Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 11:32/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:ל״ב

אוְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִפֹּל עָלָיו מֵהֶם בְּמֹתָם יִטְמָא מִכָּל כְּלִי עֵץ - הַקָּרוֹב אֵלַי בָּזֶה כִּי "מֵהֶם בְּמֹתָם" יִרְמֹז לְכָל הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְמַעְלָה בִּבְהֵמָה טְמֵאָה וְשֶׁרֶץ וְחַיָּה, כִּי לָמָּה יַזְכִּיר טֻמְאַת הַכֵּלִים וְהַבְּגָדִים בַּשְּׁרָצִים בְּיִחוּד וְהִיא נוֹהֶגֶת גַּם בַּנְּבֵלוֹת? וְכֵן כָּל הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר בְּהֶכְשֵׁר הָאֳכָלִין כֻּלָּן שָׁוִין בְּכָל הַטֻּמְאוֹת, וּבִכְלָלָן דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב. וְאַל יִקְשֶׁה עָלֶיךָ הֱיוֹת "בָּהֶם בְּמֹתָם" שֶׁבַּכָּתוּב הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּשְּׁרָצִים וּ"מֵהֶם בְּמוֹתָם" בַּכָּתוּב הַשֵּׁנִי בְּכֻלָּן, כִּי כֵן בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים. וְיִתָּכֵן לוֹמַר שֶׁהִמְתִּין הַכָּתוּב עַד שֶׁהִזְכִּיר כָּל הַטְּמֵאִים בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבַחַיָּה וּבַשְּׁרָצִים, וְאַחַר כָּךְ בַּסּוֹף הִזְכִּיר הַטֻּמְאָה בַּכֵּלִים בָּאֶחָד אֲשֶׁר יַשְׁלִים בּוֹ לִלְמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ לְכָל הָאֲחֵרִים, כִּי דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (חגיגה יא) שֶׁיִּהְיֶה "מֵהֶם בְּמוֹתָם" בַּשְּׁרָצִים, וּמִמֶּנּוּ יִלְמְדוּ עַל הַשֶּׁרֶץ שֶׁהוּא מְטַמֵּא בְּכַעֲדָשָׁה. וְכֵן נָהַג הַכָּתוּב בַּטְּבִילָה שֶׁהִזְכִּיר (בפסוק זה) בְּסוֹף כָּל הַטֻּמְאוֹת טֻמְאַת הַכֵּלִים וּטְבִילָתָן, וּמִמֶּנּוּ נִלְמֹד לְאָדָם וְכֵלִים בְּכָל שְׁאָר הַטֻּמְאוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת:

1AND EVERY THING UPON WHICH ANY PART OF THEM, WHEN THEY ARE DEAD, DOTH FALL, SHALL BE UNCLEAN: WHETHER IT SHALL BE ANY VESSEL OF WOOD etc. It appears to me in the interpretation of this verse that most likely the expression any of them, when they are dead, alludes to all those mentioned above — impure animals, creeping things, and beasts. For why should He mention the law of impurity of vessels and garments only with reference to creeping things, when it applies also to carcasses? Similarly, all the rules that He mentions with reference to making food susceptible to impurity²⁴⁰ [conveyed by creeping things], apply equally to all [forms of] impurity, and Scripture speaks of the general concept of them. Do not find it difficult to accept that the expression touch them when they are dead in the first verse²⁴¹. applies to the creeping things, while the same expression any of them when they are dead [in Verse 32 before us] applies to all things that convey impurity, for such is the case in many places in Scripture [where similar words apply to different things].It is possible to say that Scripture waited until it had mentioned all impure things amongst cattle, beasts, and creeping things, and then at the end mentioned impurity of vessels with reference to one of them [namely, the creeping things], with which it had concluded this theme, in order that the law of all the others be derived from it, for the opinion of our Rabbis²⁴² is that the expression any of them when they are dead [in Verse 32 before us] refers [only] to creeping things, and from that they learn that a creeping thing in [a minimal] size of a lentil conveys impurity.²⁴³, it shows that even though one has not touched the whole creeping thing but “any” part of it, he is rendered impure. “Now since the sand-lizard [one of the eight creeping things that convey impurity] when born is the size of a lentil,” therefore that amount of any of the eight creeping things when dead also conveys impurity (Chagiga ibid.). Thus according to the interpretation of the Rabbis, Verse 32 before us also speaks only of the impurity conveyed by creeping things, and not, as explained above, about all other impurities. Scripture dealt likewise with the subject of immersion, in mentioning at the end of all [the laws of] impurity, the impurity [conveyed by creeping things] to vessels and their purification by immersion,²⁴⁴ and from it we learn the law of man and vessels with reference to all the impurities mentioned above.

