Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 21:8/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״א:ח׳

אוְטַעַם כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם עִם הַכֹּהֲנִים יְדַבֵּר כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵחֵל "אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים", אוֹ "אֲנִי ה' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם" כֻּלְּכֶם, הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם. וְהַטַּעַם כִּי מֵאַחַר שֶׁהוּא מַקְרִיב לֶחֶם אֱלֹהֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ יִהְיֶה לָךְ, כִּי עַל יָדוֹ אֲנִי מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת כֻּלְּכֶם וּמַשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתִי בְּמִקְדַּשְׁכֶם. וְיִתָּכֵן עַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת, שֶׁיַּחְזֹר לְרֹאשׁ הַפָּסוּק, וּכְבָר נִתְפָּרֵשׁ:

1FOR I THE ETERNAL, WHO SANCTIFY YOU, AM HOLY. The sense [of the plural form of you] is that it is addressed to the priests, just as He began, Say unto the priests.²⁵ Or it may be that the expression I the Eternal, Who sanctify you means “Who sanctifies all of you — priests and [the rest of the] people,” and the meaning thereof is as follows: “Since the priest offers ‘the bread’ of your G-d, he shall be holy unto thee, for through him I sanctify all of you and make My Shechinah (Divine Glory) dwell in your Sanctuary.” It is possible by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala] that the above phrase refers back to the beginning of [this] verse,²⁶. The sense of the whole verse is thus: “Sanctify him, and you likewise will become holy, because it is I the Eternal Who sanctifies you, and when he [the priest] performs the rites of the offerings to be acceptable upon Mine altar, he thereby sanctifies you and brings you nearer unto Me” (Ricanti). a matter which has already been explained.²⁷