Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 6/אבן עזרא על ויקרא ו׳
אהיא העולה. נקראת כן בעבור שהיא עולה כלה על המזבח ובכאן רמז שלא יעלה עולה בלילה רק היא תהיה על מוקדה כל הלילה. וה״א מוקדה נוסף או מוקד ומוקדה הם שני שמות:
1IT IS THAT WHICH GOETH UP. The burnt offering is called an olah1 means goes up. Hence I.E.’s interpretation. because it is entirely consumed (olah) on the altar.2, see I.E. on Lev 1:4. According to Meijler this interpretation complements the one on Lev. 1:4. That is, the olah goes up on the altar to atone for that which enters (goes up on) one’s mind. Scripture here hints that the olah should not be offered at night but rather that it shall be on its firewood until the morning.3 shall remain on the firewood all night, not that it should be brought upon the firewood at night. The heh of mokedah (its firewood)4 is a variant of moked (fire). Hence I.E.’s interpretation. It should be noted that I.E. renders mokedah “fire” (firewood), not its fire (or firewood), for there is no mappik in the heh. is superfluous. On the other hand, moked and mokedah may be two nouns.5
בואש המזבח תוקד בו. ולא חוץ ממנו:
2AND THE FIRE OF THE ALTAR SHALL BE KEPT BURNING THEREBY.6 (on it). According to I.E. our clause should be rendered: And the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it (the altar). Hence his interpretation. Not outside.
אמדו. חלוק וחכמים אמרו שהוא חנוק כנגד מדתו:
1HIS LINEN GARMENT. The word middo means a garment.7 of middo is not a pronominal suffix. It is rather superfluous. See the word beno (son of) (Num. 24:3). The wise men8 said that it is a garment in keeping with his size.9 23:2. The word middah means a measure. According to the rabbis middo means his measure. Also see Rashi: “This is what is elsewhere termed the ketonet; and why then is it here called middo? To intimate that it (the ketonet) must be made to his measure.”
בעל בשרו. כנוי לערוה וכן זב מבשרו:
2UPON HIS FLESH. Flesh alludes to the genitals. Similarly an issue out of his flesh (Lev. 15:2).
גאשר תאכל האש.הנשאר מאכילת האש:
3WHERETO THE FIRE HATH CONSUMED. Which remains from what the fire consumes.
דאצל המזבח. מחוץ לפאת מזרח:
4BESIDE THE ALTAR. Outside of the eastern side.10
אוהאש על המזבח תוקד בו. פעם שנית להוסיף לא תכבה. ביום:
1AND THE FIRE UPON THE ALTAR SHALL BE KEPT BURNING THEREBY. Scripture repeats itself11 repeats what was stated in verse 2. in order to add it shall not go out during the day.12
בוטעם בבקר בבקר. בכל בקר ובקר. ובתחלה יעלה העולה ואחר כן אימורי השלמים:
2The meaning of ba-boker ba-boker is, every morning.13 The kohen shall first offer the burnt offering and then the organs14 of the peace offering.15, and afterwards goes on to say, and shall make smoke thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.
אאש תמיד תוקד. טעם זה הפסוק להוסיף תמיד:
1FIRE SHALL BE KEPT BURNING UPON THE ALTAR CONTINUALLY. This verse16. was written in order to add the word continually.
אהקרב אותה. שם הפועל וטעם הקרב יקריבו אותה בני אהרן וטעמו אחד מבני אהרן על כן והרים ממנו. והוספו זאת הפרשה על הכתובה בפרשת ויקרא:
1SHALL OFFER IT. Hakrev (shall offer) is an infinitive.17 might be taken to be an imperative. The meaning of hakrev otah bene aharon is, the sons of Aaron shall offer it. This means that one of the sons of Aaron shall offer it. Scripture therefore reads, And he shall take up there-from (v. 8).18. This section19 adds to that which is written in the portion Va-Yikra.20
אמצות תאכל במקום קדוש. והנה שתים מצות. וכל זכר שלישית:
1IT SHALL BE EATEN WITHOUT LEAVEN IN A HOLY PLACE. Note, Scripture adds two commandments.21 Every male (v. 11)22 is a third.23
אוטעם לא תאפה. הוא העיקר במצות פסח:
1[IT SHALL NOT BE BAKED WITH LEAVEN.]24. I.E. renders this as it shall not be baked as leavened bread. This is the principal rule regarding the Passover matzot.25 eaten on Passover must be unleavened. So too the matzot made out of the meal offering.
