민수기 4:20 미드라쉬: Bamidbar Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma & Sifrei Bamidbar

“Aaron and his sons shall come, and assign them,” from here Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Naḥman would say: Because the sons of Kehat knew that anyone who bears the Ark, his reward is great, they would abandon the table, the candelabrum, and the altars, etc., as it is written above, until “Aaron and his sons shall come…”¹³This is a reference to paragraph 1.
“They shall not come to see as the sacred is being covered, lest they die” (Numbers 4:20).
“They shall not come to see as [the sacred] is being covered,” Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi ben Rabbi Shalom said: Do you want to learn under what circumstances the sons of Kehat die? Go out and learn from this verse: “They shall not come to see as [the sacred] is being covered…” It teaches that when they would come to bear the Ark, they would remove the curtain from before it and they would feast their eyes on the Ark. That is why they would be eradicated, as it is stated: “As no man can see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20).
How did Moses institute a remedy for them? God said to him: ‘When they dismantle the Tabernacle, do not have the sons of Kehat remove the curtain from before the Ark, but rather, have the sons of Aaron enter and remove it, because they are priests. They will cover the Ark, and likewise, the table, and likewise, all the vessels mentioned to him. Thereby, they will have a remedy, as they will not die if they do not look at the Ark.’ That is what is written: “They shall not come to see as [the sacred] is being covered.” This is the Ark, if they do so. What is “as [the sacred] is being covered”? Rabbi Levi said: If they see the Ark like an eyelid when it closes upon the eye,¹⁴Meaning, even for a slight moment. immediately they die.
Know this from the people of Beit Shemesh, as it is stated: “He smote among the people of Beit Shemesh because they gazed at the ark of the Lord. He smote among the people…” (I Samuel 6:19). What is “because they gazed at the ark of the Lord”? Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Elazar, one said: They were reaping and prostrating themselves, and one said: They were speaking extraneous matters. What did they say? Who angered you that you were angered, and who appeased you that you were appeased? Rabbi Levi said: The curtain over the Ark was folded and they saw it.
Come and see what a great calamity befell them for this, as it is written: “He smote among the people seventy men, fifty thousand men” (I Samuel 6:19). Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Elazar, one said: They were seventy men, and each and every one of them was the equivalent of fifty thousand, and one said: They were fifty thousand, and each and every one of them was the equivalent of the seventy [who sat in the] Sanhedrin. Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Mona, one said: “Seventy men,” this is the Sanhedrin, and “fifty thousand men,” as they were the equivalent of fifty thousand men; and one said: “Seventy men,” these are the Sanhedrin, and “fifty thousand men” of the people of the land. Elijah says: They gathered and went out to war. Fifty thousand men of them fell, and a group of the Great Sanhedrin fell with them. Who killed them? That is, it was none other than the people of Beit Shemesh who caused them to be killed because they gazed at the Ark. That is why He cautioned the sons of Kehat: “They shall not come to see as [the sacred] is being covered…”
The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Just as I did to the sons of Kehat because they feared Me, I honored them, accorded them honor, and cautioned them to deliver their lives from death. Similarly, anyone who fears Me, I honor him and I do not cut off his name from the world. From whom do you derive this? It is from the sons of Yonadav ben Rekhav. Because they performed My will, what is written in their regard: “No man shall be cut off, for Yonadav son of Rekhav standing before me all the days” (Jeremiah 35:19). If for those who are proselytes, I did so to them, to Israel, who are the sons of My beloved, the sons of My friend,¹⁵Abraham. all the more so; when they perform My will, they will stand before Me all the days,’ as it is stated: “Had you heeded My commandments, your peace would be like a river…[the offspring of your innards…their name would not be excised and not be destroyed from before Me]” (Isaiah 48:18–19). And it says: “But you, who cleave to the Lord your God, all of you live today” (Deuteronomy 4:4).

Observe that many miracles were performed by means of the ark. Since that is so, how were they able to carry it? Were they not afraid? That is why the sons of Kohath bore it. Two important priests bore the ark cover on a pole.¹³Numbers Rabbah 4:13. See Exod. 26:32. It was a huge curtain the thickness of a handbreadth. The curtain was woven out of seventy-two strands, and each strand was composed of twenty-four threads. Three hundred priests would wash it, and two of the highest priests would bear it on a pole before the ark. Then they placed a sealskin covering over the ark so that they would not be able to see into it, as it is said: But they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die (Num. 4:20).

