Comentário sobre Êxodo 39:24

AND THEY MADE UPON THE SKIRTS OF THE ROBE POMEGRANATES OF BLUE-PURPLE AND RED-PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND TWINED LINEN. This means¹⁸Since the pomegranates were not made upon the robe, but instead were made separately and then attached to the robe, Ramban found difficulty in the language of the verse, And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates. Hence his interpretation: “This means, etc.” that they made the pomegranates in order to put them around the bottom of the skirts of the robe, and they made bells of pure gold,¹⁹Verse 25. and then they put the bells inside the pomegranates before they put them on the robe. Thus the bells were within the pomegranates whilst they were still detached, and they put the pomegranates on the skirts of the robe round about while the bells were within them [i.e., the pomegranates]. This is why Scripture mentions the phrase within the pomegranates twice,²⁰Ibid.: and they put the bells within the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, within the pomegranates. — The repetition of the phrase is in order to indicate etc. in order to indicate that the bells were within the pomegranates from the beginning, and also when they hung them upon the skirts of the robe round about. This too is proof to what we have explained in Seder V’atah Tetzaveh.²¹Above, 28:31. Ramban there discusses Rashi’s opinion that the bells were hung separately on the skirts of the robe alongside the pomegranates. On this point he differs and holds that the bells were within the pomegranates. The proof to his opinion Ramban finds in the repetition of the phrase: within the pomegranates, which indicates that they were so to begin with and also when attached to the robe. But according to Rashi the repetition is redundant. — It should be noted that the J. P. S. translation of b’thoch harimonim: “between the pomegranates” [instead of “within the pomegranates”], follows Rashi’s interpretations.

על שולי המעיל, on the hem of the robe, etc. The wording makes clear that the sages who hold that the pomegranates were next to the bells as opposed to the bells being inside the pomegranates were correct. Why else would the Torah first report that the pomegranates were attached to the hem of the robe and then report the making of the bells as a separate item in a separate verse? Later the Torah reports that these bells were placed in between the pomegranates "on the hem of the robe." The repetition of the words "on the hem of the robe" makes no sense if these bells were inside the pomegranates, i.e. surrounded by them. I am very surprised at Nachmanides who has rejected this approach. As to Nachmanides' answer to the above argument that the pomegranates were not actually suspended at the hem of the robe until after the bells had been placed inside them, it seems to me that the text says exactly the opposite. Nachmanides' using the fact that the Torah repeated the statement that the bells were inside the pomegranates as proof for his contention is not tenable. He does not explain why the Torah should have given the command to place the pomegranates from the hem of the robe at that point (compare 28,33). I believe that in this instance Nachmanides did not examine the text with his customary care.

ויעשו על שולי המעיל, “on the hem of the robe they made, etc.” Nachmanides writes that these pomegranates were not integral parts of the robe, but were attached from underneath the hem.