Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 19:20/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״ט:כ׳
אוהוא שפחה. אמרו המכחישים כי איננה יהודית והנכון על דרך הפשט שהיא הנזכרת בפרשת וכי ימכור איש את בתו לאמה והיא ישראלית והטעם שהוא יעדה שיקחנה אדוניה או בנו ואיננה מאורסה וזה טעם כי לא חפשה איננה חפשית עד שתהיה מאורסה כמשפט הבנות:
1A BONDMAID, DESIGNATED FOR A MAN. The deniers86 say that the bondmaid is not a Jewess. However, the correct interpretation according to the plain meaning of the text is that the bondmaid is the one mentioned in And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant (Ex. 21:7) and that she is an Israelite. Our verse deals with an instance in which the bondmaid was designated for marriage to her master or his son.87 However, she had not undergone the first stage of marriage.88. During the period of erusin, which lasted for a year, the bride remained with her family. In the second stage, called nesu’im, the bride went to live with her husband. The meaning of nor was freedom given her is that she is not free until she undergoes the first stage of marriage as is the practice of young ladies.
בומלת נחרפת. על דעת רבים יעודה ולפי דעתי שהמלה מגזרת חרפה בעבור היותה שפחה והיא בתולה ברשות אחר ואינה מאורשה:
2Many believe that necherefet means designated. However, I believe that necherefet is related to the word cherpah (reproach) because she is an unmarried virgin maidservant under the control of a stranger.
גוהפדה. שם הפעל מהבנין שלא נקרא שם פועלו מהכבד הנוסף והטעם שלא פדאה אביה או אחד ממשפחתה קודם היותה בוגרת:
3REDEEMED. Hofdeh (redeemed) is an infinitive in the hofal. The meaning of and not at all redeemed is that her father or any other family member did not redeem her before she became a young woman.
דאו חפשה. השורק מקום קמץ חטף כי האחד חופש והטעם שהיה המנהג לכתוב לה גט חופש אם מכרה האב עד זמן קצוץ והמעתיקים אמרו שחציה חפשית וחציה אמה והוא האמת:
4FREEDOM. The shuruk89. in chufshah (freedom) is in place of a furtive kamatz, for the individual form of the word is chofesh.90 are vocalized with a kamatz katan when declined. Compare, kotel, kotlah; chodesh, chodshah. Thus chufshah should have read chofshah, for the word chufshah (freedom) is the word chofesh plus the pronominal suffix. Scripture states, nor was freedom given her, because it was traditional to write a writ of manumission91 if her father sold her for a set time. The transmitters of tradition said that our verse speaks of a woman who was half free and half servant.92 2:5. “What manner of bondwoman [does Scripture speak of in Lev. 19:20]? She that is half bondwoman and half freedwoman.” What they said is true.
הבקרת תהיה. יש אומרים שפירושו כמו פילגש ואמרו כי כן בנות מלכים ביקרותיך ולא פרשו נכון כי ביקרותיך טעמו השפחות היקרות ונעלם היו״ד בעבור האות המשרת בחיר״ק והיה בחיר״ק בעבור התחברות שני שואי״ן נעים האחד תחת האות המשרת והשני תחת האות הראשון של השרש בלשון נקבות ואין כח בלשון להזכיר ככה וכן משפט כל הלשון ואין מלה זרה חוץ ממלת ורבים מישני אדמת עפר יקיצו על קריאת בן נפתלי. ויש אומרים בקורת מגזרת לא יבקר הכהן והטעם שיחפש הדבר והמעתיקים אמרו כי יש עליו מלקות ברצועה של בקר וזה אמת מדברי קבלה והמלה כדמות אסמכתא. וטעם להזכיר זאת הפרשה כי הוא עושק אדני השפחה על כן יביא איל אשם ועוד על דרך דרש שזאת השכיבה כמו כלאים חפשי עם שפחה:
5THERE SHALL BE AN INQUISITION. Some say that bikkoret (inquisition) means a concubine.93 (there shall be an inquisition) as she shall be a concubine; that is, she shall not be considered a fully married woman. They say that the same applies to the word biykkrotekha (among thy favorites) in Kings’ daughters are among thy favorites (Ps. 45:10).94 However, they did not explain it correctly, for the meaning of biykkrotekha is, among the precious handmaidens.95 is the word yikkrotekha (your precious ones), i.e., your precious maidens plus the bet prefix. There is no connection between bikkoret and biykkrotekha, for the former comes from the root bet, kof, resh and the latter from the root yod, kof, resh. The yod96. is missing97 because the bet, which serves as a preposition, is vocalized with a chirik.98 of yikkrotekha is swallowed up by the chirik. It is vocalized with a chirik because of the confluence of two mobile shevas,99 is a combination of the prefix be plus the word yekkrotekha. In such cases the prefix is vocalized with a chirik and the yod is not sounded. the first beneath the prefix100. and the second beneath the first root letter of the word yikkrotekha, which is in the feminine.101. The tongue does not have the power to enunciate two mobile shevas in succession.102 back to back. The same is true for the entire language.103. It applies to all cases where we have two furtive shevas in succession. There is no exception to this except for the word mi-yeshene (that sleep) in And many of them that sleep in the dust (Dan. 12:2),104 should have read miyyshene. according to the reading of Ben Naphtali.105 There are those who say that bikkoret is related to the word yevakker (seek) in shall not seek (Lev. 13:36). The meaning of bikkoret106 is that the matter shall be searched out. The transmitters of tradition say he107 11a it is the bondwoman who is lashed. Hence some emend alav to aleha. incurs the penalty of being lashed with a strap made from the skin of cattle (bakar).108 3:12. This interpretation renders bikkoret as cattled, i.e., lashed with a strap made of cattle hide. In our texts of Rabbinic literature there is no such interpretation. Radak quotes this interpretation in the name of Rabbi Saadiah Gaon. See Weiser. This is true by way of tradition.109 The word bikkoret is used as a support for the tradition.110 is not “lashed by cattle skin.” This section is placed here because the one who sleeps with the bondwoman oppresses the master of the bondwoman.111 He therefore brings a ram as a guilt offering.112 Furthermore, this type of intercourse can be interpreted midrashically as mixing diverse kinds, namely, a free man and a bondwoman.113