Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 18/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ח

אאת עון המקדש. שהוא מבית לפרכת והטעם אם לא תשמרוהו העון עליכם:

1THE INIQUITY OF THE SANCTUARY. Which is on the inside of the veil.¹ Its meaning is, if you do not guard the sanctuary the sin is upon you.

בוטעם ובית אביך. כי הם נושאי המקדש:

2[AND THY FATHERS’ HOUSE.] For they carried the sanctuary.²

גאת עון כהונתכם. אם לא תשמרו הכהונה העון עליכם:

3THE INIQUITY OF YOUR PRIESTHOOD. If you do not keep the laws of the priesthood, the sin is upon you.

אשבט אביך. הוא לוי וחז"ל פירשוהו כמשמעו ולפי דעתי מה שפירשתיו כאילו אמר מטה לוי שהוא שבט אביך:

1THE TRIBE OF THY FATHER. The reference is to Levi.³ is to be understood as the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your patriarch Levi. Our sages say that the tribe of thy father is to be taken at face value.⁴ However, I believe that it is to be explained in keeping with my earlier interpretation. Our verse is to be read as if written, the tribe of Levi which is the tribe of your father.⁵ is to be read as if written, matteh levi she-hu shevet avikha.

בוילוו. כמו ונספחו וכן ילוה אישי והנה הלוים נלוים בשמם:

2THAT THEY MAY BE JOINED. The meaning of ve-yillavu is similar to ve-nispechu (and they shall join) (Is. 14:1). So too the word yillaveh (be joined) in Now this time will my husband be joined (Gen. 29:34). Look, the Levites are joined by their names.⁶. Their name indicates that they have joined Aaron. Some editions read, ke-shemam. In this case I.E. reads: The Levites are joined [to Aaron] as their names [indicate].

גואתה ובניך אתך. תשבו לפני אהל מועד לבדכם ולא הלוים:

3THOU AND THY SONS WITH THEE. You and your sons, and not the Levites, shall abide before the tent of meeting.

אגם הם גם אתם. דרך המקרא כן כמו משל בנו גם אתה גם בנך והטעם כי זה כמו זה:

1NEITHER THEY, NOR YE.⁷ (literally, also they, also you). It is the way of Scripture to speak in this manner.⁸). Compare, Rule thou over us, also you, also thy son⁹ (Jud. 8:22). That means this one is like this one.¹⁰

אוטעם ונלוו עליך. שלא תצטרכו לזר שהוא ישראל:

1[AND THEY SHALL BE JOINED UNTO THEE.] So that you do not need the services of a stranger, namely, an Israelite.

אעבודת מתנה. והזר מהכהנים אפי' לוי ועולת שמואל שהוא לוי איננה טענה כי היא היתה הוראת שעה כמעשה גדעון:

1AS A SERVICE OF GIFT. And someone who is a common man in regard to the priesthood even if he be a Levite [shall be put to death]. The burnt offering of Samuel, who was a Levi, is no argument¹¹ may offer a burnt offering, for Samuel offered a burnt offering. See I Sam. 7:9. for it was a temporary ruling, as was the case of Gideon.¹²

אלמשחה. פירשתיו:

1FOR A CONSECRATED PORTION.¹³. I have already explained this.¹⁴ means for greatness.

אמקדש הקדשים. כי יש קדשים קלים:

1OF THE MOST HOLY THINGS. For there are offerings that have a lesser degree of sacredness.¹⁵

במן האש. כל מה שיקדישו ממנו כי אשה כמו אש והה"א נוסף:

2RESERVED FROM THE FIRE.¹⁶. Of all that they sanctify,¹⁷ for isheh (fire-offering)¹⁸ and esh (fire) mean the same,¹⁹ (esh) means reserved from the fire offerings. the heh of isheh being superfluous.

גלכל מנחתם. אחר אשר יקדיש האזכרה ממנה ואמורי החטאת והאשם:

3AND EVERY MEAL-OFFERING OF THEIRS. After they sanctify the memorial part thereof.²⁰. The latter refers to the portion of the meal offering offered on the altar. See Lev. 2:2. [AND EVERY SIN-OFFERING OF THEIRS, AND EVERY GUILT-OFFERING OF THEIRS.] After they offer the designated organs of the sin offering and the guilt offering.²¹ WHICH THEY MAY RENDER²² (literally, which they return).

