Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 25:33/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ה:ל״ג

אוַאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן הַלְוִיִּם הַנִּרְאֶה בִּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל פָּסוּק זֶה כִּי אָמַר "גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה לַלְוִיִּם" (ויקרא כ"ה:ל"ב), לִגְאֹל מִיָּד וְלִגְאֹל לְעוֹלָם, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ בָּהֶם אִם יִגְאֲלוּ הַקְּרוֹבִים וְלֹא אִם יִנְהַג בָּהֶם יוֹבֵל. לְפִיכָךְ חָזַר וְאָמַר, "וַאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן הַלְוִיִּם", יִהְיֶה הַגּוֹאֵל שֶׁיִּגְאַל הוּא מֵעַצְמוֹ אוֹ הַלֵּוִי הַקָּרוֹב אֵלָיו, "וְיָצָא מִמְכַּר בַּיִת וְעִיר אֲחֻזָּתוֹ בַּיֹּבֵל" מִיַּד הַקּוֹנֶה, עַל דַּעַת כֵּן יִגְאַל שֶׁיַּחְשֹׁב שְׁנֵי מִמְכָּרוֹ וְהֵשִׁיב אֶת הָעֹדֵף, לוֹמַר שֶׁהַיּוֹבֵל נוֹהֵג בָּהֶם וְתִהְיֶה גְּאֻלַּת הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל "וְחִשַּׁב אֶת שְׁנֵי מִמְכָּרוֹ" וְגוֹ' (ויקרא כ"ה:כ"ז). וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (ערכין לג) שֶׁהַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר בְּלֵוִי שֶׁקָּנָה מִלֵּוִי. וּלְפִי דִּבְרֵיהֶם נִרְאֶה לִי בְּפֵרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק כִּי הָיָה לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֶׁצָּרִיךְ אָדָם לִמְכֹּר שָׂדֵהוּ שֶׁיָּבֹא הַקּוֹדֵם בִּירֻשָּׁתוֹ וְיִקְנֶה אוֹתָהּ, וְהוּא הַנִּקְרָא "גְּאֻלָּה" שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "קְנֵה לְךָ אֶת שָׂדִי אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת כִּי לְךָ מִשְׁפַּט הַגְּאֻלָּה לִקְנוֹת" (ירמיהו לב ז). וְכֵן מְפֹרָשׁ עוֹד בְּעִנְיַן בֹּעַז (רות ד). וְנִרְאֶה בְּעֵינַי שֶׁהָיוּ דָּנִים לוֹ דִּין קְדִימָה כַּאֲשֶׁר הִנְהִיגוּ לָנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּדִינָא דְּבַר מִצְרָא, וְהָיוּ קוֹנִים מִן הַגּוֹאֵל הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּקִנְיַן סוּדָר כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה בֹּעַז (שם שם ח). וְהִנֵּה יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב בְּכָאן כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל הַלֵּוִי נַחֲלַת הַלֵּוִי קְרוֹבוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁיִּקְנֶה אוֹתָהּ מִמֶּנּוּ כְּדִין הַגְּאֻלָּה, יֵצֵא הַמִּמְכָּר הַהוּא בַּיּוֹבֵל; לִמֵּד שֶׁיְּהֵא יוֹבֵל נוֹהֵג בָּהֶם בִּגְאֻלָּה כִּמְכִירָה אַחֶרֶת. וְלֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַזְכִּיר הַדִּין בַּמְּכִירָה לְבַדָּהּ כִּי הֵם בִּכְלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּפָּה כֹּחָם בִּגְאֻלַּת עוֹלָם. וְהַדִּין הַזֶּה שֶׁל גְּאֻלָּה גַּם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא נוֹהֵג, אֲבָל הִזְכִּירוֹ הַכָּתוּב בַּלְוִיִּם שֶׁלֹּא תֹּאמַר לֹא נִתְּנוּ הֶעָרִים אֶלָּא לְשֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי כֻּלּוֹ, וְלָכֵן יֵצְאוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל אֲבָל לֹא מִלֵּוִי, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מִגּוֹאֵל קָרוֹב שֶׁאֲנַחְנוּ חִיַּבְנוּהוּ לִקְנוֹת, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר שֶׁאַף הַגְּאֻלָּה תֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹבֵל, וּמִן הַלֵּוִי נִלְמוֹד לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאֶפְשָׁר גַּם כֵּן שֶׁאֵין הַלְוִיִּם רַשָּׁאִין לִמְכֹּר בְּעָרֵיהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשׁוּם מֶכֶר, וְלָכֵן תִּקָּרֵא כָּל קְנִיָּתָם "גְּאֻלָּה":

