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Ramban on Leviticus 11:34/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:ל״ד

אמִכָּל הָאֹכֶל אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"א:ל"ד) הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה כְּפִי מִדְרָשׁוֹ וְלָמַד בּוֹ דְּבָרִים הַרְבֵּה: לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁאֵין אֹכֶל מֻכְשָׁר וּמְתֻקָּן וְכוּ'. וְעוֹד לָמְדוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין וְלַד הַטֻּמְאָה מְטַמֵּא כֵלִים, שֶׁכָּךְ שָׁנִינוּ וְכוּ'. וְלָמַדְנוּ עוֹד עַל בִּיאַת מַיִם שֶׁאֵינָהּ מַכְשֶׁרֶת וְכוּ'. וּבִכְלָלָם אָמַר: וְלָמַדְנוּ עוֹד שֶׁאֵין אֹכֶל מְטַמֵּא אֲחֵרִים אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יֵשׁ בּוֹ כַּבֵּיצָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "יֵאָכֵל" - אֹכֶל הַנֶּאֱכָל בְּבַת אַחַת, וְשִׁעֲרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵין בֵּית הַבְּלִיעָה מַחְזִיק יוֹתֵר מִבֵּיצַת תַּרְנְגֹלֶת. זֶה לְשׁוֹן הָרַב. וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ קִצּוּר, כִּי הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה בְּטֻמְאַת הָאֳכָלִין עַצְמָהּ הוּא, וְאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר בְּטֻמְאָתָן לַאֲחֵרִים. אֲבָל הוֹצִיא הָרַב זֶה מִמַּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק ט א): "אֹכֶל יִטְמָא" - מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמְּטַמֵּא בְּכָל שֶׁהוּא. יָכוֹל יְטַמֵּא לַאֲחֵרִים בְּכָל שֶׁהוּא? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל" - הָא אֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא אֶלָּא בְּכַבֵּיצָה. וּכְבָר חָלְקוּ עַל הָרַב וְהֵבִיאוּ רְאָיוֹת שֶׁאֵין הָאֳכָלִין מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה כְּלָל אֶלָּא בְּכַבֵּיצָה, וְהַמִּדְרָשׁ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים אַסְמַכְתָּא מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם, שֶׁהֵם הוֹסִיפוּ שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּ טֻמְאָה בְּכָל שֶׁהוּא. וְעִקַּר הַכָּתוּב יִדָּרֵשׁ בְּמָה שֶׁאָמַר שָׁם: "הָאֹכֶל" - לְהוֹצִיא אָכְלֵי בְּהֵמָה, "מִכָּל הָאֹכֶל" - לְהָבִיא אָכְלֵי בְּהֵמָה שֶׁחָשַׁב עֲלֵיהֶם לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם, "אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל" - פְּרָט לְאֹכֶל סָרוּחַ.

1OF ALL THE FOOD WHICH MAY BE EATEN, THAT ON WHICH WATER COMETH, SHALL BE UNCLEAN. Rashi commented: “This verse according to its [Rabbinical] interpretations teaches many things. We learn that food does not become fit to be susceptible of impurity until water has once come upon it, and once water has come upon it, it can subsequently at any time become impure, even after it has become dry, etc. Our Rabbis have further learned from this verse that ‘a secondary impurity’²⁵² does not render vessels impure, for so we are taught etc. Again we learn that the coming of water upon vegetation makes it susceptible to impurity only after it has been plucked from the soil etc.” And included among the principles [we learn from this verse], Rashi said: “And we further learn that impure foodstuff does not convey impurity to other objects unless it [the former] consists of at least the size of an egg, for it says, of all the food which may be eaten, which means food which can be eaten in one gulp, and the Sages calculated that the esophagus does not hold more than a hen’s egg.” This is the language of the Rabbi [Rashi.].But there is [too great a] brevity in Rashi’s comment. For this verse speaks about foodstuff itself becoming impure, and does not refer to its conveying impurity to others. The Rabbi [Rashi], however, derived this principle from what the Rabbis have said in the Torath Kohanim:²⁵³ 9:1. “Of all the food etc. shall be unclean. This teaches that food [upon which a dead creeping thing falls], is rendered impure even if it be of the smallest quantity. Now I might think that it can also convey impurity to other objects if the [original] impure food was of the smallest quantity; Scripture therefore says, which may be eaten. Thus you learn that it cannot render other things impure unless it is itself the size of an egg.”²⁵⁴ as applying to “impure” food conveying impurity to others, the verse teaching us that the conveyor of the impurity must be of the size which may be eaten, which is, as explained above, the size of an egg. The verse could not refer to the original foodstuff itself becoming impure because of having touched a dead creeping thing [or any “father of impurity” — see above Note 251], for in that case even the smallest quantity of food suffices to be rendered impure. — But, Ramban continues, other scholars have already differed with Rashi on this point, bringing proof etc. (see text). But other authorities have already differed²⁵⁵ with the Rabbi [Rashi], and they brought proofs that by Scriptural law foodstuffs do not [even] become impure at all unless they are of the size of an egg. Thus the interpretation of the Torath Kohanim [mentioned above] is merely a Scriptural support for a Rabbinic law,⁸⁰, p. 314, Note 449. the Rabbis having added [the stricture] that foodstuffs of even the smallest size also become impure [although they cannot convey impurity to others unless they themselves are the size of an egg]. The main interpretation of the verse is as the Rabbis have said there [in the Torath Kohanim]:²⁵³ 9:1. “The food. This is to exclude food for cattle [that it is not susceptible to impurity]. Of all the food — this is to include food for cattle which one intended to use for human consumption. Which may be eaten, excepting decomposed foods.”