דאשר ישיבו לי. פי' כי תמעול מעל והנה המנחה והחטאת ואשם קדש קדשים כנגד השלמים:

4UNTO ME. The reference is to a trespass.²³). See Lev. 5:15. Now the meal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering are holier than the peace offerings.²⁴), are mentioned in our verse, which speaks of the more holy sacrifices.

אבקדש הקדשים תאכלנו. אפי' בקדש הקדשים שהוא אהל מועד ונקרא קדש הקדשים כנגד חצר המשכן:

1IN A MOST HOLY PLACE SHALT THOU EAT THEREOF. Even in a most holy place, namely, in the tent of meeting shalt thou eat thereof. The tent of meeting is called a most holy place in contrast to the courtyard of the tabernacle.²⁵

אמתנם. בחסרון תי"ו כמו הולך (נ"א עובר) בשוק אצל פנה שהוא פנתה או הם שני משקלים:

1THEIR GIFT. A tav is missing in the word mattanam (their gift).²⁶. Thus the word for their gift should be mattanatam rather than mattanam. Mattanam is similar to the word pinnah (corner), which has the meaning of pinnatah (her corner) in Passing²⁷. Some texts have holekhat (going). However, Prov. 7:8 reads over. through the street near her corner (Prov. 7:8).²⁸ is analogous to mattanam in that it is a feminine noun, but it is connected to the pronominal suffix as if it were masculine. On the other hand, we may be dealing with two forms.²⁹ and mattnah). Mattanam is the word mattan plus the pronominal suffix.

אחלב יצהר. הנכבד והמוטב שהוא הקצף כי יצהר מענין צהור ושרשו צהר והוא חלב שמן זית:

1ALL THE BEST OF THE OIL. Chelev (the best) means the most precious, the best. The reference is to the cream of the oil,³⁰ for the word yitzhar (oil) means light.³¹. Others read nahor. Both mean light. Its root is tzadi, heh, resh.³² The reference is to the fat of the olive oil.

אבכורי כל אשר בארצם. בכורי כל פרי האדמה:

1THE FIRST-RIPE FRUITS OF ALL THAT IS IN THEIR LAND.³³ The first of all the fruits of the ground.

בוטעם כל טהור בביתך יאכלנו. להזהיר על אלה החלבים כי כל טהור בביתך יאכל אותו על חזה התנופה ועל שוק התרומה ומה שיחרים הישראלי שלא יאכלנו כי הוא לשם ואתה תאכלנו:

2[EVERY ONE THAT IS CLEAN IN THY HOUSE MAY EAT THEREOF.] This verse warns that only the clean in your house may eat of fat things³⁴ and of the breast of waving³⁵ and the thigh of heaving³⁶. and also everything dedicated³⁷ by an Israelite. The Israelite shall not eat of the latter, for it belongs to God. You [the kohen] may eat of it.

אאך פדה תפדה. פירוש תקח פדיונו וכן בכור הבהמה הטמאה תפדה:

1SHALT THOU SURELY REDEEM. You shall accept the redemption money of the first-born. You shall similarly accept the redemption of the first-born of the unclean beast.³⁸.

אופדויו. שב אל בכור האדם לבדו:

1AND THEIR REDEMPTION-MONEY. This only refers to the first-born of humans.³⁹

אלא תפדה כי קדש הם. לא תקח פדיונם ורבים פירשו שפדה לישראל והפך זה כל הבכור שאמר תאכלנו והסימן לכהן מי שהוא חייב לאכלו:

1THOU SHALT NOT REDEEM. For they are holy. You shall not accept their redemption money. Many say that the word redeem⁴⁰ refers to the Israelite. He shall not buy back the animal from the kohen. See Filwarg and Weiser. refers to the Israelites. However,⁴¹ the reverse is true for the word tokhelunu (thou shalt eat it) (Deut. 15:20), in which the prefix thou refers to the kohen, for Thou shalt eat it refers to the one who is obligated to eat it.

