| The portion Pikudei includes the action of building the mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the desert and the making of the vestments for the high priest.
We get incredible detail on Aaron’s clothing, all the colors, materials, the layers, the headgear, the breastplate and the piece for the forehead. We know that he is the high priest by the clothing that he wears. Clothing makes the high priest.
One item of particular interest is the robe, the Me’il, a woven work of pure blue. The robe is stylish and sturdily made so it will not tear. On the bottom of the robe are pomegranates and bells.
וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ עַל־שׁוּלֵ֣י הַמְּעִ֔יל רִמּוֹנֵ֕י תְּכֵ֥לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֖ן וְתוֹלַ֣עַת שָׁנִ֑י מׇשְׁזָֽר׃
On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, twisted. (Ex. 39:24)
And the portion continues:
וַיַּעֲשׂ֥וּ פַעֲמֹנֵ֖י זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר וַיִּתְּנ֨וּ אֶת־הַפַּֽעֲמֹנִ֜ים בְּת֣וֹךְ הָרִמֹּנִ֗ים עַל־שׁוּלֵ֤י הַמְּעִיל֙ סָבִ֔יב בְּת֖וֹךְ הָרִמֹּנִֽים׃
They also made bells of pure gold, and attached the bells between the pomegranates, all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates: (Ex. 39:25)
פַּעֲמֹ֤ן וְרִמֹּן֙ פַּעֲמֹ֣ן וְרִמֹּ֔ן עַל־שׁוּלֵ֥י הַמְּעִ֖יל סָבִ֑יב לְשָׁרֵ֕ת כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה ה׳ אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה
a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe for officiating in—as God had commanded Moses. (Ex. 39:26)
It seems to be a very straight, direct translation of the portion. But the word בתוך in verse 25 perhaps gives us a dilemma. Are the pomegranate and bells separate as stated in this translation?
Torah commentators are not unanimous in this.
Ramban, a 13th century Torah commentator completely disagreed.
“AND THEY MADE UPON THE SKIRTS OF THE ROBE POMEGRANATES OF BLUE-PURPLE AND RED-PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND TWINED LINEN. This means that they made the pomegranates in order to put them around the bottom of the skirts of the robe, and they made bells of pure gold, and then they put the bells inside the pomegranates before they put them on the robe. Thus the bells were within the pomegranates whilst they were still detached, and they put the pomegranates on the skirts of the robe round about while the bells were within them [i.e., the pomegranates].”
He continues, commenting on the wording within the portion. “This is why Scripture mentions the phrase within ( בתוך) the pomegranates twice, in order to indicate that the bells were within the pomegranates from the beginning, and also when they hung them upon the skirts of the robe round about. This too is proof to what we have explained in Seder V’atah Tetzaveh.”
In other words, the bells were within the stylistic pomegranates before they were sewn onto the hem, and there they stayed.
There is a major disagreement. Hayyim Ibn Attar, an 18th century scholar, best known for his work, Or HaHaim, sees it differently, attacking Ramban’s commentary directly.
על שולי המעיל, on the hem of the robe, etc. “The wording makes clear that the sages who hold that the pomegranates were next to the bells as opposed to the bells being inside the pomegranates were correct. Why else would the Torah first report that the pomegranates were attached to the hem of the robe and then report the making of the bells as a separate item in a separate verse?”
The Ibn Attar commentary continues: “Later the Torah reports that these bells were placed in between the pomegranates “on the hem of the robe.” The repetition of the words “on the hem of the robe” makes no sense if these bells were inside the pomegranates, i.e. surrounded by them. I am very surprised at Nahmanides who has rejected this approach.”
The rebuttal continues, “As to Nahmanides’ answer to the above argument that the pomegranates were not actually suspended at the hem of the robe until after the bells had been placed inside them, it seems to me that the text says exactly the opposite. Nahmanides’ using the fact that the Torah repeated the statement that the bells were inside the pomegranates as proof for his contention is not tenable. He does not explain why the Torah should have given the command to place the pomegranates from the hem of the robe at that point (compare 28:33). I believe that in this instance Nahmanides did not examine the text with his customary care.”
There are seventy faces of Torah (Numbers Rabbah 13:15-16) and for this small section of Pikudei it seems as if there are seventy different ways of understanding the placement of the bells and pomegranates.
The Torah translations used above are from The Contemporary Torah, JPS, 2006. In the Schoken Bible, Everett Fox, 1995 it says they “put the bells amidst the pomegranates.” The Koren Bible said they put the bells “round about between the pomegranates.”
One other translation to note is from The Rashi Chumash by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein: “And they made bells of pure gold, and they placed the bells in the midst of the pomegranates, on the hem of the me’il roundabout in the midst of the pomegranates.”
Which brings us back to the key word, בתוך.
According to Brown-Driver-Briggs, the word means:
1) midst, middle
1a) midst, middle
1b) into, through (after verbs of motion)
1c) among (of a number of persons)
1d) between (of things arranged by twos)
1e) from among (as to take or separate etc)
Are the bells in the midst of the pomegranates? Are the bells between the pomegranates?
I’m not certain that this is the point.
What matters is the “discussion” between the two sages. Even though the comments from the Or HaHaim are diametrically opposed to those of Ramban (also known as Nahmanides), the tone is genteel. There are no all-capital, screaming responses such as is the case now with texts and other postings.
Or HaHaim, in fact, compliments Ramban in his disagreement. This is akin to Hillel complimenting Shammai while disagreeing on content. Ramban did not “examine the text with his customary care,” is the comment from Or HaHaim.
Whether the bells were inside of or next to the pomegranates, that’s a question for the ages. But understanding how to respond when you disagree with someone, that’s a lesson for all.
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Rabbi Gerry L. Ginsburg (AJR ‘19) is Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth El, Stamford, CT (Conservative). He works in pastoral counseling, adult education, synagogue outreach, life cycle events and worship services. |
