Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 12:9/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ב:ט׳

אנא. יש אומרים כאשר הוא עתה שהבשר חי, ובדרך הזאת לא מצאנו בכל המקרא, ואחרים אמרו כי הוא מגזרת כי הניא אביה אותה (במד' ל ו) והטעם שבור, ואין זה נכון, כי אחר כן אמר ועצם לא תשברו בו (פ' מו), והנכון בעיני שאין לו חבר במקרא, ופירושו הפך מבושל, והוא שנקרא חי, כמו, לא יוקח ממך בשר מבושל כי אם חי (ש"א ב טו), וכבר אמרתי כי רוב לשון ערבי דומה ללשון עברית, והבשר החי יקראו בלשון ערבי ניי, ואותיות אהו"י מתחלפים להם בלשונם כמו בלשוננו:

1RAW. Some say that the meaning of na (raw) is: as it is now,²⁶⁵ means now. See I.E. on Gen. 12:11, “Na means now. Na in behold now (na), I am old (Gen. 27.2), and Woe now (na) unto us (Lam. 5:16) are similar.” i.e., when the meat is raw. However, we do not find the word na used in such a way elsewhere in Scripture.²⁶⁶ Others say²⁶⁷ that it comes from the same root as heni (breaks)²⁶⁸. in But if her father breaks her vow (Num. 30:6) and means broken.²⁶⁹ However, this is incorrect, as Scripture later states, neither shall ye break a bone thereof (v. 46).²⁷⁰ However, in my opinion the word na²⁷¹ has no counterpart in Scripture. It means the opposite of cooked and is²⁷² referred to as chai (raw). Compare, For he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw (chai) (I Sam. 2:15). I have previously noted that most of Arabic is similar to Hebrew.²⁷³ Now in Arabic raw meat is called nayy, and the alef heh, vav, and yod interchange in the tongue of the Arabs as it does in our tongue.²⁷⁴ equals nun alef.

בובשל. שם התואר ופירושו שהוא מבושל במים, כי גם צלי אש יקרא מבושל, כדכתיב ובשלת ואכלת (דבר' טז ז) ויבשלו את הפסח באש כמשפט (דה"ב לה יג), ויתכן להיות ובשל מבושל כמאכל המלכים, על דרך המשקיות, כי ישימו על האש כלי נחשת רחב, וימלאו חציו מים, וכאשר ירתיחו המים ישימו סיר הבשר עם מים קרים על המים הרותחים, וככה יתבשל הבשר וזה המאכל מועיל יותר מכל המאכל אשר יהיה קרוב אל האש, והנני הכותב מוסיף על דברי זה החכם כאשר שמעתי מפיו, ובשל שם התואר על משקל, כבד, זקן,, וככה זה ובשל כי הבי"ת קמוץ והשי"ן רפה, ואינו שם הפועל, על דרך כי כבד אכבדך (במד' כב יז) הַכֵּה תַכֶּה (דבר' יג טז), כי לעולם לא יבוא שם הפועל בהתחברו רק על לשון עבר או עתיד, כמו דַבר ידבר (למעלה ד יד) הַקְדֵשׁ הקדשתי (שופ' יז ג), רק להתחבר שם הפעל עם פועל ופעול לא יבא, והנה זה בָשֵל כמו כָבֵד, ולנקבה הזרוע בְשֵלָה (במד' ו יט), ואל תתמה מה צורך לומר שני הענינים בשל ומבושל, כי שני בישולים הם כמו שפירש האחד להכניס כלי שהבשר בתוכו בתוך כלי המים הרותחין ולרבים, בשלים מבושלים והמה חכמים, מחוכמים (משלי ל כד), וככה יאמר ליחיד חכם מחוכם, ברוך ומבורך והפרש יש בין בדיקות הלשון בין חכם למחוכם, וככה בין לבָשֵל ומבושל כאשר פירש:

