Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 19/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ט

אזאת חקת. גם זאת הפרשה במדבר סיני נאמרה כאשר צוה השם וישלחו מן המחנה ובפסח היו טמאי מתים. ונסמכה זאת הפרשה בעבור שהיא לכהן:

1THIS IS THE STATUTE. This chapter was also¹ stated at Sinai. It was given when God commanded that they put out of the camp…whosoever is unclean by the dead (Num. 5:2). There were also people who were unclean by coming into contact with a dead body when Passover² arrived (Num. 9:6). This chapter is placed here³ because it relates to the kohen.⁴ played a major role in the ritual of the red heifer.

בפרה אדמה תמימה. שלא תהיה קטנה. אמר הגאון כי מי נדה כמו הדבש שיזיק לבעל המרה האדומה ויועיל לבעל הלחה ואין צורך:

2A RED HEIFER, FAULTLESS. The heifer is not to be small.⁵ (cow), not of an eglah (heifer). The Gaon⁶ says that the water of sprinkling (v. 13)⁷ is similar to honey, which is injurious to the one who has red bile⁸ but stimulates the one who has phlegm.⁹ However, there is no need for this interpretation.

אוהוציא אותה. המוציא או בצווי וכן ושחט כי הוא לא ישחטנה והעד לפניו:

1AND SHE SHALL BE BROUGHT FORTH. Someone shall bring her forth.¹⁰ is: and he shall bring her forth. However, since Eleazar did not actually slaughter the cow, I.E. believes that he did not bring it out. Hence his comment. Or it means he shall have her brought forth by his command.¹¹ The same applies to ve-shachat (and she shall be slain),¹² for Eleazar did not slaughter the heifer. The word le-fanav (before his face) proves the latter.¹³

אושרף את הפרה. השורף והעד לעיניו:

1AND THE HEIFER SHALL BE BURNT IN HIS SIGHT. Ve-saraf et ha-parah (and the heifer shall be burnt)¹⁴ is: and he shall burn the cow. is to be rendered, and someone shall burn the heifer. The term le’enav (in his sight)¹⁵ proves the latter interpretation.

אעץ ארז. כמו למצורע ושם רמזתי סוד:

1CEDAR-WOOD. As in the case of a leper.¹⁶ I have hinted there at some secret.¹⁷

אוכבס בגדיו. הכהן השורף:

1THEN THE PRIEST SHALL WASH HIS CLOTHES. The kohen who burns it.¹⁸, the reference is to the cow. However, in view of the fact that the latter is stated in the next verse, some say that the reference is to the cedar. See Filwarg and Krinsky.

בוטמא הכהן. וכבר ישב טמא ויש אומרי' שיהיה טמא עד הערב שלא יאכל מן הקדשים:

2AND THE PRIEST SHALL BE UNCLEAN. The meaning of ve-tame ha-kohen (and the priest shall be unclean) is, and the kohen has already been unclean,¹⁹ has been made unclean by performing the ritual. According to this interpretation the vav prefixed to ve-tame means “and.” Hence the meaning of ve-tame ha-kohen is: and the kohen was unclean. or, as some say, the kohen shall be unclean.²⁰ is a future form meaning: and he shall be unclean. The vav is a conversive vav. Until the even refers to the eating of sacred food.

אאיש טהור. איננו הכהן השורף:

1A MAN THAT IS CLEAN. The reference is not to the kohen who burns the cow.²¹ does this (Krinsky). According to the Sifre on this verse, any clean person, even if not a kohen, may gather the ashes of the red cow. However, I.E. seems to believe that this task was assigned to a kohen.

בלמי נדה. פירושו רחוק כמו מנדיכם:

2A WATER OF SPRINKLING. The meaning of niddah (sprinkling) is distance.²² (water of sprinkling) means the water of the distant, i.e., the water to be used to purify the distant. Compare, me-naddekhem²³ comes from the same root as niddah. When one hates another person, he keeps his distance from him. (that hate you) (Is. 66:5).

אוטמא עד הערב. ואחר שאמר שיכבס את בגדיו אין צורך להזכיר שירחץ במים:

1AND BE UNCLEAN UNTIL THE EVEN. Once Scripture states that the gatherer of the ashes shall wash his clothes there is no need to mention that he shall wash in water.²⁴

בולגר הגר בתוכם. בעבור היות ארץ ישראל קדושה כי הכבוד שם:

2AND UNTO THE STRANGER THAT SOJOURNETH AMONG THEM. For the Land of Israel is holy because God’s glory is there.²⁵

אלכל נפש אדם. יהודי או עובד כוכבים:

1EVEN ANY MAN’S DEAD BODY. Be it the body of a Jew or a non-Jew.

