Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 19:16/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ט:ט״ז
אעַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה – רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (חולין עב) לְרַבּוֹת גּוֹלֵל וְדוֹפֵק. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ: עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֹהֶל, מְטַמֵּא הַמֵּת בִּנְגִיעָה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר י״ט:ט״ז). וְאֵין גּוֹלֵל וְדוֹפֵק עַל דַּעַת חֲכָמִים נִדְרָשׁ מִן הַכָּתוּב, אֲבָל הוּא הֲלָכָה, וְאֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלָיו, וְאֵין חַיָּבִין עָלָיו עַל טֻמְאַת מִקְדָּשׁ וְקָדָשָׁיו. אֲבָל עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה הוּא לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ, שֶׁיִּגַּע בַּחֲלַל חֶרֶב שֶׁנָּפַל עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה וְאֵין שָׁם דָּבָר מַאֲהִיל עָלָיו. וּמִפְּנֵי יִתּוּרוֹ עָשׂוּ בוֹ מִדְרָשׁ, כָּךְ אָמְרוּ בִּנְזִירוּת בְּפֶרֶק כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (נג): ״וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה״ - זֶה הַמַּאֲהִיל עַל הַמֵּת, כִּי הַמַּאֲהִיל עָלָיו הוּא נוֹגֵעַ עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה. וְיִהְיֶה לָהֶם "בַּחֲלַל חֶרֶב" חָסֵר וָא״ו "וּבַחֲלַל חֶרֶב". וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמַר "פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה" וְלֹא אָמַר "הַשָּׂדֶה", דָּרַשׁ בּוֹ רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל (חולין שם) עוֹד לְהוֹצִיא עֻבָּר בִּמְעֵי אִמּוֹ שֶׁהִיא טֻמְאָה בְּלוּעָה וְאֵינָהּ עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּקוֹם. וְאָמַר "בַּחֲלַל חֶרֶב" כִּי דִבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהוֹוֶה, וְהוּא הַדִּין לַחֲלַל אֶבֶן אוֹ אֶגְרוֹף. וְהִזְכִּיר חָלָל וָמֵת כְּנֶגֶד הַבְּהֵמוֹת, שֶׁהַשְּׁחוּטוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת וְהַנְּבֵלָה מְטַמְּאָה. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ (נזיר נג) עָשׂוּ בוֹ מִדְרָשׁ מִפְּנֵי יִתּוּרוֹ, לוֹמַר שֶׁהַחֶרֶב כֶּחָלָל, שֶׁלֹּא בָּא הַכָּתוּב אֶלָּא לְהַשְׁווֹת הֶחָלָל וְהַחֶרֶב, לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא נַעֲשֶׂה אֲבִי אֲבוֹת לְטֻמְאָה כַּמֵּת עַצְמוֹ, וּמְטַמֵּא אָדָם וְכֵלִים טֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה. וְהַנִּרְאֶה מִן הַסּוּגְיוֹת בַּמִּשְׁנָה וּבַגְּמָרָא שֶׁהוּא מְטַמֵּא בְּמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא כַּמֵּת, אֲבָל אֵינוֹ כָּמוֹהוּ לְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל. שֶׁמָּא מָצְאוּ בוֹ מִעוּט מִן הַכָּתוּב בָּאֹהֶל: אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל – שֶׁאֵינוֹ רַק עַל הָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ. וְאִם הָיָה הַחֶרֶב שֶׁנִּטְמָא בַּמֵּת מְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל, הָיוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲסוּרִים בְּכָל הַבָּתִּים, שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן הַחֶרֶב טָמֵא וִיהֵא מְטַמֵּא אוֹתָם בְּאֹהֶל. וְכֵן נִרְאֶה עוֹד בַּגְּמָרָא (שם נד) שֶׁאֵין הַחֶרֶב הַנּוֹגֵעַ בְּמֵת מְטַמֵּא אָדָם לְהַצְרִיכוֹ הַזָּאַת שְׁלִישִׁי וּשְׁבִיעִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהָאָדָם הַזֶּה הַנּוֹגֵעַ בּוֹ אָב לְטֻמְאָה. וְהָיָה זֶה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבַּכָּתוּב הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁאָמַר ״וְהִזָּה עַל הָאֹהֶל״ (במדבר י״ט:י״ח), כָּתוּב: ״וְעַל הַנֹּגֵעַ בַּעֶצֶם אוֹ בֶחָלָל אוֹ בַמֵּת״ וְלֹא אָמַר ״אוֹ בַּחֲלַל חֶרֶב״. וְאִם כֵּן, הֲרֵי הַחֶרֶב כֶּחָלָל לְטַמֵּא בְּמַגָּע טֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה, אֲבָל לֹא לְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל וְלֹא לְהַצְרִיכוֹ הַזָּאָה, וְאֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלָיו, וְאֵין הַכֹּהֵן מֻזְהָר מִמַּגָּעוֹ כְּלָל. וְהוּא הַקָּרוֹב וְהַנִּרְאֶה מִדִּבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ. וַאֲנַחְנוּ בַּעֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ טְמֵאֵי הַגָּלוּת, וְלֹא יָדַעְנוּ בְּטַהֲרַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ עַד יֵעָרֶה עָלֵינוּ רוּחַ מִמָּרוֹם, וְיִזְרֹק הַשֵּׁם עָלֵינוּ מַיִם טְהוֹרִים וְנִטָּהֵר. אָמֵן, וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן בִּמְהֵרָה בְּיָמֵינוּ:
1AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH IN THE OPEN FIELD. “Our Rabbis have said that this includes the upper board and the side board [of a coffin, when found in the open field]. And the plain meaning [of the verse] is: in the open field where there are no tents, a corpse conveys uncleanness [only] by contact.” This is Rashi’s language. But in the opinion of the Sages35 the [law that the] upper and side boards of the coffin [convey uncleanness] is not derived from Scripture, but is a tradition [handed down by Moses who received it at Sinai]. Therefore a Nazirite [who has become impure by coming into contact with them] is not subject to [the law of] shaving his hair,36 and likewise [one who becomes impure through contact with them] is not liable to punishment for defiling the Sanctuary [by entering it when impure] or [by eating] the hallowed offerings [in such a state of uncleanness]. Rather, [the expression] in the open field is to be understood according to our Rabbis in its literal sense, i.e., that he touches a person who is slain by the sword, who has fallen in the open field, and there is nothing covering over the corpse. And since this verse is now [seemingly] superfluous, [since it has already been stated in Verse 11 above that one who touches a corpse