2NOR SODDEN. Bashel (sodden) is an adjective. Here its meaning is, that which is sodden with water.²⁷⁵ (nor sodden at all with water), which literally means, nor boiled, boiled in water. That which is roasted in fire is also called mevushal,²⁷⁶ (boiled in water). for it is written, And thou shalt roast (u-vishalta)²⁷⁷ refers to roasting, as it is forbidden to cook the paschal lamb in water. and eat it (Deut. 16:7) and, And they roasted (va-yevashelu)²⁷⁸ the passover with fire according to the ordinance (II Chron. 35:13). It is possible that nor sodden at all with water²⁷⁹ (nor boiled in water). Why be redundant and write u-vashel mevushal ba-mayim, and boiled, boiled in water. means nor cooked, that is, cooked in water, as a royal dish is sodden in liquids. They place a wide copper utensil on the fire and fill half of it with water. When the water boils they place the pot with the meat in cold water above the boiling water. Thus is the meat cooked.²⁸⁰ and mevushal. This dish is better than one prepared close to the fire. I the writer²⁸¹ add to the words of this scholar what I heard from his very own mouth.²⁸² Bashel (sodden)²⁸³. is an adjective²⁸⁴ infinitive bashel (cf. le-vashel, to cook), as the infinitive form is vocalized with a pattach and has a dagesh in the shin (compare the pi’el infinitive dabber). following the paradigm of kaved (heavy) and zaken (old). The term bashel ²⁸⁵. here is similar,²⁸⁶ and zaken. as its bet ²⁸⁷ of bashel in the infinitive (see note 284) but like the kof of kaved and the zayin of zaken. is vocalized with a kamatz and its shin²⁸⁸ of bashel in the infinitive (see note 284) but like the bet of kaved and the kof of zaken. has no dagesh. Bashel is not an infinitive²⁸⁹ like kabbed (promote) in for I will promote thee (Num. 22:17) or hakkeh (smite) in thou shalt surely smite (Deut. 13:16), as the infinitive is not joined to a word unless it is a perfect or an imperfect. Compare, dabber yedabber (speak well) (Ex. 4:14),²⁹⁰ is an infinitive, yedabber an imperfect. Dabber yedabber (speak well) literally means speak, he will speak. and hakdesh hikdashti (I verily dedicate) (Jud. 17:3).²⁹¹ is an infinitive, hikdashti a perfect. Hakdesh hikdashti (I verily dedicate) literally means dedicate, I dedicated. However, the infinitive is never joined with the po’el or pa’ul. ²⁹², as mevushal is a pu’al participle. Hence the term bashel in bashel mevushal cannot be an infinitive. Thus bashel (sodden) is similar to kaved (heavy).²⁹³ is. Its feminine form is beshelah, as in the shoulder…when it is sodden (beshelah) (Num. 6:19). Do not ask what need Scripture had to use the two terms bashel and mevushal.²⁹⁴ As the scholar²⁹⁵ pointed out,²⁹⁶ there are two soddenings, one of which is²⁹⁷ the placing of the utensil with the meat in the midst of the boiling water. The plural of bashel mevushal is beshelim mevushalim. Compare, chakhamim mechukkamim (exceeding wise) in But they are exceeding wise (Prov. 30:24). The singular form is chakham mechukkam. Compare, barukh u-mevorakh (exceedingly blessed). There is a difference in nuance from a grammatical standpoint between chakham (a wise man) and mechukkam (one who has become wise).²⁹⁸ to the plural form of chakham mechukkam. Chakham means a wise man. Mechukkam means one who has been made wise (taught) by others. See I.E. on Prov. 30:24, “Mechukkamim: God gave them the wisdom to do this.” There is, as the scholar explained,²⁹⁹ a similar difference between bashel (sodden)³⁰⁰ and mevushal (sodden).³⁰¹, boiled, boiled in water. The difference between bashel and mevushal is explained by I.E. in his opening comment on this verse.

גראשו על כרעיו ועל קרבו. כמו עם, וכן ויבאו האנשים על הנשים (למטה לה כב), והראש והכרעים ירחץ במים כמשפט:

3ITS HEAD WITH ITS LEGS AND WITH THE INWARDS THEREOF. The word al has the meaning of with.³⁰² means: its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof, not its head on its legs and on the inwards thereof. The word al in And they came, both men and (al) women (Ex. 35:22) is similar. The head and the legs are to be washed in water³⁰³ as the ordinance requires.³⁰⁴ 74a.