Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 21:1/אבן עזרא על ויקרא כ״א:א׳
אאמר אל הכהנים. אחר שהזהיר ישראל ובני אהרן בכללם להיותם קדושים הזהיר בני אהרן שהם חייבים להשמר מדברים אחרים בעבור שהם משרתי השם ויתכן להיות פירוש אמור אל הכהנים כל הפרשה הנזכרת כי התורה בידם:
1SPEAK UNTO THE PRIESTS. After charging the Israelites, and the sons of Aaron who are included among them, to be holy,1 the Lord told the sons of Aaron that they are commanded to keep themselves from other things, for they are the ministers of God. It is possible that speak unto the priests refers to the section which is mentioned above,2 for the Torah is in the hands of the kohanim.3 to teach these laws to the children of Israel. See Deut. 31:9; 17:8-13.
בואמרת אליהם. טעמי המצות שהם חייבים לשמרם לבדם:
2AND SAY UNTO THEM. This refers to the commandments which they alone are obligated to keep.4
גלנפש. הוא המת:
3FOR THE DEAD. Le-nefesh (for the dead) refers to the dead.5 usually refers to a living body.
דמלת יטמא. מבנין התפעל ודגשות הטי״ת להתבלע התי״ו:
4The word yittamma (defile) is a hitpa’el. The tet6. receives a dagesh because the tav7. is, swallowed.8. In other words, the dagesh compensates for the missing tav of the hitpae’el form.
הוטעם בעמיו. בכל ישראל שהם עמיו:
5The meaning of be-amav (among his people) is among all of Israel, who are his people.9 (among his people) literally means in his people. Hence I.E.’s comment.