Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 29:2/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ט:ב׳

אולחם חלות. עבות והעד רקיקי מצות:

1AND UNLEAVENED…CAKES. They were thick, as wafers¹³. Rekike is connected to the word rek (empty, poor, or thin) (Krinsky). See rakkot basar (lean-fleshed) (Gen. 41:19). Thus rekike matzot (wafers unleavened) means thin unleavened bread. unleavened proves.¹⁴ are thin, the bread and cakes must be thick.

בוהזכיר בשמן הוא שמן זית כמשפט: ומלת סלת. בלשון ערבי הא סמי"ד, שהוסר הפסולת מהחטה, ובארץ ישמעאל עושין כן, ואין לחם נכבד ממנו, ורבים פירשו מגזרת סלית כל שוגים מחוקיך (תה' קיט קיח), סלה כל אבירי ד' (איכה א טו) ואמר כמוהו חטים מכולת לביתך (מ"א ה כה) ויש אומרים טחונות:

2[WITH OIL.] Scripture reads ba-shemen (with oil).¹⁵. The reference is to the previously mentioned oil, i.e., the oil mentioned in Ex. 27:20. See note 17. The reference, in keeping with the rule,¹⁶. The rule referred to by I.E. is either the rule stated in Ex. 27:20 (Krinsky) or the rules of Hebrew referred to in note 17. It is also possible that what I.E. means by shemen zayit ka-mishpat is olive oil prepared according to the rule, that is, beaten olive oil. See Ex. 27:20 (Sarim). is to olive oil.¹⁷ beneath the bet indicates the definite article. Thus the meaning of ba-shemen is, with the oil, i.e., the earlier mentioned oil. [Of FINE WHEATEN FLOUR.] The word solet (fine flour) refers to flour made from wheat cleansed of all impurities. It is called samid in Arabic.¹⁸ It is produced in the land of the Ishmaelites. There is no better bread than bread made from it.¹⁹ Many connect the word solet to the word salita²⁰. (thou hast trodden)²¹ in Thou hast trodden light all them that err from Thy statutes (Ps. 119:118);²² and to sillah (trodden) in The Lord hath trodden All my mighty men in the midst of me (Lam. 1:15).²³ means trodden grain, that is, grain that has been broken up into pieces (Krinsky). Kimchi accepted this definition of solet. They say that makkolet (food) in food to your household (I Kings 5:25)²⁴. is similar.²⁵ is connected to salita and sillah, then where does the tav in solet come from? For both salita and sillah come from the root samekh, lamed, heh. These commentaries therefore point out that we find something similar with the word makkolet. Makkolet comes from the root kaf, lamed, heh (Meijler). However, a form tav is added to it in its normal form. The same is true of the tav in solet. See Weiser and Meijler. Others say that solet means ground.²⁶