Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 1:6/רמב"ן על ויקרא א׳:ו׳
אוְהִפְשִׁיט אֶת הָעוֹלָה מִצְוָה שֶׁיַּפְשִׁיטֶנָּה כֻּלָּהּ וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן יְנַתַּח אוֹתָהּ. וְאָמַר "וְהִפְשִׁיט וְנִתַּח" כִּי בְּבַעַל הַקָּרְבָּן יְדַבֵּר, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר (ויקרא א':ד') "וְסָמַךְ וְשָׁחַט", כִּי הַהֶפְשֵׁט וְהַנִּתּוּחַ אֵינָן עֲבוֹדוֹת וּכְשֵׁרוֹת בְּזָר, וּלְכָךְ חָזַר אַחַר כָּךְ וְאָמַר "וְנָתְנוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן" (ויקרא א':ז'). וְכֵן רְחִיצַת הַקְּרָבַיִם כְּשֵׁרָה בְּזָר, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר "וְקִרְבּוֹ וּכְרָעָיו יִרְחַץ בַּמָּיִם" (ויקרא א':ט') בַּעַל הַקָּרְבָּן, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן "וְהִקְטִיר הַכֹּהֵן". וְאָמַר לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים "וְנָתְנוּ" "וְעָרְכוּ" כִּי בְּכָל מִצְוֹת הַכְּהֻנָּה יֹאמַר כֵּן, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים רַבִּים יֵאָסְפוּ בְּבֵית הַשֵּׁם לַעֲשׂוֹת הָעוֹלָה, וּבְרָב עָם הַדְרַת מֶלֶךְ (משלי יד כח), אֲבָל אֵינֶנּוּ עִכּוּב, שֶׁהֲרֵי לִמֵּד לְמַטָּה (ויקרא א':י"ב) "וְעָרַךְ הַכֹּהֵן אֹתָם":
1AND HE SHALL FLAY THE BURNT-OFFERING. He is commanded to flay it while it is whole and afterwards he sever it. The expression and he shall flay … and he shall sever refers to the owner of the offering [even if he is a non-priest], just as He said, and he shall lay his hand …88 and he shall slaughter89 [which may also be done by a zar — a non-priest], for flaying and severing are not functions relating to the actual offering and are therefore valid if done by a zar. This is why [in the following verse] He says again, And the sons of Aaron [the priest shall put fire upon the altar].90 Similarly, it is valid that the washing of the inwards be done by a zar. Hence He says, But its inwards and its legs he shall wash in water,91 that is, the owner of the offering, and afterwards, and the priest shall cause all to ascend in fumes.91 He states it in the plural, and they shall put …90 and they shall set the pieces,92 because all duties performed by the priests are commanded in this form, since there are many priests gathered in the House of G-d to attend to the burnt-offerings, and in the multitude of the people is the King’s glory,93 but it is not indispensable, since further on He taught, and the priest shall set them in order94 [thus showing that even a single priest may perform all the acts].95. It is thus clear that Ramban’s intention here is to exclude Ibn Ezra’s opinion, since it is not the accepted law.
בוְהִפְשִׁיט וְנִתַּח וְנָתְנוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֵשׁ אֵין זֶה הַסֵּדֶר, שֶׁהָרָאוּי שֶׁיַּעַרְכוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים הַמַּעֲרָכָה וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יְנַתְּחוּ הָעוֹלָה, וְכָךְ הָיָה סֵדֶר הַמַּעֲרָכָה בְּתָמִיד (יומא לג). וְכֵן מַה שֶׁאָמַר (ויקרא א':ח') "וְעָרְכוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֵת הַנְּתָחִים אֶת הָרֹאשׁ וְאֶת הַפָּדֶר עַל הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאֵשׁ" וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן "וְהַקֶּרֶב וְהַכְּרָעַיִם יִרְחַץ בַּמָּיִם" (ויקרא א':ט') אֵין הַצַּוָּאָה שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה כַּסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה, כִּי הָעֲרִיכָה הִיא הַקְטָרַת הַנְּתָחִים שֶׁצִּוָּה לְמַטָּה (ויקרא א':ט') "וְהִקְטִיר הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַכֹּל", וְאִם כֵּן אֵין הַסֵּדֶר שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה הַנְּתָחִים וְהָרֹאשׁ וְהַפֶּדֶר עַל הָאֵשׁ שֶׁבַּמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יִרְחַץ הַקֶּרֶב וְהַכְּרָעַיִם וְיַקְטִירֵם, אֲבָל תְּחִלָּה יְנַתַּח וְיִרְחַץ וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יַעֲלֶה הַכֹּל עַל הָאֵשׁ וְיַקְטִיר. אֲבָל עִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב שֶׁהִקְדִּים זְרִיקַת הַדָּם, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִיא קוֹדֶמֶת לְכָל דָּבָר, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן צִוָּה בְּהַקְטָרַת הָאֵבָרִים, וְאָמַר שֶׁיַּפְשִׁיט וִינַתַּח לְהַעֲרִיךְ אוֹתָם עַל הָאֵשׁ אַחֲרֵי רְחִיצַת הַקֶּרֶב וְהַכְּרָעַיִם, וְאָז יַקְטִיר הַכֹּל כְּאַחַת, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר "אֶת הַכֹּל". וְהַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁשָּׁנָה הַכָּתוּב בָּאֵבָרִים לוֹמַר "וְעָרְכוּ עֵצִים עַל הָאֵשׁ וְהִקְטִיר", לְלַמֵּד שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁיְּסַדְּרֵם עַל הָאֵשׁ לֹא יַנִּיחֵם עַד שֶׁיְּבַעֵר בָּהֶם הָאֵשׁ וְיֹאכַל אוֹתָם וְתַעֲלֶה מֵהֶם הַקְּטֹרֶת. וְכֵן מַה שֶׁהִקְדִּים הֶפְשֵׁט וְנִתּוּחַ לְמַעֲרֶכֶת הָאֵשׁ, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין בְּעוֹלַת הַנְּדָבָה חוֹבָה לְהַקְדִּים לָהּ מַעֲרָכָה כְּעוֹלַת הַתָּמִיד שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ (ויקרא ו':ה') "וּבִעֵר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עֵצִים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר", וְהִיא קוֹדֶמֶת לְכָל דְּבַר הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּמַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא (יומא ל"ג):
2AND HE SHALL FLAY … AND HE SHALL SEVER … AND THE SONS OF AARON THE PRIEST SHALL PUT FIRE UPON THE ALTAR.90 This is not the correct order of these actions, for the right way is that the priests should first put fire upon the altar, and only then should they sever the limbs. Such indeed was the order of the arrangement of the Daily Offering.96 Similarly, the verse stating, And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall set the pieces, the head and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire,92 and afterwards, But its inwards and its legs he shall wash in water91 — does not mean to command that it be done in that order, for “the setting” [mentioned in Verse 8] refers to “the burning” of the pieces which He commanded further on [in Verse 9]: and the priest shall cause all to ascend in fumes. If so, the correct order of performance cannot be that he should bring up the pieces, and the head and the fat, and set them upon the fire that is upon the altar, and only afterwards should he wash the inwards and the legs and burn them! Rather, he first severed it and washed it, and then he brought everything up and set them on the fire to be burnt. The reason [for the order] of the verses is thus as follows: First He mentioned the sprinkling of the blood89 in order to teach that this comes before everything else. Then He gave the commandment concerning the burning of the limbs, stating [in Verse 6 before us] that he should flay [the animal] and sever it in order to set the pieces upon the fire after washing the inwards and the legs, and then he should burn them all at one time, this being the sense of the expression and the priest shall cause ‘all’ to ascend in fumes.91 The reason why Scripture repeated [the commandment] concerning the limbs, stating, and they shall set them…upon the fire,92 and the priest shall cause all to ascend in fumes,97 [Verse 8] means the burning thereof, as explained above, the question appears why in Verse 9 it repeats the command concerning the limbs, and they shall set them upon the fire? is in order to teach us that after he arranges them upon the fire, he should not depart until the fire has taken hold of them and consumed them so that the fumes thereof ascend. Similarly, the reason why He preceded to mention the flaying and severing to that of making the fire, is in order to teach us that in a freewill burnt-offering [discussed in this section], there is no obligation to set the fire upon the altar before [these activities] as is the case with the Daily Offering, concerning which we were commanded, and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning,98 this being the first thing of all that was done in everything that pertaineth to the altar99 as far as the burning of the offering is concerned. as is explained in Tractate Yoma.96