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Ramban on Leviticus 11:24/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:כ״ד

אוּלְאֵלֶּה תִּטַּמָּאוּ - לְאֵלֶּה הָעֲתִידִין לְהֵאָמֵר לְמַטָּה בָּעִנְיָן תִּטַּמָּאוּ (רש"י כאן) (ת"כ). כָּאן לִמֶּדְךָ שֶׁנִּבְלַת בְּהֵמָה טְמֵאָה מְטַמְּאָה, וּבָעִנְיָן שֶׁבְּסוֹף הַפָּרָשָׁה (ויקרא י"א:ל"ט) פֵּרֵשׁ עַל בְּהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"א:כ"ו) (בפסוק כו). וְאִם כֵּן, לָמָּה חִלְּקָן הַכָּתוּב וְלָמָּה פֵּרַט בָּהֶם? הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר: "כָּל הַנּוֹגֵעַ בְּנִבְלַת בְּהֵמָה יִטְמָא עַד הָעֶרֶב, וְכָל הַנּוֹשֵׂא מִנִּבְלָתָהּ יְכַבֵּס בְּגָדָיו וְיִטְמָא עַד הָעֶרֶב". וְהַנָּכוֹן כִּי כָּאן הִזְכִּיר "בְּנִבְלָתָם" סְתָם וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בָּהֶם מִיתָה, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם שְׁחִיטָה, וְכָל הַנּוֹגֵעַ בָּהֶן בִּזְמַן שֶׁאֵינָם חַיִּים יִטְמָא. אֲבָל שָׁם אָמַר "וְכִי יָמוּת מִן הַבְּהֵמָה", לוֹמַר שֶׁאִם נִשְׁחֲטָה אֵינָהּ מְטַמְּאָה. וְעִנְיַן הַפָּרָשָׁה, הִזְכִּיר "וּלְאֵלֶּה תִּטַּמָּאוּ" לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵין בַּנִּזְכָּרִים בַּדָּגִים וּבָעוֹפוֹת וּבַחֲגָבִים הַטֻּמְאָה הַזּוֹ, רַק לְאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר, וְהֵם הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנָּה שׁוֹסַעַת שֶׁסַע וּמַעֲלַת גֵּרָה. וְאָמַר (בפסוק כו) "טְמֵאִים הֵם לָכֶם כָּל הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהֶם יִטְמָא" בַּטֻּמְאָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת. וְחָזַר וְאָמַר (בפסוקים כז-כח) שֶׁכָּל הוֹלֵךְ עַל כַּפָּיו בַּחַיָּה גַּם כֵּן יְטַמֵּא הַנֹּגֵעַ עַד הָעֶרֶב, וְהַנּוֹשֵׂא יוֹסִיף לְכַבֵּס בְּגָדָיו. וְכֵן "וְזֶה לָכֶם הַטָּמֵא בַּשֶּׁרֶץ" (ויקרא י"א:כ"ט) עַל הֶעָתִיד לְהַזְכִּיר. וְנִשְׁתַּבֵּשׁ רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם בְּכָאן. וְהִנֵּה לְמַעְלָה בְּעִנְיַן אִסּוּר הַמַּאֲכָל הִזְכִּיר הַבְּהֵמָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ שׁוֹסַעַת שֶׁסַע וּמַעֲלַת גֵּרָה, וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר הוֹלֵךְ עַל כַּפָּיו בַּחַיָּה. אוּלַי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֵין דֶּרֶךְ לְאָכְלָם לֹא פֵּרַט בָּהֶם, וְהִנִּיחָם בְּתוֹךְ הַכְּלָל שֶׁאָמַר (ויקרא י"א:ג') שֶׁנֹּאכַל הַבְּהֵמָה הַמַּפְרֶסֶת פַּרְסָה וְשֹׁסַעַת שֶׁסַע וּמַעֲלַת גֵּרָה וְלֹא אַחֶרֶת, וְחַיָּה בִּכְלַל בְּהֵמָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "זֹאת הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכֵלוּ, אַיָּל וּצְבִי וְיַחְמוּר" (דברים יד ד-ה). וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים בַּפָּרָשָׁה כֻּלָּהּ מִדְרָשִׁים. "לְכָל הַבְּהֵמָה טְמֵאִים הֵם לָכֶם" (ויקרא י"א:כ"ו) - בְּאֵבֶר מִן הַחַי (פרשה ד ב). "וְכֹל הוֹלֵךְ עַל כַּפָּיו" - בְּאֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת (פרק ו ו). כִּי יַאֲרִיךְ הַכָּתוּב וְיַזְכִּיר בָּהֶם טֻמְאוֹת רַבּוֹת, לִרְמֹז שֶׁיְּטַמְּאוּ כֻּלָּם וּמִקְצָתָם, בְּמִיתַת כָּל הַגּוּף וּבְמִיתַת הָאֵבֶר מִמֶּנּוּ כְּשֶׁיִּתָּלֵשׁ מִן הַגּוּף הַחַי:

1AND BY THESE YE SHALL BECOME UNCLEAN. “By these which are to be mentioned further on in the section, ye shall become unclean. Here²²⁵ Scripture teaches you that the carcass of an animal unfit for food conveys impurity, and in the subject at the end of the section²²⁶ it explains [the law] concerning the carcass of an animal fit for food.” This is Rashi’s language. But if so, [the question arises], why did Scripture divide them and why did it treat them singly,²²⁷ animals, were discussed in Verses 24-28 in detail, with separate verses for each category of these unclean animals, when one general statement could have covered all subjects? when it should rather have said [in one general