Chumashחומש

בית מושב עיר חומה. בַּיִת בְּתוֹךְ עִיר הַמֻּקֶּפֶת חוֹמָה מִימוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן (ספרא):

בית מושב עיר חומה A DWELLING PLACE IN A CITY WHICH HATH A WALL — i. e. a house situated in a city which has been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua the son of Nun (Sifra, Behar, Section 4 1).

והיתה גאלתו. לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּשָׂדֶה שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְגָאֳלָהּ מִשְּׁתֵי שָׁנִים וָאֵילָךְ כָּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּרְצֶה, וּבְתוֹךְ שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְגָאֳלָהּ, הֻצְרַךְ לְפָרֵט בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא חִלּוּף — שֶׁאִם רָצָה לִגְאֹל בְּשָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה גּוֹאֲלָהּ, וּלְאַחַר מִכָּאן אֵינוֹ גוֹאֲלָהּ:

והיתה גאלתו THEN IT SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE REDEEMED [UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE YEAR OF ITS SALE] — Because it is stated about a field that one may redeem it after two years from the date of the sale and onwards at any time he pleases, but one may not redeem it during the first two years, Scripture was compelled to state specially with reference to this (the house) that just the opposite is the case — that if one wishes to redeem it in the first year he may do so, but after that he cannot redeem it.

והיתה גאלתו. שֶׁל בַּיִת:

והיתה גאלתו THEN THE REDEMPTION OF IT — of the house — SHALL BE [TILL THE COMPLETION OF THE YEAR].

ימים. יְמֵי שָׁנָה שְׁלֵמָה קְרוּיִים יָמִים, וְכֵן "תֵּשֵׁב הַנַּעֲרָה אִתָּנוּ יָמִים" (בראשית כ"ד):

ימים YEAR (lit., days) — the days of a full year are, briefly, termed “days”. Similar is: (Genesis 24:55) “Let the damsel remain with us a year (‎‎‏."(ימים

וקם הבית … צמיתת. יָצָא מִכֹּחוֹ שֶׁל מוֹכֵר וְעוֹמֵד בְּכֹחוֹ שֶׁל קוֹנֶה:

וקם הבית...לצמתת (THEN THE HOUSE… SHALL BE ESTABLISHED ABSOLUTELY [TO HIM THAT OBTAINED IT] — i. e. it leaves the control of the vendor for ever and stands under the exclusive control of the purchaser.

אשר לא חמה. "לוֹ" קָרֵינָן, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִ"לִ אַעַ"פִּ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ עַכְשָׁיו הוֹאִיל וְהָיְתָה לוֹ קֹדֶם לָכֵן; וְעִיר נְקֵבָה הִיא, וְהֻצְרַךְ לִכְתֹּב "לָהּ", אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִכְתֹּב "לֹא" בִּפְנִים, תִּקְּנוּ "לוֹ" בַּמָּסֹרֶת — זֶה נוֹפֵל עַל זֶה:

אשר לא חמה — We read the text as though it were written לו (i. e. tradition tells us to do so). Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Arakhin 32a): We do so to intimate that the law applies to a city even if at the present it has not a rampart (אשר לא חמה) since previous to now it had one (אשר לו חמה). It is true that עיר is a feminine noun and the preposition referring to it should have been written לה (not לו), yet because Scripture was bound to write לא in the text for the reason given, the Massora (the traditional Scriptural text without vowels) replaced it by לו (instead of לה), because the sound of the one applies also to the other (they sound similar).

לא יצא ביבל. אָמַר רַב סַפְרָא אִם פָּגַע בּוֹ יוֹבֵל בְּתוֹךְ שְׁנָתוֹ לֹא יֵצֵא (עי' ערכין ל"א):

לא יצא ביובל IT SHALL NOT GO OUT IN THE JUBILEE — Rabbi Saphra said, “if the Jubilee happened to fall during that year (the first year of its sale), it shall nevertheless not go out” (Arakhin 31b).

ובתי החצרים. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ "פַּצְחִין" — עֲיָרוֹת פְּתוּחוֹת מֵאֵין חוֹמָה, וְיֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, "הֶעָרִים וְחַצְרֵיהֶם" (יהושע י"ג), "בְּחַצְרֵיהֶם וּבְטִירֹתָם" (בראשית כ"ה):

ובתי החצרים BUT THE HOUSES OF THE VILLAGES — Understand this as the Targum does: פצחין i. e. “houses of open cities” such as have no rampart. The term חצר occurs many times in this sense in the Book of Joshua, e.g., (Joshua 13:29) “the cities and the unwalled places thereof (וחצריהם)”; so also (Genesis 25:16) "by their unwalled places (בחצריהם) and by their strongholds” (see Rashi on that verse).

