Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Numbers 5:9/רמב"ן על במדבר ה׳:ט׳

אוְכָל תְּרוּמָה לְכָל קָדְשֵׁי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יֹאמַר כִּי תְרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר יַקְדִּישׁוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹתָהּ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁיְּרִימוּהָ וְיַקְדִּישׁוּהָ, תִּהְיֶה לַכֹּהֵן. כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאֵין לַתְּרוּמָה שִׁעוּר, אָמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי כָּל אֲשֶׁר יַפְרִישׁוּ מִמֶּנָּה תִּהְיֶה לַכֹּהֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ אוֹתָהּ הַבְּעָלִים לָתֵת אֵלָיו, לֹא שֶׁיִּטְּלֶנָּה הַכֹּהֵן בִּזְרוֹעַ. וְזֶהוּ פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא. וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בְּסִפְרֵי (נשא ל): רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִם רָצָה לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל גָּרְנוֹ תְּרוּמָה רַשַּׁאי, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּשַׁיֵּר מִקְצָת. וְעוֹד שָׁנוּ שָׁם בְּסִפְרֵי: ״אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַכֹּהֵן״, אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: וְכִי תְרוּמָה מַקְרִיבִין לַכֹּהֵן? מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַכֹּהֵן לוֹ יִהְיֶה״? לְפִי שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר (שמות כג יט) ״רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ״ וְגוֹ', אֲבָל לֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ מַה יֵעָשֶׂה בָּהֶם, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַכֹּהֵן לוֹ יִהְיֶה״ - בָּא הַכָּתוּב וְלִמֵּד עַל הַבִּכּוּרִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נְתוּנִין לַכֹּהֵן. וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ה׳:ט׳): וְכִי תְּרוּמָה מַקְרִיבִין לַכֹּהֵן? וַהֲלֹא הוּא עַצְמוֹ מְחַזֵּר עָלֶיהָ בְּבֵית הַגְּרָנוֹת. וְאֵינוֹ מְחֻוָּר. אֲבָל פֵּרוּשָׁהּ עַל דַּעַת רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: לֹא יָבֹא לְשׁוֹן הַקְרָבָה בַּתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא בַּקְְּרֵבִים עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, לְפִיכָךְ דָּרַשׁ "אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ" בַּבִּכּוּרִים שֶׁהֵם טְעוּנִין תְּנוּפָה וְהַגָּשָׁה. יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי כָל הַבִּכּוּרִים אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ הַבְּעָלִים לַשֵּׁם לַכֹּהֵן הַמַּקְרִיב לוֹ יִהְיֶה. וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "תָּבִיא בֵּית ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ" וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה יֵעָשֶׂה בָּהֶן, לוֹמַר שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא לָמַדְנוּ בַּבִּכּוּרִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מִמַּתְּנוֹת כְּהֻנָּה כְּלָל, וּבְכָאן הוּא שֶׁלִּמֵּד עֲלֵיהֶן תְּחִלָּה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נְתוּנִין לַכֹּהֵן. אֲבָל אַחֲרֵי כֵן חָזַר וּשְׁנָאָהּ בְּפָרָשַׁת כְּהֻנָּה (במדבר י״ח:י״ג) ״בִּכּוּרֵי כָּל אֲשֶׁר בְּאַרְצָם לְךָ יִהְיֶה״, שֶׁשָּׁם חָזַר וְשָׁנָה גַּם כֵּן תְּרוּמָה וְקָדָשִׁים כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּכְלֹל כָּל מַתְּנוֹת כְּהֻנָּה יַחַד וְיִכְרֹת בְּכֻלָּן בְּרִית מֶלַח (שם פסוק יט), וְעוֹד לִדְבָרִים שֶׁנִּתְחַדְּשׁוּ שָׁם בַּפָּרָשָׁה ״כָּל טָהוֹר בְּבֵיתְךָ יֹאכְלֶנּוּ״ (שם פסוק יג). וְלָמַדְנוּ עוֹד מִכָּאן שֶׁיְּהוּ הַבִּכּוּרִים לְאַנְשֵׁי מִשְׁמָר שֶׁיַּקְרִיבוּם וְאֵינָם לְכָל כֹּהֵן שֶׁיִּרְצֶה כַּתְּרוּמָה:

1AND EVERY HEAVE-OFFERING OF ALL THE HOLY THINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, WHICH THEY BRING UNTO THE PRIEST, SHALL BE HIS. Scripture is saying that the heave-offering which the children of Israel hallow, that is to say, which they set aside [of the produce] and declare holy, shall be the priest’s, for since there is no specific measure [required by law of the Torah⁵⁴ when setting aside] the heave-offering, therefore Scripture said that however much they set aside of the produce [as the heave-offering] shall belong to the priest when the owners bring it and give it to him, but the priest may not take it by force. This is the plain meaning of the verse. And so the Rabbis have said in the Sifre:⁵⁵ 5. The “Sifre” is the Tannaitic Midrash on the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is equivalent to the Mechilta on Exodus, and the Sifra or Torath Kohanim on Leviticus. “Rabbi Akiba says: ‘Scripture comes [here] to teach you that if the owner wishes to declare his whole granary heave-offering, he may do so, provided that he leaves over a small amount’ [as ordinary food].”