statement], “whosoever touches the carcass of any animal shall be unclean until the evening, and whosoever carries any of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening?”The correct interpretation is that here Scripture mentioned the carcass of them without qualification and did not mention “death” in connection with them, thus teaching that [the law of] ritual slaughtering [required to render animals fit for food] does not apply to them [the unclean animals mentioned here], and whoever touches them when they are no longer alive [whether they died by themselves or even if they were ritually slaughtered], becomes impure. But further on it states, And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die,²²⁸ thus teaching that if it [an animal fit for food] was ritually slaughtered, it does not convey impurity [to a person who touches it]. Now the meaning of the section in mentioning [here]: And by these ye shall become unclean, is to state that all things referred to above — namely, fishes, fowls, and grasshoppers — do not have this [law of] impurity, but only those which He is about to mention further on, these being Every beast … which is not cloven-footed, nor cheweth the cud.²²⁹ It is with reference to these that He states, they are unclean to you; every one that toucheth them shall be unclean²²⁹ with the uncleanness mentioned [in the preceding Verses 24-25: whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even. And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even]. Then He continues by stating that any beast which walks upon its paws shall also convey impurity until the evening to a person who touches its carcass, and that a person who carries it shall, in addition, wash his clothes.²³⁰ Similarly, And these are they which are unclean unto you among the swarming things²³¹ means among those which are to be mentioned further on.²³² etc. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra erred here.²³³ (in Verse 24 before us) as referring to sheretz ha’oph (winged creeping things) and also to the fowls unfit for food as mentioned above in Scripture. But this is a mistake, since no impurity is conveyed by a fowl unfit for food, nor by a winged creeping thing unfit for food.Now above, in stating the prohibition of eating [an animal prohibited as food], Scripture mentioned those animals which are not cloven-footed and do not chew the cud, but it did not mention [the law] of beasts that walk upon their paws. Perhaps it is because it is not customary to eat them [on account of the danger involved in catching them] that He did not single them out, but left them [to be] included in the general principle which He had stated, that we should eat only the animal that parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, and not others, and chayah (beast) is included in the term beheimah (animal) as it is said, These are ‘ha’beheimah’ (the animals) which ye may eat … the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck.²³⁴ and goes on to enumerate chayah (beasts). Our Rabbis in the Torath Kohanim have interpretations on this whole section. [Thus they explain the expression], Every beast [which parteth the hoof, but is not cloven-footed …] is unclean to you,²²⁹ to include a limb cut off from a living animal [in the law of conveying impurity].²³⁵ 6:6. And whatsoever goeth upon its paws,²³⁰ to include a limb cut off from a dead animal [in the law of conveying impurity]. For Scripture speaks at length and mentions many expressions of impurity in order to allude [to the law] that they convey impurity in whole or in part, either through the death of the whole body or through the death of one of its limbs, as when it was cut off from a living body.

