it is broken or lost, as happened when they returned from the [Babylonian] exile.⁵¹⁴Bamidbar Rabbah 15:7: “Therefore when the [First] Sanctuary was destroyed the candelabrum was hidden. And this was one of the five things that were hidden: the ark, the candelabrum, etc.” Therefore now He stated clearly, He shall order the lamps upon the pure candelabrum,⁵¹⁵Verse 4. teaching that they should only light the lamps upon the pure candelabrum. And the interpretation of our Rabbis is as follows:⁵¹⁶Torath Kohanim, Emor 13:12. “Upon the pure candelabrum.⁵¹⁵Verse 4. This means upon the very candelabrum itself, that he is not to support them [i.e., the lamps] with pieces of wood or pebbles [but the lamps are to be upon the candelabrum itself, with nothing intervening between them]. He shall set the lamps before the Eternal.⁵¹⁵Verse 4. This teaches that he is not to set them outside the Sanctuary and bring them inside. Continually,⁵¹⁵Verse 4. even on the Sabbath; continually, even in impurity.”⁵¹⁷If all the priests have been rendered impure, they may yet proceed to minister the Service.

AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FIRST MONTH… ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. In the opinion of our Rabbis [who hold, as mentioned above,⁸⁴Above, Verse 2. that the eighth day of the installation was on the first of Nisan], Scripture stated that the Tabernacle was first put up on a permanent basis on the first day of the first month, as He had commanded.⁸⁴Above, Verse 2. It states, And Moses put up the Tabernacle,⁸⁵Verse 18. in order to tell us what he did when putting it up from the first day that he began to do so, which was on the twenty-third day of Adar. Scripture does not mention here the anointing of the Tabernacle and its vessels, nor the anointing of Aaron and his sons and the offerings of the installation, since Moses did not do these until he had finished putting up the Tabernacle [on each of the seven days of the installation],⁸⁶See my Hebrew commentary p. 538, where I have shown that this is perforce the meaning of Ramban. and was commanded thereon a second time, Take Aaron and his sons,⁸⁷Leviticus 8:2. as is explained in the section of Tzav.⁸⁷Leviticus 8:2. Now the Tabernacle and its vessels were only sanctified for the Divine Service through their anointing, just as it is said, and thou shalt anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof.⁸⁸Above, Verse 9. Therefore the meaning of the verses, And he set a row of bread upon it,⁸⁹Further, Verse 23. And he lighted the lamps,⁹⁰Ibid., Verse 25. must be that he did so at the time that was appropriate for them, that is, after they were anointed [on each of the seven days of the installation], and the sense of the verses is that such was their ultimate purpose [i.e., he put the table in the Tent of Meeting so that he would later on be able to set a row of bread upon it; he put the candelabrum so that he would be able to light the lamps]. And that which Scripture states above, And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the bread that is upon it,⁹¹Above, Verse 4. also means that he is to set the bread upon it after the anointing of the table. The same meaning applies to the verse, And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense.⁹²Ibid., Verse 5. Similarly, and he offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering⁹³Further, Verse 29. means at its proper time, for the court around the Tabernacle had not yet been put up,⁹⁴For that is only mentioned further, in Verse 33. and no sacrifices can be brought without the hangings of the court, for that would be considered slaughtering outside [the Tabernacle].⁹⁵A matter strongly forbidden in Leviticus 17:1-9. But all these mean that they were done at their proper time.
And he took and put the Testimony into the ark.