Chumashחומש

לא תתעב אדמי. לְגַמְרֵי, וְאַעַ"פִּ שֶׁרָאוּי לְךָ לְתַעֲבוֹ שֶׁיָּצָא בַּחֶרֶב לִקְרָאתֶךָ:

לא תתעב אדמי THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR AN EDOMITE utterly, although it would be proper for you to abhor him because he came out against thee with the sword (Numbers 20:18—20).

לא תתעב מצרי. מִכֹּל וָכֹל, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁזָּרְקוּ זְכוּרֵיכֶם לַיְאוֹר. מַה טַּעַם? שֶׁהָיוּ לָכֶם אַכְסַנְיָא בִּשְׁעַת הַדְּחָק. לְפִיכָךְ —

לא תתעב מצרי THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR AN EGYPTIAN all in all (utterly), although they cast your male children into the river. And what is the reason that you should not abhor him utterly? Because they were your hosts in time of need (during Joseph’s reign when the neighbouring countries suffered from famine); therefore although they sinned against you do not utterly abhor him, but —

בנים אשר יולדו להם דור שלישי וגו'. וּשְׁאָר אֻמּוֹת מֻתָּרִים מִיָּד, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁהַמַּחֲטִיא לָאָדָם קָשֶׁה לוֹ מִן הַהוֹרְגוֹ, שֶׁהַהוֹרְגוֹ הוֹרְגוֹ בָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהַמַּחֲטִיאוֹ מוֹצִיאוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּמִן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, לְפִיכָךְ אֱדוֹם שֶׁקִּדְּמָם בַּחֶרֶב לֹא נִתְעַב, וְכֵן מִצְרַיִם שֶׁטִּבְּעוּם, וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁהֶחֱטִיאוּם נִתְעֲבוּ (ספרי):

בנים אשר יולדו להם דור שלישי וגומר THE CHILDREN THAT ARE BORN UNTO THEM [MAY COME INTO THE ASSEMBLY] IN THEIR THIRD GENERATION — other nations, however, since they did not sin against you may be admitted at once if they acknowledge the tenets of Judaim. — Thus you learn that he who causes a man to sin does him greater harm than if he kills him, for he who kills him, kills him only as regards this world, while he who causes him to sin puts him out of this world and the world to come. Therefore Edom, though he met them with the sword was not to be abhorred utterly, and similarly the Egyptians who drowned them (their male children), while those (the Ammonites and Moabites) who caused them to sin were to be utterly abhorred (Sifrei Devarim 252:3).

כי תצא וגו' … ונשמרת. שֶׁהַשָּׂטָן מְקַטְרֵג בִּשְׁעַת הַסַּכָּנָה (תלמוד ירושלמי שבת ב'):

כי תצא וגו׳ ונשמרת WHEN [THE HOST] GOETH FORTH [AGAINST THINE ENEMIES], THEN KEEP THEE [FROM EVERY EVIL THING] — because Satan accuses men in time of danger (Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat 2:6; Midrash Tanchuma, Vayigash 1 on Genesis 42:4; cf. Rashi on that verse and our Note thereon).

מקרה לילה. דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהוֹוֶה (ספרי):

מקרה לילה [IF THERE BE AMONG YOU ANY MAN THAT IS NOT CLEAN BY REASON OF] UNCLEANNESS THAT CHANCETH HIM BY NIGHT — By night: Scripture speaks of what usually occurs (but the law applies also if the uncleanness happens at day time) (Sifrei Devarim 255:3).

ויצא אל מחוץ למחנה. זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה:

ויצא אל מחוץ למחנה THEN HE SHALL GO ABROAD OUT OF THE CAMP — This is a command,

לא יבא אל תוך המחנה. זוֹ מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה (שם), וְאָסוּר לִכָּנֵס לְמַחֲנֵה לְוִיָּה, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן לְמַחֲנֵה שְׁכִינָה (עי' פסחים ס"ח):

לא יבא אל תוך המחנה HE SHALL NOT COME WITHIN THE CAMP — This is a prohibition (Sifrei Devarim 255:4). He is forbidden to enter the “camp of the Levites”, and all the more so, the "camp of the Shechinah". (cf. Sifrei Devarim 255:5; Pesachim 68a and Rashi on Numbers 5:2).

