ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף במדבר 8:16

AT THAT TIME THE ETERNAL SEPARATED THE TRIBE OF LEVI. “This refers back to the first subject. At that time, in the first year of your departure from Egypt when you sinned by worshipping the calf and the sons of Levi did not sin, G-d separated them from you.” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, he is stating that from that time the sons of Levi were separated before Him, blessed be He [but only in thought], for He did not separate them in fact until the second year in the second month [after the first census which took place on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt]!²²⁵Numbers 1:1. Or it may be that he is alluding to what he said to them [at the affair of the calf], Consecrate yourselves today to the Eternal,²²⁶Exodus 32:29. for thereby you dedicate yourselves to the service of priests and Levites.
The correct interpretation, it appears to me, is that the expression at that time means that the second [giving of the Tablets] was like the first. For, from the time He said to Moses Hew thee two Tablets of stone,²²⁷Ibid., 34:1. He was reconciled with Israel, and Moses was instructed regarding the construction of the Tabernacle. Then He was reconciled also with Aaron, and Moses was commanded, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons — to sanctify him — that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office,²²⁸Ibid., 28:4. The phrase to sanctify him is found there in Verse 3. and He further commanded him concerning the initiation [of the priests]. Therefore he said [here in Verse 6] that Eleazar ministered in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, since their anointing was to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.²²⁹Ibid., 40:15. Moses regarded the separation of the entire tribe [of Levi — priests and Levites] as one matter [therefore he said here, At that time — when the second Tablets were given, even though only the priests were formally separated, it was equivalent to a designation of the entire tribe, with the formal designation of the Levites to come after the first census], for, from that day on it was [resolved] before Him that His tribe be wholly given unto Him²³⁰Numbers 8:16. to perform the service of the Tabernacle. Or perhaps he is saying that the tribe of Levi was separated at that time for the priests to be [chosen] from them, for they [i.e., the priests] also carried the ark.²³¹The verse before us states: At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark … Now, according to the interpretation that the verse means that the tribe of Levi was separated to be the source of the priests, rather than as a special tribe in its entirety, the following question arises: The verse indicates that the priests [derived from the tribe of Levi] were to carry the ark, but it is known that the Levites, not the priests, carried the ark (Numbers 7:9). Ramban answers that the priests, too, were permitted to carry the ark. See “The Commandments.” Vol. I, pp. 43-44, for a fuller discussion on this subject. And so it is said, and he [Moses] delivered it [the Torah] unto the priests the sons of Levi; that bore the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,²³²Further, 31:9. and they [the priests] are the ones who minister to G-d and bless in His Name [as the verse before us concludes]. And the meaning of the expression unto this day [at the end of this verse] is that it refers [back] to Eleazar’s ministering in the priest’s office [in Aaron’s stead — mentioned in Verse 6], as if saying: “then He separated them [the priests] to minister to Him, and it [so] was to this day” [i.e., the time when Moses spoke these words, that Eleazar served as High Priest].²³³Ramban’s reasoning is as follows: Since we have now explained the verse, At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi (Verse 8) as referring to the designating of the priests, from the tribe of Levi, to minister in the Tabernacle, why does the verse conclude with the expression, unto this day, since on “this day,” when Moses spoke these words, the whole tribe of Levi was already elevated to its exalted position? But if it refers back to Eleazar’s office as High Priest (mentioned in Verse 6) that it was so “unto this day,” there is of course no difficulty as to why the Levites are not mentioned here.

בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, “At that time Hashem set apart the tribe of Levi, etc.” According to Rashi, the “time” referred to by Moses was the episode of the golden calf. Nachmanides adds that if we accept Rashi’s comment it refers not to the actual setting apart of the tribe of Levi by Hashem, but to the time when Hashem made up His mind to do so. In fact, no action was taken until the second year in the second month. Alternately, what Rashi had in mind was Exodus 32,26-29, when Moses asked for volunteers to execute the people who had actively worshipped the golden calf as a deity. At that time only members of the tribe of Levi had responded to that call. Personally, (Nachmanides writing) I believe that the correct interpretation is that the words בעת ההיא which appear here a second time, refer to the same time as the first time Moses used this expression, (10,1) the time when Moses had been invited to carve out the Tablets for G’d to inscribe the second set of Ten Commandments upon. At the time when G’d became reconciled with His people, He did make some changers in the hierarchy of that people by appointing the Levites en masse to take over the functions previously reserved for the first born in each family. At that time G’d had also become reconciled to Aaron’s role in that tragic episode, and He commanded to make the special vestments for the High Priest which proclaimed to all the people that Aaron as well as his sons were held in high esteem by Hashem. At that time Moses had also been commanded to arrange for the seven days of consecration of the Tabernacle and the inauguration of the priests into their positions. This also enabled Moses to say that Eleazar became High Priest in place of his (deceased) father, as there was no need for him to be anointed first, seeing that the anointment to the priesthood, by the oil of anointment was for the members of that family something hereditary, and did not need to be renewed every time a new High Priest was appointed. The setting apart of the priests from the ordinary Levites, and the Levites from the other tribes of the Israelites, occurred simultaneously. Hashem had decided at the time of the episode of the golden calf that these changes were imperative for the development of the people as His people, and that is implied in the lineנתונים נתונים , that the Levites were, so to speak, placed at the disposal of the priests to assist them in their holy tasks. (Numbers 8,16-19) Another possible approach to the words בעת ההיא on this occasion, is that at that time Hashem decided to set apart the priests from the remainder of the tribe of Levi, in that they too were allowed to carry the Holy Ark. [only the descendants of Kehat, one of the families of the tribe of Levi, had qualified for that privilege, anyways. Ed.] We have proof that the priests did carry the Holy Ark from Deut. 31,9 ויכתוב משה את התורה הזאת ויתנה אל הכהנים בני לוי הנושאים את ארון ברית ה', “Moses wrote down this Torah and gave it to the priests, the members of the tribe of Levi, who carried the Ark of the covenant of Hashem.” They are the ones who would perform the sacrificial service and bless the people in the name of Hashem.

ואקח את הלוים, “I shall take the Levites, etc.” Ibn Ezra comments that in spite of the fact that G’d had already said (past tense) לקחתי אותם לי, “I have taken them for Me,” (8,16) it is the style of the Torah to repeat what had been said before if an interruption had occurred in the interval, one that interferes with one’s trend of thought. (Verse 17 which provides historical background) The Torah is saying that as soon as the Levites had been singled out by G’d, He handed them over for instruction in their duties by the priests.