אַחַר שֶׁבֵּאֵר תּוֹרַת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת בַּסֵּפֶר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, הִתְחִיל עַתָּה לְסַדֵּר בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה הַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בְּעִנְיַן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. וּכְבָר הִזְהִיר עַל טֻמְאַת מִקְדָּשׁ וְקָדָשָׁיו לְדוֹרוֹת. וְעַתָּה יַגְבִּיל אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן בִּהְיוֹתוֹ בַמִּדְבָּר כַּאֲשֶׁר הִגְבִּיל הַר סִינַי בִּהְיוֹת הַכָּבוֹד שָׁם. צִוָּה ״וְהַזָּר הַקָּרֵב יוּמָת״ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר שָׁם ״כִּי סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל״. וְצִוָּה ״וְלֹא יָבֹאוּ לִרְאוֹת כְּבַלַּע אֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וָמֵתוּ״ כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְהִיר שָׁם ״פֶּן יֶהֶרְסוּ אֶל ה' לִרְאוֹת" וְגוֹ'. וְצִוָּה ״וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר שָׁם ״וְגַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל ה' יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ וְגוֹ' וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם" וְגוֹ'. וְהִנֵּה צִוָּה אֵיךְ תִּהְיֶה מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְכֵלָיו, וְאֵיךְ יַחֲנוּ סָבִיב וְיַעֲמֹד הָעָם מֵרָחוֹק, וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל ה' אֵיךְ יִתְנַהֲגוּ בּוֹ בַּחֲנוֹתוֹ וּבִשְׂאֵת אוֹתוֹ וּמַה יַעֲשׂוּ בְּמִשְׁמַרְתּוֹ, וְהַכֹּל מַעֲלָה לַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְכָבוֹד לוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה פַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שׁוֹמְרִין לְפַלְטֵרִין שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שׁוֹמְרִין: ‘B’MIDBAR SINAI’ (IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI). After having explained the laws of the offerings in the third book, He now began to set forth in this book the commandments which they [the children of Israel] were told with reference to the Tent of Meeting. Now He had already given a warning for all times about [the prohibition of] impurity relating to the Sanctuary and its holy things.1Leviticus 5:2-3. See Ramban there (Vol. III pp. 52-54). Here He defined the boundaries of the Tabernacle whilst it was in the wilderness, just as He had set bounds for Mount Sinai when the [Divine] Glory was there,2Exodus 19:12. Ramban here, in stressing the parallels between the Tent of Meeting and Mount Sinai, is developing the idea that he mentions in Exodus at the beginning of Seder Terumah, that the Tent of Meeting was, as it were, a continuation of Mount Sinai. See Vol. II p. 435. and He commanded that the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death,3Further, 1:51. just as He had said there, no hand shall touch him [i.e., the mountain], but he shall surely be stoned.4Exodus 19:13. He also commanded [here], And they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die5Further, 4:20. just as He warned there [at Sinai], lest they break through unto the Eternal to gaze, and many of them perish.6Exodus 19:21. He commanded here. And ye shall keep the charge of the holy things and the charge of the altar, [that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel],7Further, 18:5. just as He said there, And let the priests also, that come near to the Eternal, sanctify themselves, lest the Eternal break forth upon them;8Exodus 19:22. and let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Eternal, lest He break forth upon them.9Ibid., Verse 24. Thus He commanded [here] how the Tabernacle and its vessels are to be guarded, and how they [the people] are to pitch round about it and how the people are to stand afar off, and how the priests that come near the Eternal8Exodus 19:22. are to treat it [the Tabernacle] when it is resting and when it is being carried [during the journeyings], and how they are to guard it. Now these are all [signs of] distinction and honor for the Sanctuary, just as the Rabbis of blessed memory have said,10Sifre Zuta Korach 18:4. “A King’s palace11“And it is known that the term ‘palace’ is a reference to the Sanctuary” (“The Commandments,” Vol. I, p. 31). — It is possible, on first thought, to explain Ramban’s expression “and how they are to pitch round about it” that the pronoun “they” refers to all the Levites, and in that case the continuing expression “and how the people are to stand afar off” would thus complete the thought by contrast: the Levites are to encamp round about the Tabernacle, while the people are to stand afar off. But see in Chapter 2, Verse 2, that Scripture speaks clearly of the children of Israel encamping round about the Tabernacle. Hence the words of Ramban are to be understood as follows: the people are to pitch round about the Tabernacle, and when they approach it they are to stand afar off. This interpretation is fully borne out in the following chapters of this book of the Torah. that has guards over it cannot be compared to a palace that has no such guards.”
וְהַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ בְּמִצְווֹת שָׁעָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָהֶם בְּעָמְדָם בַּמִּדְבָּר וּבַנִּסִּים הַנַּעֲשִׂים לָהֶם, לְסַפֵּר כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה ה' אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה עִמָּהֶם לְהַפְלִיא. וְסִפֵּר כִּי הֵחֵל לָתֵת אוֹיְבֵיהֶם לִפְנֵיהֶם לַחֶרֶב, וְצִוָּה אֵיךְ תֵּחָלֵק הָאָרֶץ לָהֶם. וְאֵין בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה מִצְווֹת נוֹהֲגוֹת לְדוֹרוֹת זוּלָתִי קְצָת מִצְווֹת בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁהִתְחִיל בָּהֶן בְּסֵפֶר הַכֹּהֲנִים וְלֹא נִשְׁלַם בֵּאוּרָן שָׁם וְהִשְׁלִימָן בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה: Now this whole book deals only with those commandments which were meant only for a particular time, being the period when the Israelites stayed in the desert, and [it deals also] with the miracles which were done for them, in order to tell all the wondrous deeds of the Eternal which He wrought for them. It tells how He began to destroy their enemies before them by the sword, and He also commanded how the Land should be divided up amongst them. There are no commandments in this book which are binding for all times except for some commandments about the offerings which He had begun in the Book of [the Law of] the Priests [i.e., Leviticus], and whose explanation was not completed there, therefore He finished them in this book.