על שדה הארץ יחשב. הֲרֵי הֵן כְּשָׂדוֹת, הַנִּגְאָלִים עַד הַיּוֹבֵל וְיוֹצְאִין בַּיּוֹבֵל לַבְּעָלִים אִם לֹא נִגְאֲלוּ:

על שדה הארץ יחשב [BUT THE HOUSES OF THE VILLAGES]… SHALL BE ACCOUNTED AS THE FIELDS OF THE COUNTRY — i. e. they shall be like the fields which may be redeemed until the Jubilee(not only in the first year) and go out in the Jubilee into the possession of their owners if they have not been redeemed in the meantime (Arakhin 33a).

גאלה תהיה לו. מִיָּד, אִם יִרְצֶה, וּבָזֶה יָפֶה כֹחוֹ מִכֹּחַ שָׂדוֹת, שֶׁהַשָּׂדוֹת אֵין נִגְאֲלוֹת עַד שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים (ערכין ל"ג):

גאלה תהיה לו THEY MAY BE REDEEMED — at once if he (the vendor) so desires. In this respect it (the house in an unwalled city) has even a greater advantage than the fields, for the fields cannot be redeemed until two years have elapsed from the date of the sale (Arakhin 33a; cf. Rashi on v. 24).

וביבל יצא. בְּחִנָּם:

וביבל יצא AND THEY SHALL GO OUT IN THE JUBILEE — for nothing.

וערי הלוים. אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה עִיר שֶׁנִתְּנוּ לָהֶם:

וערי הלוים THE CITIES OF THE LEVITES… [MAY BE REDEEMED AT ANY TIME] — This refers only to the forty-eight cities which had been given to them (cf. Numbers 35:6. 7). (But if the Levites built another city for themselves, or if a Levite possesses a house in a city inhabited by Israelites these do not come under this law).

גאלת עולם. גּוֹאֵל מִיָּד, אֲפִלּוּ לִפְנֵי שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים, אִם מָכְרוּ שָׂדֶה מִשְּׂדוֹתֵיהֶם הַנְּתוּנוֹת לָהֶם בְּאַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה סְבִיבוֹת הֶעָרִים, אוֹ אִם מָכְרוּ בַיִת בְּעִיר חוֹמָה, גּוֹאֲלִין לְעוֹלָם וְאֵינוֹ חָלוּט לְסוֹף שָׁנָה (שם):

גאלת עולם [THE LEVITES SHALL HAVE] THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION AT ANY TIME — This means that they (Levites) may redeem at once — even before the end of two years — if they sold a field of those fields which had been given to them within the two thousand cubits round about the cities (cf. Numbers 25:5) (whilst an ordinary Israelite’s field must remain at least two years in the hand of the purchaser), or if they sold “a house in a city which has a wall” they may redeem it at any time and it does not become irredeemable at the end of one year (as is the case with such houses belonging to Israelites; cf. v. 30) (Arakhin 33b).

ואשר יגאל מן הלוים. וְאִם יִקְנֶה בַיִת אוֹ עִיר מֵהֶם וְיֵצֵא בַיּוֹבֵל אוֹתוֹ מִמְכָּר שֶׁל בַּיִת אוֹ שֶׁל עִיר וְיָשׁוּב לַלֵּוִי שֶׁמְּכָרוֹ, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה חָלוּט כִּשְׁאָר בָּתֵּי עָרֵי חוֹמָה שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּגְאֻלָּה זוֹ לְשׁוֹן מְכִירָה; דָּ"אַ, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה לַלְוִיִּם, יָכוֹל לֹא דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב אֶלָּא בְּלוֹקֵחַ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁקָּנָה בַיִת בְּעָרֵי הַלְוִיִּם, אֲבָל לֵוִי שֶׁקָּנָה מִלֵּוִי, יִהְיֶה חָלוּט, תַּ"לֹ וַאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן הַלְוִיִּם — אַף הַגּוֹאֵל מִיַּד לֵוִי גּוֹאֵל גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם:

‎הלוים‎ מן‎ואשר יגאל ‏ ‎‎‎ ‎— This means, and if any one buys a house or a city from them, then that house that has been sold or the city that was sold shall go out in the Jubilee and shall return unto the Levite who has sold it, and not be irredeemable as are other houses in “cities that have a wall” viz., those of Israelites. According to this explanation, יגאל has here the meaning of a “sale”. Another explanation is (taking יגאל here in its usual meaning of “redeeming”): Because it is stated in the previous verse: “the Levites shall have the right of redemption at any time”, I might think that Scripture is speaking only of an ordinary Israelite purchaser who bought a house in a city of the Levites, but when a Levite bought a house from another Levite it shall be irredeemable! Scripture therefore states “[the Levites shall have the right redemption at any time]”, ואשר יגאל מן הלוים, “also if one who redeems does so from the Levites — i. e. that also one (a Levite) who redeems a house from the possession of another Levite shall have the right to do so at any time (Sifra, Behar, Chapter 6 6).

