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1 [1] AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES, AFTER THE DEATH OF THE TWO SONS OF AARON. The meaning of the phrase *after the death of the two sons of Aaron*, is that immediately after the death of his sons He had warned Aaron against [drinking] wine or strong drink [when going into the Tent of Meeting], so that he should not die, and now He told Moses in addition to warn him so that he should not die when he draws near the Eternal [even in a sober condition, but at a time when he is not commanded to do so]. It is likely that these two commandments were both conveyed on the day after the death of Aaron’s sons, for on the actual day [when the deaths occurred, Aaron] was a mourner, and the holy spirit does not rest upon man in moments of sadness, and the communication concerning the prohibition against wine came to Aaron, and in that selfsame day this commandment [stated in the section before us] was also told to Moses. Scripture, however, preceded the prohibitions with which He warned Israel *that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile My Tabernacle that is in the midst of them*, [before dealing with the commands specific to Aaron], and only afterwards He wrote the warning [applying to] the individual [i.e., this section, which was to be conveyed by Moses to Aaron, as the verse states: *And the Eternal said unto Moses:* ‘*Speak unto Aaron thy brother* etc.’]. But in my opinion the whole Torah is written in consecutive order, and in all places where He changed the order, placing an earlier event in a later position, Scripture clearly states so, such as the verses: *And the Eternal spoke unto Moses in Mount Sinai* [later on] in this book, [the laws of which were declared to Moses in the Tent of Meeting]; *And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the Tabernacle*, in the following book [i.e., the Book of Numbers], and similar such statements. Therefore Scripture stated here *after the death*, in order to inform us that this [communication] was [given to Moses] immediately after the death of the two sons of Aaron [and according to the historical sequence of events, it should have been placed in Chapter 10 above, where the account of events following their death is given].
And in the opinion of our Rabbis who said [by way of a parable, that this verse can be compared to the case of a physician who warned his patient not to eat cold things or sleep in a damp place, and another physician warned him likewise but added]: “so that you should not die as that person died;” thus “this [second physician] put him on his guard more than the first one,” [according to this comment of the Rabbis] the meaning of the verse will be, that G-d said to Moses these words: “*After the death of the two sons of Aaron* *when they drew near before the Eternal*, speak to him *that he come not at all times into the holy place … that he die not*.”
Version: Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
Source: https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH002108945/NLI
License: CC-BY