בכחטאת וכאשם. כן המנחה:
2AS THE SIN-OFFERING, AND AS THE GUILT-OFFERING.26 So too the meal offering.27
אכל אשר יגע. במנחה ובחטאת ובאשם הוא קדש לשם:
1WHATSOEVER TOUCHETH THEM SHALL BE HOLY. Whatever touches the meal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering shall be holy unto God.28
אזה קרבן אהרן. או אחד מבניו תחתיו:
1THIS IS THE OFFERING OF AARON. Or one of his sons who takes his place.
בביום המשח אותו. אשר יוצק על ראשו שמן המשחה ורבים אמרו כי זה בי״ת תחת מ״ם והטעם כי מיום המשח אותו הנה זה חייב להקריב תמיד מנחתו:
2IN THE DAY WHEN…ANOINTED. When the anointing oil is poured upon his head. Some say that the bet of be-yom (in the day) is in place of a mem.29 (in the day) should be interpreted as from the day. Its meaning is, from the day that he is anointed he has to regularly bring his meal offering.30
אמרבכת. אין לו אח ויש מי שאומרים רכה ויש מי שאומרים במהרה. ותי״ו תביאנה סימן לאהרן וכן תי״ו תקריב. ועל דעתי כי כן הוא תי״ו תפיני וטעמו תקון ואין ריע לו והקדמונים אמרו שהיא שתי מלות תאפה נא. ויאמר רבי יונה המדקדק שהוא על משקל דוכיפת וזה המשקל מעקל:
1WHEN IT IS SOAKED. Murbekhet (when it is soaked) has no brother.31 Some say it means soft.32 being a variant of murkhekhet. Others say that murbekhet means quickly. The tav33 serves as a second person masculine imperfect prefix. of tevi’ennah (thou shalt bring it) is directed at Aaron.34 Similarly the tav of takriv (thou shalt offer).35 is directed to Aaron. I believe that this is also true of the tav of tufine (in broken pieces).36 It means to fix.37 means you shall bake. See Rashi. It has no neighbor.38 The ancients39 on this verse. said that tufine is a combination of the two words, te’afeh and na (it shall be baked raw).40 Rabbi Jonah the grammarian41 says that tufine follows the paradigm of dukhifat (hoopoe) (Lev. 11:19).42 comes from the root tav, peh, nun. See Sefer Ha-Rikmah, Vol. 1, p. 137, ed. by M. Wilinsky, Jerusalem, 1964. This is a distorted form.43) are vocalized with a cholem. See Sefer Ha-Rikmah, Ibid.
אכליל. כמו כלה כליל תהיה לשם:
1WHOLLY. The word kalil means wholly. It shall be wholly sacrificed unto God.
אלא תאכל. ככל המנחות כי איך יאכל הכהן מנחתו או חטאתו. מקום שחיטת כל חטאת צפונה:
1IT SHALL NOT BE EATEN. As all the meal offerings are, for how can a kohen eat his meal or sin offering.44 The place of the slaughter of all the sin offerings was in the north.45
אקדש קדשים. כי הוא כאחד הקדשים:
1IT IS MOST HOLY. It is like one of the other holy things.46 (it is most holy) does not mean it is most holy but is to be interpreted as if written, kodesh ke-ha-kodashim (holy like the holy; that is, it is one of the holy things).
אהכהן המחטא. טעמו הזורק דם כאילו אמר המסיר חטא החוטא ורבי המפרשים אמרו כי טעם המחטא רוחץ או מטהר וכן תחטאני באזוב ואטהר:
1THE PRIEST THAT OFFERETH IT FOR SIN. Ha-kohen ha-mechatte (the priest that offereth it for sin) means the kohen who sprinkles the blood. Ha-kohen ha-mechatte is another way of saying the kohen that removes the sin of the sinner.47 literally means “removes sins.” Many of the commentaries say that ha-mechatte means who washes or cleans. The word techatteni (purge me) in Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Ps. 51:9) is similar.
