Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 14:2/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ד:ב׳
אוְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן יֹאמַר שֶׁתִּהְיֶה זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיִּרְצֶה לְהִטָּהֵר, שֶׁיּוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן, כִּי אֵין לוֹ טַהֲרָה לְעוֹלָם אֶלָּא עַל פִּיו. וְאח"כ פֵּרֵשׁ כִּי הַכֹּהֵן יֵצֵא אֶל מְקוֹם מוֹשָׁבוֹ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְהוּא לֹא יָבֹא אֵלָיו אע"פ שֶׁנִּתְרַפֵּא. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרשה א ג), "וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן" שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁהֶה. וְאִם כֵּן יֹאמַר כִּי בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיִּטְהַר שֶׁיִּתְרַפֵּא מִנִּגְעוֹ יוּבָא עַל כָּרְחוֹ אֶל הַכֹּהֵן. וְכֵן "וְכִי יִטְהַר הַזָּב מִזּוֹבוֹ" (ויקרא ט"ו:י"ג), "וְאִם טָהֲרָה מִזּוֹבָהּ" (שם טו כח), כְּשֶׁיִּפָּסְקוּ וְיִהְיוּ מְנֻקִּים מִמֶּנּוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי (רמב"ן על ויקרא ט"ו:י"א), וְהוּא הַנָּכוֹן:
1THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER IN THE DAY OF HIS CLEANSING: HE SHALL BE BROUGHT UNTO THE PRIEST. Scripture is stating that this shall be the law of the leper in the day that he wishes to be pronounced pure, that he should be brought to the priest, as he can never attain purity except by means of the priest’s word. Then [in the following verse] Scripture tells that the priest shall go forth to the place of his [the leper’s] habitation out of the camp,1 but he [the leper] is not to come to the priest even though his leprosy has been healed.2 The interpretation thereof in the Torath Kohanim is as follows:3 1:3. “And he shall be brought unto the priest, this means that he is not to wait.” If so, Scripture is stating that on the same day that he is cleansed, [meaning] that he is cured from his leprosy,4 (on the day of his cleansing) as meaning: “on the day that he is to be pronounced clean, he is to be brought to the priest, for no one else can so pronounce him” (see Note 46 in Seder Tazria). But according to the Torath Kohanim the verse means: “on the day he is actually ‘cleansed’ of the sickness, i.e., on the day that he is physically healed of the affliction, there must be no delay and he is to be brought before the priest.” he is to be brought even against his will to the priest. Similarly, the verses, And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue;5 But if she be cleansed of her issue,6, Verse 28. mean when [the issues] will cease and the persons become cleansed of them, as I have explained [i.e., that the term “cleansing” in the verse before us means “the healing” of the leprosy, and the same meaning applies to “the cleansing,” of him or her that hath an issue]. This is the correct explanation.