Chumashחומש

כל שבט לוי. בֵּין תְּמִימִין בֵּין בַּעֲלֵי מוּמִין (ספרי):

כל שבט לוי [THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES] NAMELY ALL THE TRIBE OF LEVI [SHALL HAVE NO PORTION … WITH ISRAEL] — all the tribe, whether they be able-bodied or whether they be blemished (Sifrei Devarim 163:1).

חלק. בַּבִּזָּה:

חלק A PORTION — i.e. in the spoil that is taken in battle (Sifrei Devarim 163:2),

ונחלה. בָּאָרֶץ (שם):

ונחלה AND INHERITANCE — in the land (Sifrei Devarim 163:3).

אשי ה'. קָדְשֵׁי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:

'אשי ה THE FIRE OFFERINGS OF THE LORD — the holy things brought into the Temple (Sifrei Devarim 163:4),

ונחלתו. אֵלּוּ קָדְשֵׁי הַגְּבוּל – תְּרוּמוֹת וּמַעַשְׂרוֹת, אֲבָל נַחֲלָה גְּמוּרָה לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו; וּבְסִפְרֵי דָּרְשׁוּ – ונחלה לא יהיה לו — זוֹ נַחֲלַת שְׁאָר, בקרב אחיו — זוֹ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה. וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה הִיא, וְנִרְאֶה לִי שֶׁאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁמֵּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וָאֵילָךְ נִקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ חֲמִשָּׁה עֲמָמִין, וְשֶל סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג שְׁנֵי עֲמָמִין, אֱמוֹרִי וּכְנַעֲנִי, וְנַחֲלַת שְׁאָר לְרַבּוֹת קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי, וְכֵן דּוֹרֵשׁ בְּפָרָשַׁת מַתָּנוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ לְאַהֲרֹן (במדבר י"ח) "עַל כֵּן לֹא הָיָה לְלֵוִי וְגוֹ'" לְהַזְהִיר עַל קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי. שׁוּב נִמְצָא בְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי קְלוֹנִימוּס הָכֵי גָּרְסִינָן בְּסִפְרֵי: ונחלה לא יהיה לו. אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה, בקרב אחיו אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה, נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים וְנַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה שְׁבָטִים; וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא חִלְּקוּ נַחֲלָה אֶלָּא לַחֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים בִּלְבָד, שֶׁכֵּן מֹשֶׁה הִנְחִיל לִרְאוּבֵן וְגָד וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ הִנְחִיל לִיהוּדָה וְאֶפְרַיִם וְלַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וְשִׁבְעָה הָאֲחֵרִים נָטְלוּ מֵאֵלֵיהֶן אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הִזְכִּיר חֲמִשָּׁה לְבַד וְשִׁבְעָה לְבַד:

ונחלתו AND HIS INHERITANCE — this refers to the holy things that might be consumed outside Jerusalem (גבולין) — the heave-offerings and the tithes (Sifrei Devarim 163:4) these they shall eat, BUT נחלה AN INHERITANCE, a real inheritance, לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו SHALL HE NOT HAVE AMONG HIS BRETHREN. In Sifrei Devarim 164, they (the Rabbis) gave the following interpretation:ונחלה לא יהיה לו — this refers to the נחלת שאר the inheritance of the שאר.בקרב אחיו — AMONG HIS BRETHREN — this refers to the inheritance of the five. I do not, however, know for certain what this means (what Sifrei means by שאר and חמשה). But it seems to me that the part of the land of Canaan which is on the other (the western) side of the Jordan and onwards is called the land of the five nations (and these are therefore the five referred to by Sifrei), whilst the territory of Sihon and Og on the eastern side might be called the land of the two nations, viz., the Amorites and the Canaanites, — and נחלת שאר mentioned in Sifrei is intended to include the land of the remaining clans (שאר), the Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, which will become Israel’s inheritance in some future time. (But the land of Sihon and Og need not be mentioned since this was already divided among the two and a half tribes, and it was known that the tribe of Levi had no share in it.) Similarly it (Sifrei) makes a comment in “the section dealing with the gifts that were promised to Aaron” on the verse (Numbers 18:24) “wherefore [I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance]” that it is intended to express a warning regarding the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite (i.e. that not even in later times when Israel will inherit the land of these nations shall the Levite have a portion in it). — It has since been found in the words of Rabbi Kalonymus that the proper version of this passage in Sifrei reads as follows:ונחלה לא יהיה לו BUT THEY SHALL HAVE NO INHERITANCE — this refers to the territory of the five,בקרב אחיו AMONGST THEIR BRETHREN — this refers to the territory of the seven, and he explains that this means the five tribes and the seven tribes. And because Moses and Joshua assigned an inheritance in the land only to five tribes — for Moses assigned their inheritance to Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, and Joshua assigned their inheritance to Judah, Ephraim and the other half tribe of Manasseh, whilst the remaining seven tribes took their portions themselves in the land (conquered it) after the death of Joshua — for this reason it (Scripture) mentions (alludes to) the five tribes separately and to the seven separately.

כאשר דבר לו. "בְּאַרְצָם לֹא תִנְחָל, אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ" (במדבר י"ח):

כאשר דבר לו AS HE SPOKE TO HIM i.e., to Aaron [saying],“You shall not inherit in their land… I am your portion [and your inheritance, among the children of Israel].”- (Numbers 18:20)

מאת העם. וְלֹא מֵאֵת הַכֹּהֲנִים (ספרי; חולין קל"ב):

מאת העם [AND THIS SHALL BE THE PRIESTS’ DUE] FROM THE PEOPLE — but not from the priest (i.e. if a priest slaughters animals for his own use he is exempt from giving these dues to another priest) (Sifrei Devarim 165:3; cf. Chullin 132b).