באדם. ולא בהמה:

2MAN’S…BODY. Not the body of an animal.

גוטמא. יהיה טמא והוא פועל עתיד כי הוי"ו השיבו ועל דעתי שהוא פועל עבר:

3SHALL BE UNCLEAN. The meaning of ve-tame is, shall be unclean. It is a future form, for the vav changes the verb²⁶, a third person perfect. from a perfect to an imperfect. However, I believe that ve-tame is in the past tense.²⁷ being conjunctive. Thus the meaning of ve-tame is: and he was unclean. The import of our verse thus is: and after being unclean for seven days he shall purify himself. See I.E. on verse 7 and the notes thereto.

איתחטא בו. יסור חטאו בו או כמו תחטאני באזוב ואטהר וידוע כי בסוד החשבון השלישי כמו השביעי:

1THE SAME SHALL PURIFY HIMSELF THEREWITH. The meaning of hu yitchate vo (the same shall purify himself therewith) is, he shall remove his sin therewith.²⁸ means sin. Hence I.E.’s interpretation. On the other hand, the word yitchate (shall purify himself) is similar to the word techatteni (purge me) in Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Ps. 51:9).²⁹ means purify. Those who are acquainted with the secret of numbers know that the number three is like the number seven.³⁰

אכי מי נדה. יש מפרשים כמו אך במי נדה יתחטא:

1BECAUSE THE WATER OF SPRINKLING. Some say that that me niddah (the water of sprinkling) has the same meaning as me niddah (water of sprinkling) in it shall be purified with the water of sprinkling (Num. 31:23).³¹

בלא זורק עליו. על המים:

2WAS NOT DASHED. The word zorak (dashed) refers to the water.³² is singular and me (water of) is plural.

געוד. תמיד כמו עוד כל ימי הארץ:

3IS YET. The word od (is yet) means continuously.³³ Compare, od (while) in While the earth remaineth (Gen. 8:22).

אבאהל. והבית כאהל רק הזכיר הכתוב האהל בעבור היות ישראל באהלים וכן אשר ישחט שור או כשב ועז במחנה:

1IN A TENT. A house has the same law as a tent. Scripture mentions a tent because Israel then lived in tents. That killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp (Lev. 17:3) is similar.³⁴

בוכל אשר באהל. מבגד:

2AND EVERY THING THAT IS IN THE TENT. Garments.³⁵

אצמיד פתיל. שנים פתילים:

1COVERING CLOSE-BOUND. Two coverings.³⁶ (close bound). According to I.E. each one of these terms refers to a covering. The tzamid goes over the opening, while the petil goes round about the above covering and the rim of the utensil (Krinsky). Others claim that I.E. believes that the cover is made of two parts. See Krinsky, Filwarg, and Weiser.

אאו בקבר. של אדם:

1OR A GRAVE. Of a human being.

או. לקחו לטמא. הנה פירוש איך יתחטא:

1AND FOR THE UNCLEAN THEY SHALL TAKE. See, Scripture explains how one who comes into contact with the dead shall purge himself.³⁷. However, it did not describe the procedure. Now it does.

אאיש טהור. והקרוב להיותו כהן:

1A CLEAN PERSON. The reference is most probably to a kohen.³⁸ are acquainted with the laws of purification.

אואיש אשר יטמא. וכבר הזכיר כל הנוגע במת בנפש ונכרתה ועתה הזהיר על העצם ועל הקבר:

1BUT THE MAN THAT SHALL BE UNCLEAN. Scripture has already mentioned, Whosoever toucheth the dead…that soul shall be cut off from Israel (v. 13). It now warns the one who touches a bone or a grave [not to defile the sanctuary].

איטמא עד הערב. ולא יטהר עד אשר ירחץ:

1SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL EVEN. And shall not become clean until he washes.

אוכל אשר יגע בו הטמא יטמא. שהוא טמא מת או עצם או קבר:

1AND WHATSOEVER THE UNCLEAN PERSON TOUCHETH SHALL BE UNCLEAN. The reference is to one who has become unclean by touching a dead body, a bone, or a grave.

בתטמא עד הערב. ותרחץ:

2SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL EVEN. And washes.³⁹