בוְטַעַם יִטְמָא עַד הָעָרֶב בְּכָל הַפָּרָשָׁה, כִּי בָּעֶרֶב יִטְהַר אִם רָחַץ בְּשָׂרוֹ בַּמָּיִם. אֲבָל קִצֵּר בָּרְחִיצָה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִזְכִּיר (ויקרא י"א:כ"ה) כִּבּוּס בִּגְדֵי הַנּוֹשֵׂא שֶׁהוּא הַטְּבִילָה, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיִּרְחַץ גּוּפוֹ. וּכְשֶׁהִשְׁלִים לְהַזְכִּיר כָּל הַטֻּמְאוֹת בִּנְבֵלוֹת וּבִשְׁרָצִים, הִזְכִּיר הַטְּבִילָה בַּכֵּלִים: "בַּמַּיִם יוּבָא וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב וְטָהֵר" (ויקרא י"א:ל"ב), וְהוּא הַדִּין לָאָדָם כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ נִלְמוֹד. וּבְפָרָשָׁה אַחֶרֶת (ויקרא י"ז:ט"ו) פֵּרֵשׁ: "וְכָל נֶפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל נְבֵלָה וּטְרֵפָה בָּאֶזְרָח וּבַגֵּר וְכִבֶּס בְּגָדָיו וְרָחַץ בַּמַּיִם וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב", וְהִזְכִּיר גַּם הָעֹנֶשׁ: "וְאִם לֹא יְכַבֵּס וּבְשָׂרוֹ לֹא יִרְחָץ וְנָשָׂא עֲוֹנוֹ" (שם פסוק טז). וְהוּא כְּלָל לְכָל טֻמְאַת הַנְּבֵלוֹת, וּמִמֶּנּוּ נִלְמוֹד לַשְּׁרָצִים. וּכְבָר הֻזְכְּרָה כָּאן הָרְחִיצָה בַּשְּׁרָצִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי. וְהֶחְמִיר הַכָּתוּב בַּמַּשָּׂא יוֹתֵר מִן הַמַּגָּע בְּכִבּוּס הַבְּגָדִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַנּוֹגְעִים לִיגַּע בְּיָדוֹ בְּנַחַת, אֲבָל הַנּוֹשֵׂא אוֹתָם דֶּרֶךְ מַשָּׂא שֶׁיִּכְבַּד עָלָיו, וּבְגָדָיו יְסַיְּעוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּרֹב פְּעָמִים.

2HE SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL THE EVEN. The meaning of this expression in the whole section is that at night he becomes pure, if he had bathed his flesh in water [before sundown]. Scripture, however, speaks briefly [and therefore omitted] the bathing of the body, because it mentioned the washing of clothes of the one who carries anything unclean,²³⁶ which means their immersion [in a ritual pool], and it follows all the more so that he must bathe his body. Then when Scripture finished mentioning all the impurities [conveyed by] carcasses and [dead] creeping things, it mentioned immersion [for those vessels which became impure through touching them]: it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean,²³⁷ the same law applying to man, for it is from here that the principle is derived. In another section He explained, And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even,²³⁸ and He mentioned also the punishment for the violation thereof, But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.²³⁹, Verse 16. I.e., if he ate holy food or entered the Sanctuary in an impure state. This is a general principle of all impurities [conveyed by] carrion, and from it the law is derived for [impurities conveyed by] creeping things. The matter of bathing [in the case of impurity conveyed by] creeping things has already been mentioned here, as I have written. Now Scripture was more severe in the case of a person who carries an impure object than in the case of a person who touches it, in requiring the bearer to wash his clothes, [but not one who only touches it], because it is natural that a person who touches does so with his hand lightly, while he who carries as a burden [does so in such a way] that it presses upon him, and in the majority of cases his clothes help him [in carrying].