אם שור אם שה. פְּרָט לְחַיָּה:

אם שור אם שה WHETHER IT BE ONE OF THE HERD OR ONE OF THE FLOCK — this excludes an undomesticated beast (חיה).

הזרע. מִן הַפֶּרֶק שֶׁל אַרְכֻּבָּה עַד כַּף שֶׁל יַד שֶׁקּוֹרִין אשפלד"ון (חולין קל"ד):

הזרע THE SHOULDER is the portion from the knee-joint to the shoulder-blade that is called espalte in old French (cf. Rashi on Chullin 134b).

הלחיים. עִם הַלָּשׁוֹן. דּוֹרְשֵׁי רְשׁוּמוֹת הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים זְרוֹעַ תַּחַת יַד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כ"ה) "וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ", לְחָיַיִם תַּחַת תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ק"י) "וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל", וְהַקֵּבָה תַּחַת "הָאִשָּׁה אֶל קֳבָתָהּ" (במדבר כ"ה):

והלחיים THE TWO CHEEKS — together with the tongue. — Those who interpret the Bible text symbolically (cf. Chullin 134b) said: The זרוע of the animals, (termed יד in later Hebrew), became the due of the priests as a reward for the “hand’’ (יד) which Phineas, the priest, raised against the wrong-doers, as it is said. (Numbers 25:7) “and he took a javelin in his hand”; the “cheek-bones” together with the tongue are a reward for the prayer he offered, as it is said, (Psalms 106:30) “Then stood up Phineas and prayed”; והקבה AND THE MAW — as a reward for his act described thus (Numbers 25:8): “[And he thrust both of them through, the man of Israel] and the woman in her stomach (קבתה) (Chullin 134b).

ראשית דגנך. זוֹ תְּרוּמָה, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ בָּהּ שִׁעוּר, אֲבָל רַבּוֹתֵינוּ נָתְנוּ בָהּ שִׁעוּר – עַיִן יָפָה אֶחָד מֵאַרְבָּעִים, עַיִן רָעָה אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, בֵּינוֹנִית אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשִּׁים, וְסָמְכוּ עַל הַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלֹּא לִפְחֹת מֵאֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל מ"ה) שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה מֵחֹמֶר הַחִטִּים, שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה חֲצִי סְאָה, כְּשֶׁאַתָּה נוֹתֵן חֲצִי סְאָה לְכֹר הֲרֵי אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, שֶׁהַכֹּר שְׁלוֹשִׁים סְאִין (תלמוד ירושלמי תרומות פ"ד):

ראשית דגנך THE FIRST-FRUIT [ALSO] OF THY CORN … [THOU SHALT GIVE HIM] — This refers to the heave-offering. Scripture, however, does not state any minimum quantity, but our Rabbis fixed a quantity for it from a sixtieth to a fortieth: a benevolent eye (a generous person) gives one fortieth of the crop, a niggard at least one sixtieth, a person of average generosity one fiftieth. They found a support in Scripture that one should not give less than one sixtieth, because it is said, (Ezekiel 45:13) “[This is the heave-offering which ye shall offer:] the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat”. Now the sixth part of an ephah is a half Seah; if therefore you give half a Seah as Terumah from a Kor (which is another term for a Homer), that is a sixtieth part, for a Kor is thirty Seahs (Talmud Yerushalmi Terumot 4:3).

וראשית גז צאנך. כְּשֶׁאַתָּה גּוֹזֵז צֹאנְךָ בְּכָל שָׁנָה תֵּן מִמֶּנָּה רֵאשִׁית לַכֹּהֵן, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ בָּהּ שִׁעוּר, וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ נָתְנוּ בָהּ שִׁעוּר אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, וְכַמָּה צֹאן חַיָּבוֹת בְּרֵאשִׁית הַגֵּז? חָמֵשׁ רְחֵלוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א כ"ה) וְחָמֵשׁ צֹאן עֲשׂוּיוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר רֵאשִׁית גֵּז – שְׁתַּיִם, צֹאנְךָ – אַרְבָּעָה, תִּתֶּן לוֹ – הֲרֵי חֲמִשָּׁה (עי' ספרי וחולין קל"ה):

וראשית גז צאנך AND THE FIRST OF THE FLEECE OF THY FLOCK [SHALT THOU GIVE HIM] — i.e. each year when you sheer your sheep (not when you shear a particular animal for the first time) give the first of it (the wool) to the priest. Scripture mentions no minimum quantity for it, but our Rabbis assigned a quantity for it, viz., one sixtieth part. And how many sheep must there be in the flock that they should come under the law of ראשית הגז (of “giving the first shearing as a gift to the priest”)? At least five sheep, as it is said, (I Samuel 25:18) “[Then Abigail made haste and … took] five sheep ready dressed (עשויות). Rabbi Akiba says: we may derive it from our text itself, as follows: ראשית גז suggests two, צאנך also two, together four, תתן לו one, — altogether five (Chullin 137a; Sifrei Devarim 166:9).

לעמד לשרת. מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין שֵׁרוּת אֶלָּא מֵעוֹמֵד (ספרי; סוטה ל"ח):

לעמד לשרת TO STAND TO MINISTER — From here we may derive the law that the sacrificial service must be performed standing (Sifrei Devarim 167:1; Sota 38a).