Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 18:3/רמב"ן על דברים י״ח:ג׳
אוְזֶה יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַכֹּהֲנִים, זוֹ מִצְוָה מְחֻדֶּשֶׁת, לֹא נִזְכְּרָה בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי בַּמִּדְבָּר שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ זוֹבְחִים שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה רַק שְׁלָמִים, לֹא הִזְכִּירָהּ לָהֶם, שֶׁאֵינָהּ נוֹהֶגֶת בַּמֻּקְדָּשִׁים, וְעַתָּה כְּשֶׁבָּאוּ לִכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ חִדְּשָׁהּ לָהֶם. וְזֶה טַעַם מֵאֵת זֹבְחֵי הַזֶּבַח, כְּלוֹמַר כַּאֲשֶׁר יִזְבְּחוּ הַזֶּבַח שֶׁהִתַּרְתִּי לָכֶם (דברים י"ב:כ"א), וְזָבַחְתָּ מִבְּקָרְךָ וּמִצֹּאנְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ. וְהִנֵּה לֹא נָתַן אוֹתָהּ לְאַהֲרֹן בְּפָרָשַׁת וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַהֲרֹן (במדבר יח ח), אע"פ שֶׁנָּתַן לוֹ שָׁם הַתְּרוּמוֹת וְהַבִּכּוּרִים שֶׁאֵינָם נוֹהֲגִים אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ, וְהַטַּעַם כִּי שָׁם הִזְכִּיר כָּל אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לוֹ בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, כִּי גַּם הַחֵרֶם קֹדֶשׁ הוּא, אֲבָל הַזְּרוֹעַ וְהַלְּחָיַיִם וְהַקֵּבָה וְרֵאשִׁית הַגֵּז הֵן חֻלִּין גְּמוּרִין, אֵין בָּהֶם זוּלָתִי מִצְוַת הַמַּתָּנָה. וְכֵן לֹא הִזְכִּיר שָׁם גֶּזֶל הַגֵּר. וְעַל מִדְרַשׁ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ כֻּלָּם נִרְמָזוֹת שָׁם: רֵאשִׁיתָם, זוֹ רֵאשִׁית הַגֵּז; אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנוּ, זוֹ הַזְּרוֹעַ וְהַלְּחָיַיִם וְהַקֵּבָה; לַה', זוֹ חַלָּה; בְּסִפְרֵי (קרח קיז). אִם כֵּן גַּם זוֹ מִצְוָה מְבֹאֶרֶת. וְעַל סְמַךְ הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (חולין קלד), זְרוֹעַ תַּחַת וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ (במדבר כה ז), לְחָיַיִם תַּחַת תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קו ל) וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל וְגוֹ', הַקֵּבָה תַּחַת הָאִשָּׁה אֶל קֳבָתָהּ (במדבר כה ח), נִרְמְזוּ שָׁם עַל הַזְּכוּת שֶׁעָתִיד לִהְיוֹת, וְזִכָּה לְכָל הַשֵּׁבֶט בִּזְכוּת פִּנְחָס כַּאֲשֶׁר זִכָּה לְפִנְחָס לִהְיוֹת כֹּהֵן עִמָּהֶם. וְהָרַב אָמַר בְּמוֹרֶה הַנְּבֻכִים (ג לט) כִּי הַלְּחָיַיִם בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתָם רֵאשִׁית לַגּוּף, וְהַזְּרוֹעַ בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתוֹ רֵאשִׁית הָאֵבָרִים הַמִּשְׂתָּרְגִים בַּגּוּף, וְהַקֵּבָה רֵאשִׁית הַמֵּעַיִם, כִּי הָרֵאשִׁית בְּכֻלָּם יִנָּתְנוּ לִמְשָׁרְתֵי עֶלְיוֹן לִכְבוֹדוֹ:
1AND THIS SHALL BE THE PRIESTS’ DUE FROM THE PEOPLE. This is a new commandment not mentioned in [the preceding books of] the Torah, for, in the wilderness where they did not slaughter oxen or sheep except as peace-offerings, He did not mention it because it does not apply to consecrated animals. Now, as they were about to enter the Land, he declared it to them for the first time. This is the sense of the expression [And this shall be the priests’ due from the people] from them that slaughter the animal. That is to say, when they will slaughter an animal as I have permitted you, [as it is said], then thou mayest slaughter of thy herd and of thy flock as I have commanded thee, and thou mayest eat in thy gates138 [you shall give the priest his due the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw]. He did not allocate this [gift of the shoulder, cheeks, and maw] to Aaron in the section, And the Eternal said unto Aaron139 [wherein the other priestly gifts are enumerated], although there He assigned the heave-offerings and the first-fruits [despite the fact that they, like the gifts in the verse before us] apply only in the Land. The reason [for mentioning them there] is that there He stated all things that He gave the priests in sacred matters, for even things “devoted” are holy.140, Verse 14. See Leviticus 27:28. But the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw, and the first of the fleece141 [mentioned here] are completely unconsecrated, since there are no special laws regarding them aside from the commandment of giving them to the priest. Similarly He did not mention there [in the chapter of the priestly gifts] the law of property wrongfully taken from a proselyte [which reverts to the priests142 if the proselyte died without leaving an heir, and the reason this law is not mentioned in the chapter of the priestly gifts is, as explained concerning the gift in the verse before us, that the reverted property of the proselyte is not sacred].But according to the interpretation of our Rabbis, all [of the twenty-four priestly gifts] are alluded to there [in the section, And the Eternal said unto Aaron].139 Thus they have said:143 117. “The first part of them144 — this refers to the first of the fleece. Which they give144 — this refers to the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.145 Unto the Eternal144 — this refers to the dough-offering.”146 (ibid., 15:19). If so, this also is an explanatory commandment [and not a new one].Based on a Midrash [a homiletic explanation] the Sages have said147 [that the shoulder, cheeks, and maw were awarded to the priests in the merit of the deed of Phinehas]: “The shoulder because he took a spear in his hand;148 the two cheeks because of his prayer, as it is said, Then stood up Phinehas and prayed etc.;149 the maw because of what it states, and he thrust both of them through etc. and the woman through her body.”150 Now, [if we are to say that this priestly gift had already been suggested in the section containing G-d’s words to Aaron, which occurred long before the story of Phinehas, we must say] on the basis of this Midrash that the merit that was destined [to be Phinehas’] was alluded to [in that section], and [G-d] rewarded the entire tribe for the merit of Phinehas’ when he [Phinehas] earned the privilege of being a priest with them.And the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] said in the Moreh Nebuchim151 that the cheeks [are given to the priests] because they are the first part of the body [of the animal], the shoulder is the first of the extremities of the body, and the maw is the first of the inwards, for the first of them all is given to the ministers of the Most High in His honor.