Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 9:22/אבן עזרא על ויקרא ט׳:כ״ב
אוישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם. אל נכחם וקדמוננו העתיקו מכאן צורת נשיאות כפים:
1AND AARON LIFTED UP HIS HANDS TOWARD36 (literally, to). THE PEOPLE. Toward them.37 means towards the people. We have followed the reading in Vat. Ebr. 38. The Mikra’ot Gedolot editions of I.E. read, ra’a nikhecham. The word ra’a has not been explained. It appears to be a copyist’s error. See Filwarg and Weiser. From here our ancients transmitted to us the form taken by the “raising of the hands.”38 lift their hands when bestowing the priestly benediction. See Sotah 38a.
בוירד. כאשר הראיתיך רבים וכבר ירד מעשות חטאת העם ועולתם והשלמים:
2AND HE CAME DOWN. Va-yered (and he came down) is to be understood in accordance with what I have previously pointed out to you many times.39 often introduces the pluperfect. See I.E. on verse 6. It means that Aaron had already come down40 from offering the people’s sin offering, burnt offering, and peace offering.
גוטעם וירד. בעבור המזבח שהיה שלש אמות קומתו ואחר כן באו משה ואהרן אל אהל מועד ויתכן שבאו להתפלל על האש שתצא ובצאתם ברכו שניהם את העם:
3Scripture reads came down because the altar was three cubits in height.41 After this,42 Moses and Aaron came to the tent of meeting. It is likely that they came to pray that a fire would come forth. When they came out43 both of them blessed the people.