אכל אשר יגע. בבשר החטאת יהיה קדש לשם והכהן יאכלנו לכן חלק הזורק כחלק כל אחיו:
1WHATSOEVER SHALL TOUCH. Whatsoever shall touch the flesh of the sin offering will be holy unto God, and the kohen shall eat it. The portion of the kohen who sprinkles the blood of the sin offering is therefore48 who sprinkles the blood removes the sin from the sinner…the portion of the kohen who sprinkles the blood is therefore equal to the portion of all the other kohanim. (Filwarg). like49 the portion of all his brothers.50. According to I.E. the kohen who sprinkles the blood of the sin offering receives half of its flesh. The remainder is shared by the other kohanim (Filwarg).
ביזה. א״ר משה הכהן שהוא כמו יטה מבנין קל ובפתחו׳ היו״ד מהכבד והאות המובלע נו״ן וכן ויז מדמ׳ אל הקיר בחיר״ק עם ויז בפתח רק במלת נטה מראה על הקיר בחיר״ק עם ויז הוא בצר״י בבנין הקל וכן מצאנו ויז נצחם מבנין הקל ויפה דקדק.
2IS SPRINKLED. Rabbi Mosheh Ha-Kohen says that yizzeh (is sprinkled)51. is similar to the word yitteh52. (shall…bend) (Job 15:29).53 in the imperfect and is similarly vocalized. It is a kal. When the yod54 prefixed to the word in the imperfect. is vocalized with a pattach it is a hifil.55 or yatteh. The swallowed letter56. is a nun.57 of the root nun, zayin, heh is swallowed by the dagesh. Hence the word yizzeh. We similarly find the word va-yiz (and…was sprinkled) in and some of her blood was sprinkled (II Kings 9:33) vocalized with a chirik, and vayaz with a pattach.58 and the hifil in shortened forms. Va-yiz in place of va-yizzeh and va-yaz in place of va-yazzeh. However, the word natah (turned) is vocalized with a tzereh in the kal.59 imperfect. Compare, yet (stretched) in va-yet moshe et yado (and Moses stretched forth his hand) (Ex. 10:22). We similarly find ve-yez nitzcham (and their lifeblood is dashed) (Is. 63:3).60 can be vocalized with a chirik or a tzereh in the kal imperfect. He explained it very well.61. 38. The reading in the Mikra’ot Gedolot is very difficult to explain and is apparently corrupt (see Filwarg, Weiser, Meijler, Krinsky). It reads, “However, the word natah (turned) in natah mareh el ha-kir is vocalized with a chirik. We find it vocalized with a tzereh in the kal. Compare, ve-yez in ve-yez nitzcham (and their lifeblood is dashed) (Is. 63:3), wherein ve-yez is in the kal. He [Rabbi Mosheh HaKohan] explained it very well.” There is no verse that reads, natah marehah el ha-kir. The above can only be explained by emending the text. For a proposed emendation, see Meijler.