בבַּמַּיִם יוּבָא - וְאַף לְאַחַר טְבִילָתוֹ טָמֵא הוּא לִתְרוּמָה עַד הֶעֱרֵב הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ הוּא נִטְהָר בְּהֶעֱרֵב שִׁמְשׁוֹ. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"א:ל"ב). וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק ח ט): "וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב" - יָכוֹל לַכֹּל? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "וְטָהֵר". אִי "וְטָהֵר" יָכוֹל לְכָל דָּבָר? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב". הָא כֵּיצַד? טָהוֹר לְחֻלִּין מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם, וְלִתְרוּמָה מִשֶּׁתֶּחְשַׁךְ. וְשִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב לְפִי הַמִּדְרָשׁ: בַּמַּיִם יוּבָא וְטָהֵר וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט: בַּמַּיִם יוּבָא וְטָמֵא עַד הָעֶרֶב וְטָהֵר בָּעֶרֶב. וְהִנֵּה הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב בְּכָל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת "עַד הָעֶרֶב", כִּי יִתְפֹּס הַטָּהֳרָה לִתְרוּמַת הַקֳּדָשִׁים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (להלן כב ו ז): "וְטָמֵא עַד הָעָרֶב וְלֹא יֹאכַל מִן הַקֳּדָשִׁים כִּי אִם רָחַץ בְּשָׂרוֹ בַּמָּיִם. וּבָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְטָהֵר וְאַחַר יֹאכַל מִן הַקֳּדָשִׁים כִּי לַחְמוֹ הוּא". אֲבָל הַטַּהֲרָה לְחֻלִּין אוֹ לְמַעֲשֵׂר הִיא בִּטְבִילָה בִּלְבַד, וְלֹא יַזְכִּירֶנָּה בְּכָאן, כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ מְצַוֶּה לְהִטָּהֵר לְחֻלִּין, וְאִם רָצָה אוֹכְלָן בְּטֻמְאָה.

2IT MUST BE PUT INTO WATER, AND IT SHALL BE UNCLEAN UNTIL THE EVEN; AND IT SHALL BE CLEAN. “Even after it has been immersed, it is still impure with regard to the heave-offering, until the setting of the sun, and afterwards at the setting of the sun it becomes pure.” This is Rashi’s language. And the interpretation in the Torath Kohanim is:²⁴⁵ 6:9. “And it shall be unclean until the even. I might think that [it shall be impure] for all [purposes]; Scripture therefore says, and it shall be clean. But if so, I might think that it is pure for all purposes; Scripture therefore says, and it shall be unclean until the even. How then can this be explained? It is pure with respect to ordinary food²⁴⁶ (the heave-offering) eaten by the priest. Thus if an Israelite who was impure immersed himself to be purified, he may straightaway eat of the Second Tithe, even though the sun has not yet set. But a priest who was impure and immersed himself before sunset, may not eat of the heave-offering until the sun has set and the stars have come forth. when it is still daytime [immediately after it was immersed to be purified], but regarding the heave-offering it is not held to be pure until it becomes dark.” The interpretation of the verse according to the explanation of the Torath Kohanim is thus: “it must be put into the water [before sundown] and it shall remain unclean till the evening.” But by way of the simple meaning of Scripture [the verse is to be transposed, thus]: “it must be put into water and it shall be clean, but it shall be unclean until the evening.”Now Scripture mentioned in all the sections [that the impurity is] “until the evening,”²⁴⁷ because it refers to the degree of purity required for the holy heave-offering, as He said, The soul that toucheth any such [unclean things] shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water. And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.²⁴⁸ (the heave-offering). But the purification required for ordinary food or the [Second] Tithe²⁴⁹ is attained after immersion alone, and it is not mentioned here because it is not mandatory upon an impure person to purify himself in order to eat ordinary food,²⁵⁰ for if he wants to, he may eat it in a state of impurity.²⁵¹ purify himself, and wait till evening, whereas for ordinary food there is no requirement that it must be eaten in a state of purity, and thus no necessity to immerse oneself. If he does wish to eat it in a state of purity, however, he attains this immediately after immersion and even before sundown, as explained above in Ramban and in Note 246.