Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 13:33/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ג:ל״ג
אוְהִתְגַּלָּח וְאֶת הַנֶּתֶק לֹא יְגַלֵּחַ כְּפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ יַזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲבִיר תַּעַר עַל מְקוֹם הַנֶּתֶק, שֶׁאע"פ שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ שֵׂעָר אִם יַעֲבִיר הַתַּעַר עַל הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא יִתְגָּרֵר הָעוֹר וְיִהְיֶה סִבָּה לְהַצְמִיחַ בּוֹ שֵׂעָר, שֶׁכֵּן דֶּרֶךְ בַּעֲלֵי חֲטָטִין שֶׁבָּרֹאשׁ וְכָל הַמַּשִּׁירִין שַׂעֲרוֹתֵיהֶן לִגְרֹר הַמָּקוֹם וְגַם לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶן בְּאִזְמֵל חַבּוּרוֹת חֲתוּכוֹת. אֲבָל בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (ט ז) דָּרְשׁוּ, "וְאֶת הַנֶּתֶק לֹא יְגַלֵּחַ", וְכִי מָה יֵשׁ בּוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר וַהֲלֹא נִתַּק הַשֵּׂעָר מִמֶּנּוּ, אֶלָּא סָמוּךְ לַנֶּתֶק לֹא יְגַלֵּחַ. הָא כֵּיצַד, מְגַלֵּחַ חוּצָה לוֹ וּמַנִּיחַ שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת סָמוּךְ לַנֶּתֶק כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא נִכָּר אִם פָּשָׂה. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁתִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא י"ג:ל"ג), "וִיגַלַּח סַחְרָנֵי נִתְקָא וּדְעִם נִתְקָא לָא יְגַלַּח", שֶׁיַּנִּיחַ בְּכָל סְבִיבָיו שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת לְהַכִּיר בָּהֶם הַפִּשְׂיוֹן. וְיִהְיֶה טַעַם "וְאֶת" כְּמוֹ "וַיִּגַּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת הָעָם וַיִּשְׁאַל לָהֶם לְשָׁלוֹם" (שמואל א ל כא), שֶׁבָּא סָמוּךְ לָהֶם וְלֹא בָּא בְּתוֹכָן, אוֹ טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם "עִם" וְיֶחְסַר מִלַּת "אֲשֶׁר", יֹאמַר, וַאֲשֶׁר עִם הַנֶּתֶק לֹא יְגַלֵּחַ, וְכָמוֹהוּ רַבִּים:
1THEN SHALL HE BE SHAVEN, BUT ‘V’ETH HANETHEK’ (THE SCALL) SHALL HE NOT SHAVE. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture the verse warns that he should not use a razor on the place of the nethek, for even though there is no hair on it, yet if he passes the razor over it the skin will be scratched causing hair to grow in it; for such is the nature of people who have scabs on their heads, and all those who make their hair to fall off, to scratch the place on the head and also to make certain cuts in it with a knife.But in the Torath Kohanim the Sages interpreted the verse as follows:138 “But the ‘nethek’ shall he not shave. But what is there to shave there?” That is to say, has not the hair fallen off from it? [So what need is there for Scripture to warn him not to shave it?] “Rather, the verse means, around the nethek he is not to shave. How can we explain this? He shaves the space outside it, but leaves [a circle] of two hairs [width] next to the nethek, so that it should be possible to discern if it spreads.” It is this which Onkelos translated: “and he shall shave around the scall, and that which is within the scall he shall not shave,” for he is to leave on all its sides a row of two hairs in order to recognize [at the end of seven days] if the nethek has spread [in which case the priest will pronounce him impure]. And the meaning of the word v’eth [v’eth hanethek] is then like the expression, and David came near ‘eth’ the people, and he saluted them,139 which means that he came near them but he did not enter into their midst. [Here too it would mean, “and ‘in’ the nethek itself he shall not shave.”] Or it may be that the meaning of v’eth is like im (with), with the word asher (which) missing, the verse thus stating: “and that [i.e., the hair] which is ‘with’ the nethek he shall not shave.” There are many such cases in Scripture.