Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 13:2/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״ג:ב׳
אאדם. ולא אמר איש איש מבית ישראל להכנים הגרים וכן אדם כי יקריב מכם כי תורה אחת לאזרח ולגר בקרבנות גם כן והכניס הגר שלא יטמא אחר כי הצרעת היא מהחליים הנדבקים מהחולה אל השלם:
1WHEN A MAN. Scripture does notread, “Whosoever… of the house of Israel”2 because it wants to include strangers.3, Scripture employs the term “man” because the latter includes converts to Judaism. According to Krinsky, I.E. interprets similarly. However, this is far from certain, for elsewhere I.E. refers to any non-Jew living in the Land of Israel as a stranger. See I.E. on Ex. 20:8 (Vol. 2, p. 427). Similarly When any man of you4. (Lev. 1:2), for there is one law to the native born and to the stranger5. regarding offerings. The Torah includes the stranger [in the laws relating to maladies]6 so that the stranger does not defile another person, for leprosy is a disease that is passed on from the sick to the healthy.7
בוהובא. ברצונו ושלא ברצונו כי הרואה בו אחד מסימנים אלו יכריחנו שיבא:
2THEN HE SHALL BE BROUGHT. By his consent or against his will, for one who sees one of these signs8 will force the afflicted [to go to the kohen ].
גאו אל אחד מבניו הכהנים. טעם אהרן הוא הכהן המשוח תחתיו וטעם אחד מבניו הכהנים ההדיוטים שימצאו חוץ למקדש ככהני ענתות:
3[UNTO AARON THE PRIEST.] The meaning of Aaron the priest is, the kohen who is anointed in his place.9.
דוטעם הכהנים. שלא יהיו מהפסולים:
4OR UNTO ONE OF HIS SONS THE PRIESTS. This means one of the common priests outside of the temple10 such as the kohanim of Anatot.11. It was the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah. See Jer. 1:1. The meaning of the priests is that they should not be from among those who are disqualified to serve as priests.12? Hence I.E.’s comment.
הומלת שאת. כמו שרפה וכן והמשאת החלה וישאם דוד ויתכן שנקרא כן בעבור שהאש תולדתה להנשא למעלה:
5[A RISING.] The word se’et (a rising) means a burn.13 is the name of an illness caused by the burning bile in the body (Nahmanides). Similarly maset (fire) in But when the fire began to rise14 (Jud. 20:40) and va-yisa’em david (and David burnt them)15 (II Sam. 5:21). The se’et is probably so called because it is the nature of fire to rise upwards.16, which means to lift up. Hence I.E.’s comment.
וספחת. מגזרת ספחני נא ונספחו על בית יעקב חולי שיתחבר אל מקום אחד:
6A SCAB. The word sappachat (scab) is related to sefachani (put me)17 in Put me, I pray thee (I Sam. 2:36) and ve-nispechu (and they shall cleave) in and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob (Is. 14:1). It refers to a disease which attaches itself to one place.
זבהרת. מגזרת בהיר הוא בשחקים והוא נודע שיעשה כדמות אות וסימן:
7A BRIGHT SPOT. The word baheret (bright spot) is related to the word bahir (bright) in which is bright in the skies (Job 37:21). It is a known malady which produces a mark and a sign.