Chumashחומש

בבאכם אל הארץ. מְשֻׁנָּה בִּיאָה זוֹ מִכָּל בִּיאוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן נֶאֱמַר כִּי תָבֹא, כִּי תָבֹאוּ, לְפִיכָךְ כֻּלָּן לְמֵדוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁפֵּרֵט לְךָ הַכָּתוּב בְּאַחַת מֵהֶן שֶׁאֵינָהּ אֶלָּא לְאַחַר יְרֻשָּׁה וִישִׁיבָה, אַף כֻּלָּן כֵּן, אֲבָל זוֹ נֶאֱמַר בָּהּ "בְּבֹאֲכֶם" — מִשֶּׁנִּכְנְסוּ בָהּ וְאָכְלוּ מִלַּחְמָהּ נִתְחַיְּבוּ בְחַלָּה (ספרי):

בבאכם אל הארץ WHEN YE COME (more lit., on your coming) INTO THE LAND — This statement about their “entering” into the land is expressed differently from all other statements about their “entering” made in the Torah, for in all other cases it is said, “When you come”, or “when ye come”, — and consequently in all these latter cases each may learn some particular from the other by way of a ג”ש. Therefore, since Scripture distinctly states in one instance of these (Deuteronomy 26:1) that the law there enjoined is applicable only after the full possession (ירושה) of, and definite settlement (ישיבה) in it, (“When thou comest to the land … and thou dost possess it (וירשת) and thou dwellest (וישבת) therein”, then thou shalt take of the first of all thy fruits etc.), all other cases where the phrase כי תבא or כי תבאו introduce a law are similar (i.e. the laws laid down in such instances were also to come in force only after ירושה and ישיבה). — In this case, however, it is stated בבאכם “on your coming”, implying that as soon as they had entered it (the Land) and ate of its bread they became subject to the law about “Challah” (Sifrei Bamidbar 110:1).

ראשית ערסתכם. כְּשֶׁתָּלוּשׁוּ כְדֵי עִסַּתְכֶם שֶׁאַתֶּם רְגִילִין לָלוּשׁ בַּמִּדְבָּר — וְכַמָּה הִיא? "וַיָּמֹדּוּ בָעֹמֶר" (שמות ט"ז), "עֹמֶר לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת" (שם) — תָּרִימוּ מֵרֵאשִׁיתָהּ, כְּלוֹמַר קֹדֶם שֶׁתֹּאכְלוּ מִמֶּנָּה, רֵאשִׁית חֶלְקָהּ חלה אַחַת תרימו תרומה לְשֵׁם ה' (עירובין פ"ג):

ראשית ערסתכם OF THE FIRST OF YOUR DOUGH [YE SHALL HEAVE A CAKE] — This means: when you knead as much as is now your dough (ערסתכם), i.e. the quantity which you are accustomed to knead in the wilderness — and how much is this? You may learn it from the statements (Exodus 16:18) “And they measured with the Omer” and (Exodus 16:16) “An Omer a head”, — you shall set apart at its very beginning (ראשית), meaning, before you eat from it its first portion, one cake (חלה) shall you set apart, as a heave-offering in honour of the Lord (תרימו תרומה לה׳) (Eruvin 83a).

חלה. טורטי"ל בְּלַעַז:

חלה is tourteau in O. F., (Engl = cake).

כתרומת גרן. שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר בָּהּ שִׁעוּר וְלֹא כִתְרוּמַת מַעֲשֵׂר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהּ שִׁעוּר (ספרי), אֲבָל חֲכָמִים נָתְנוּ שִׁעוּר — לְבַעַל הַבַּיִת אֶחָד מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה וּלְנַחְתּוֹם אֶחָד מֵאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה (חלה ב'):

כתרומת גרן EVEN AS THE HEAVE OFFERING OF THE THRESHING FLOOR for which no minimum quantity is stated in the Torah, so shall ye heave it, and not as the “Heave-offering of the Tithe (תרומת מעשר, the priest’s share in the Levite’s tithe) for which a minimum quantity is stated (cf. Numbers 18:26) (Sifrei Bamidbar 110:1). — The Sages, however have stipulated a minimum quantity for it (the portion set aside) — for a private person (lit., the owner of a house) one twenty-fourth, and for the baker one forty-eighth of the dough (Sifrei Bamidbar 110:1; Mishnah Challah 2:7).

