Chumashחומש

אשה כי תזריע. אָ"רַ שִׂמְלַאי: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיְּצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אַחַר כָּל בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ נִתְפָּרְשָׁה אַחַר תּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף (ויקרא רבה יד):

אשה כי תזריע IF A WOMAN HAVE CONCEIVED SEED — R. Simlai said: Even as the formation of man took place after that of every cattle, beast and fowl when the world was created, so, too, the law regarding him is set forth after the law regarding cattle, beast and fowl (contained in the previous chapter) (Leviticus Rabbah 14:1).

כי תזריע. לְרַבּוֹת שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ יְלָדַתּוּ מָחוּי — שֶׁנִּמְחָה וְנַעֲשָׂה כְּעֵין זֶרַע — אִמּוֹ טְמֵאָה לֵידָה (נדה כ"ז):

כי תזריע — These words are superfluous, כי ילדה would suffice — they mean literally, ”if she bringeth forth seed” and are employed to include the case that if she gave birth to him (the male child) as a pulpy mass which had dissolved, having become liquified like seed, even then its mother becomes unclean as though it were a normal birth (Niddah 27b).

כימי נדת דותה תטמא. כְּסֵדֶר כָּל טֻמְאָה הָאֲמוּרָה בְנִדָּה מִטַּמְּאָה בְטֻמְאַת לֵידָה, וַאֲפִלוּ נִפְתַּח הַקֶּבֶר בְּלֹא דָם (שם כ"א):

כימי נדת דותה תטמא AS IN THE DAYS OF THE SEPARATION FOR HER IMPURITY SHALL SHE BECOME UNCLEAN — According to the regulation of every uncleanness which is mentioned in the case of a נדה does she become unclean in respect to the uncleanness resulting from child-birth — even though the womb opened without any issue of blood (cf. Niddah 21a).

דותה. לְשׁוֹן דָּבָר הַזָּב מִגּוּפָהּ; לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר לְשׁוֹן מַדְוֶה וְחֹלִי, שֶׁאֵין אִשָּׁה רוֹאָה דָם שֶׁלֹּא תֶחֱלֶה וְרֹאשָׁהּ וְאֵבָרֶיהָ כְבֵדִין עָלֶיהָ (שם ט'):

דותה — This is an expression for anything which flows from her body (‎‎‏זב = דו, “flowing”), and the translation is: “as in the days of separation due to her flux”. Another explanation is: it has the same meaning as .מדוה (root דוה), malady and sickness, and this is termed דותה, “her sickness”, because no woman sees an issue of blood from herself except that, as a result of it, she becomes unwell and her head and limbs feel heavy (cf. Niddah 9a).

תשב. אֵין תֵּשֵׁב אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן עַכָּבָה, כְּמוֹ וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בְקָדֵשׁ (דברים א'), וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא (בראשית י"ג):

תשב — The word תשב signifies here “remaining”, just as in (Deuteronomy 1:46) “And ye stayed (ותשבו) at Kadesh”, and (Genesis 13:18) “and he stayed (‎‎‎וישב) in the Plain of Mamre”

בדמי טהרה. אַעַ"פִּי שֶׁרוֹאָה טְהוֹרָה:

בדמי טהרה IN THE BLOOD OF PURIFICATION — Even though she see an issue of blood she is nevertheless clean (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Yoledet, Chapter 1 7).

בדמי טהרה. לֹא מַפִּיק הֵ"א, וְהוּא שֵׁם דָּבָר כְּמוֹ טֹהַר:

בדמי טהרה — There is no Mappik in the last 'ה‎ of טהרה (as there is in the last word of this verse): it (the word) is an uninflected noun similar in meaning to טֹהַר (being a feminine form of it).

ימי טהרה. מַפִּיק הֵ"א — יְמֵי טֹהַר שֶׁלָּהּ:

ימי טהרה — the 'ה here has a Mappik and the meaning is: the days of her טֹהַר, her purification.