ויצא ממכר בית. הֲרֵי זוֹ מִצְוָה אַחֶרֶת, וְאִם לֹא גְאָלָהּ, יוֹצְאָה בַיּוֹבֵל וְאֵינוֹ נֶחְלָט לְסוֹף שָׁנָה כְּבַיִת שֶׁל יִשְֹרָאֵל:

ויצא ממכר בית THEN THE HOUSE THAT WAS SOLD… SHALL GO OUT [IN THE JUBILEE] — According to the second explanation of ‎'ואשר יגאל וכו‎‎ given above, this contains another command and is not a continuation of the words that precede. They mean: “but if he (the vendor) did not redeem it” then it shall go out in the Jubilee and shall not become irredeemable at the end of the first year as is the case with the house of an Israelite.

כי בתי ערי הלוים הוא אחזתם. לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם נַחֲלַת שָׂדוֹת וּכְרָמִים, אֶלָּא עָרִים לָשֶׁבֶת וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם, לְפִיכָךְ הֵם לָהֶם בִּמְקוֹם שָׂדוֹת, וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם גְּאֻלָּה כְשָׂדוֹת, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא תֻּפְקַע נַחֲלָתָם מֵהֶם:

כי בתי ערי הלוים הוא אחזתם FOR THE HOUSES OF THE CITIES OF THE LEVITES ARE THEIR POSSESSION —They had no separate property of fields and vineyards, only cities to dwell therein together with the open land surrounding them; these, therefore, in their case took the place of the fields possessed by the Israelites and should thus be redeemable just like fields, in order that their inheritance should not be alienated from them.

ושדה מגרש עריהם לא ימכר. מֶכֶר גִּזְבָּר, שֶׁאִם הִקְדִּישׁ בֶּן לֵוִי אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ וְלֹא גְאָלָהּ וּמְכָרָהּ גִּזְבָּר, אֵינָהּ יוֹצְאָה לַכֹּהֲנִים בַּיּוֹבֵל כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִם מָכַר אֶת הַשָּׂדֶה לְאִישׁ אַחֵר לֹא יִגָּאֵל עוֹד (ויקרא כ"ז), אֲבָל בֶּן לֵוִי גּוֹאֵל לְעוֹלָם:

ושדה מגרש עריהם לא ימכר AND THE FIELDS OF THE SUBURBS OF THEIR CITIES MAY NOT BE SOLD — This means: they may not be sold as an absolute sale by the treasurer of the Temple property — that if a Levite dedicated his field to the Temple and has not redeemed it, and the treasurer then sold it to someone it does not pass into the possession of the priests in the Jubilee as is the case with the property of an Israelite of whom it is stated (Leviticus 27:16—20) “[and if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field… and if he will not redeem the field,] and he (the treasurer; see Rashi on that verse) has sold it to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more, [but the field when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be… the priests]” — the Levite, however, may redeem it at any time (even after the Jubilee and also when the treasurer has sold it to another man) (Sifra, Behar, Chapter 6 9).

והחזקת בו. אַל תַּנִּיחֵהוּ שֶׁיֵּרֵד וְיִפֹּל וְיִהְיֶה קָשֶׁה לַהֲקִימוֹ, אֶלָּא חַזְּקֵהוּ מִשְּׁעַת מוֹטַת הַיָּד; לְמָה זֶה דוֹמֶה? לְמַשּׂאוֹי שֶׁעַל הַחֲמוֹר, עוֹדֵהוּ עַל הַחֲמוֹר אֶחָד תּוֹפֵס בּוֹ וּמַעֲמִידוֹ, נָפַל לָאָרֶץ, חֲמִשָּׁה אֵין מַעֲמִידִין אוֹתוֹ:

והחזקת בו THOU SHALT RELIEVE HIM — Do not leave him by himself so that he comes down in the world until he finally falls altogether when it will be difficult to give him a lift, but uphold him from the very moment of the failure of his means. To what may this (the differences between whether you assist him at once or whether you wait with your help till he has come down in the world) be compared? To an excessive load on the back of an ass. So long as it is still on the ass’s back, one person is enough to take hold of it (the load) and to keep it (the ass) up, as soon as it has fallen to the ground not even five persons are able to set it on its legs (Sifra, Behar, Section 5 1).