1AND IF ONE OF THE LEVITES REDEEM. The plain meaning of this verse appears to be as follows: He had stated [in the previous verse], the Levites have a perpetual right of redemption, to redeem immediately [even before the period of two years after the sale of the fields, which an Israelite must wait before he is allowed to redeem], and to redeem at any time [a house in a walled city, even after the expiration of a year since the sale, after which time an Israelite cannot redeem]. But He did not explain with reference to them [the Levites] whether their relatives [also] have the right of redemption, nor whether the Jubilee applies to them. Therefore He stated again, And if one of the Levites redeem, be the redeemer the seller himself or his relative a Levite, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the Jubilee from the hand of the purchaser. He should redeem it on this understanding, that he shall reckon the years of the sale thereof and restore the overplus,¹⁹⁷ meaning to say that the Jubilee does apply to them [the Levites], and the manner of their redemption shall be as He said of the Israelites, and he shall reckon the years of the sale thereof etc.¹⁹⁷And our Rabbis have said¹⁹⁸ that the verse speaks of a Levite who buys from a Levite. According to their word, the interpretation of the verse appears to me to be as follows: It was the custom in former times in Israel that when a man had to sell his field, the person who had precedence in his inheritance [i.e., who was the nearest relative who could inherit] would come and buy it, and it was this that was called “redemption,” as it is said, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is thine to buy it,¹⁹⁹ and so also is it explained there in the matter of Boaz.²⁰⁰ And it appears to me that they administered a law of precedence for him, just as our Rabbis enacted for us the law of [the prerogative of] the neighbor,²⁰¹ and [if other people wanted to buy it], they would acquire [the right of possession] from the “first redeemer” by the [symbolic act of] acquisition of a scarf, as did Boaz.²⁰². See Ramban on Exodus 28:41. Thus Scripture is stating here that when a Levite redeems the inheritance of a Levite, that is to say, when he buys it from him as is the law of redemption, then that [land] acquired shall go out in the Jubilee. It thus teaches that the Jubilee applies to them [the Levites] in the case of “redemption” just as in the case of any other sale [among Israelites]. Scripture did not have to mention this law in the case of a plain sale [i.e., to say that if a Levite sold his field to a non-Levite, who is not his near relative, that it goes back to its original owner, the Levite, in the Jubilee], for they [Levites] are part of all Israel [and it is self-understood that the same laws apply to them]; except that He strengthened their legal right [by giving them, as explained above], a perpetual [privilege of] redemption. This law of “redemption” applies also to Israelites [i.e., that if they bought from Levites, the Levites have an unrestricted right of redemption forever]. Scripture, however, mentioned it with reference to the Levites, in order that one should not say that the [forty-eight] cities²⁰³ were only given to the whole tribe of Levi [and not to any particular person], and that therefore [fields which a Levite had sold] go back from an Israelite [in the Jubilee, i.e., if the purchaser was an Israelite he must give them back], but they do not go back from a Levite [i.e., if the purchaser was a Levite he does not have to give them back, since they remain anyway in the hands of the Levitical tribe], and certainly [we might think that] from a near kinsman [i.e., a Levite] whom we have made liable to buy [the field of his poor brother-Levite, those fields surely do not go back in the Jubilee]; therefore He said that this redemption too goes back in the Jubilee, and from the [law stated in connection with the] Levite we deduce [that the same law applies] to the Israelites. It is possible also that the Levites are not permitted to sell of their cities in any transaction [i.e., whether a field or house] to an Israelite, and therefore all their purchases are termed redemption [because only other Levites, who are their kinsmen, can buy from them].