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Ramban on Deuteronomy 14:3/רמב"ן על דברים י״ד:ג׳

אלֹא תֹאכַל כָּל תּוֹעֵבָה, הִנֵּה רָצָה לְהוֹסִיף בֵּאוּר בַּמַּאֲכָלִים הָאֲסוּרִים, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר לֹא תֹאכַל כָּל תּוֹעֵבָה, לְהַגִּיד כִּי כָל הַנֶּאֱסָרִים נִתְעָבִים לַנֶּפֶשׁ הַטְּהוֹרָה. וְעִנְיַן כָּל תִּעוּב, שִׂנְאָה וּמֵאוּס, כְּעִנְיָן כִּי נִתְעַב דְּבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ (דהי"א כא ו), כָּל אֹכֶל תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁם (תהלים קז יח), כִּי הַמַּאֲכָלִים הָאֲסוּרִים גַּסִּים יוֹלִידוּ עֹבִי וַאֲטִימוּת בַּנֶּפֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְתִּי בִּמְקוֹמוֹ (שמות כב ל). וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר עוֹד (דברים י"ד:כ') כָּל עוֹף טָהוֹר תֹּאכֵלוּ, לְהַגִּיד כִּי אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָסַר נִתְעָבִים וְהַשְּׁאָר טְהוֹרִים וּרְאוּיִים לְנֶפֶשׁ טְהוֹרָה. וּבְסִפְרֵי אָמְרוּ, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר כָּל עוֹף טָהוֹר תֹּאכֵלוּ, אֵלּוּ חֲגָבִים טְהוֹרִים. וְכֹל שֶׁרֶץ הָעוֹף (דברים י"ד:י"ט), אֵלּוּ חֲגָבִים טְמֵאִים. וְיָפֶה אָמַר. וְהִנֵּה טַעַם הַכָּתוּב כִּי הִזְכִּיר לֶאֱסֹר כָּל שֶׁרֶץ הָעוֹף, וְהֵם הַהוֹלְכִים עַל אַרְבַּע, וְחָזַר וְאָמַר כָּל עוֹף טָהוֹר תֹּאכֵלוּ, לְהַתִּיר מֵהֶם אֲשֶׁר לוֹ כְרָעַיִם מִמַּעַל לְרַגְלָיו, הָאַרְבֶּה וְהַסָּלְעָם וְהַחַרְגּוֹל וְהֶחָגָב, וְלֹא הֻצְרַךְ לְפָרֵשׁ זֶה שֶׁכְּבָר הֻזְכַּר (ויקרא יא כא כב). אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר בִּכְלָל דֶּרֶךְ קְצָרָה כָּל עוֹף טָהוֹר תֹּאכֵלוּ, כְּלוֹמַר אֵלּוּ הַנִּזְכָּרִים מַאֲכָלִים נִתְעָבִים, וּשְׁאָר הָעוֹפוֹת לְמִינֵיהֶם לְמַרְבִּיתָם תֹּאכְלוּ מֵהֶם כָּל טָהוֹר, שֶׁלֹּא אֲסַרְתִּיו. וְהִנֵּה כָּלַל כָּל הַנֶּאֱסָרִים לָנוּ שֶׁהֵם כֻּלָּם תּוֹעֵבָה, וְלֹא הֻצְרַךְ לִפְרֹט אַחֲרֵי כֵן הַשְּׁרָצִים וְכָל הָרֶמֶשׂ, כִּי דָּבָר יָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁתְּתַעֵב אוֹתָם נֶפֶשׁ כָּל נְקִי דַּעַת. אֲבָל הִזְכִּיר סִימָנֵי הַבְּהֵמָה וְהַחַיָּה וְהַדָּגִים וְהָעוֹפוֹת וְהַנְּבֵלָה, לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ שֶׁגַּם הֵם מְתֹעָבִים לַנֶּפֶשׁ. וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר הַטְּרֵפָה, שֶׁאֵינֶנָּה תּוֹעֵבָה, אֲבָל נֶאֶסְרָה מִפְּנֵי הָאֶרֶס אוֹ הַחֹלִי הַמֵּמִית שֶׁלֹּא יַזִּיק בְּאוֹכְלָיו. וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ עוֹד מִדְרָשִׁים (חולין סג) לָמָּה נִשְׁנוּ, בַּבְּהֵמָה מִפְּנֵי הַשְּׁסוּעָה, וּבָעוֹפוֹת מִפְּנֵי הָרָאָה. וְעוֹד מִדְרָשׁ (ספרי צח קידושין נז) בְּכָל צִפּוֹר טְהֹרָה תֹּאכֵלוּ, לְהַתִּיר מְשֻׁלַּחַת שֶׁל מְצוֹרָע. וְזֶה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מֵהֶם, לֶאֱסֹר אֶת הַשְּׁחוּטָה. קִבְּלוּ כֵן לִרְמֹז בְּכָל צִפּוֹר טְהוֹרָה שֶׁהַצִּפּוֹר שֶׁלֹּא קִבְּלָה טֻמְאָה מֻתֶּרֶת, וְטֻמְאַת הַמְּצֹרָע לֹא תִּדְבַּק בַּחַיָּה, שֶׁאֵין בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבָעוֹף מְקַבְּלִים טֻמְאָה בְּנָגְעָם בְּמֵת אוֹ בְּשֶׁרֶץ. אֲבָל הַשְּׁחוּטָה שֶׁרְאוּיָה לְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה יִדְבַּק בָּהּ רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה הַפּוֹרַחַת מִן הַמְּצֹרָע, וְאֵינֶנָּה טְהוֹרָה, וְהִיא בִּכְלַל תּוֹעֵבָה כִּי אֲכִילָתָהּ נִתְעֶבֶת:

