(א) וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת אַהֲרֹ֖ן וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּי֗וֹם דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינָֽי׃ (ב) וְאֵ֛לֶּה שְׁמ֥וֹת בְּֽנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֖ן הַבְּכֹ֣ר ׀ נָדָ֑ב וַאֲבִיה֕וּא אֶלְעָזָ֖ר וְאִיתָמָֽר׃ (ג) אֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַמְּשֻׁחִ֑ים אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א יָדָ֖ם לְכַהֵֽן׃ (ד) וַיָּ֣מׇת נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֣וּא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֡ה בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩ אֵ֨שׁ זָרָ֜ה לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־הָי֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם וַיְכַהֵ֤ן אֶלְעָזָר֙ וְאִ֣יתָמָ֔ר עַל־פְּנֵ֖י אַהֲרֹ֥ן אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ {פ}
(1) This is the line of Aaron and Moses at the time that יהוה spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. (2) These were the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab, the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar; (3) those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests who were ordained for priesthood. (4) But Nadab and Abihu died by the will of יהוה, when they offered alien fire before יהוה in the wilderness of Sinai; and they left no sons. So it was Eleazar and Ithamar who served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.
Based on the opening words of this passage, we expect to hear about the children of both Moshe and Aharon, yet we only hear about Aharon's.
רש׳׳י:
ואינו מזכיר אלא בני אהרן, ונקראו תולדות משה לפי שלימדן תורה, מלמד שכל המלמד את בן חברו תורה, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו ילדו.
Rashi:
The text promises to introduce the descendants of both Aharon and Moshe and yet it then lists only the sons of Aharon! Since Moshe taught Torah to his four nephews, they were considered his descendants as well. We learn from here that if an individual educates somebody else's child, the text treats the teacher as the pupil's own parent.
ר׳ יוסף בכור שור:
כלומר: הכהנים והלוים. ומונה בני אהרון תחילה, שהם כהנים, ואחר כך משה ושאר הלוים. דמשפחת העמרמי שהוא מונה בתוך הלוים (במדבר ג׳:כ׳׳ז) זהו משה ובניו, שהרי לא היו לעמרם בנים אחרים כי אם משה ואהרון, ובני אהרון כבר נמנו בפני עצמם.
Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor:
The text now discusses the priests and the Levites. It begins by listing the sons of Aharon, who represented the priests. These are followed by Moshe and the rest of the Levites. For the clan of Amram, which is tallied among the Levites (in Num. 3:27), this includes Moshe and his sons. After all, Moshe and Aharon were the only sons born to their father Amram, and the sons of Aharon had already been counted.
ר׳ שמשון רפאל הירש:
על אף שהכתוב מזכיר גם את תולדות משה, בניו לא ניקבו בשמות. שכן בפרקים אלה על הפקודים, רק המחזיקים במשרה ציבורית – נשיאים או כהנים – נקראו בשמם. אך זה משה האיש לא עטה על בניו את גלימת המשרה; הוא הניח אותם להיעלם בהמון העם, ללא כל תואר או ציון מיוחד.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:
Even though the text suggests that it will list the descendants of Moshe, his sons are not mentioned by name. This is because in the present chapters only the names of individuals who held public office - that is, the chieftans, or the priests - are specified. Moshe did not grant his sons any official positions, but allowed them to disappear into the anonymity of the nation. They held no title nor produced any notable achievement.
Questions to consider:
- Which of these commentaries finds a simple answer based on reading the entire chapter?
- Rashi and R. Hirsch each highlight a special characteristic of Moshe. Which characteristic does each one highlight?
- Which of these commentaries explain why Moshe's children are never mentioned explicitly?
- How do you think that any of these commentaries could be relevant to children of contemporary rabbis?