בכל קדש. לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַתְּרוּמָה, לְפִי שֶׁזּוֹ טְבוּלַת יוֹם אָרֹךְ, שֶׁטָּבְלָה לְסוֹף שִׁבְעָה וְאֵין שִׁמְשָׁהּ מַעֲרִיב לְטַהֲרָהּ עַד שְׁקִיעַת הַחַמָּה שֶׁל יוֹם אַרְבָּעִים שֶׁלְּמָחָר תָּבִיא אֶת כַּפָּרַת טָהֳרָתָהּ:

בכל קדש [SHE SHALL NOT TOUCH] ANYTHING THAT IS HOLY — not anything: this serves to include the heave-offering (Makkot 14b; Yevamot 75a). The Torah prescribes this because such a woman must be regarded as one who has taken the immersion on a very long day (טבולת יום ארוך), because she immersed herself at the end of the first seven days whilst her sun does not set to bring about her purification until sunset of the fortieth day since it is only on the morrow that she has to bring the atonement offering in connection with her purification, as it is stated in v. 6.

לא תגע. אַזְהָרָה לָאוֹכֵל וְכוֹ' כְּמוֹ שֶׁשְּׁנוּיָה בִיבָמוֹת (דף ע"ה):

לא תגע SHE SHALL NOT TOUCH — This is a prohibition addressed to anyone who would eat holy things in a state of uncleanness, as it is stated in a Baraitha in Yevamot 75a.

והקריבו. לִמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין מְעַכְּבָהּ לֶאֱכֹל בְּקָדָשִׁים אֶלָּא אֶחָד מֵהֶם, וְאֵי זֶה הוּא? זֶה חַטָּאת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְכִפֶּר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן וְטָהֵרָה, מִי שֶׁהוּא בָא לְכַפֵּר, בּוֹ הַטָּהֳרָה תְלוּיָה:

והקריבו AND HE SHALL OFFER IT — Two offerings have been mentioned, a lamb and a bird, but it states here ,,and he shall offer it and so make an atonement for her” — this teaches you that only the omission to sacrifice a particular one of these two precludes her from eating the sacrificial food. And which is this? It is the sin-offering, because it is stated immediately afterwards: “he shall make expiation for her and she shall be clean” — that which is intended as expiation (i. e. the sin-offering), upon it does the purification depend (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Yoledet, Chapter 3 4).

וטהרה. מִכְּלָל שֶׁעַד כָּאן קְרוּיָה טְמֵאָה:

וטהרה AND SHE SHALL BE CLEAN — it follows, therefore, that until now (until she has brought the atonement offering) she is termed ‘‘unclean” (i.e. she is regarded as טמאה) although she is actually טהרה.

אחד לעלה ואחד לחטאת. לֹא הִקְדִּימָהּ הַכָּתוּב אֶלָּא לְמִקְרָאָהּ, אֲבָל לְהַקְרָבָה חַטָּאת קוֹדֵם לָעוֹלָה, כָּךְ שָׁנִינוּ בִּזְבָחִים בְּפֶרֶק כָּל הַתָּדִיר (זבחים צ ע"א):

אחד לעלה ואחד לחטאת THE ONE FOR A BURNT-OFFERING AND THE OTHER FOR A SIN-OFFERING — Scripture puts it (the עולה) first only by way of mention, but so far as offering it is concerned the sin-offering precedes the burnt-offering; thus do we learn in the Treatise Zevachim 90a, in the chapter commencing כל התדיר .

שאת או ספחת וגו'. שְׁמוֹת נְגָעִים הֵם וּלְבָנוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ:

'שאת או ספחת וגו‎ — These are the names of leprous plagues — A RISING, A SCAB etc., — and they are the one whiter than the other (cf. Shevuot 5b; Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Section 1 4).

בהרת. חֲבַרְבּוּרוֹת, טיי"א בְּלַעַז, וְכֵן בָּהִיר הוּא בַּשְּׁחָקִים (איוב ל"ז):

בהרת means SPOTS, taie in O. F. — Similar is (Job 37:21) “It is a spot (בהיר) in the skies”.

אל אהרן וגו'. גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב הִיא שֶׁאֵין טֻמְאַת נְגָעִים וְטָהֳרָתָן אֶלָּא עַל פִּי כֹהֵן (ספרא):

'אל אהרון וגו‎ [HE SHALL BE BROUGHT] TO AARON etc. — It is an enactment of Scripture that the uncleanness and purification of leprous plagues are pronounced only by the mouth of a priest (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Section 1 9).

הפך לבן. מִתְּחִלָּה שָׁחֹר וְהָפַךְ לְלָבָן בְּתוֹךְ הַנֶּגַע; וּמִעוּט שֵׂעָר שְׁנַיִם:

הפך לבן [THE HAIR …] IS TURNED WHITE — This means that at first it was dark, and it turned white within the plague. The smallest number of hairs implied by the term שער is two (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 2 2).