1THOU SHALT NOT EAT ANY ABOMINABLE THING. He wanted now to add an explanation [to the laws] pertaining to forbidden foods, and therefore he said, Thou shalt not eat an abominable thing, thus declaring that all things that are forbidden are abhorrent to the pure soul, for the meaning of every expression of “abomination” is “hatefulness and repugnance,” similar to, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab;²⁰¹ their soul abhorred all manner of food.²⁰² For forbidden foods that are coarse generate a thickness and obstruction in the soul, as I have explained in its place.²⁰³ Therefore he said further, Of all clean winged things ye may eat²⁰⁴ in order to declare that [only] those [foods] which He prohibited are “abominable,” and the rest are clean and fit for the pure soul. And in the Sifre the Rabbis have said:²⁰⁵ 103. “Rabbi Shimon says: Of all clean winged things ye may eat²⁰⁴ — these are the clean locusts; and all winged swarming things are unclean unto you²⁰⁶ these are the unclean locusts.” He has said well. Now this is the sense of these verses. He mentioned the prohibition of all winged swarming things, those that go upon all fours,²⁰⁷ and then he said Of all clean winged things ye may eat²⁰⁴ to permit those of them which have joined legs above their feet:²⁰⁸, Verse 21. the locust, the bald locust, the cricket, and the grasshopper.²⁰⁹, Verse 22. It was not necessary to explain this because it has already been stated.²⁰⁹, Verse 22. But he mentioned in general, briefly, Of all clean winged things ye may eat²⁰⁴ that is to say, all those that have been mentioned are abominable foods, and the rest of the fowls, according their species and multitudes, you may eat of them all clean things which I have not prohibited. Thus he included all things that are forbidden to us, for they are all abominable. It was not necessary afterwards to detail [here] the swarming things and all that creep upon the earth, for it is known that any pure-minded person abhors them completely. But he mentioned the signs of beasts and wild animals,²¹⁰ fish,²¹¹ fowl,²¹² and carcass [of an animal that died without being properly slaughtered]²¹³ in order to inform you that they, too, are abominable to the soul. He did not mention treifah²¹⁴ since it is not “abominable;” nevertheless, in order to prevent harm to those who would eat it, it is forbidden, because of its poison or mortal sickness. Our Rabbis have yet more interpretations on this section:²¹⁵ “Why were [these laws of forbidden foods] repeated here? In the case of beasts [the laws were restated] on account of hashesuah (the cleft one)²¹⁶ [which we are forbidden to eat, and is not mentioned in Leviticus], and in the case of birds the laws were restated because of the glede”²¹⁷ [which is not mentioned in Leviticus and is forbidden]. And there is yet another interpretation:²⁰⁵ 103. “Of all clean birds ye may eat²¹⁸ — this is intended to permit [as food] the bird that is set free [at the purification rite of] the leper;²¹⁹ But these are they of which ye shall not eat²²⁰ — this is intended to prohibit the bird that is slaughtered” [at the purification rite of the leper].²²¹ They [the Rabbis] received [this tradition that the expression] of ‘all’ clean birds²¹⁸ hints that the [living] bird, not contracting the impurity [of the leper], is permissible as food. The impurity of the leper does not attach to the living [bird] — for no living things among beast or fowl are susceptible to impurity when touching a corpse or dead creeping thing. But the slaughtered [bird], being susceptible to uncleanness, the spirit of impurity which leaves the leper, attaches thereto, and is [therefore] not clean. Thus it becomes one of the “abominable” things, because eating it is abhorrent.