Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 14:22/אבן עזרא על דברים י״ד:כ״ב
אעשר תעשר. ונסמכה זאת הפרשה כי אסור לאכול כל עוף טמא ובהמה טמאה ונבלה והנה בבשר ובדגן אסור לאכול ההקדש כי אם במקום הנבחר:
1THOU SHALT SURELY TITHE. This section25 follows26 because it is prohibited to eat any unclean winged creature and any unclean animal, nor any animal which died of natural causes.27 Now it is similarly forbidden to eat sacred grain28 or sacred meat in any but the chosen place.
בהיוצא השדה שנה שנה. אמר רבי יהודה הלוי הספרדי נ״ע כי הוא דבק עם זרעך והטעם הזרע שהוצאת אל השדה ולפי דעתי שהוא כפשוטו וטעמו על התבואה מה שיוצאת השדה ואם יטעון טוען כי הכתוב אמר היוצא והוא מהפעלים שאינם יוצאים לאחרים הראינו לו העיר היוצאת אלף והעד תשאיר מאה וחז״ל אמרו שהוא מעשר שני ודע אם תחל ממעל הנה האחד ראש ואם ממטה הנה העשירי וזה סוד הבכור והמעשר ודע כי האחד איננו בחשבון וכן העשירי כי הוא כנגד האחד כי הוא ראש למחברת השנית וסוף למחברת הראשונה וכל שרש בחשבון סמוך אליו מפניו ומאחריו ובעבור היות האחד והעשרה עיקריים והאמצעיים חמשה וששה הם הנקראים עגולים על כן אותיות הנח הם אלה הארבעה ומהם אותיות השם הנכבד והנורא:
2WHICH IS BROUGHT FORTH IN THE FIELD YEAR BY YEAR. Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Levi the Spaniard, who rests in Eden, said that which is brought forth in the field is connected to the word seed, and our verse is to be understood as, you shall tithe the seed which is brought into the field for planting.29 (is brought forth) is intransitive. Hence his interpretation. However, I believe that we are to interpret the verse according to its plain meaning. Our clause refers to the produce which the field brings forth.30 (is brought forth) is transitive. Our verse is to be understood as follows: You shall tithe the seed which the field produces. Should some dispute this and argue that Scripture reads ha-yotze (which is brought forth), and yotze (brought forth) is an intransitive verb, then we will show him ha-ir ha-yotzet31 is the feminine form of ha-yotze. It is transitive. We thus see that ha-yotze can also be transitive. elef (the city that sent forth a thousand) (Amos 5:3). Shall have a hundred left (Ibid.)32 proves this.33 is transitive, for it speaks about what is left in the city. The rabbis said that the reference is to the second tithe.34 Note.35 If you start from the top,36 then one is the first number. If you start from below,37 then, behold, ten is the first number.38 This is the secret of the first-born and the tithe.39 Observe. The number one does not depend on a sum.40 The number ten is similar. It is the counterpart of one because it is the beginning of the second series of numbers.41 It is also the end of the first series.42 All parts of sums are connected to ten in front and in back.43 The numbers one and ten are the main numbers; the middle numbers, five and six, are called the round numbers.44 These four numbers45 therefore46 form the silent letters.47 (1); heh (5); vav (6), and yod (10). These letters are not always sounded. They are vowel letters. One of them is present whenever a word is enunciated. Without these letters, language would be impossible. They are also the letters that form the glorious and awe-inspiring name.48 in Ex. 3:14.