גובעבור שהחטאת קדש צוה השם לכבס המקום שנפל מדמה על הבגד במקום קדוש הוא חצר אהל מועד כי יש הפרש בין קדוש וטהור:
3The Lord commanded that the place where some of the blood of the sin offering fell on the garment be washed because the sin offering is holy. [IN A HOLY PLACE.] The reference is to the courtyard of the tent of meeting, for there is a difference between holy and clean.62
דאשר יזה עליה. יחסר מקום או. והטעם או אם יזה אחר עליה שהוא הבשר יכבס הבשר הכהן ואחר כך יאכלנו או פירושו המקום אשר יזה מהדם תכבס ויהיה בגד לשון נקבה וזכר וכמוהו אשר תשיג ידו ותי״ו תכבס לכהן:
4THAT WHEREON IT WAS SPRINKLED.63, literally (that is sprinkled upon it). The word “place” or the word “or” is missing.64) there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, that (asher) it is sprinkled upon it, you shall wash in a holy place. The aforementioned is repetitious and ambiguous. I.E. suggests two possible interpretations. One, our verse is to be interpreted: And when (asher) there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, or if one (asher) sprinkles upon it (the flesh of the sin offering), you shall wash it in a holy place. Two: And when (asher) there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, the place where (makom asher) something is sprinkled upon it (the garment), you shall wash in a holy place. It means: Or if someone shall sprinkle upon it, that is, upon the flesh, then the kohen shall wash the flesh and then eat it. On the other hand, its meaning might be, the place where the blood is sprinkled shall be washed. In this case the word beged (garment) is both masculine and feminine.65 (garment) is usually masculine. The word aleha (it) is feminine. Thus if “it” refers to beged (garment) then beged is also a feminine noun. The word yado (his hand) in even as his hand can afford (Lev. 14:31)66 is similar.67 is treated as both masculine and feminine. It is treated as feminine in Lev. 13:21, for the noun governing it (tasig) is in the feminine. However, it is treated as masculine in Ex. 17:12, where Scripture employs a masculine adjective to describe the hands of Moses. The tav68 of tekhabbes is a second person imperfect prefix. of tekhabbes (thou shalt wash) is directed to the kohen.69 in thou shalt wash is directed to the kohen.
אתבשל בו. גם בשלה ומורק ושוטף מבנין שלא נקרא שם פועלו ובא ומורק בחול״ם בעבור הרי״ש שלא תדגש כי אם במקומות מועטים במשקל לא זורק עליו מגזרת מרקו הרמחים כי המ״ם שרש:
1WHEREIN IT IS SODDEN. Bushalah (sodden), morak (scoured), and shuttaf (rinsed) are all pu’als. Morak is vocalized with a cholam70, as is the case in the pu’al. because of the resh which, except in a few places,71 records seven instances in Scripture when a dagesh is placed in the resh (Krinsky). does not receive a dagesh.72 is placed in the middle root letter in the pu’al. However, the resh does not receive a dagesh. Hence the vowel changes from a kubbutz to a cholam. Morak follows the paradigm of zorak (dashed)73. in was not dashed against him (Num. 19:13). Morak is related to the word mirku (furbish) in Furbish the spears (Jer. 46:4), for the mem of morak is a root letter.
אוטעם קדש קדשים הוא. עם כל זכר שאין ראוי לאכול החטאת שהקריבו ממנה והובא לכפר כי אם התמימים והזכר תמים מהנקבה ואפילו קטן יקרא זכר והזכר שהוא בן שלש עשרה שנה כאשר העתיקו אבותינו:
1[IT IS MOST HOLY.] Scripture states it is most holy with regard to every male74 because only the perfect may eat from a sin offering whose organs are offered and is brought for atonement for sins.75 with regard to all male kohanim in order to teach us that only the “perfect” may eat from the sin offering because it is most holy. Males are more perfect76 than females.77 Even a small child is called a male.78 A male who is thirteen years old [is considered an adult] as our fathers have transmitted.
אוכל חטאת אשר יובא מדמה וגו׳ לכפר בקדש. והנה מקום הפרכת יקרא קדש כי החצר ואם היא קדש כנגד אהל מועד חול והנה גם יקרא לפנים הפרכת קדש כנגד אהל מועד כמו בזאת יבא אהרן אל הקדש וזאת החטאת היא חטאת כהן הגדול או הקהל:
1AND NO SIN-OFFERING, WHEREOF ANY OF THE BLOOD IS BROUGHT INTO…THE HOLY PLACE. Note, the place of the “veil”79) separating the “holy” from the “most holy.” See Ex. 26:33. is called holy,80 for the courtyard,81 even though it is holy, is not holy in comparison to the tent of meeting.82 Observe, the inside of the curtain is called holy in comparison to the tent of meeting. Compare, Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place (Lev. 16:3).83 The sin offering spoken of in our verse is the sin offering of the kohen gadol or of the congregation.84 or of the congregation is brought into the tent of meeting. See Lev. 4:3-5; 13-16.