גר ותושב. אַף אִם הוּא גֵּר אוֹ תוֹשָׁב; וְאֵיזֶהוּ תוֹשָׁב? כָּל שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲבֹד עֲ"זָ וְאוֹכֵל נְבֵלוֹת (עי' ספרא):

גר ותושב means, even though he be a stranger or a sojourner. And what is a תושב? One who has undertaken not to worship idols (i. e. one who has been converted to the fundamental tenet of Judaism) but eats carrion (does not care for the other commandments of the Torah) (Sifra, Behar, Section 5 1).

נשך ותרבית. חַד שַׁוִּינְהוּ רַבָּנָן, וְלַעֲבֹר עָלָיו בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוִין (בבא מציעא ס'):

נשך ותרבית [TAKE THOU NOT] INTEREST [OF HIM] OR INCREASE — The Rabbis regard them (these two things) as one, but Scripture uses two different words for the same offence in order to prescribe that he who infringes the law, is thereby transgressing two negative commands (Bava Metzia 60b).

ויראת מאלהיך. לְפִי שֶׁדַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִמְשֶׁכֶת אַחַר הָרִבִּית, וְקָשֶׁה לִפְרֹשׁ הֵימֶנּוּ, וּמוֹרֶה לְעַצְמוֹ הֶתֵּר בִּשְׁבִיל מְעוֹתָיו שֶׁהָיוּ בְטֵלוֹת אֶצְלוֹ, הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ, אוֹ הַתּוֹלֶה מְעוֹתָיו בְּגוֹי כְּדֵי לְהַלְווֹתָם לְיִשְֹרָאֵל בְּרִבִּית, הֲרֵי זֶה דָבָר הַמָּסוּר לְלִבּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ, לְכָךְ הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ (שם ס"א):

ויראת מאלהיך BUT BE AFRAID OF THY GOD — Because man’s thoughts are greatly attracted by the idea of taking interest and it comes difficult to him to keep aloof from it, so that he tries to persuade himself that it is a legitimate act (lit., he decides for himself that it is a permissible matter) on account of the fact that his money will otherwise remain unemployed, Scripture was compelled to state: “But be afraid of thy God!" Or take another case: If one pretends that his money belongs to a non-Jew in order to be able to lend it to an Israelite in an ostensibly legitimate way. This is given only to his heart and thoughts to know the real circumstances of the case; Scripture therefore was compelled to state “But be afraid of thy God!” (Bava Metzia 61b).

אשר הוצאתי וגו'. וְהִבְחַנְתִּי בֵין בְּכוֹר לְשֶׁאֵינוֹ בְכוֹר, אַף אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ וְנִפְרָע מִן הַמַּלְוֶה מָעוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרִבִּית וְאוֹמֵר שֶׁל גּוֹי הֵם; דָּ"אַ: אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַל מְנָת שֶׁתְּקַבְּלוּ עֲלֵיכֶם מִצְוֹתַי, וַאֲפִלּוּ הֵן כְּבֵדוֹת עֲלֵיכֶם:

'אשר הוצאתי וגו‎‎ [I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD] WHO BROUGHT YOU FORTH [FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT] and distinguished between those who were firstborn and those who were not firstborn (a matter which is hidden from human cognizance), I also know the true facts of this matter and I will exact punishment from him who lends money to an Israelite saying that it belongs to a non-Jew (Bava Metzia 61b; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 19:36). Another explanation is: I am the Lord your God Who brought you forth from the land of Egypt on condition that you take upon yourselves the fulfillment of My commands although they be hard for you (cf. Sifra, Behar, Section 5 3)

לתת לכם את ארץ כנען. בִּשְׂכַר שֶׁתְּקַבְּלוּ מִצְוֹתַי:

לתת לכם את ארץ כנען TO GIVE YOU THE LAND OF CANAAN as a reward for your taking upon yourselves to fulfill My commandments.

להיות לכם לאלהים. שֶׁכָּל הַדָּר בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי לוֹ לֵאלֹהִים וְכָל הַיּוֹצֵא מִמֶּנָּה כְּעוֹבֵד עַ"זָ (ספרא; כתובות ק"י):

להיות לכם לאלהים TO BE YOUR GOD —Because to him who dwells in the land of Israel I am God; while he who leaves it may be regarded as though he were an idolator (Sifra, Behar, Section 5 4; Ketubot 110b).