Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 13:47/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ג:מ״ז

אוְהַבֶּגֶד כִּי יִהְיֶה בוֹ נֶגַע צָרָעַת זֶה אֵינֶנּוּ בְּטֶבַע כְּלָל וְלֹא הוֹוֶה בָּעוֹלָם, וְכֵן נִגְעֵי הַבָּתִּים. אֲבָל בִּהְיוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלֵמִים לַה' יִהְיֶה רוּחַ הַשֵּׁם עֲלֵיהֶם תָּמִיד לְהַעֲמִיד גּוּפָם וּבִגְדֵיהֶם וּבָתֵּיהֶם בְּמַרְאֶה טוֹב, וְכַאֲשֶׁר יִקְרֶה בְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם חֵטְא וְעָוֹן יִתְהַוֶּה כִּעוּר בִּבְשָׂרוֹ אוֹ בְּבִגְדוֹ אוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ, לְהַרְאוֹת כִּי הַשֵּׁם סָר מֵעָלָיו. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (ויקרא י"ד:ל"ד) "וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם", כִּי הִיא מַכַּת הַשֵּׁם בַּבַּיִת הַהוּא. וְהִנֵּה אֵינֶנּוּ נוֹהֵג אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ שֶׁהִיא נַחֲלַת ה', כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (שם) "כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה", וְאֵין הַדָּבָר מִפְּנֵי הֱיוֹתוֹ חוֹבַת קַרְקַע, אֲבָל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא הָעִנְיָן הַהוּא אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ הַנִּבְחֶרֶת אֲשֶׁר הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד שׁוֹכֵן בְּתוֹכָהּ. וּבְתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (מצורע פרשה ה ג) דָּרְשׁוּ עוֹד, שֶׁאֵין הַבַּיִת מִטַּמֵּא אֶלָּא אַחַר כִּבּוּשׁ וְחִלּוּק וְשֶׁיְּהֵא כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מַכִּיר אֶת שֶׁלּוֹ. וְהַטַּעַם כִּי אָז נִתְיַשְּׁבָה דַּעְתָּם עֲלֵיהֶם לָדַעַת אֶת ה' וְתִשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְּתוֹכָם. וְכֵן אֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב בְּנִגְעֵי הַבְּגָדִים שֶׁלֹּא יִנְהֲגוּ אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ, וְלֹא הֻצְרַךְ לְמַעֵט מֵהֶן חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ כִּי לֹא יֶאֶרְעוּ שָׁם לְעוֹלָם. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה עוֹד אֵינָם נוֹהֲגִים אֶלָּא בִּבְגָדִים לְבָנִים לֹא בִּצְבוּעִים, כִּי אוּלַי הַצֶּבַע הוֹצִיא הַכִּעוּר הַהוּא בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא כְּטִבְעוֹ וְלֹא אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִיא, וּלְפִיכָךְ הַצְּבוּעִים בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם מִטַּמְּאִין כְּדִבְרֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן (נגעים פי"א מ"ג). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט מִפְּנֵי זֶה יַחְזִירוֹ הַכָּתוּב בְּכָל פָּסוּק וּפָסוּק "הַבֶּגֶד אוֹ הָעוֹר אוֹ הַשְּׁתִי וְהָעֵרֶב", כִּי הַדָּבָר נֵס. וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בָּהֶם מִדְרָשִׁים וְכֻלָּם בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים:

1AND WHEN THE PLAGUE OF LEPROSY IS IN A GARMENT. This is not in the natural order of things, nor does it ever happen in the world [outside Israel], and similarly leprosy of houses¹⁴⁰ [is not a natural phenomenon]. But when Israel is wholly devoted to G-d, then His spirit is upon them always, to maintain their bodies, clothes and houses in a good appearance. Thus as soon as one of them commits a sin or transgression, a deformity appears in his flesh, or on his garment, or in his house, revealing that G-d has turned aside from him. It is for this reason that Scripture states, And I shall put the plague of leprosy in a house of the Land of your possession,¹⁴¹, 14:34. meaning that it is G-d’s punishment upon that house. Thus [the law of leprosy of houses] applies only in the Land which is the inheritance of the Eternal¹⁴² even as He said, When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession.¹⁴¹, 14:34. Now the reason [why this law does not apply outside the Land of Israel] is not because it is a duty which attaches to the ground¹⁴³, but the reason is because this matter [of Divine indication of sins] occurs only in the Chosen Land, wherein the Glorious Name dwells. And in the Torath Kohanim the Sages further interpreted¹⁴⁴ 5:3. that a house does not contract impurity until after the conquest and division [of the Land by Israel], and until after each and every individual clearly knows his portion. The reason for this law is that only then do they have the ease of mind to know the Eternal, and the Divine Glory dwells among them. I think similarly with reference to the law of leprosy in garments, that it applies only in the Land [of Israel], it being unnecessary to exclude [the application of this law] in places outside the Land, since they never occur there. For this reason also the law of leprosy in garments applies only to white garments, not to colored ones, because the color might perhaps have extracted this unclean phenomenon [i.e., the leprosy] in that place [in the garment] in a natural way, and it will then not be regarded as a finger of G-d.¹⁴⁵ Therefore garments colored by Heaven can contract impurity, according to the words of Rabbi Shimon.¹⁴⁶ And by way of the simple meaning of Scripture, the reason why it repeats in every verse the expression “the garment, or the skin, or the wrap and the woof,”¹⁴⁷ is because the matter is miraculous. Our Rabbis have interpretations for them [i.e., these repetitions], and all of them are found in the Torath Kohanim.¹⁴⁸