פרשת במדבר תשי"ד - בני קהת

but they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die.’

ולא יבאו לראות כבלע את הקדש BUT THEY SHALL NOT COME IN TO SEE WHEN THE HOLY THINGS ARE WRAPPED IN, each into its wrapping, as I have explained above in this section (v. 5 ff.): ‘‘and they shall spread upon it such-and-such a garment”, “and they shall cover it over with such-and-such a cover”, — for the “wrapping-up’ of it mentioned here is identical with the “covering up” of it mentioned in those passages.

כבלע את הקודש, when the roof and walls of the Tabernacles were being dismantled these furnishings would suddenly be revealed to all. If people would look at these objects they would die. We know this from the inhabitants of Beyt Shemesh who had seen the ark with their own eyes. (Samuel I 6,19)

כבלע, similar to בלע ה' in Lamentations 2,2 or in Isaiah 3,12 ודרך אורחותיך בלעו, “they have swallowed up the way of Your paths.” [swallowing is a form of making something disappear, destroying it. The author quotes more examples of the verb בלע, which I have omitted. Ed.] We have noted from verse 5-15 that from the time the Tabernacle was being dismantled the Levites immediately proceeded to cover up its furnishings. Even the members of the family of Kehat withdrew at the time when Aaron and sons alone lowered the dividing curtain. The entire procedure of dismantling the Tabernacle was performed exclusively by Aaron and his sons.

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the holy furniture, and all the holy vessels, as the camp is to set forward—after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear them; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.

בנסוע המחנה WHEN THE CAMP SETTETH FORWARD — When the cloud departed they knew that they were to set out on the journey (see Rashi on Numbers 1:51, and Note thereon).

ודשנו means, they shall remove the ashes from off it (cf. Rashi on Exodus 27:3).

פקדת כל המשכן means: and further he was appointed over the burden of the sons of Kohath, i.e., to give each man orders regarding his service and his burden, which was the Tabernacle and all that was therein — all the articles set forth above in this section. The burden of the sons of Gershon and of the sons of Merari, however, which did not appertain to things of most holy character, was carried out by order of Ithamar, as is set forth in the section commencing with the word נשא (vv. 21—34).