Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 23:22/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ג:כ״ב

אוּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם לֹא תְכַלֶּה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא כ"ג:כ"ב), חָזַר וְשָׁנָה בָּהֶם לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶם בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוִין. וְר"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על ויקרא כ"ג:כ"ב) כִּי הַטַּעַם בַּעֲבוּר כִּי חַג הַשָּׁבוּעוֹת בִּכּוּרֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים הִזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא תִּשְׁכַּח מַה שֶׁצִּוִּיתִיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי "וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם" רֶמֶז לַקָּצִיר הַנִּזְכָּר בְּרֹאשׁ הַפָּרָשָׁה (ויקרא כ"ג:י'), יֹאמַר כִּי כְּשֶׁתָּבוֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת הָעֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם, לֹא תְּכַלֶּה פְּאַת הַשָּׂדֶה הַהוּא לְצֹרֶךְ הָעֹמֶר וְלֹא תְּלַקֵּט הַלֶּקֶט, לוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא תִּדְחֶה הַמִּצְוָה הַהִיא אֶת הַלָּאוִין הָאֵלֶּה:

1AND WHEN YE REAP THE HARVEST OF YOUR LAND, THOU SHALT NOT WHOLLY REAP THE CORNER OF THY FIELD, NEITHER SHALT THOU GATHER THY GLEANING OF THY HARVEST: THOU SHALT LEAVE THEM FOR THE POOR. Rashi comments: “He repeats once more these prohibitions [although they have been mentioned above, 19:9] in order to make one liable for transgressing two negative commandments [in each case].” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the reason [for the repetition] is because the Festival of Weeks is the day on which the first-fruits of wheat harvest³¹⁶ [are brought as a meal-offering, in the form of the two leavened loaves], therefore He warned that “you should not forget what I have commanded you to do in those days.” The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the expression, And when ye reap the harvest of your Land alludes to “the harvest” mentioned at the beginning of this section,³¹⁷ thus stating that when you will come into the Land and you reap the sheaf, the first-fruits of your harvest,³¹⁷ thou shalt not wholly r,eap the corner of that field for the sake of the sheaf, neither shall you gather the gleaning, meaning to say that this commandment [of bringing the omer²⁴³,” and on the fiftieth day is the Festival of Weeks. Thus it is clear that the time of this festival is dependent upon the omer.] does not override these negative commandments.