Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 11:41/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:מ״א

אוְכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵץ עַל הָאָרֶץ - טַעַם הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה, כִּי הִזְכִּיר לְמַעְלָה (בפסוקים כט-ל) הַשְּׁרָצִים לְעִנְיַן הַטֻּמְאָה וּפֵרַט הַטְּמֵאִים, וְלֹא דִּבֵּר שָׁם בְּעִנְיַן אִסּוּר אֲכִילָה כְּלָל. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר עַתָּה "וְכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵץ עַל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁקֶץ הוּא לֹא יֵאָכֵל", לוֹמַר כִּי בְּעִנְיַן הָאֲכִילָה אֵין הֶפְרֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶן, שֶׁכֻּלָּן אֲסוּרִין. וְחָזַר וּפֵרַט בָּהֶן וְהִרְבָּה בָּהֶן לָאוִין לְמַלְקִיּוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּיר רַשִׁ"י:

1AND EVERY CREEPING THING THAT CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH IS A DETESTABLE THING; IT SHALL NOT BE EATEN. The meaning of this verse is as follows: He mentioned above the [eight] creeping things²⁷⁶, Verses 29-30. in connection with impurity [conveyed through contact when they are dead], and expressly mentioned those that are impure, but did not speak at all of the prohibition of eating. It is for this reason that He now says, And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten, meaning to say that as far as eating is concerned, there is no difference between them, for they are all forbidden. Then He spoke of them again in detail [in the following verses], and increased the negative commandments about them, [in order to increase the liability] to whipping, just as Rashi mentioned.²⁷⁷. This is repeated to indicate that a person transgresses many negative commandments if he eats the detestable things” (Rashi).