becomes impure], the Rabbis derived from it the following interpretation, and they said in Tractate Nazir in the Chapter “The High Priest:”37 “And whosoever toucheth in the open field. This refers to one who ‘covers over’ a corpse” [and tells us that he becomes impure], since by covering over it he “touches” the open field. [According to this interpretation of the Rabbis the expression] bachalal cherev (slain by the sword) is lacking the [connective letter] vav — u’bachalal cherev, [meaning: “or slain by the sword”].38, i.e., who leans over a corpse or covers it with his body, because in doing so he “touches” the corpse; 2) or whosoever touches directly one slain by the sword. And since Scripture says ‘pnei’ hasadeh [literally: “the face” of the field] and does not [just] say “the field”, Rabbi Yishmael further interpreted it39 to exclude the [case of a] foetus which died whilst still in its mother’s womb [so that if the midwife put her hand inside the mother and touched it, she does not become impure], because it is impurity which is “swallowed up,” and is not “upon the face” of the place.Scripture states slain ‘by the sword’ because it speaks of the usual [way of events], but the same law applies if the person was slain by a stone or fist. It mentions those killed and those who die [naturally, stating: one that is slain by the sword, or one that dieth of himself] in contrast to animals for [those animals, which are permitted as food] are pure if they are slaughtered properly, but if they die of their own accord [or were not slaughtered properly] convey impurity as carrion; whereas all human corpses convey impurity, regardless of how the person met his death]. Since it appears superfluous, however, our Rabbis interpreted it in the following manner, namely [that the expression one that is slain by the sword is intended to teach us] that the sword [with which the person was slain] is exactly like the slain person himself, and the whole purpose of the verse is to equate the slain and the sword, so as to say that it [the sword] becomes an avi avoth hatumah (a progenitor of a primary source of impurity),40 (a progenitor of a primary source of impurity) the sword which touched him should have become only an av hatumah (a primary source of impurity), while the rule is that it becomes an avi avoth hatumah just like the dead itself. Hence a person that touches the sword which was so defiled becomes an av hatumah (a primary source of impurity), and not a rishon l’tumah (a first degree of impurity) as would be the ordinary rule. See further on these laws in Vol. III, p. 148, Note 252. It should also be pointed out [for the sake of the following text of Ramban] that the above principle of the sword [becoming an avi avoth hatumah just as the corpse] applies also to all metal vessels which have been rendered impure by a corpse. just like the dead person himself, and it conveys impurity of seven days’ duration to people and vessels. It appears from the text of the Mishnah and Gemara41 (see Note 32 above). — For the term Gemara see in Vol. II p. 132, Note 204. that it [the sword and all metal vessels] convey impurity by contact and through carrying just like the corpse, but it is unlike the corpse in [that it does not] convey impurity by ohel32 [i.e., if it is in a tent or building together with a person or object, that person or object remains pure]. Perhaps the Rabbis based this exclusion on the verse dealing with the tent, which says: when ‘a man’ dieth in a tent,42 [thus implying that the law of “the tent,” i.e., that of conveying impurity by ohel], applies only to the dead body itself. And if a sword [or metal vessel] which became impure by [touching] a corpse were to convey impurity of ohel, the priests would be forbidden to enter all buildings [even after the removal of the corpse], for they all have a “sword” [i.e., some metal vessel]43 which has become impure, and it would defile them by ohel32 [and it is obviously impossible to say that priests may never enter all buildings]!44 It further appears in the Gemara45 that a sword [or metal vessel] which touches a corpse does not render a person [who touches it] impure to the extent that he requires to be sprinkled [with the waters of purification] on the third and seventh days,46 even though the person who touches [the sword or vessel] becomes a “father of impurity.” This is because in the second verse where He states and he shall sprinkle upon the tent47 it says, and upon him that touched the bone, or ‘the slain,’ or the dead or the grave,47 but it does not say “or one that is slain with a sword.” If so, the sword [and all metal vessels] are like the corpse [in degree of impurity] only to the extent that one who touches it is rendered impure for seven days’ duration, but not [to the extent that a sword conveys impurity] by ohel32 [as does a corpse], nor [to the extent that one who touches it] requires sprinkling [of the waters of purification]. Likewise a Nazirite does not have to cut off his hair [on account of being in a tent together with it], nor is there any prohibition at all against a priest touching it [whereas he is prohibited from touching the corpse itself.]48 This is the most likely and reasonable explanation, based on the words of our Rabbis. But we because of our sins are now impure in the exile, and we do not know of the purity of holiness until the spirit be poured upon us from on High,49 and G-d will sprinkle clean water upon us50 and we shall become pure. Amen, and may this be the will [of G-d] speedily in our days.