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Ramban on Leviticus 7:14/רמב"ן על ויקרא ז׳:י״ד
אוְהִקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ אֶחָד מִכָּל קָרְבָּן חַלָּה אַחַת שְׁלֵמָה, נִמְצָא נוֹטֵל תְּרוּמָה אַרְבַּע חַלּוֹת. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ, כְּשֶׁהוֹצִיא הַכָּתוּב מִלָּאו הַשְּׂאוֹר "קָרְבַּן רֵאשִׁית תַּקְרִיבוּ" (ויקרא ב':י"ב), לָמָּה לֹא אָמַר גַּם כֵּן "וְקָרְבַּן תּוֹדָה". וְזוֹ אֵינָהּ שְׁאֵלָה, כִּי הַכָּתוּב אָמַר "וְאֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא יַעֲלוּ לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ", וְלֶחֶם הַתּוֹדָה אֵין מִמֶּנּוּ לַמִּזְבֵּחַ כְּלוּם, שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא טָעוּן תְּנוּפָה. וְאע"פ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (מנחות נז) בְּלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים שֶׁעוֹבֵר עָלָיו בְּחִמּוּצוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַלְּבוֹנָה שֶׁעָלָיו שֶׁהִיא לַלֶּחֶם לְאַזְכָּרָה אִשֶּׁה לַה', אֲבָל לֶחֶם הַתּוֹדָה אֵין מִמֶּנּוּ לַמִּזְבֵּחַ כְּלוּם. וְאוּלַי לֹא הֻצְרַךְ הַכָּתוּב לַשִּׁיּוּר הַהוּא אֶלָּא בַּעֲבוּר הַדְּבַשׁ שֶׁלֹּא נִתְפָּרֵשׁ בַּבִּכּוּרִים שֶׁיָּבֹאוּ מִן הַדְּבַשׁ, וְכָלַל הַשְּׂאוֹר עִמּוֹ, וְאָמַר בִּשְׁנֵיהֶם "קָרְבַּן רֵאשִׁית תַּקְרִיבוּ אֹתָם", אֲבָל בַּשְּׂאוֹר הַמְפֹרָשׁ בִּמְקוֹמוֹ אֵין צֹרֶךְ לִפְרֹט אוֹתוֹ, כִּי לֹא יַתְנֶה הַכָּתוּב בִּ"מְחַלְלֶיהָ מוֹת יוּמָת" (שמות לא יד) חוּץ מֵעֲבוֹדַת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, וּבְ"עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת אָחִיךָ" (ויקרא י"ח:ט"ז) חוּץ מִן הַיְּבָמָה:
1AND OF IT HE SHALL PRESENT ONE OUT OF EACH OFFERING — one whole cake [for a heave-offering unto the Eternal]. Thus he takes as a heave-offering four cakes [and gives them to the priest].But I wonder! When Scripture excluded [first-fruits] from the prohibition against burning leaven [on the altar],97 by stating, as an offering of first-fruits ye may bring them98, 12. [which means that “the two loaves” of the Festival of Shevuoth were to be brought of leavened dough, as clearly mentioned further on in Scripture],99 why did it not say that [the ten leavened cakes of] the thanks-offering [are also an exception]? But this is not really a question. For Scripture states, and unto the altar they [i.e., leaven and honey] shall not come up for a sweet savor,98, 12. and of the [forty] breads of the thanks-offering, none came up on the altar at all, for they require only waving.100, Verse 18), and such is the case also with the thanks-offering. So the question recurs: Why did Scripture not call attention to the exception of the breads of the thanks-offering? The Tur answers that Scripture called attention only to an obligatory offering, such being the case of “the two loaves” on the Festival of Shevuoth, but not to a thanks-offering, which is a freewill offering. See further my Hebrew commentary pp. 33-34. Even though in the case of the showbread101 He did say that one commits a transgression if one brought it in a leaven state102’ (any) meal-offering, which ye shall bring unto the Eternal, shall not be made with leaven (above, 2:11), the word kol includes the showbread, that it too must not be leavened” (Menachoth 57 a). [although there too none of the loaves are burnt on the altar], that is because of the frankincense that was on it which was to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Eternal.103 But of the bread of the thanks-offering, nothing at all came up on the altar [hence the Torah permitted the ten loaves to be leavened]. Perhaps Scripture only had to mention that exception [as an offering of first-fruits ye may bring them]98, 12. because of the honey,104 since it was not clearly stated concerning the first-fruits [which were brought of “the seven kinds”]105 that they may be brought from honey [and it therefore had to be explicitly stated in that verse], and thus He also included leaven with it, saying of both of them, as an offering of first-fruits ye may bring them.98, 12. With reference to leaven, however, since it is clearly explained in its correct place [that the “two loaves” of the Festival of Shevuoth constitute an exception to the usual negative commandment], there was no need any more to mention it as an exception [when mentioning the general negative commandment], just as Scripture has not specified the exception to the rule about the Sabbath, when stating every one that profaneth it shall be put to death,106 [by saying] “except for the Service of the offerings” [which may be done on the Sabbath], or in the case of thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife,107 [by saying] “except for a brother’s childless wife” [whom he is to marry].108. For various reasons the practice now established is to grant the widow chalitzah, and she is then free to marry.