עמק מעור בשרו. כָּל מַרְאֵה לָבָן עָמֹק הוּא, כְּמַרְאֵה חַמָּה עֲמֻקָּה מִן הַצֵּל:

עמק מעור בשרו [THE PLAGUE] IS DEEPER THAN THE SKIN OF HIS FLESH — Every white colour is deep (in contrast to a dark colour surrounding it) just as the colour of anything illuminated by the sun is deeper than the shadow (Shevuot 6b).

וטמא אתו. יֹאמַר לוֹ טָמֵא אַתָּה, שֶׁשֵּׂעָר לָבָן סִימָן טֻמְאָה הוּא גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב:

וטמא אתו HE SHALL PRONOUNCE HIM UNCLEAN — He (the priest) shall say to him. “Thou art unclean” — for it is an enactment of Scripture that hair that has become white is a symptom of uncleanness.

ועמק אין מראה. לֹא יָדַעְתִּי פֵרוּשׁוֹ:

ועמק אין מראה AND ITS APPEARANCE BE NOT DEEPER [THAN THE SKIN] — I do not know the meaning of this.

והסגיר. יַסְגִּירֶנּוּ בְּבַיִת אֶחָד וְלֹא יִרְאֶה עַד סוֹף הַשָּׁבוּעַ וְיוֹכִיחוּ סִימָנִים עָלָיו:

והסגיר HE SHALL SHUT [HIM UP] — He shall shut him up in one house and shall not see him again until the end of the week. Then the symptom that show themselves shall decide regarding him whether he is unclean or not.

בעניו. בְּמַרְאֵהוּ וּבְשִׁעוּרוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן:

בעניו means in its original colour and size.

והסגירו … שנית. הָא אִם פָּשָׂה בְּשָׁבוּעַ רִאשׁוֹן, טָמֵא מֻחְלָט:

שנית … ‎והסגירו HE SHALL SHUT HIM UP … A SECOND TIME — Consequently if it has spread during the first week, he is decidedly unclean, and no further quarantine is required.

כהה. הָכְהָה מִמַּרְאִיתוֹ, הָא אִם עָמַד בְּמַרְאִיתוֹ אוֹ פָשָׂה טָמֵא:

כֵּהֶה means it has become paler than its former color — consequently if it remains in its color or if it has spread he is unclean.

מספחת. שֵׁם נֶגַע טָהוֹר:

מספחת — This is the name of a clean leprous disease.

וכבס בגדיו וטהר. הוֹאִיל וְנִזְקַק לְהִסָּגֵר נִקְרָא טָמֵא וְצָרִיךְ טְבִילָה:

וכבס את בגדיו וטהר AND HE SHALL WASH HIS GARMENTS AND BE CLEAN — Since he required shutting up he was termed (was regarded as coming under the term) “unclean” (although it now transpires that he was clean), and he must undergo immersion in a ritual bath.

וטמאו הכהן. וּמִשֶּׁטִּמְּאוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא מֻחְלָט, וְזָקוּק לְצִפֳּרִים וּלְתִגְלַחַת וּלְקָרְבָּן הָאָמוּר בְּפָרָשַׁת זֹאת תִּהְיֶה:

וטמאו הכהן AND THE PRIEST SHALL PRONOUNCE HIM UNCLEAN — and as soon as he has pronounced him unclean he is a decided leper and he is obliged when he recovers from his leprosy to bring two birds (as a means of his purification) and to shave his flesh and to bring the offering which is mentioned in the section beginning זאת תהיה — Leviticus ch. 14 (cf. Megillah 8b).

צרעת הוא. הַמִּסְפַּחַת הַזֹּאת:

צרעת הוא IT IS A LEPROSY — this מספחת is a leprosy (while the מספחת mentioned in v. 6 is a clean scab)

צרעת. לְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה. נגע. לְשׁוֹן זָכָר:

The word צרעת is feminine; נגע is masculine.

ומחית. שינמי"נט בְּלַעַז, שֶׁנֶּהְפַּךְ מִקְצַת הַלֹּבֶן שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַשְּׂאֵת לְמַרְאֵה בָשָׂר, אַף הִיא סִימָן טֻמְאָה — שֵׂעָר לָבָן בְּלֹא מִחְיָה וּמִחְיָה בְּלֹא שֵׂעָר לָבָן — וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֶמְרָה מִחְיָה אֶלָּא בַּשְּׂאֵת, אַף בְּכָל הַמַּרְאוֹת וְתוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶן הוּא סִימָן טֻמְאָה:

ומחית A QUICK [RAW FLESH] — sainement in old French English healing; — it means that the part of the white within the “higher-lying white spot” (השאת) has turned to a flesh-colour; this, too, is a symptom of uncleanness; — white hair without healthy flesh, and healthy flesh without white hair . Although healthy flesh is mentioned only in connection with a spot of higher-lying colour, in the case of all pure white colours (snow-white and wool-white) and their shades (lit., derivations) it is also a symptom of uncleanness(cf. Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Section 3 1; Mishnah Negaim 4:6).

