Which pegs and cords did the Merari and Gershon, respectively, carry?
Rashi: Merari carried the pegs and cords of the pillars of the Chatzer 1 ? whereas the pegs and cords of the hangings of the Chatzer 2 were carried by Gershon. 3
Ramban #1: Merari carried the pegs and cords of the hangings of the Chatzer, and Gershon, the pegs and cords of the Mishkan and its cover. 4
Ramban #2 (based on a Beraisa): Gershon carried only cloth (all the hangings of the Mishkan and the Ohel), and Merari the wood and the copper (the planks, the poles, the pegs and cords). 5
Rashi: They were placed on top of the pillars in order to attach the hangings to them. According to the Ramban, the pillars did not have pegs. See the Beraisa that he cites.
Rashi: They were used to attach the hangings to the ground, to prevent the hangings from flapping in the wind.
Ramban: Since the "ve'Es Meisreihem ve'Eis Kol K'lei Avodasam" (in Pasuk 26) refers to the hangings of the Mishkan and the Ohel Mo'ed that are mentioned in Pasuk 25, but not to the Chatzer. See Ramban DH 've'Lo Matzasi'.
See Ramban DH 'Aval'.
Why does the Torah add a 'Lamed' in front of "le'Chol Keleihem" and "le'Chol Avodasam"?
Rashi: Refer to Sh'mos, 14:28:1:1*.
What are the connotations of the phrase "u've'Sheimos Tifkedu eis K'lei Mishmeres Masa'am"?
Ramban and Seforno (in Pasuk 49): It means that Aharon and his sons should designate each ben Merari by name, and instruct him exactly what he had to carry. 1
Ramban: 'Ploni should carry so many planks, and Ploni, so many bolts or pillars', And it mentions this specifically by the B'nei Merari, because, since they carried the heavy things, they were the most likely to try and lighten their load and push off whatever they could on to their friends. But in fact, by the same token, the B'nei K'has returned the Keilim to Elitzafan ben Uziel and the B'nei Gershon, to Elyasaf ben La'el. However this appears to contradict what the Ramban himself wrote earlier. Refer to 4:16:2:1** and to 4:49:1:2*.
