Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 6:10/רמב"ן על ויקרא ו׳:י׳
אחֶלְקָם נָתַתִּי אֹתָהּ מֵאִשָּׁי שֶׁאַף לְחַלֵּק אֵינָם רַשָּׁאִין אֶלָּא לְאַחַר מַתְּנוֹת הָאִשִּׁים, וּמִכָּאן לָמַדְנוּ לְכָל הַקֳּדָשִׁים, דִּכְתִיב "קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הִיא" (תורת כהנים פרק ג ב). וְלֹא תֵאָפֶה חָמֵץ חֶלְקָם, שֶׁאַף הַשִּׁירַיִם אֲסוּרִים בְּחִמּוּץ (מנחות נה), וְכַחַטָּאת וְכָאָשָׁם לִמֵּד מַה חַטָּאת מִן חֻלִּין בַּיּוֹם וּבְיַד יְמָנִית אַף זוֹ מִן הַחֻלִּין בַּיּוֹם וּבְיַד יְמָנִית (תורת כהנים פ"ג ג). וְכָל זָכָר בִּבְנֵי אַהֲרֹן - שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ בַּעֲלֵי מוּמִין בַּמַּחְלֹקֶת (זבחים צח), וְהוֹסִיפָה בַּכֹּהֲנִים "וְכָל מִנְחַת כֹּהֵן כָּלִיל תִּהְיֶה לֹא תֵאָכֵל" (ויקרא ו':ט"ז), וְאָמַר הָרַב בַּמּוֹרֶה הַנְּבֻכִים (ג מו) כִּי הַטַּעַם בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁכָּל כֹּהֵן מַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ, וְאִם יַקְרִיב מִנְחָה וְיֹאכְלֶנָּה הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הִקְרִיב דָּבָר, כִּי מִנְחַת יָחִיד לֹא יַקְרִיב מִמֶּנָּה כִּי אִם הַלְּבוֹנָה וְהַקֹּמֶץ, וְלֹא דַּי מִעוּט זֶה הַקָּרְבָּן אֶלָּא שֶׁיֹּאכְלֶנּוּ וְיִדְמֶה שֶׁלֹּא הִקְרִיב קָרְבָּן כְּלָל, וְלָכֵן יִשְׂרְפוּ אֶת כֻּלָּהּ:
1I HAVE GIVEN IT AS THEIR PORTION OF MY OFFERINGS. Even to apportion it [i.e., the residue of the meal-offering which the priests are to eat] they are not permitted to do until after the parts given to the fire [i.e., the handful] have gone up on the altar. It is from here that we learn that the same law applies to all hallowed offerings, as it is written, I have given it as their portion of My offerings; it is most holy.44It shall not be baked as anything leavened. Their portion …45 … The juxtaposition of the word chelkam (their portion) to the word chametz (leavened) is the reason for the Rabbis’ interpretation that the portion the priests receive from the meal-offering, neither may be baked with leaven. — even the residue [which the priests receive as their share of the meal-offering] may not be baked with leaven. As the sin-offering, and as the guilt-offering — this teaches that just as the sin-offering must come from ordinary money,46 (further, 16:6), that is, from the money which belongs to him. Sacred money, on the other hand, is not completely his to dispose of as he wishes. and can be offered only at daytime, and the priest performs all its acts with his right arm — so also this meal-offering must come from ordinary money, and be brought at daytime, and its acts must be performed with the priest’s right hand. Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it38 — it may be apportioned even amongst those priests who have a bodily blemish [such as are mentioned further in Chapter 21:16-21 as disqualifying them from performing the acts of offering, but they may eat the residue of the meal-offering].Now with regards to the meal-offering of the priests He added [this command]: And every meal-offering of the priest shall be wholly burnt; it shall not be eaten.47 On this the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim48 that the reason [for the meal-offering of the priest being entirely burnt] is because every priest offered up his own meal-offering himself, and if he were to offer it and eat the residue of it himself, it would appear as if he had brought no offering. For nothing was offered of an ordinary individual’s meal-offering49 (the meal-offering of the individual). except the frankincense and the handful of the flour. If then, in addition to the fact that the whole offering was small, he who offered it were to eat it himself, he would imagine50 (and he will imagine).” Such is the text in Al Charizi’s translation of the Moreh Nebuchim, which Ramban follows. The intent would seem to be that the priest who is offering his own meal-offering will imagine that he has performed no Divine Service, and therefore he might violate the laws regarding the eating of the residue. Hence the Torah prohibited him from eating it. In Ibn Tibbon’s translation, however, the reading is: “V’lo yeira’eh (and it will not appear),” that is, to others, that a Service has been performed, and therefore they will hold the priest in disregard for eating it. That is why the Torah commanded that it be wholly burnt. that he had brought no offering at all. Therefore [the Torah required] that it be entirely burnt.