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Ramban on Numbers 5:10/רמב"ן על במדבר ה׳:י׳

אוְאִישׁ אֶת קֳדָשָׁיו לוֹ יִהְיוּ – הַנָּכוֹן בַּכָּתוּב הַזֶּה שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁכָּל קָדְשֵׁי הָאָדָם יִהְיוּ שֶׁלּוֹ, לוֹמַר שֶׁכָּל הַקֳּדָשִׁים שֶׁלֹּא יְצַוֶּה בָּהֶם לִתֵּן אוֹתָם לַכֹּהֵן יִהְיוּ לַבְּעָלִים, וְהֵם מֻתָּרִים בָּהֶם אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ קֹדֶשׁ. וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן לַכֹּהֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיו - לוֹ יִהְיֶה, כִּי גַּם הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה הַכָּתוּב לְתִתָּם לַכֹּהֵן יֵשׁ לַבְּעָלִים זְכוּת בָּהֶן, שֶׁהֵם לַכֹּהֵן הַהוּא אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנֵם לוֹ הָאִישׁ כְּמָמוֹנוֹ. וְהִנֵּה מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי וְנֶטַע רְבָעִי שֶׁאָמַר בָּהֶן הַכָּתוּב שֶׁיִּהְיוּ קֹדֶשׁ לַה' (ויקרא כז ל, שם יט כד) הֵם לָאִישׁ כְּמָמוֹנוֹ, וְכֵן מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה (שם כז לב). אֲבָל שְׁאָר הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה בָּהֶם בְּפָרָשַׁת וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח (להלן יח) שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ הֵם לַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יִנָּתְנוּ לוֹ מִיַּד הַבְּעָלִים, לֹא שֶׁיּוּכְלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים לִגְזֹל אוֹתָם מֵהֶם. וּמֵאֵלֵינוּ נִלְמַד שֶׁטּוֹבַת הֲנָאָה לַבְּעָלִים. וְזֶה הַנָּכוֹן בִּפְשׁוּטוֹ, וְהוּא דַעְתּוֹ שֶׁל אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על במדבר ה׳:י׳). וּכְדֶרֶךְ זֶה נִדְרַשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי (נשא לא), אָמְרוּ: כָּל הַקֳּדָשִׁים הָיוּ בִּכְלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְאִישׁ אֶת קֳדָשָׁיו״ וְגוֹ', מָשַׁךְ הַכָּתוּב כָּל הַקֳּדָשִׁים וּנְתָנָם לַכֹּהֲנִים, וְלֹא שִׁיֵּר מֵהֶם אֶלָּא תּוֹדָה וּשְׁלָמִים וּפֶסַח וּמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה וּמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי וְנֶטַע רְבָעִי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לַבְּעָלִים. הִזְכִּירוּ אַף תּוֹדָה וּשְׁלָמִים וּפֶסַח מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאַף הֵם לַבְּעָלִים, אֲבָל לֹא הֻצְרַךְ הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה בָּהֶם כְּלָל:

1AND EVERY MAN’S HALLOWED THINGS SHALL BE HIS; WHATSOEVER ANY MAN GIVETH THE PRIEST, IT SHALL BE HIS. The correct interpretation of this verse is that Scripture is saying that all hallowed things of a man shall be his, meaning to say that all hallowed things about which He has not commanded that they be given to the priest, [such as the Second Tithe, fourth-year produce of trees and the tithe of the cattle] shall be the owners’ [entirely], and they may have the benefit of eating their meat, even though they are called “holy.” But whatsoever any man giveth the priest as I have commanded him, it shall be his [partially], for even in the hallowed things about which Scripture commanded that they be given to the priest, the owners have a certain right, for although they belong to the priest to whom the owner gives them, as his personal property [but the owners have the right in these hallowed things to choose to whom to give them]. Thus the Second Tithe and the fourth-year produce of trees about which Scripture stated that they be holy to the Eternal⁶⁵ belong to the owner as his personal property, and likewise the tithe of cattle.⁶⁶, 27:32. The tithe of cattle likewise did not have to be given to the priest, but belonged wholly to the owner, after the blood and fat of the animal were offered upon the altar (see “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 90-91). But as for all other hallowed things concerning which He commanded in the section of Vayikach Korach⁶⁷, 18:8-32). that they should give them to the priest, they are to be given to him directly by the owners, and the priests cannot take them from them by force. From this we may deduce ourselves that the right of choosing to whom to give them [with the consequent satisfaction of so doing] is that of the owners. This is the correct interpretation in accordance with the plain meaning of the verse. It is also the opinion of Onkelos [who rendered the verse: “and every man’s hallowed ‘tithe’ shall be his,” thus in dicating that he understood the verse as referring to a tithe which is the owner’s, for instance the Second Tithe].⁶⁸ It is interpreted in a similar manner in the Sifre, where the Rabbis have said:⁶⁹ 6. “All hallowed things are included in the general verse stating, And every man’s hallowed things shall be his. Scripture took away all hallowed things and gave them to the priests, leaving only the thanks-offering, the peace-offering, and the Passover-offering, because they too belong to the owners” [and they are permitted to eat them]. However, this verse is not necessary at all for these matters [i.e., to teach us that the thanks-offering, peace-offering, and Passover-offering belong to their owners, since in each of these cases Scripture clearly states that the meat is eaten by the owners, hence the verse before us must refer, as indicated above, to the Second Tithe, and fourth-year produce of trees].⁷⁰