⁵⁶We have furthermore been taught there in the Sifre:⁵⁵ 5. The “Sifre” is the Tannaitic Midrash on the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is equivalent to the Mechilta on Exodus, and the Sifra or Torath Kohanim on Leviticus. “Which ‘yakrivu’ (they bring) unto the priest. Said Rabbi Yishmael: But do they bring the heave-offering to the priest? What then is the meaning of the expression, which ‘yakrivu’ (they bring) unto the priest, shall be his? [It is as follows:] Since He stated, The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the House of the Eternal thy G-d,⁵⁷ but we have not been informed yet what shall be done with them, therefore Scripture states [here], which ‘yakrivu’ (they bring) unto the priest, shall be his — Scripture comes and teaches you that the first-fruits are to be given to the priest.” Now Rashi [in citing here this text of the Sifre] explained [the question] “But do they bring the heave-offering to the priest?” in the following way: “Does not the priest have to go around the granaries asking for it?” But this is not clear.⁵⁸ (they ‘bring’) unto the priest, shall be his. The heave-offering, according to Rashi, is to be “brought” to the priest. In the opinion of Ramban, only the priest’s taking it by force is forbidden, while his going around for it, is not prohibited in this verse, [[illegible]]since the yakrivu as explained by Rabbi Yishmael in the Sifre is to be understood as denoting offering on the altar, and his question is as follows: “Were they [really] (yakrivu) ‘bringing’ the heave-offering on the altar? Certainly not. Therefore it must refer to the first-fruits.” In brief, Rashi’s interpretation of yakrivu as “bringing” the heave-offering to the priest is therefore “not clear” (as Ramban expresses it). But the [correct] explanation is that in the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael [in the above text of the Sifre] the root hakravah in the Torah [“bringing” — as in yakrivu mentioned here] refers only to things which are offered up on the altar. Therefore he interpreted the expression ‘asher yakrivu’ (which they bring) as referring to the first-fruits, which require waving and bringing to the altar, Scripture thus stating [here] that all first-fruits which the owners bring to G-d shall belong to the officiating priest. And when Rabbi Yishmael said [in the Sifre above], “Since it is stated, The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the House of the Eternal thy G-d,⁵⁷ but I do not know what is to be done with them,” he means to say that we have not yet been taught at all that the first-fruits are amongst the gifts of the priests, and it is here that He taught us for the first time that they are to be given to the priest. But afterwards He taught it again in the section dealing with [the gifts of] the priests: The first ripe fruits of all that is in their Land, which they bring unto the Eternal, shall be thine,⁵⁹ for there He also restated the [laws of the] heave-offering,⁶⁰, Verse 12. and hallowed objects,⁶¹, Verses 9, 17-19. in order to include together all gifts given to the priests, and to make a covenant of salt⁶², Verse 19. for all of them [indicating that just as salt never decays, so will His covenant with Aaron endure]. It also [repeats the laws] for the sake of some new things added in that section, such as, every one that is clean in thy house may eat thereof.⁶³, Verse 13. The verse is speaking about first-fruits. We furthermore learn from the verse here [i.e., from the expression asher yakrivu which, as explained above, refers to some act of service in the Sanctuary] that the first-fruits are to be given to the men of the mishmar⁶⁴. to offer it up [i.e., to the priests who are then on duty in the Sanctuary], and that [the owner] may not give them to any priest he wants to, as is the law of the heave-offering.