Chumashחומש

כל חרם אשר יחרם וגו'. הַיּוֹצֵא לֵהָרֵג וְאָמַר אֶחָד עֶרְכּוֹ עָלַי, לֹא אָמַר כְּלוּם (ספרא; ערכין ו'):

'כל חרם אשר יחרם וגו‎ NONE DOOMED WHO SHALL BE DOOMED OF MAN, [SHALL BE RELEASED] — This means, if a person is going to be executed and someone says, “I take upon myself to pay his ערך” he has said nothing (his vow is of none effect) (Arakhin 6b).

מות יומת. הֲרֵי הוֹלֵךְ לָמוּת, לְפִיכָךְ לֹא יִפָּדֶה — אֵין לוֹ לֹא דָמִים וְלֹא עֵרֶךְ:

מות יומת, you see, he is going to be put to death, and he therefore cannot be redeemed, — he has neither a market-value (דמים) nor an ‎ערך.‎

וכל מעשר הארץ. בְּמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר:

‎ ‎וכל מעשר הארץ AND ANY TITHE OF THE LAND… [BELONGETH TO THE LORD] — Scripture is speaking here of the “second tithe”.

מזרע הארץ. דָּגָן:

מזרע הארץ OF THE SEED OF THE EARTH — i. e. of grain,

מפרי העץ. תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר:

מפרי העץ OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE — i. e. wine and oil,

לה' הוא. קְנָאוֹ הַשֵּׁם. וּמִשֻּׁלְחָנוֹ צִוָּה לְךָ לַעֲלוֹת וְלֶאֱכֹל בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י"ד), וְאָכַלְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְגוֹ' (עי' קידושין נ"ד):

לה' הוא BELONGETH TO THE LORD — the Lord has acquired it (it is His possession) and it is from His table that He bids you to carry up (להעלות = לעלות) and to eat in Jerusalem (Kiddushin 53b), as it is said, (Deuteronomy 14:23) “And thou shalt eat before the Lord, thy God,… the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, etc.”.

ממעשרו. וְלֹא מִמַּעְשַׂר חֲבֵרוֹ — הַפּוֹדֶה מַעֲשֵׂר שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ אֵין מוֹסִיף חֹמֶשׁ, וּמַה הִיא גְאֻלָּתוֹ? יִפְדֶנּוּ כְּדֵי לְהַתִּירוֹ בַאֲכִילָה בְכָל מָקוֹם, וְהַמָּעוֹת יַעֲלֶה וְיֹאכַל בִירוּשָׁלַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י"ד), וְנָתַתָּה בַּכָּסֶף וְגוֹ' (עי' קידושין כ"ד):

ממעשרו [AND IF A MAN WILL REDEEM] OUGHT OF HIS TITHES [HE SHALL ADD THERETO ITS FIFTH] — of his tithes, but not of the tithes of his fellow: if he redeems the tithe of his fellow he need not add its fifth (Kiddushin 24a). Wherein consists the redemption of the “second tithe” (since it is permitted as food to the owner)? He redeems it in so far as he makes it permissible for food at any place (which is not the case if he does not redeem it) and the redemption-money he brings up to Jerusalem, buys eatables and eats them there as it is said, (Deuteronomy 14:25, 26) “Then thou shalt put into money… [and thou shalt lay out that money… for cattle, for sheep etc.]”.

תחת השבט. כְּשֶׁבָּא לְעַשְּׂרָן, מוֹצִיאָן בַּפֶּתַח זֶה אַחַר זֶה, וְהָעֲשִֹירִי מַכֶּה בְּשֵׁבֶט צְבוּעָה בְסִקְרָא, לִהְיוֹת נִכָּר שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֵׂר, כֵּן עוֹשֶׂה לִטְלָאִים וְלַעֲגָלִים שֶׁל כָּל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה (בכו' נ"ח):

תחת השבט [WHATEVER PASSES] UNDER THE ROD — When he is about to tithe them (the cattle), he passes them through a door one after the other and the tenth he strikes with a rod smeared with red dye so that it should afterwards be recognised as being one of the tithe. Thus he does to the young sheep and to the calves of each separate year (Bekhorot 58b).

יהיה קדש. לִקְרַב לַמִּזְבֵּחַ דָּמוֹ וְאֵמוּרָיו, וְהַבָּשָׂר נֶאֱכָל לַבְּעָלִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא נִמְנָה עִם שְׁאָר מַתְּנוֹת כְּהֻנָה, וְלֹא מָצִינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא נָתוּן בְּשָׂרוֹ לַכֹּהֲנִים:

יהיה קדש [THE TENTH] SHALL BE HOLY [UNTO THE LORD] — inasmuch as its blood and its fat portions have to be burnt on the altar; the flesh, however, may be eaten by the owner, for we do not find it enumerated among “the gifts of the priests” (Numbers ch. 18), nor do we find in the Torah elsewhere that its flesh should be given to the priests.

לא יבקר וגו'. לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְכֹל מִבְחַר נִדְרֵיכֶם" (דברים י"ב), יָכוֹל יְהֵא בוֹרֵר וּמוֹצִיא אֶת הַיָּפֶה, תַּ"לֹ "לֹא יְבַקֵּר בֵּין טוֹב לָרַע" — בֵּין תָּם בֵּין בַּעַל מוּם חָלָה עָלָיו קְדֻשָּׁה — וְלֹא שֶׁיִּקְרַב בַּעַל מוּם, אֶלָּא יֵאָכֵל בְּתוֹרַת מַעֲשֵׂר וְאָסוּר לִגָּזֵז וְלֵעָבֵד (עי' בכורות י"ד):

לא ‎'יבקר וגו‎ HE SHALL NOT SEEK OUT, [WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR BAD — Since it is stated, (.Deut 12:11) “[thither shall ye bring…] all your choice vows” I might think he shall select and take out the choicest! Scripture therefore states here, “he shall not seek out whether it be good or bad” —whether it be perfect in limb or whether it have a blemish the sanctity attached to the tithe applies to it; not, however, in the sense that being blemished it may be offered, but it must be eaten under the observance of the regulations relating to the tithe, and must neither be shorn of its wool nor be employed in work (cf. Bekhorot 14b).