מראשית ערסתיכם. לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם", שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁבָּעִסּוֹת, תַּ"ל מראשית — מִקְצָתָהּ וְלֹא כֻלָּהּ (ספרי):

מראשית ערסתיכם OF THE FIRST OF YOUR DOUGH [YE SHALL GIVE UNTO THE LORD A HEAVE OFFERING] — Why is this stated at all? (What does it add to the command in v. 20)? Because it states there ראשית ערסתכם, I might understand this to mean that only the first amongst several doughs which you are kneading at the same time shall you set aside entirely as a heave-offering and all the other doughs are exempt! It therefore states here מראשית “of (some of) the first of the dough”, implying part of it but not all of it (not an entire dough) (Sifrei Bamidbar 110:2).

תתנו לה' תרומה. לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא שָׁמַעְנוּ שִׁעוּר לְחַלָּה נֶאֱמַר "תִּתְּנוּ" — שֶׁיְּהֵא בָהּ כְּדֵי נְתִינָה (שם):

תתנו לה׳ תרומה YE SHALL GIVE UNTO THE LORD A HEAVE OFFERING — Because we have not heard any mention of a definite minimum quantity for the Challah it is stated here “ye shall give”, implying that it shall contain sufficient to constitute a “gift” (Sifrei Bamidbar 110:2).

וכי תשגו ולא תעשו. עֲ"זָ הָיְתָה בִּכְלַל כל המצוות שֶׁהַצִּבּוּר מְבִיאִין עָלֵיהָ פַר, וַהֲרֵי הַכָּתוּב מוֹצִיאָהּ כָּאן מִכְּלָלָן, לִדּוֹן בְּפַר לְעוֹלָה וְשָׂעִיר לְחַטָּאת (ספרי):

וכי תשגו ולא תעשו AND IF YE HAVE ERRED, AND NOT DONE [ALL THESE COMMANDMENTS WHICH THE LORD HATH SPOKEN UNTO MOSES] — Idolatry (which is the transgression referred to here; cf. Rashi on next passage) is naturally comprehended under the general term “all the commandments” (see Leviticus 4:13) for which the whole community brings a bullock as a sin-offering if it infringes one of them, but, you see, Scripture here excepts it (the sin of idolatry) from the general law about them, to bring it under the law of a bullock as a burnt-offering, and a he-goat for a sin-offering (whilst the rule in Leviticus 4:13 is a bullock for sin-offering, and no he-goat is prescribed) (Sifrei Bamidbar 111:1).

וכי תשגו וגו'. בַּעֲ"זָ הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בְאַחַת מִכָּל הַמִּצְוֹת, תַּ"ל את כל המצות האלה — מִצְוָה אַחַת שֶׁהִיא כְּכָל הַמִּצְוֹת, מַה הָעוֹבֵר עַל כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת פּוֹרֵק עֹל וּמֵפֵר בְּרִית וּמְגַלֶּה פָנִים, אַף מִצְוָה זוֹ פּוֹרֵק בָּהּ עֹל וּמֵפֵר בְּרִית וּמְגַלֶּה פָנִים, וְאֵיזוֹ? זוֹ עֲ"זָ (שם):

וכי תשגו וגו׳ AND IF YE HAVE ERRED etc. — Scripture is speaking of the sin of idolatry. Or perhaps not, but of the transgression of any of all the commandments? It, however, states, “[And if ye have erred, and not done] all these commandments” which implies “one command that is the same as (the equivalent of) all the commands”. What is the case of one who transgresses all the commandments? He throws off the yoke of the Law, breaks the covenant and bids defiance to the Torah (more lit., exposes his face, acts bare-facedly). So, too, must this single commandment referred to here be of such a nature that by transgressing it one throws off the yoke, breaks the covenant and bids defiance to the Torah. And which is this? It is idolatry (Sifrei Bamidbar 111:1).

