Comentários de Citação sobre Números 4:8

עשו בגדי שרד, “they made into sacramental vestments.” Each garment was composed of a different kind of fabric. How did this work out? All the coverings needed to transport the Tabernacle’s furnishings in, such as the candlestick, the table, the golden altar, the laver, etc., were made totally of blue wool, תכלת. For instance, the coverings for the copper altar were made of red wool, (Numbers 4,13), and the covers for the Table and the showbreads were made of purple coloured wool, (Numbers 4,8). All the details have been spelled out in the Book of Numbers chapter 4.

We may understand that by means of these two miracles, i.e. Moses’ staff turning into a snake and his hand becoming afflicted with tzoraat, G’d hinted to him that it was in His power to kill the living and to revive the dead. The staff had been a dried out piece of wood, devoid of life of any sort, and by throwing it on the ground it turned into a living organism. Moses’ hand on the other hand, which had been part of a perfectly healthy living organism, suddenly became as if dead. The disease tzoraat is viewed by the Bible as a form of death as we know from Moses’ prayer for his sister Miriam (Numbers 12,12) “do not let her remain like a dead person!” G’d (Moses) performed both of these miracles here in the desert and later in the presence of the assembled Jewish people in Egypt (4,30). This was what G’d had meant when He said: “so that they will believe that the Lord G’d has indeed appeared to you” (verse 5). The second miracle was repeated in accordance with G’d having said: “in the event they will not believe the impression made by the first miracle, they will believe the impact of the second miracle” (verse 8).
The question remains why these miracles had first to be performed in the desert, i.e. while Moses was standing at the foot of Mount Chorev. After all, surely Moses did not doubt anything G’d told him! We have to accept what our sages Shemot Rabbah 3,15) handed down to us as their tradition, i.e. that the first miracle Moses had to perform was to make him aware that he had slandered the Jewish people when he had stated that the people would not believe that G’d had appointed him as their redeemer. He had no right to say this (4,1) after G’d Himself had told him in 3,18 ושמעו לקולך, “they (the Jewish people) will hearken to your voice (message).” The second miracle, that of Moses’ hand becoming afflicted with tzoraat was as a punishment for his slandering his people and not believing G’d. The miracles performed a different function each time Moses performed it.

AND THE CONTINUAL BREAD SHALL REMAIN THEREON. On the table itself was to be the bread,¹⁹⁴The verse reads: And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the pans … and the continual bread shall remain thereon. Ramban interprets the verse to mean: “and upon the table of showbread, on which the continual bread shall remain, they shall spread a cloth of blue etc.” and upon them [i.e., the twelve loaves of bread] a cloth of blue, and upon this cloth which was on the table they put all the vessels, and afterwards they spread upon the vessels and the table a cloth of scarlet.¹⁹⁵Verse 8. For in honor of the bread which was arranged on the table according to the precept [of the Torah], they spread this cloth of blue in order to divide between the table and its bread [beneath the cloth], and the vessels [which lay above the cloth]; and the upper cover was a cloth of scarlet, which was a hue of red, because the table is a sign of the crown of royalty, which is [manifested by] the attribute of justice. But the ark and the golden altar were [covered on top] with a cloth of blue,¹⁹⁶Verse 6 (the ark); Verse 11 (the golden altar). alluding to the attribute which is comprised of hakol (the All),¹⁹⁷See Vol. I, p. 292. and the altar of the burnt-offering [was covered] with a purple cloth,¹⁹⁸Verse 13. which is redder than the first [i.e., the cloth of scarlet which was upon the table], for it is there [on the altar of the burnt-offering] that the blood of the offerings, which is a ransom for the souls [of those who offer them], is sprinkled.

‎ואת בגדי השרד AND THE GARMENTS OF THE SERVICE — I think — according to the plain sense of the verse — that one cannot say that Scripture is here speaking of (referring to) the priestly garments, because to them refer the next words: “and the garments of holiness for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons to minister as priests”. But these בגדי שרד are identical with the garments of blue purple wool, and red purple wool, and crimson wool which are mentioned in the chapter (Numbers IV.) giving an account of Israel’s encampments: (Numbers 4:12) “and they shall put them in a garment of blue purple”; (Numbers 4:13) “and spread a garment of red purple thereon”; (Numbers 4:8) “and they shall spread upon them a garment of crimson”. And indeed my opinion appears correct, because it is said, (Exodus 39:1) “And of the blue purple, and of the red purple, and of the crimson, they made garments of the service (בגדי שרד) to minister in the holiness”, and linen is not mentioned among them (these materials). Now if Scripture were speaking of the priestly garments it could not have omitted “linen”“, for we do not find in respect of even one of them (of the priestly garments) mention of red purple or crimson without linen.