Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Levitico 8:9

וכלי הקדש AND THE VESSELS OF HOLINESS … [WERE WITH THEM] — these were the Ark and the Golden Plate (which are termed קדש, “holiness”, in Numbers 4:20 and Leviticus 8:9 respectively) (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 157:4; Sotah 43a). — Because Balaam was with them (the Midianites) and through enchantment he made the kings of Midian float in the air and he himself floated with them, he (Phineas) showed them (held up to them) the Golden Plato upon which the Divine Name was engraved and they immediately fell to the ground. On this account it is said (v. 8) of the Kings of Midian that they were killed “upon those belonging to them who had been killed”, meaning that they fell from the air upon those who had already been killed; and similarly of Balaam it is written in the book of Joshua (13:22): “[And Balaam the son of Beor did the children of Israel slay] upon those who were slain by them” (Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 2; Talmud Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10:2).

ולקחת את שמן המשחה ויצקת על ראשו, “you will take hold of the oil for anointing and pour it over his head.” Ibn Ezra wrote that this anointing took place before Aaron wore his turban, מצנפת, seeing the oil was poured directly on his head. Nachmanides disagrees, seeing that even when the Torah reports the carrying out of these instruction in Leviticus 8,9 the Torah writes (concerning Moses) וישם את המצנפת על ראשו, “he placed the turban on his (Aaron’s) head.” Immediately following this, the Torah writes וישם על המצנפת אל מול פניו את ציץ הזהב, נזר הקודש, “he placed on the turban toward his face, the golden headband, a crown as symbol of sanctity, etc.” Only after this description of the actual procedure, does he Torah go on in verse 12, to describe the pouring of the oil of anointing on the head of Aaron. We must assume that the turban did not cover the entire surface of Aaron’s head, but that this turban was constructed in such a manner that it left a substantial area of Aaron’s head uncovered, so that the oil of anointing could be poured on even while he was wearing the turban. This corresponds to Rashi’s understanding of the procedure. According to Rashi, the oil was poured on the area where the phylacteries are placed on the head. Naturally, that area of the head was left uncovered.

THEN SHALT THOU TAKE THE ANOINTING OIL, AND POUR IT UPON HIS HEAD. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that this was before the setting of the mitre upon his head [mentioned in the preceding verse], for it is upon the head itself that Moses was to pour the oil. But this does not appear to me to be correct. For at the actual installation also, Scripture says, And he set the mitre upon his head etc.,¹⁷⁵Leviticus 8:9. and afterwards it says, And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the Tabernacle,¹⁷⁶Ibid., Verse 10. and subsequently it states, And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head.¹⁷⁷Ibid., Verse 12. But the correct interpretation is that he wound [the mitznepheth] around and around the head, but left the middle of the head uncovered, and it was on that place that he poured the oil. But if the anointing was upon the entire head as Rashi said,¹⁷⁸Rashi here in Verse 7: “This anointing was in the form of an X. He put a drop of oil on his head and another drop between his eyebrows and joined them with his finger.” In that case he could not have put the drop of oil on top of the head, for the mitre would then intervene between it and the drop of oil between his eyebrows. Ramban concludes that according to this comment of Rashi we must say, that the pouring of the oil etc. then [we must say] that the pouring of the oil was upon the place where the phylacteries lay, which was left uncovered, and from there he joined [the oil with his finger to the drop between his eyebrows] in the form of an X.