Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 11:43/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״א:מ״ג
אאל תשקצו את נפשותיכם. להיות׳ מטונפות ומגואלות.
1YE SHALL NOT MAKE YOURSELVES DETESTABLE. By being filthy and dirty.124
בולא תטמאו בהם כי ידוע כי הגוף הנאכל ישוב בשר בגוף האוכל:
2NEITHER SHALL YE MAKE YOURSELVES UNCLEAN. For it is known that that which is eaten turns into the flesh of the one who ingests it.125
גונטמתם בם. חסר אל״ף כמו מראשית בלי אלף השנה ויש אומרים שהם שני שרשים והעד נטמינו בעיניכם וטעמו כאדם שאין לו דעת:
3THAT YE SHOULD BE DEFILED THEREBY. The word ve-nitmetem (that ye should be defiled) is missing an alef.126 is spelled nun, tet, mem, tav, mem. It should be spelled nun, tet, mem, alef, tav, mem, for the root of tame is tet, mem, alef. Compare, reshit127, though it should have been spelled with an alef. (beginning) in from the beginning of the year (Deut. 11:12). Others say that they come from two roots.128, and tet, mem, heh. The word nitmetem in our verse comes from the latter root. Hence there is no alef in it. The word nitminu (unclean) in And reputed unclean in your sight129 (Job 18:3) is proof. It130. means that you do not become dumb-witted.131 means that you do not become dull-witted thereby.