Commentaire de citation sur Les Nombres 17:2

משרת ענבים, according to Menachem the word משרת is derived from the root שרת, as in Numbers 8,26 ושרת את אחיו, “he (the Levite) will assist his brethren (the priests) in the service, i.e. he will not be allowed to substitute for him.” The letter מ at the beginning of the word משרת would then have to be understood like the letter מ in מרמס In Isaiah 10,6 or as in the word משמר in Genesis 40,3, i.e. as a letter which converts a verb into a noun.
It is not possible to explain the word משרת as related to שרת, in the sense of assist, serve, except when it occurs in connection with service performed by human beings for their masters.
Therefore, I believe that the word משרת belongs to a category of verbs which have the peculiarity that the last letter of their root disappears when the verb (or noun derived from it) appears in the construct mode. An example is the verb קנה, acquired, or מקנה, acquisition, which when in the construct form becomes מקנת, “acquisition of.” (compare Exodus 12,44) Although this expression is not found elsewhere in the Torah it does occur in the Talmud, always referring to something which had been soaked in water, such as in Nazir 36 where it describes a Nazirite who had soaked his bread in grape juice. We also find an expression in Jeremiah 15,11אם לא שריתיך לטוב, which is explained there by Rashi as similar to Daniel 5,12 משרא, being freed form shackles. The word שריתיך in Jeremiah is understood as “I have scattered you,” if instead of with the letter ש it had been spelled with the letter ז. Compare Maleachi 2,3 where it appears as “I will strew, scatter, etc.” You will find this word in this sense in Numbers 17,2 when Eleazar is told to scatter the fire which had been on the pans on which the congregation of Korach had offered their incense. משרת ענבים in our verse also means anything which separated from the actual grapes and fell down. It is like a person after he had been freed from the chains that had held him captive.

THAT HE BE NOT AS KORACH, AND AS HIS COMPANY, AS THE ETERNAL SPOKE BY THE HAND OF MOSES ‘LO.’ “The word lo [literally: ‘to him’] is like alav (‘about him’), that is, about Korach. And what is the meaning of by ‘the hand’ of Moses, and why is it not written ‘unto Moses’ [as is written elsewhere]? It is a hint to those who dispute the priesthood, that they will be stricken with leprosy, just as Moses was stricken [with it] on ‘his hand.’¹⁷⁰Exodus 4:6. It was for this reason that Uzziah [king of Judah] was stricken with leprosy [when he attempted to usurp the function of the priests and to offer incense].¹⁷¹II Chronicles 26:19. And according to the plain meaning of Scripture,¹⁷²This interpretation is not found in our texts of Rashi. It is mentioned, however, by Rambam in his Book of the Commandments (see my translation, “The Commandments,” Vol. II, the Eighth Principle, p. 393). [the interpretation is as follows: if anybody disputes the priesthood and claims it for himself, his punishment] will not be that of being swallowed up and burnt, as happened to Korach and his company; instead, [his punishment] will be like that which Moses received on his hand when it was stricken with leprosy. And some scholars¹⁷³This interpretation is brought [in our editions of Rashi], by Rashi himself in his own name at the very beginning of the verse. It is thus obvious that Ramban had a completely different text of Rashi before him here. interpret [the verse to mean]: that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the Eternal¹⁷⁴Verse 5 before us. — as the Eternal spoke by the hand of Moses with regard to Aaron, that he and his sons should be priests, and not a layman.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation is that [the word lo (to him)] refers to Eleazar who is mentioned [at the beginning of the section], when Scripture said, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest etc.,¹⁷⁵Verse 2. and the correct order [in meaning] of the verses [before us] is as follows: And Eleazar the priest took the copper censers wherewith they that were burnt had offered, and they beat them out for a covering of the altar¹⁷⁶Verse 4. — as the Eternal spoke to him by the hand of Moses¹⁷⁴Verse 5 before us. — to be a memorial unto the children of Israel etc.¹⁷⁴Verse 5 before us.

The unusual ending לו after the words ביד משה means that G’d had told Moses to relate this instruction to Eleazar. [giving special instructions to Eleazar (verse 2) while his father the High Priest was alive, may have reflected a special sensitivity to Aaron’s feelings on the subject which G’d displayed on this occasion. Ed.]

ויאמרו גש הלאה AND THEY SAID, STEP BACK — Get you away over there — as much as to say, Take yourself aside and keep away from us. Similarly wherever the word הלאה occurs in Scripture it has the meaning of further away. For example: (Numbers 17:2) “Scatter (הלאה) yonder”; (1 Samuel 20:22) “Behold the arrows are beyond thee (הלאה)” Thus גש הלאה signifies, withdraw yourself further away (old French Retire-toi de nous). It is an expression of contempt, signifying, “we do not take any notice of you!” Of a similar character are: (Isaiah 65:5) “Stand by thyself (אל תגש בי) come not near unto me”, and (Isaiah 49:20) גשה לי “Give place to me that I may dwell” which means “withdraw aside for my sake (לי) that I may dwell where you are now”. — They really meant to say to Lot: “You intercede for these strangers; how dare you!” In reply to what he had said to them regarding his daughters they answered: “Get out of the way” — a somewhat gentle expression — whilst with regard to his advocacy for the strangers they retorted, האחד בא לגור THIS MAN CAME TO SOJOURN — You are the only strange man amongst us, for you have come to sojourn here, וישפוט שפוט and you make yourself a Reprover of us!