“It was on the day that Moses concluded” – what day was it? It was the New Moon of Nisan, as it is stated: “It was in the first month during the second year, on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was erected” (Exodus 40:17). Rabbi Zeira said: What is “on the day”? From here, that being erected at night disqualified for service during the day. All seven days of inauguration, Moses would erect the Tabernacle each and every morning, anoint it, sacrifice, and dismantle it. That day, he erected it, anointed it, but did not dismantle it. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Yosef said: Twice each day Moses would erect it and dismantle it, once in the morning and once in the evening. Rabbi Ḥanina the Great says: Three times each day, as it is stated: “Was erected,” “erected” (Exodus 40:18), “erecting”; once for the daily morning offering, once for the inauguration, and once for the daily evening offering. We find that on the twenty-third of Adar the days of inauguration began, and the anointment of Aaron, his sons, the Tabernacle, and all the vessels.
From where is the dismantling derived? Rabbi Zeira said: “The day that Moses concluded” – the day that his erections [of it] concluded.⁴⁸Since there were several instances of erecting there were also several instances of dismantling. On the New Moon of Nisan, the Tabernacle was erected. On the second, the red heifer was burned. On the third, he sprinkled from it⁴⁹Water containing ashes of the red heifer. upon the Levites, just as it says: “Sprinkle upon them purification water” (Numbers 8:7). Instead of the second sprinkling that the Levites were obligated to be sprinkled because they were all impure with impurity imparted by a corpse because they killed the worshippers of the calf, just as it says: “Each slay his brother.… The sons of Levi acted in accordance with the word of Moses…” (Exodus 32:27–28), the Omnipresent commanded to shave them instead of the sprinkling of the seventh day. Moses was sanctified in the cloud all seven days, as it is stated: “The glory of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai” (Exodus 24:16).⁵⁰The continuation of the verse states that Moses was covered by the cloud for six days and that on the seventh day God called Moses. Aaron and his sons were sanctified with oil and blood, as it is stated: “Moses took from the anointing oil, and from the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled it on Aaron [and on his vestments, and on his sons, and on the vestments of his sons with him, and he sanctified Aaron and his vestments, and his sons and the vestments of his sons with him]” (Leviticus 8:30). Aaron was granted greater status than his sons because he was the High Priest, that he⁵¹Moses poured anointing oil on his head, which he did not do to his sons. How was the anointing of Aaron performed? All seven days of inauguration, Moses would disrobe Aaron of his garments, wash him, and anoint him between his eyes. Israel were sanctified with the purification heifer, as it is stated: “Speak to the children of Israel, and they shall take you an [unflawed] red heifer” (Numbers 19:2).
The Levites were sanctified with sprinkling and with a shave, with an offering and with a wave. With sprinkling, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “They shall take a young bull…[and a second young bull you shall take as a sin offering]” (Numbers 8:8).⁵²These are the offerings. It states in the previous verse: “And so shall you do to them to purify them: Sprinkle upon them purification water, and they shall pass a razor over all their flesh” (Numbers 8:7). This is the sprinkling and the shave. With a wave, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Aaron shall wave the Levites as a wave offering” (Numbers 8:11).
The Tabernacle was sanctified with erecting, and dismantling, and with anointing. With erecting, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Erecting the Tabernacle.” With dismantling, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “They shall not come to see the covering of the sacred” (Numbers 4:20).⁵³This verse appears in the context of dismantling the Tabernacle. With anointing, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “He anointed the Tabernacle and all that was in it, [and he sanctified them]” (Leviticus 8:10). Do I derive from this⁵⁴This could be the understanding of the phrase: “He anointed it and sanctified it” (Numbers 7:1). that the first that was anointed was sanctified? The verse states: “He anointed them and sanctified them.” This tells that none of them was sanctified until they were all anointed.
Rabbi Aivu said: Since it is written: “He anointed it and sanctified it,” for what purpose is it stated: “He anointed them and sanctified them”? Rabbi Aivu said: Rabbi Taḥlifa of Caesarea and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: One said: After he would anoint each and every one of them, he would then anoint all of them together. And one said: “He anointed them” – one anointing in this world and one anointing in the World to Come. This tells that with the anointing of these, all the vessels were sanctified for the future.
Similarly, “And attached the sheets one to another with the hooks” (Exodus 36:13) – why does the verse state: “And the Tabernacle was one” (Exodus 36:13)? Rabbi Aivu said: Rabbi Taḥlifa of Caesarea and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: One said: After he would attach each one to another, he would attach all of them together. And one said: What is, “and the Tabernacle was one”? It was one for the size and one for anointing.⁵⁵The phrase "one to another" teaches that all of the sheets were the same size, and the phrase "and the Tabernacle was one" teaches that they were anointed after they were attached.
“He anointed them” – he anointed them from without and from within. Rabbi Yoshiya said: The liquid measures were anointed from within and without, and the dry measures were anointed from within but not from without. Rabbi Yonatan says: The liquid measures were anointed from within but were not anointed from without, and the dry measures were anointed neither from within nor from without. Know that they do not sanctify,⁵⁶Vessels which were not anointed do not sanctify their contents. as it is stated: “From your dwellings you shall bring two loaves of waving…[they shall be baked as leavened bread, a first offering to the Lord]” (Leviticus 23:17). When are they to the Lord? It is after they were baked.⁵⁷Even though the flour was measured in a dry measure before the bread was baked, it became sanctified only after it was baked.