Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 15:26

והם הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה' וחטאתם לפני ה', “and they have brought their offering to the Lord, and their sin-offering before the Lord.” Nachmanides writes that the words: “before the Lord,” refer to the celestial court, as these words had not really been necessary. The fact is that sins are expiated both by the attribute of Mercy, i.e. Hashem, as well as by the attribute of Justice. This has been spelled out in greater detail in connection with the sin of idolatry, i.e. that the forgiveness of both attributes is required to wipe out this sin. The word ונסלח appears both in verse 25 as well as in verse 26 although the subject is the same sin. This proves that forgiveness is required both from the attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice. The reason that in verse 28 the Torah makes special mention of G’d forgiving the proselyte is that proselytes, who used to be idol-worshipers, are more prone to commit an act which in Jewish law is considered as idol worship, than are natural born Jews. The repeated emphasis that the sin had been an unintentional one, i.e. שגגה, is the Torah’s way of justifying that forgiveness for this cardinal sin is indeed appropriate after the sinner or sinners have brought the appropriate offerings as outlined in our passage.

ושם נסהו, “and there He tested it” “It” refers to the various plants which were unfamiliar to the people. This is why Moses added (verse 26): “if you will surely listen to the instructions of the Lord your G’d...for I am your healer.” In view of the new-found knowledge about nature’s remedies, etc. the people might have considered themselves as self-sufficient, less dependent on G’d. Moses therefore warned them that in the final analysis not their familiarity with what nature had to offer would ensure their well being but their obedience to G’d. These were the considerations which prompted Chizkiyah King of Yehudah to hide the medical textbooks as the people had come to believe that cures to illnesses were to be found there rather than by faith in the Lord and observance of His commandments (compare Pessachim 56 where the sages of his time are recorded as having approved of Chizkiyah’s measure).