Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 13:10/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ג:י׳
אוְהִנֵּה שְׂאֵת לְבָנָה בָּעוֹר וְהִיא הָפְכָה שֵׂעָר לָבָן וּמִחְיַת בָּשָׂר חַי בַּשְׂאֵת פֵּרוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה אֵינוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה צָרִיךְ לִשְׁנֵיהֶם, לְשֵׂעָר לָבָן וּמִחְיָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי טִמֵּא הַכָּתוּב בְּשֵׂעָר לָבָן לְבַדּוֹ בַּפָּרָשָׁה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, וְכֵן הַמִּחְיָה לְבַדָּהּ סִימַן טֻמְאָה הִיא. אִם כֵּן פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, וְהִיא הָפְכָה שֵׂעָר לָבָן אוֹ מִחְיַת בָּשָׂר חַי בַּשְׂאֵת. וְהִזְכִּיר שֵׂעָר לָבָן בַּשְׂאֵת אע"פ שֶׁכְּבָר הִזְכִּירוֹ בַּבַּהֶרֶת, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁבִּשְׁתֵּיהֶן הוּא סִימַן טֻמְאָה:
1AND THE PRIEST SHALL SEE, AND, BEHOLD, IF THERE BE A WHITE RISING IN THE SKIN, AND IT HAVE TURNED THE HAIR WHITE, AND THERE BE QUICK RAW FLESH IN THE RISING. The meaning of this verse is not that it is necessary for both to be present, namely, the white hair and the quick flesh [before the afflicted person is declared impure], since in the first section Scripture declared him impure because of white hair alone;99 similarly, the appearance of the live flesh alone is a symptom of impurity. If so, the meaning of the verse is: “and it have turned the hair white, or there be quick raw flesh in the rising.” It mentions here white hair in the case of se’eith (rising) although it stated it already in the case of bahereth (bright spot),100, Verse 4. in order to teach us that in the case of both colors white hair is a symptom of impurity. Our Rabbis have explained101 that the reason [why white hair is mentioned here when it has already been said above that it is a symptom of impurity] is in order to establish the minimum size of the quick flesh [mentioned here], that it must be large enough to contain the white hair, [the smallest number implied] being two.