אשר דבר ה' אל משה. אָנֹכִי וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה שְׁמַעְנוּם כְּדִכְתִיב (תהילים ס"ב) "אַחַת דִּבֶּר אֱלֹהִים שְׁתַּיִם זוּ שָׁמָעְנוּ" (הוריות ח'):

אשר דבר ה’ אל משה WHICH THE LORD HATH SPOKEN UNTO MOSES — [This refers to the two commandments prohibiting idolatry:] “I am the Lord, thy God”, and “Thou shalt have no other gods, etc.”, which we heard from the mouth of the Almighty (and which God also commanded us by Moses (v. 23) in many other passages where idolatry is forbidden), as it is written (Psalms 62:12): “Once did God speak these commandments to us but we heard them twice” (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 111:1; Horayot 8a).

את כל אשר צוה וגו'. מַגִּיד שֶׁכָּל הַמּוֹדֶה בַּעֲ"זָ כְּכוֹפֵר בְּכָל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ וּבְכָל מַה שֶּׁנִּתְנַבְּאוּ הַנְּבִיאִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מן היום אשר צוה ה' והלאה:

את כל אשר צוה וגו׳ EVEN ALL THAT [THE LORD] HATH COMMANDED [YOU] etc. — This tells us that he who acknowledges the divinity of an idol is like one who denies the Torah in its entirety and all that the prophets prophesied, because it states, “[and if yo have erred and not done … all that the Lord hath commanded by Moses] from the day that the Lord commanded (Moses), and hence forth [throughout all your generations]” (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 111:1).

אם מעיני העדה נעשתה לשגגה. אִם מֵעֵינֵי הָעֵדָה נֶעֶשְׂתָה עֲבֵרָה זוֹ עַל יְדֵי שׁוֹגֵג — שֶׁשָּׁגוּ וְהוֹרוּ עַל אַחַת מִן הָעֲבוֹדוֹת שֶׁהִיא מֻתֶּרֶת לַעֲבֹד עֲ"זָ בְּכָךְ (שם ה'):

ואם מעיני העדה נעשתה בשגגה — This means: If it is by the eyes (the leaders) of the community that this sin has been committed in error, i.e., that they have mistakenly taught of a certain one of the rites associated with the worship of God that it is permissible to worship an idol in that manner, [then it shall be that all the congregation shall offer, etc.] (cf. Horayot 5b).

לחטת. חָסֵר א', שֶׁאֵינוֹ כִשְׁאָר חַטָּאוֹת, שֶׁכָּל חַטָּאוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה הַבָּאוֹת עִם עוֹלָה הַחַטָּאת קוֹדֶמֶת לָעוֹלָה, שֶׁנֶּא' (ויקרא ה'), "וְאֶת הַשֵּׁנִי יַעֲשֶׂה עֹלָה", וְזוֹ עוֹלָה קוֹדֶמֶת לְחַטָּאת (שם ט"ו):

לחטת — This lacks the א usually found in it, to indicate that it is not like other חטאות, sin-offerings; for in the case of all sin offerings mentioned in the Torah that are to be brought together with a burnt offering, the sin-offering precedes the burnt offering (i.e. is offered first), since it is said, (Leviticus 5:10) “And the second animal shall he make as a burnt offering,” whilst in this case the burnt offering precedes the sin-offering (Horayot 13a).

הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה'. זֶה הָאָמוּר בַּפָּרָשָׁה, הוּא פַר הָעוֹלָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אִשֶּׁה לַה'" (ספרי):

הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה׳ [AND] THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OFFERING, A FIRE OFFERING UNTO THE LORD — This is that offering mentioned previously in this chapter (v. 24), viz., the bullock for a burnt offering, since it says here, “a fire offering to the Lord” (which is a description of a burnt offering) (Sifrei Bamidbar 111:3).

וחטאתם. זֶה הַשָּׂעִיר:

וחטאתם AND THEIR SIN OFFERING — This is the he-goat (mentioned in v. 24).