והיה לפנות ערב. סָמוּךְ לְהֶעֱרֵב שִׁמְשׁוֹ יִטְבֹּל, שֶׁאֵינוֹ טָהוֹר בְּלֹא הֶעֱרֵב הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ (עי' ספרי):

והיה לפנות ערב BUT IT SHALL BE WHEN EVENING COMETH ON, [HE SHALL LAVE HIMSELF WITH WATER] — He should immerse himself close before the setting of the sun, for under no circumstances is he clean without having waited for the sunset (cf. Sifrei Devarim 256:2).

ויד תהיה לך. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, כְּמוֹ אִישׁ עַל יָדוֹ (במדבר ב'):

ויד תהיה לך THOU SHALT HAVE A יד [WITHOUT THE CAMP] — Understand the word יד as the Targum does: ואתר (and you shall have a place). Similar is, (Numbers 2:17) “Each man at his place (ידו)” (Sifrei Devarim 257:1).

מחוץ למחנה. חוּץ לֶעָנָן:

מחוץ למחנה WITHOUT THE CAMP — i.e. outside the area enclosed by the clouds of glory.

על אזנך. לְבַד מִשְּׁאָר כְּלֵי תַּשְׁמִישְׁךָ:

על אזנך [AND THOU SHALT HAVE A PIN] על אזנך — i.e. besides (על, “in addition to”, not “upon”) your other implements.

אזנך. כְּמוֹ כְּלִי זַיִן:

אזנך has the same meaning as זין in the phrase כלי זין.

ולא יראה בך. הַקָּבָּ"ה ערות דבר:

ולא יראה בך THAT HE SEE NOT IN THEE — that the Holy One, blessed be He see not in thee ערות דבר A NAKEDNESS OF ANYTHING.

לא תסגיר עבד. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ; דָּ"אַ — אֲפִלּוּ עֶבֶד כְּנַעֲנִי שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁבָּרַח מִחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל (גיטין מ"ה):

לא תסגיר עבד THOU SHALT NOT DELIVER [UNTO HIS LORD] THE SERVANT [WHO IS ESCAPED FROM HIS LORD UNTO THEE] — Understand this as the Targum has it: עבד עממין the servant of the heathens. Another explanation is: that it implies even a Canaanite servant belonging to an Israelite who fled from outside the Land (from a foreign country) into the Land of Israel (Gittin 45a).

לא תהיה קדשה. מֻפְקֶרֶת מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת וּמְזֻמֶּנֶת לִזְנוּת:

לא תהיה קדשה THERE SHALL BE NO קדשה [OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL] — i.e. a prostitute, — one who is devoted to and ever ready for illicit intercourse (cf. Rashi on Genesis 38:21 s. v. הקדשה; Rashi on Exodus 19:22 s. v. יתקדשו).

ולא יהיה קדש. מְזֻמָּן לְמִשְׁכַּב זְכוּר; וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "לָא תְהֵא אִתְּתָא מִבְּנָת יִשְׂרָאֵל לִגְבַר עָבֵד", שֶׁאַף זוֹ מֻפְקֶרֶת לִבְעִילַת זְנוּת הִיא, מֵאַחַר שֶׁאֵין קִדּוּשִׁין תּוֹפְסִין לוֹ בָּהּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי הֻקְּשׁוּ לַחֲמוֹר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "שְׁבוּ לָכֶם פֹּה עִם הַחֲמוֹר" – עַם הַדּוֹמֶה לַחֲמוֹר, וְלָא יִסַּב גַּבְרָא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִתְּתָא אָמָה, שֶׁאַף הוּא נַעֲשֶׂה קָדֵשׁ עַל יָדָהּ, שֶׁכָּל בְּעִילוֹתָיו בְּעִילוֹת זְנוּת, שֶׁאֵין קִדּוּשִׁין תּוֹפְסִין לוֹ בָּהּ (עי' קידושין ס"ח):

