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Ramban on Numbers 18:10/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ח:י׳

אבְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ – לִמֵּד עַל קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים שֶׁאֵינָן נֶאֱכָלִין אֶלָּא בָּעֲזָרָה וּלְזִכְרֵי כְּהוּנָּה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר י״ח:י׳). וְלֹא הֲבִינוֹתִי זֶה, כִּי קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֵינוֹ מְקוֹם אֲכִילַת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, כִּי הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״בְּמָקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ תֵּאָכֵל בַּחֲצַר אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד״ (ויקרא ו י״ט), וְקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים הוּא בִּמְקוֹם הָאָרוֹן לִפְנִים מִן הַפָּרֹכֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וְהִבְדִּילָה הַפָּרֹכֶת לָכֶם בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים״ (שמות כ״ו ל״ג), וּכְתִיב: ״וְנָתַתָּ אֶת הַכַּפֹּרֶת עַל אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים״ (שם פסוק ל״ד), וְאֵין שָׁם אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, שֶׁאֵין נִכְנָס שָׁם אֶלָּא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. וְרָאִיתִי בְּסִפְרֵי: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא אוֹמֵר, הֲרֵי גּוֹיִם שֶׁהִקִּיפוּ אֶת הָעֲזָרָה, מִנַּיִן לְקָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים שֶׁנֶּאֱכָלִין אֲפִלּוּ בַּהֵיכָל? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ״. וְהִנֵּה ר׳ יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא נִתְעוֹרֵר בָּזֶה וְהֶעֱמִיד הַכָּתוּב בִּמְקוֹם הָאֹנֶס, וְהִזְכִּירוֹ בְּאֵימָה שֶׁאָמַר "נֶאֱכָלִין בַּהֵיכָל", וְהָרָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁנֶּאֱכָלִין אֲפִלּוּ לִפְנַי וְלִפְנִים אִם הִקִּיפוּ אֶת הַהֵיכָל. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט נְפָרֵשׁ בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ – שֶׁתֹּאכְלֶנּוּ בִּקְדֻשַּׁת קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, כִּי אָמַר תְּחִלָּה: ״קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים לְךָ הוּא וּלְבָנֶיךָ״ (במדבר י״ח:ט׳), שֶׁלֹּא תִנְהֲגוּ בָּהֶם מִנְהַג קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים, אֲבָל יִהְיוּ בְּיֶדְכֶם קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים, וְחָזַר וּפֵירַשׁ "בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ" – שֶׁתִּהְיֶה אֲכִילָתְךָ בָּהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה חֲמוּרָה. וּלְפִי שֶׁכְּבָר פֵּירַשׁ בַּמִּנְחָה וּבַחַטָּאת אֶת הַחוֹמֶר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בַּאֲכִילָתָן יוֹתֵר מִקָּדָשִׁים קַלִּים בִּמְקוֹמָן וּבִזְמַנָּן, לֹא הֻצְרַךְ לְהַאֲרִיךְ כָּאן אֶלָּא לוֹמַר שֶׁיְּהוּ כֻּלָּן קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים בַּאֲכִילָתָן, שֶׁתִּהְיֶה אֲכִילָתָן בָּהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה חֲמוּרָה, לֹא כְּקָדָשִׁים קַלִּים. וְשִׁמּוּשֵׁי הַבֵּי״ת רַבִּים, כִּי בֵּי״ת הַכְּלִי כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּחְזִיק הַמָּקוֹם וְהַזְּמַן כֵּן תַּחְזִיק הָעִנְיָן, וְכֵן ״בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכְלֶנָּה״ (בראשית ג י״ז):

1B’KODESH HAKODASHIM’ (IN THE MOST HOLY PLACE) SHALT THOU EAT IT. “This teaches us that the most holy offerings may only be eaten in the Sanctuary Court, and only by male priests.” But I have not understood this, because the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) is not the right place for eating the offerings; for Scripture states, in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the Tent of Meeting,²⁰¹ whereas the Kodesh Hakodashim is the place where the ark is, within the Veil, as it is written, and the Veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.²⁰² It is furthermore written, and thou shalt put the ark-cover upon the ark of the covenant in the most holy place,²⁰³, Verse 34. and there can be no eating and drinking there, since no one may enter it except for the High Priest on the Day of Atonement!Now I have seen the following text in the Sifre:²⁰⁴ 117. “Rabbi Yehudah the son of B’theira says: Whence do we know that if the Sanctuary Court is surrounded by gentiles [besieging it], the holy offerings may be eaten even in the Sanctuary proper? From the verse, In the most holy place thou shalt eat it.” Thus Rabbi Yehudah the son of B’theirah noted [the implication of] this verse, and explained it as applying to a time of emergency, and [therefore] he mentioned it in trepidation, by saying: “may be eaten in the Sanctuary,” when he ought to have said: “may be eaten even in ‘the innermost part’” [of the Sanctuary, i.e., the Holy of Holies], if the enemy besieged the Sanctuary.According to the plain meaning of Scripture, we must explain the verse ‘b’kodesh hakodashim’ thou shalt eat it as meaning: “you shall eat it in a manner befitting the sanctity of the most holy offerings.” For at first He had said, they²⁰⁵ are most holy for thee and for thy sons,²⁰⁶ meaning that you should not treat them²⁰⁵ as you treat the lesser holy offerings, but should regard them as most holy. He then continued and explained: in a most holy [manner] thou shalt eat it, meaning that your eating thereof should be in a manner befitting the strictest degree of sanctity. And since He had already explained [in the Book of Leviticus] with reference to the meal-offering and the sin-offering what are the stricter rules concerning eating them, over and above those applying to the lesser holy offerings, in respect of place and of time,²⁰⁷ He did not have to treat this subject here at length, but only said that they²⁰⁵ must all be eaten as most holy offerings, meaning that the eating thereof must be with the stricter degree of holiness, not that of the lesser holy offerings. The [examples of] usage of the letter beth [as in the word b’kodesh] are many, for the prepositional beth, in addition to denoting place and time, can also signify manner [thus meaning here: “in a most holy manner thou shalt eat it”]. Similarly, ‘b’itzavon’ shalt thou eat it²⁰⁸ [means: “in a manner of toil shalt thou eat it”].