צרעת נושנת הוא. מַכָּה יְשָׁנָה הִיא תַּחַת הַמִּחְיָה, וְחַבּוּרָה זוֹ נִרְאֵית בְּרִיאָה לְמַעְלָה וְתַחְתֶּיהָ מְלֵאָה לֵחָה — שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְעָלְתָה מִחְיָה אֲטַהֲרֶנָּה:

צרעת נשנת הוא IT IS AN OLD LEPROSY — i. e. it is an old leprous malady beneath the sound flesh, and this wound appears healthy above, but underneath it is full of moisture (pus), therefore the priest shall pronounce it unclean. Scripture states this in order that you should not say: since healthy flesh has come over it I shall pronounce it clean.

מראשו. שֶׁל אָדָם ועד רגליו:

מראשו FROM THE HEAD of the man ועד רגליו AND UNTO HIS FEET,

לכל מראה עיני הכהן. פְּרָט לְכֹהֵן שֶׁחָשַׁךְ מְאוֹרוֹ (ספרא):

לכל מראה עיני הכהן WHERESOEVER THE PRIEST LOOKETH (lit., to the whole sight of the priest’s eyes) — This excludes a priest the sight of whose eyes is darkened (whose sight is imperfect) (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 4 4).

וביום הראות בו בשר חי. אִם צָמְחָה בוֹ מִחְיָה הֲרֵי כְבָר פֵּרֵשׁ שֶׁהַמִּחְיָה סִימָן טֻמְאָה? אֶלָּא הֲרֵי שֶׁהָיָה הַנֶּגַע בְּאֶחָד מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשֵׁי אֵבָרִים שֶׁאֵין מִטַּמְּאִין מִשּׁוּם מִחְיָה — לְפִי שֶׁאֵין נִרְאֶה הַנֶּגַע כֻּלּוֹ כְאֶחָד, שֶׁשּׁוֹפְעִין אֵילָךְ וָאֵילָךְ (נגעים פ"ו; קידושין כ"ה) — וְחָזַר רֹאשׁ הָאֵבֶר וְנִתְגַּלָּה שִׁפּוּעוֹ עַל יְדֵי שֻׁמָּן, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהִבְרִיא וְנַעֲשָֹה רָחָב וְנִרְאֵית בּוֹ הַמִּחְיָה, לִמְּדָנוּ הַכָּתוּב שֶׁתְּטַמֵּא (ספרא):

בו בשר חי‎‎‎‏‎‎ וביום הראות ‎‎ BUT ON THE DAY WHEN RAW FLESH APPEARETH IN HIM [HE SHALL BE UNCLEAN] — If this means that a healthy spot sprang up in it and that on this account it is unclean, surely, however, it has already been stated that the healthy spot is a symptom of uncleanness! Why repeat it here? But it is the following case: that the plague was on one of the “twenty-four tips of the limbs” that project from the body (cf. Rashi on Exodus 21:26), — which cannot become unclean (i. e. be declared unclean) because it has healthy flesh since the leprous plague as a whole cannot be seen at one time, (as is required by Scripture stating: לכל מראה עיני הכהן cf. Kiddushin 25a),because they (the two sides of the affected limb) slope in different directions (Mishnah Negaim 6:7; Kiddushin 25a) — and the tip of the limb altered, so that its sloping side became visible through fat, as e. g., if it (the tip of the limb) became thick and broadened (so that the sloping sides flattened out to form one surface with the limb) and the healthy flesh thus becomes visible in it, Scripture informs us that it (such healthy flesh) makes it unclean on the day when it is seen in it (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 5 1). ‎

וביום. מַה תַּ"ל? לְלַמֵּד יֵשׁ יוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה בוֹ וְיֵשׁ יוֹם שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה רוֹאֶה בוֹ, מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ: חָתָן נוֹתְנִין לוֹ כָּל שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, לוֹ וְלִכְסוּתוֹ וּלְבֵיתוֹ, וְכֵן בָּרֶגֶל נוֹתְנִין לוֹ כָּל יְמֵי הָרֶגֶל (נגעים פ"ג, מועד קטן ז'):