AND THERE SHALL BE NO קדש (OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL] — one ever ready for pederasty (Sanhedrin 54b). Onkelos, however, rendered the verse by לא תהא אתתא מבני ישראל לגבר עבר, “A woman of the daughters of Israel shall not become the wife of a slave”. Such a woman may also be termed a קדשה. because she, too, becomes a prostitute to illicit intercourse, since no marriage ceremony with her (קידושין) can for him have a hold on her (can be a valid ceremony), — for you see, they (the slaves) are compared to asses, as it is said, (Genesis 22:5), “Abide ye here עם החמור”, which is taken to mean (Kiddushin 68a), “[Abide ye here] עם החמור", “O ye peop1e who are like asses”. And the second half of the verse Onkelos renders by ולא יסב גברא מבני ישראל אתתא אמה “and no man of Israel shall marry a bondwoman”, which is also an adequate translation, since he, too, becomes a קדש, “one devoted to illicit intercourse” through her, since every intercourse with her is an illicit intercourse, since his marriage to her is not binding (cf. Rashi on Kiddushin 69a s. v. או דיעבד קאמר‎).

אתנן זונה. נָתַן לָהּ טָלֶה בְּאֶתְנַנָּהּ פָּסוּל לְהַקְרָבָה:

אתנן זונה [THOU SHALT NOT BRING] THE PROSTITUTION HIRE OF A WHORE [… INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THY GOD FOR ANY VOW] — This means, if he (the paramour) gave her a lamb as the hire of her prostitution it is unfitted for sacrifice (Sifrei Devarim 261:1; Temurah 29a).

ומחיר כלב. הֶחֱלִיף שֶׂה בְכֶלֶב (ספרי; תמורה כ"ט):

ומחיר כלב [THOU SHALT NOT BRING …] THE PRICE OF A DOG [INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD …], if one has exchanged a lamb for a dog (Sifrei Devarim 261:2; Temurah 30a).

גם שניהם. לְרַבּוֹת שִׁנּוּיֵיהֶם, כְּגוֹן חִטִּים וַעֲשָׂאָן סֹלֶת (שם ל'):

גם שניהם FOR EVEN BOTH THESE ARE [ABOMINATION UNTO THE LORD, THY GOD] — The words גם שניהם taken as גם שנוייהם are intended to include in the prohibition the things into which they (whatever is given as hire) are changed, as, e.g., if he gave the woman wheat and she made it into flour (Temurah 30b).

לא תשיך. אַזְהָרָה לַלֹּוֶה שֶׁלֹּא יִתֵּן רִבִּית לַמַּלְוֶה (עי' ספרי) (וְאַחַר כָּךְ אַזְהָרָה לַמַּלְוֶה אֶת כַּסְפְּךָ לֹא תִתֵּן לוֹ בְּנֶשֶׁךְ):

לא תשיך implies a prohibition addressed to the borrower that he should not pay interest to the creditor (cf. Sifrei Devarim 262:1; Bava Metzia 75b) [and afterwards (Leviticus 25:37) follows the prohibition addressed to the creditor, “thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest”].

לנכרי תשיך. וְלֹא לְאָחִיךָ, לָאו הַבָּא מִכְּלַל עֲשֵׂה, עֲשֵׂה, לַעֲבֹר עָלָיו בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוין וַעֲשֵׂה:

לנכרי תשיך UNTO AN ALIEN THOU MAYEST LEND UPON INTEREST (according to Rashi: TO AN ALIEN THOU MAYEST PAY INTEREST) — but not to thy brother. Such a prohibition which is not plainly stated but can only be drawn by inference from a positive command is itself regarded only as a positive command — so that one who pays interest to his brother transgresses two negative commands: לא תשיך in v. 20, ולאחיך לא תשיך in v. 21 and a positive command לנכרי תשיך — ולאחיך לא (cf. Sifrei Devarim 263:1; Bava Metzia 70b; also cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 14:20).

לא תאחר לשלמו. שְׁלוֹשָׁה רְגָלִים, וּלְמָדוּהוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מִן הַמִּקְרָא (ראש השנה ד'):

לא תאחר לשלמו [WHEN THOU SHALT VOW A VOW UNTO THE LORD THY GOD] THOU SHALT NOT DELAY TO PAY IT — beyond three festivals after the vow has been made. Our Rabbis have deduced it (the fact that one does not transgress the prohibition before three festivals elapse) from a Scriptural text (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

מוצא שפתיך תשמר. לִתֵּן עֲשֵׂה עַל לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה (שם ו'):

מוצא שפתיך תשמר THAT WHICH HATH GONE OUT OF THY LIPS THOU SHALT KEEP — This is intended to add a positive command to the prohibition of delaying one’s vows (mentioned in the previous verse) (Rosh Hashanah 6a).