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Ramban on Leviticus 23:39/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ג:ל״ט

אבְּאָסְפְּכֶם אֶת תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ שֶׁיְּהֵא חֹדֶשׁ שְׁבִיעִי זֶה בִּזְמַן אֲסִיפָה. מִכָּאן שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ לְעַבֵּר אֶת הַשָּׁנִים, שֶׁאִם אֵין הָעִבּוּר - פְּעָמִים שֶׁהוּא בָּא בְּאֶמְצַע הַקַּיִץ אוֹ הַחֹרֶף, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא כ"ג:ל"ט). וּלְשׁוֹן ת"כ (פרק טו ו ז), עַבֵּר אֶת הַשָּׁנִים שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה הֶחָג בַּאֲסִיפַת הַפֵּרוֹת. יָכוֹל בַּאֲסִיפַת כָּל הַפֵּרוֹת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "מִגָּרְנְךָ וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ", מִגָּרְנְךָ לֹא כָּל גָּרְנְךָ, וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ לֹא כָּל יִקְבֶךָ. אִי "בְּאָסְפְּךָ מִגָּרְנְךָ", יָכוֹל מִקְצָת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "בְּאָסְפְּכֶם אֶת תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ". הָא כֵיצַד, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְעַבֵּר אֶת הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה הֶחָג בְּרוֹב אֲסִיפַת כָּל הַפֵּרוֹת. וּכְבָר לָמְדוּ הָעִבּוּר מֵחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב (ר"ה כא), אֲבָל שָׁם לִמֵּד עַל הָאָבִיב וְכָאן לִמֵּד עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן, שֶׁכָּךְ שָׁנוּ חֲכָמִים (סנהדרין יא), עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים מְעַבְּרִין אֶת הַשָּׁנָה, עַל הָאָבִיב וְעַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן וְעַל הַתְּקוּפָה. וְהִנֵּה הָעִבּוּר נִלְמַד מֵאֵלָיו שֶׁהֶחָג הַזֶּה בִּזְמַן אֲסִיפָה, אֲבָל עִנְיַן שִׁיטַת הַכָּתוּב שֶׁיֹּאמַר אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי ה' אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם כֻּלָּם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְהַקְרִיב בְּכֻלָּם אִשֶּׁה לַה', אָכֵן בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הַזֶּה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהוּא עֵת אָסְפְּכֶם אֶת תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ תָּחֹגּוּ אֶת חַג ה' בְּשִׁבְעַת יָמִים. וְהוֹסִיף לוֹמַר בְּכָאן, "בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן שַׁבָּתוֹן וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שַׁבָּתוֹן", שֶׁתִּשְׁבְּתוּ וְתָנוּחוּ בָּהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי (רמב"ן על ויקרא כ"ג:כ"ד), וְאָמַר עוֹד שֶׁתּוֹסִיפוּ לִשְׂמֹחַ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בְּלוּלָב וְאֶתְרוֹג שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, כִּי הוּא זְמַן שִׂמְחָה שֶׁבֵּרַךְ הַשֵּׁם אוֹתְךָ בְּכָל תְּבוּאָתְךָ וּבְכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ, וְהָיִיתָ אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ לְפָנָיו. וְטַעַם "תָּחֹגּוּ אֶת חַג ה'", שֶׁתָּחֹגּוּ לְפָנָיו לָתֵת הוֹדָאָה לִשְׁמוֹ עַל אֹסֶף מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם כִּי בָא, וְחָזַר וְאָמַר עוֹד (ויקרא כ"ג:מ"א) "וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה'" לִסְמֹךְ אֵלָיו "בַּסֻּכּוֹת תֵּשְׁבוּ" (ויקרא כ"ג:מ"ב). וְטַעְמוֹ, וְחַגּוֹתֶם אוֹתוֹ חַג שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁתֵּשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכּוֹת, וְכָל הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת, לוֹמַר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ חַג שִׁבְעָה בְּלוּלָב וְשִׂמְחָה וּבְסֻכָּה. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ, "וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה'", מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תָּחֹג לַה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ" (דברים טז טו), יָכוֹל יִטְעֹן חֲגִיגָה כָּל שִׁבְעָה, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "אוֹתוֹ" וְכוּ' בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק יז א):

1WHEN YE HAVE GATHERED IN THE INCREASE OF THE LAND. “[This is to state] that this seventh month [in which the Festival of Tabernacles occurs] must be at the time of the harvest. From here we learn that they were commanded to intercalate the years [with an extra month], because if there would be no such intercalation, the seventh month [i.e., Tishri] would sometimes fall in the middle of the summer, or in the winter.” This is Rashi’s language. And the words of the Torath Kohanim are as follows:⁴⁴⁰ 15:6-7. “Intercalate the years so that you make the Festival of Tabernacles at the time of the ingathering of the fruits. I might think that this refers to the ingathering of all the fruits; Scripture therefore says, Thou shalt keep the feast of Tabernacles … after thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy wine-press⁴⁴¹ — ‘from’ thy threshing-floor but not all thy threshing-floor, and ‘from’ thy wine-press, but not all thy wine-press. Now if I am to follow the expression after thou hast gathered in ‘from’ thy threshing-floor, I might think that even if only a little [of it has been gathered in, the Festival of Tabernacles may already be observed in that part of the year, and there is no need then for intercalating an extra month at the end of the preceding winter]; Scripture therefore says [here], when ye have gathered in the produce of the land. How can these be reconciled? [In the following manner]: Try to intercalate the year so that the Festival of Tabernacles occurs when most of the fruits have already been gathered in.” Now the Sages have already derived [the need for] intercalating the year from the verse Observe the month of ‘aviv’ (spring).⁴⁴², 16:1. This teaches that before it comes you are to watch whether that month will be capable of producing aviv (ripe ears), and if not, intercalate a year [by adding a month to the winter period] (Rashi ibid., on the basis of Sanhedrin 11 a). But there Scripture taught about [the intercalation of the year because of] the spring [i.e., so that the celebration of the exodus occurs in the month when there are ripe ears already, so that the sheaf of waving can be brought on the sixteenth of Nisan from the new barley], and here it teaches concerning the fruits of the trees [that most of them must be ripened at the time of the Festival of Weeks, so that they are ready to be brought as first-fruits to the Sanctuary, and that most of them are to be gathered in before the Festival of Tabernacles]. For so did the Sages teach us:⁴⁴³, 11 b. “The year is intercalated on account of three things: on account of ripe ears [that they be available at the time of Passover], fruits of the trees [at the time of the Festival of Weeks], and on account of the solstice [that the summer solstice should not occur after the passing of Tabernacles].⁴⁴⁴ Thus the need for intercalation is deduced automatically [from the statement] that this festival [of Tabernacles] is at the time of the ingathering [and if an extra month is not added at the end of the winter season, the festival might sometimes occur in the middle of the summer or winter].The meaning, however, of the Scriptural verse here is as follows: It states, These are the appointed seasons of the Eternal all of which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring on all of them an offering made by fire unto the Eternal.⁴⁴⁵ However, on the fifteenth day of this seventh month, because it is the time when you have gathered in the increase of the land, ye shall keep the feast of the Eternal seven days. He said here in addition, on the first day shall be ‘shabbathon’ and on the eighth day shall be ‘shabbathon,’ meaning that you are to desist from work, and to rest on them, as I have explained.⁴⁴⁶ And He further said that they should rejoice even more before G-d with the lulav and ethrog⁴⁴⁷ for seven days, for it is a time of rejoicing because G-d has blessed you in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful⁴⁴⁸ before Him. The meaning of the phrase [in the verse before us] ye shall keep the feast of the Eternal, is that you are to celebrate it before Him by giving thanks to His Name for your gathering of the harvest which came [in time]. Then He went back and stated again [further on in Verse 41], And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Eternal, in order to place next to it [the commandment], Ye shall dwell in booths,⁴⁴⁹ the meaning thereof being as follows: and ye shall keep it a feast seven days in the year by dwelling in booths, and all that are home-born shall dwell in them, thus stating that they shall make a festival of seven days by taking the lulav, and rejoicing before G-d, and dwelling in booths. And the interpretation thereof in the Torath Kohanim is as follows:⁴⁵⁰ 17:1. “And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Eternal.⁴⁵¹ Why is this stated? Since it is said, Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the Eternal thy G-d,⁴⁴⁸ I might think that the Festival-offering³⁸⁰ must be brought on all seven days; Scripture therefore says here ‘it’” [And ye shall keep ‘it’ a feast, thus stating that this offering need only be brought once], etc.⁴⁵² It is with reference to the supplementary period — that if he has not brought the Festival-offering on one day, he may bring it on another of the seven days” (Torath Kohanim, Emor 17:2); and on the Festival of Tabernacles, he may bring it even on the eighth day (ibid., 3). See above, Note 436.