Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Numbers 9:7/אור החיים על במדבר ט׳:ז׳
אלָמָּה נִגָּרַע וְגוֹ׳. צָרִיךְ לָדַעַת טַעֲנַת הָאֲנָשִׁים בְּמַאֲמַר ״לָמָּה נִגָּרַע״, הֲלֹא טַעְמָם בְּפִיהֶם יַעֲנוּ ״אֲנַחְנוּ טְמֵאִים״, וּמַה מְבַקְשִׁים לִתֵּן לָהֶם תּוֹרָה חֲדָשָׁה. וְאוּלַי כִּי לְצַד שֶׁנִּטְמְאוּ בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, בֵּין לְמַאן דְּאָמַר טְמֵאֵי מֵת מִצְוָה בֵּין לְמַאן דְּאָמַר נוֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף, חָשְׁבוּ כִּי יָדִין ה׳ אוֹתָם כַּטְּהוֹרִים, וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁמָּצִינוּ (פסחים עז.) שֶׁיִּתְרַצֶּה ה׳ עֲשׂוֹת הַפֶּסַח בְּטוּמְאָה בְּצִבּוּר, לָזֶה טָעֲנוּ לָמָּה נִגָּרַע, וְכִי בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁעָשׂוּ מִצְוָה יִהְיוּ נִגְרָעִים מִקָּרְבַּן פֶּסַח? אוֹ יִרְצֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ לַפֶּסַח תַּשְׁלוּמִין כַּחֲגִיגָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ תַּשְׁלוּמִין כָּל שִׁבְעָה, שֶׁאָמְרוּ (חגיגה ט.) חוֹגֵג וְהוֹלֵךְ כָּל הָרֶגֶל, כְּמוֹ כֵן יְצַו ה׳ לָהֶם שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ פֶּסַח לְמָחָר, וְהוּא מַאֲמַר בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ שֶׁהוּא מוֹעֵד הַפֶּסַח.
1Why should we be diminished, etc.: One needs to know the claim of the people in their statement, "why should we be diminished." Is the reason not answered by their own mouths - "we are impure"? And what do they want given to them - a new Torah? And maybe it is from the angle that they became impure with His consent, may He be blessed. Whether according to the opinion that they became impure from a corpse requiring burial or whether according to the opinion that they carried the coffin of Yosef, they thought that God would judge them as if they were pure, and in the same way that we find (Pesachim 77a) that God accepts the Pesach offering of the community when it is impure. And for this [reason], they claimed, "why should we be diminished" - and just because they preformed a commandment, they should be diminished from the Pesach offering? Or they meant to say that they be able to make up for the Pesach offering, like with the festive (chagigah) offering, about which they said (Chagigah 9a), "celebrate (chagog) the holiday through the whole festival." So too, God should command them that they be able to make up for the Pesach offering the next day, and that is the [meaning of the] statement, in its time, which is the time of the Pesach offering. And maybe for this [reason], the [previous] verse was exact to say on that day: According to the opinion that says that it was the seventh (last) day of their impurity, the explanation is that for this reason did they come on that day - so that he would say to them to make it up on the next day. And in this way, we gain the explanation [of something else]: God said this commandment of Pesach Sheni (the second Passover) after these men asked - to say that even if they will be pure during the days of Pesach, like in our case; nonetheless, he does not make it up during the seven days of Pesach like the festive offering, but rather on the second (next) month. It also means by saying, why should we be diminished, etc.: that since it was the seventh day of their impurity, that they were claiming that their Pesach offerings could be slaughtered for them; in the [same] way as we slaughter, and sprinkle [from, the offering] of one impurified by creeping animals (sherets) - since they will become pure at night and they only have [remaining] impurity on that day. And that is the [meaning of the] statement, in its time. And the rabbis, of blessed memory, said other matters - 'and these and those are the words of the living God.'
בוְאוּלַי כִּי לָזֶה דִּקְדֵּק הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, פֵּרוּשׁ, לְדִבְרֵי הָאוֹמֵר יוֹם שְׁבִיעִי שֶׁל טֻמְאָתָם הָיָה, לָזֶה בָּאוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁיֹּאמַר לָהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ תַּשְׁלוּמִין לְמָחָר.
גוּלְדֶרֶךְ זֶה אָנוּ מַרְוִיחִים טַעַם שֶׁה׳ אָמַר מִצְוָה זוֹ שֶׁל פֶּסַח שֵׁנִי אַחַר שֶׁשָּׁאֲלוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵמָּה, לוֹמַר שֶׁהֲגַם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ טְהוֹרִים בְּתוֹךְ יְמֵי הַפֶּסַח כַּנִּדּוֹן שֶׁלְּפָנֵינוּ, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אֵין לוֹ תַּשְׁלוּמִין לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ בְּשִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַפֶּסַח כַּחֲגִיגָה אֶלָּא בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי.
דעוֹד יִרְצֶה אָמְרוֹ לָמָּה נִגָּרַע, פֵּרוּשׁ: כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיָה יוֹם שְׁבִיעִי לְטֻמְאָתָם, טוֹעֲנִים שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לִשְׁחוֹט עֲלֵיהֶם פִּסְחֵיהֶם כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁשּׁוֹחֲטִין וְזוֹרְקִין עַל טְמֵא שֶׁרֶץ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵם נִטְהָרִים לָעֶרֶב וְאֵין לָהֶם טֻמְאָה אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, וְהוּא מַאֲמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה אָמְרוּ עִנְיָנִים אֲחֵרִים, וְאֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים.