Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 10:15/רמב"ן על ויקרא י׳:ט״ו

אשׁוֹק הַתְּרוּמָה וַחֲזֵה הַתְּנוּפָה - לְשׁוֹן "אֲשֶׁר הוּנַף וַאֲשֶׁר הוּרָם" (שמות כט כז). תְּנוּפָה - מוֹלִיךְ וּמֵבִיא, תְּרוּמָה - מַעֲלֶה וּמוֹרִיד. וְלָמָּה חִלְּקָן הַכָּתוּב, תְּרוּמָה בַּשּׁוֹק וּתְנוּפָה בֶּחָזֶה לֹא יָדַעְנוּ, שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם בַּהֲרָמָה וַהֲנָפָה. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י':ט"ו). וְהַנִּרְאֶה אֵלַי בְּטַעַם זֶה, כִּי בַּמִּלּוּאִים הָיָה הַשּׁוֹק תְּרוּמָה לַה', וְהֻקְטַר עִם הַלֶּחֶם וְעִם הַחֲלָבִים. וְהַמּוּרָם מִן הַשְּׁלָמִים יִקָּרֵא תְּרוּמָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ז':י"ד): "וְהִקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ אֶחָד מִכָּל קָרְבָּן תְּרוּמָה לַה'". וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אֵלּוּ שֶׁהֶעֱלוּ אוֹתָם לַגָּבוֹהַּ, שֶׁהֵם כֻּלָּם תְּרוּמָה לַה'. וְלֹא יִקָּרֵא בְּשֵׁם תְּנוּפָה, כִּי תְּנוּפָתוֹ הָיְתָה עִם הַחֲלָבִים וְהַלֶּחֶם כְּדֵי לְהַקְטִירָם לַה'. אֲבָל הֶחָזֶה הוּנַף בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, וְלֹא הָיָה חָלוּק מִשְּׁאָר הַבָּשָׂר אֶלָּא בַּתְּנוּפָה, וּבִתְנוּפָה זוֹ בִּלְבַד נִתְקַדֵּשׁ וְזָכָה בּוֹ מֹשֶׁה לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְמָנָה. וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁזְּכוּת אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו בֶּחָזֵה וָשׁוֹק לְדוֹרוֹת הָיָה מִיּוֹם הַמִּלּוּאִים, וְזָכוּ בַּשּׁוֹק בִּתְרוּמָתוֹ לַה' וּבֶחָזֶה בִּתְנוּפָתוֹ, וּשְׁאָר הַבָּשָׂר לַבְּעָלִים, יִקָּרֵא לְעוֹלָם הַשּׁוֹק תְּרוּמָה וְהֶחָזֶה תְּנוּפָה, כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה בָּהֶם בְּיוֹם הַזְּכוּת.

1THE THIGH OF HEAVING AND THE BREAST OF WAVING. “This expression is similar to the verse, [the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering], which is waved, and which is heaved up.¹²⁶ ‘Waving’ is an expression for moving to and fro [in a horizontal direction]. ‘Heaving’ is an expression for moving up and down. But why Scripture divided them, mentioning ‘heaving’ in connection with the thigh and ‘waving’ in connection with the breast, I do not know, for both of them [required] waving and heaving.” Thus far is the language of Rashi.¹²⁷It appears to me that the reason for it is that during the [seven days of] consecration, the thigh was a heave-offering to G-d, being burned together with the bread and the fats,¹²⁸ and that which is set aside from a peace-offering [to be burnt on the altar] is called “a heave-offering,” just as it is said, And of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave-offering unto the Eternal,¹²⁹ and [it follows] all the more so that these parts [of the ram of consecration] offered on the altar, were all “a heave-offering unto the Eternal.” [Hence the expression “the thigh of heaving.”] It was not called by the term “waving,” for that movement [to and fro in a horizontal direction] was done to the thigh together with the fats and the bread so as to burn them unto the Eternal. The breast, however, was waved by itself, and was only different from the rest of the meat [which was to be eaten by the priests] in that it was waved, and it was through this waving alone that it became sanctified and that Moses acquired it as his portion.¹³⁰ [Moses] shalt take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before the Eternal; and it shall be thy portion. Now since the right of Aaron and his sons to the breast and thigh [of peace-offerings] in future generations was [derived] from the day of their consecration as priests, when they acquired the thigh through its being a heave-offering to G-d and the breast through its being waved, whilst the rest of the meat belonged to the owners, therefore the thigh was forever called [the thigh of] “heaving,” and the breast that of “waving,” as was done to them on the day of [the priests] acquiring their rights to them.

בעַל אִשֵּׁי הַחֲלָבִים - כְּמוֹ "עַל חֶלְבֵי הָאִשִּׁים". מִכָּאן שֶׁהַחֲלָבִים לְמַטָּה בִּשְׁעַת תְּנוּפָה. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י':ט"ו). וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ, כִּי "אִשֵּׁי" תֹּאַר לַחֲלָבִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (דברים יח א) "אִשֵּׁי ה' וְנַחֲלָתוֹ יֹאכֵלוּן". וּפֵרוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא טַעַם לְמָה שֶׁאָמַר (ויקרא י':י"ד) "כִּי חָקְךָ וְחָק בָּנֶיךָ נִתְּנוּ מִזִּבְחֵי שַׁלְמֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", וְאָמַר: שׁוֹק הַתְּרוּמָה וַחֲזֵה הַתְּנוּפָה עַל אִשֵּׁי הַחֲלָבִים יָבִיאוּ אוֹתָם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְהָנִיף תְּנוּפָה לִפְנֵי ה', שֶׁיִּהְיוּ קְדוֹשִׁים לְפָנָיו, וְיִהְיוּ לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ לְחָק עוֹלָם. כִּי הַצַּוָּאָה בַּתְּנוּפָה אֵין זֶה מְקוֹמָהּ, אֲבָל לְפִי דַּרְכֵּנוּ לָמַדְנוּ בָּהּ שֶׁהַחֲלָבִים לְמַטָּה בִּשְׁעַת תְּנוּפָה.

2AL ISHEI HACHALAVIM’ (UPON THE FIRE-OFFERINGS OF THE FAT). “This is like: ‘upon the fat of the fire-offerings.’¹³¹ From here we learn that at the time of waving the fat-portions were beneath.” This is the language of Rashi. But there is no need for it [i.e., to invert the verse, and to derive this law from the verse here]. For the word ishei (“fire-offerings of”) is an adjectival-noun qualifying the word chalavim (fats), just as He said, ‘ishei Hashem’ (the fire-offerings of the Eternal) and His inheritance they [the priests] shall eat.¹³² does not have its precise meaning of “the fires of,” since the priests do not eat that which has actually been on the fire upon the altar. The word ishei must therefore be taken as an adjectival-noun for all offerings, since most of them are put upon the fire. Consequently the fats are not called ishei because of the fire, and the expression in the verse need not be inverted. — Ramban now proceeds to comment on the second point that Rashi made, namely that from the verse here we learn that the fat-portions were at the bottom at the time of waving. The explanation of this verse is that it constitutes a reason for that which He said [in the preceding verse], for they [the offerings] are given as thy due, and thy sons’ due, out of the offerings of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel.¹³³ [With reference to this] He now said, The thigh of heaving and the breast of waving shall they — that is, the children of Israel, mentioned [in the previous verse] — bring upon the fire-offerings of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before the Eternal, that they [i.e., the thigh and the breast] be hallowed before Him, and they shall be thine and thy sons’ with thee, as a due forever. For this is not the place of the command concerning the waving,¹³⁴ but incidentally¹³⁵ we learn that at the time of waving the fats were beneath the others.