וביום — Why is this word used (it might have said ובהראות)? To inform us that there are days when you may see (examine) the plague and there are days when you may not examine. On this account they (the Rabbis) said: A bridegroom is given a respite of all the seven days of the marriage festivities — to him, and to his clothing and his house (i.e. whether he himself or his clothing, cf. v. 17, or his house, cf. Leviticus 14:33 ff., has been affected by a leprous disease), and similarly on a festival he (everyone) is given a respite all the days of that festival — and during these periods the priest may not come to examine him or his clothing or his house (Mishnah Negaim 3:2; Moed Katan 7b; Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 5 2; cf. Bekhorot 43b).

צרעת הוא. הַבָּשָׂר הַהוּא: בָּשָׂר לְשׁוֹן זָכָר:

צרעת הוא IT IS A LEPROSY — that flesh is a leprosy; בשר is masc., and therefore the pronoun הוּא is used as its copula.

שחין. לְשׁוֹן חִמּוּם, שֶׁנִּתְחַמֵּם הַבָּשָֹר בְּלִקּוּי הַבָּא לוֹ מֵחֲמַת מַכָּה שֶׁלֹּא מֵחֲמַת הָאוּר (חולין ח'):

שחין A BOIL — The word expresses the idea of heat. It is so called because the flesh has become inflamed by an injury which came about as the result of a blow and not as the result of fire (the latter case being mentioned in v. 24 and being termed a מכוה) (Chullin 8a).

ונרפא. הַשְּׁחִין הֶעֱלָה אֲרוּכָה וּבִמְקוֹמוֹ הֶעֱלָה נֶגַע אַחֵר:

ונרפא AND IT BECAME HEALED — the boil (not the flesh also mentioned in this verse) became healed and in its place it produced another plague (the שאת mentioned in the next verse).

או בהרת לבנה אדמדמת. שֶׁאֵין הַנֶּגַע לָבָן חָלָק, אֶלָּא פָּתוּךְ וּמְעֹרָב בִּשְׁתֵּי מַרְאוֹת — לֹבֶן וְאֹדֶם:

או בהרת לבנה אדמדמת in OR A BRIGHT SPOT REDDISH-WHITE — It means that the plague is not evenly white but it is compounded and intermingled with two colours — white and red.

מראה שפל. וְאֵין מַמָּשָׁהּ שָׁפָל, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ לַבְנוּנִיתוֹ הוּא נִרְאֶה שָׁפָל וְעָמֹק, כְּמַרְאֵה חַמָּה עֲמֻקָּה מִן הַצֵּל:

מראה שפל IT BE IN SIGHT LOWER [THAN THE SKIN] — it itself is not deeper, but on account of its whiteness it appears lower and deeper ‎(מראה שפל), just as the colour of anything illuminated by the sun is deeper than the shadow (see Rashi v. 3).

נגע הוא. הַשְּׂאֵת הַזֹּאת אוֹ הַבַּהֶרֶת:

נגע הִוא IT IS A PLAGUE — this rising or bright spot is a plague (שאת and בהרת are fem., hence the fem. adj. הִיא).

תחתיה. בִּמְקוֹמָהּ:

.תחתיה means IN ITS PLACE (and not “beneath it”).

צרבת השחין. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ רֹשֶׁם שִׁחֲנָא; — אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא רֹשֶׁם הַחִמּוּם הַנִּכָּר בַּבָּשָֹר; כָּל צָרֶבֶת לְשׁוֹן רְגִיעַת עוֹר הַנִּרְגָּע מֵחֲמַת חִמּוּם, כְּמוֹ וְנִצְרְבוּ בָהּ כָּל פָּנִים (יחזקאל כ"א), רייטרו"ר בְּלַעַז:

צרבת שחין [IT IS] A BURNING BOIL — Understand this as the Targum does: רשם שחנא — i. e. it is only a mark (a scar) of the inflammation, discernible in the flesh. Wherever צרבת occurs it denotes the contraction of skin which has become shrivelled through inflammation. Similar is, (Ezekiel 21:3) “and every face shall become shrivelled (ונצרבו)” through the heat mentioned in the verse, retrecir in old French, to contract.

צרבת. רייטרי"שמנט בְּלַעַז:

צרבת is retrecissement in old French, (English = contraction).