parshaמפרשי הפרשה

רמב"ן — ומשרתו יהושע בן נון נער

Yehoshua at this point is roughly 56 (he lived 110, the 40 desert years are still ahead, plus 14 of conquest and division). How can the Torah call him 'נער'? Ibn Ezra: 'נער' modifies the type of service ('שירות נער') — though aged, he served as a youth would.

ועל דעתי דרך לשון הקדש שיקרא כל משרת נער, כי בעל השררה הנכבד הוא האיש, והמשרת לו יקרא נער, וכן 'גחזי נערו', 'יקומו נא הנערים וישחקו לפנינו'... 'נערי המלך משרתיו'... ואם כן יאמר ומשרתו יהושע בן נון משרת תמיד שלא ימוש מתוך האהל.

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רמב"ן

רמב"ן על שמות ל״ג:י״א

Ramban on Exodus 33:11

Ki Tisa

Q — Yehoshua at this point is roughly 56 (he lived 110, the 40 desert years are still ahead, plus 14 of conquest and division). How can the Torah call him 'נער'? Ibn Ezra: 'נער' modifies the type of service ('שירות נער') — though aged, he served as a youth would.

A — Ramban: 'נער' in Tanach denotes status, not age — the attendant of a person of authority, regardless of years. Examples: Gechazi (Elisha's attendant), Yoav's נערים נושאי כלי who were 'אנשים גבורי חיל,' the מרגלים called נערים because they were 'משרתי העדה,' 'נערי המלך משרתיו' in Esther (the king's personal attendants). On this reading, 'נער' is not a redundant restatement of 'משרתו' but governs what follows: Yehoshua, attendant-permanent — 'נער לא ימיש מתוך האהל' — meaning his service was constant. (Bonus: Ramban suggests 'בִּן נוּן' with chirik may be a kabod-pun on 'בִּינוֹן' — the discerning one, Moshe's greatest talmid.)

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