Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 19:14/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ט:י״ד
אוְטַעַם אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל – אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת וְהוּא עַתָּה בְּאֹהֶל, אוֹ שֶׁדִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהֹוֶה, וְהוּא הַדִּין אִם יָמוּת בַּחוּץ וְהִכְנִיסוּהוּ לְאֹהֶל. כָּל הַבָּא אֶל הָאֹהֶל וְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּאֹהֶל - הַכֵּלִים שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ וְהָאֹהֶל עַצְמוֹ בַּכְּלָל הַזֶּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר: ״וְהִזָּה עַל הָאֹהֶל וְעַל כָּל הַכֵּלִים וְעַל הַנְּפָשׁוֹת אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ שָׁם״ (במדבר י״ט:י״ח). וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב הָאֹהֶל לְהַגִּיד שֶׁהוּא עַצְמוֹ טָמֵא שִׁבְעָה וְצָרִיךְ הַזָּיָה. וְעוֹד מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹשְׁבֵי אֹהָלִים בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְדִבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהֹוֶה, כִּי הַמִּצְוָה מִיָּד וּלְדוֹרוֹת. אֲבָל הוּא הַדִּין לְבַיִת וּלְכָל הַמַּאֲהִילִים שֶׁמְּבִיאִים אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה עַל כָּל הַכֵּלִים וְעַל הַנְּפָשׁוֹת שֶׁשָּׁם, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין הַבַּיִת הַמְחֻבָּר מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה בְּעַצְמוֹ כְּלָל. וְהִנֵּה הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב בַּמֵּת טֻמְאַת מַגָּע וְאֹהֶל, וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בּוֹ מַשָּׂא, אֲבָל רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי) דּוֹרְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ בְּקַל וָחֹמֶר מִן הַנְּבֵלָה, וּמְרַבִּים אוֹתוֹ לְטֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה כַּמַּגָּע. וְכֵן הוּא כְּפִי פְּשַׁט הַכָּתוּב, הִזְכִּיר כִּי בָּאָדָם הַמֵּת וְהַשָּׁחוּט טֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה וְהַזָּיָה בְּמַגָּע, וּכְבָר הוּא יָדוּעַ כִּי מַגַּע הַתּוֹרָה הַנְּגִיעָה מַמָּשׁ, וְהַנְּגִיעָה עַל יְדֵי דָבָר אַחֵר שֶׁיִּשָּׂא אוֹתוֹ:
1WHEN A MAN DIETH IN A TENT. The meaning thereof is: “When a man dies, and he is now [lying] in a tent” [even though he may have died outside the tent and was later on brought in]; or it may be that Scripture speaks about the usual circumstances [and people usually die inside a building], but the same law applies if he died outside and they brought him into the tent. All that come into the tent and all that is in the tent — this includes the vessels therein and the tent itself, as He said [further on], and he shall sprinkle upon the tent and upon all the vessels and upon the persons that were there.30 Scripture mentions the tent in order to let us know that the tent itself is rendered unclean for seven days, and [in order to become clean again] requires sprinkling [with the waters of purification]. Furthermore, the Israelites were tent-dwellers in the wilderness and Scripture spoke of the usual [circumstances at that time], because the commandment applied [both] immediately and for later generations; but the same law applies to a house and to everything that “covers” [a corpse], namely that they convey uncleanness to all the vessels and persons that are there, except that a house which is [permanently] attached to the ground cannot itself become impure [unlike a tent which is also defiled].Now Scripture stated [that] a corpse [conveys] impurity by contact31. — See Vol. III, p. 129, Note 150, on the interchangeable use of the terms “clean,” and “unclean,” or “pure” and “impure.” and by an ‘ohel,’32 but does not mention [that it also conveys impurity to the person who] carries it. Our Rabbis, however, deduced it by a kal vachomer33 from [the law of] a dead animal,34 (see Note 32), nonetheless does convey impurity [to one who] carries it — surely a corpse [which conveys impurity for seven days, and also by ohel, conveys impurity to one who carries it]! And just as in the case of a dead animal, touching it conveys impurity until the [same] evening and carrying it [likewise] conveys impurity until the evening, so also in the case of a corpse, where touching conveys impurity for seven days, carrying also conveys impurity for seven days” (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Tumath Hameith, 1:2). and have included it in [the law of] uncleanness of seven days, just like [one who] touches [a corpse]. This is also in accordance with the plain meaning of Scripture, for He mentioned in the case of one who dies [of his own accord] or was killed that he who touches him becomes unclean for seven days,31. — See Vol. III, p. 129, Note 150, on the interchangeable use of the terms “clean,” and “unclean,” or “pure” and “impure.” and [requires] sprinkling [with the waters of purification]; and it is already known that [the word] “touching” in the Torah refers to actual personal contact, and to contact through another object, that is, by carrying it [in which case he is “touching” the object carried by means of the intervening object].