אברית מלח. ברית כרותה מגזירת ארץ פרי למלחה ומקום המלח כמו נכרת שלא יעלה בו צמח כלל וכן גפרית ומלח:

1COVENANT OF SALT. A “cut covenant.”⁴² The word melach (salt) is related to the word melechah (salt)⁴³ in A fruitful land turned into salt (Ps. 107:34). A salted place is said to be cut off, for nothing grows there. Compare, brimstone, and salt⁴⁴. (Deut. 29:22).

אחלף. כמו תמורה:

1IN RETURN. The word chelef means in return.

אולא יקרבו עוד. בעבור עדת קרח:

1AND HENCEFORTH…SHALL NOT COME NIGH. This⁴⁵ was written because of Korah’s assembly.

אועבד הלוי הוא. בעצמו ויש אומרים כי הוא פעול ואיננו נכון כי את עבודת אהל מועד הוא הפעול:

1BUT THE LEVITES ALONE SHALL DO THE SERVICE.⁴⁶) shall do the service of the tent of meeting. Hence the interpretations which follow. The word hu means himself. Others say that hu is the object.⁴⁷ as it. It maintains that But the Levites he (hu) shall do the service of the tent of meeting should be interpreted: But the Levites shall do the service of it (hu), namely, the tent of meeting (Weiser). Filwarg claims that hu refers to the kohen. In this case, But the Levites he (hu) shall do the service of the tent of meeting should be interpreted: But the Levites shall do the service of him (the kohen) and of the tent of meeting. However, this is incorrect, for the service of the tent of meeting is the object.⁴⁸ (shall do the service).

בוהם ישאו את עונם. אם לא ישמרו והנה המעשר נחלתם ע"כ אמרתי:

2AND THEY SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITY. If they do not keep the charge. Now, the tithe is their inheritance. I therefore stated: [and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance].

אוידבר ה' אל משה. ולא אל אהרן בעבור תתם מעשר מן המעשר לאהרן:

1AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING. To Moses, not to Aaron, for Scripture goes on to say that the Levites are to give a tithe to Aaron from the tithe [they received].⁴⁹

אוכמלאה. פירשתיו:

1AND AS THE FULNESS. I have already explained the meaning of the word mele’ah (fullness).⁵⁰ as referring to wine.

אמכל חלבו. מהטוב שבו וכן ואכלו את חלב הארץ:

1OF ALL THE BEST THEREOF.⁵¹). Hence I.E.’s explanation. The meaning of mi-kol chelbo is, of all the best thereof. And ye shall eat the fat (chelev) of the land (Gen. 45:18) is similar.⁵²

באת מקדשו. כי המעשר הוא הקדש:

2EVEN THE HALLOWED PART THEREOF. For the tenth part thereof is the holy part.⁵³ refers to its tithe.

אוטעם בהרימכם את חלבו. וכבר הזכיר הכתוב זה לדבק אחריו ואכלתם אותו והטעם שהוא אסור לכם לאכול ממנו עד שתרימו חלבו ממנו ואחר שיחשב לכם אז תאכלוהו בכל מקום טהור:

1[WHEN YE SET APART THE BEST THEREOF.] This has already been mentioned by Scripture.⁵⁴ It is repeated in order to connect it to that which follows. Its meaning is, you⁵⁵ are prohibited to eat of it⁵⁶ until you set apart the best thereof,⁵⁷ and afterwards it⁵⁸ shall be counted [as the grain of the threshing floor] and you⁵⁹ may eat it in every clean place.⁶⁰ as in every clean place. However, according to the halakha the Levite may eat the remaining tithe even in a cemetery. See Rashi.

אולא תשאו עליו חטא. טעמו כאשר תרימו לא תשאו עליו חטא ובתתכם מקדשו ממנו יהיו קדשי בני ישראל שמורים ואם לא תעשו כן תשאו חטא שעברתם על המצוה וחללתם קדשי בני ישראל בעבור שאכלתם אתם מקדשו:

1AND YE SHALL BEAR NO SIN BY REASON OF IT. This means when you set apart the best of it⁶¹ you shall bear no sin through it.⁶² Furthermore, when you give the hallowed part thereof,⁶³. the sacred donations of the children of Israel will be preserved.⁶⁴ However, if you do not offer to tithe, then you will bear a sin, for you will have trespassed the commandment and profaned the holy things of the children of Israel because you ate its holy part.