Shoftim, Aliyah 4 שופטים, רביעי

וכי יבא הלוי. יָכוֹל בְּבֶן לֵוִי וַדַּאי הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ושרת, יָצְאוּ לְוִיִּים שֶׁאֵין רְאוּיִין לְשֵׁרוּת (ספרי):

If a Levite should come. Perhaps it is literally to the Levite that Scripture refers? The Torah therefore teaches “He shall perform the service” this excludes the Levites, who are not permitted to perform the services.

ובא בכל אות נפשו, ושרת. לִמֵּד עַל הַכֹּהֵן שֶׁבָּא וּמַקְרִיב קָרְבְּנוֹת נִדְבָתוֹ אוֹ חוֹבָתוֹ וַאֲפִלּוּ בְמִשְׁמָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ (בבא קמא ק"ט); דָּ"אַ — עוֹד לִמֵּד עַל הַכֹּהֲנִים הַבָּאִים לָרֶגֶל שֶׁמַּקְרִיבִין (בַּמִּשְׁמָר) וְעוֹבְדִין בַּקָּרְבָּנוֹת הַבָּאוֹת מֵחֲמַת הָרֶגֶל כְּגוֹן מוּסְפֵי הָרֶגֶל וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין הַמִּשְׁמָר שֶׁלָּהֶם (ספרי; סוכה נ"ה):

Coming with all his soul’s desire. He shall perform the service. This teaches, concerning the kohein, that he is permitted to come and offer up his personal voluntary or obligatory sacrifices, even during a watch which is not his own. Another interpretation. This teaches, further, that the kohanim who came during the festival [were permitted] to bring offerings with the ministering watch, by performing the sacrificial services with the offerings which were brought because of the festival obligation — for example, the festival musaf-offerings — although the watch was not their own.

חלק כחלק יאכלו. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחוֹלְקִין בָּעוֹרוֹת וּבִּבְשַׂר שְׂעִירֵי חַטָּאוֹת, יָכוֹל אַף בִּדְּבָרִים הַבָּאִים שֶׁלֹּא מֵחֲמַת הָרֶגֶל, כְּגוֹן תְּמִידִין וּמוּסְפֵי שַׁבָּת וּנְדָרִים וּנְדָבוֹת, תַּ"לֹ לבד ממכריו על האבות חוּץ מִמַּה שֶּׁמָּכְרוּ הָאָבוֹת בִּימֵי דָּוִד וּשְׁמוּאֵל שֶׁנִּקְבְעוּ הַמִּשְׁמָרוֹת וּמָכְרוּ זֶה לָזֶה, טֹל אַתָּה שַׁבַּתְּךָ וַאֲנִי אֶטֹּל שַׁבַּתִּי (שם):

They shall eat equal portions. This teaches that they share in the skins, and in the flesh of the sin-offering goats. Perhaps even in the offerings unrelated to the festival — for example, the constant tamid and Shabbos musaf-offerings, and the endowment and gift-offerings? The Torah therefore teaches, except for what the families sold [to one another], with the exception of the matters [included] in the ancestral exchange, during the time of Dovid and Shmuel, when the watches were established. They exchanged with each other — ‘Take your Shabbos, and I will take my Shabbos.’

לא תלמד לעשות. אֲבָל אַתָּה לָמֵד לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת, כְּלוֹמַר לְהָבִין מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כַּמָּה הֵם מְקֻלְקָלִים, וּלְהוֹרוֹת לְבָנֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָךְ וְכָךְ, שֶׁזֶּה הוּא חֹק הַגּוֹיִם (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ח):

Do not learn to perpetrate. ‘But you may learn to understand and instruct.’ This means, to understand how corrupt their activities are, and to instruct your children, ‘Do not do this, as this is the custom of the Gentiles.’

מעביר בנו ובתו באש. הִיא עֲבוֹדַת הַמֹּלֶךְ, עוֹשֶׂה מְדוּרוֹת אֵשׁ מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן וּמַעֲבִירוֹ בֵין שְׁתֵּיהֶם (עי' סנהדרין ס"ד):

Anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire. This is the way “Molech” was worshipped. They would build a fire on either side, and then pass the child between both of them.

קסם קסמים. אֵי זֶהוּ קוֹסֵם? הָאוֹחֵז אֶת מַקְלוֹ וְאוֹמֵר אִם אֵלֵךְ אִם לֹא אֵלֵךְ, וכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (הושע ד') עַמִּי בְּעֵצוֹ יִשְׁאָל וּמַקְלוֹ יַגִּיד לוֹ (ספרי):

Who practices the kosem-occult. What is the kosem? One who grasps his divining rod and asks, ‘Shall I go, or not’? Concerning this it is said, “My people petition their sticks, their rods counsel them”!

מעונן. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר אֵלּוּ נוֹתְנֵי עוֹנוֹת – שֶׁאוֹמְרִים עוֹנָה פְּלוֹנִית יָפָה לְהַתְחִיל, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים אֵלּוּ אוֹחֲזֵי הָעֵינַיִם:

Who practices time-frame- occult. R’ Akiva said that this refers to those who divine the times, declaring that certain times are propitous for beginnings. The Rabbis said, that this refers to sleight of hand magicians.

מנחש. פִּתּוֹ נָפְלָה מִפִּיו, צְבִי הִפְסִיקוֹ בַדֶּרֶךְ, מַקְלוֹ נָפַל מִיָּדוֹ (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ה):

Who divines portentuous events. [As when] bread drops from his mouth, a deer crosses his path, or his staff falls from his hand.

וחבר חבר. שֶׁמְּצָרֵף נְחָשִׁים אוֹ עַקְרַבִּים אוֹ שְׁאָר חַיּוֹת לְמָקוֹם אֶחָד:

Or a snake charmer. Who gathers flocks of snakes and scorpions or other wild animals into one area.

ושאל אוב. זֶה מְכַשְּׁפוּת שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ פִּיתוֹם וּמְדַבֵּר מִשִּׁחְיוֹ וּמַעֲלֶה אֶת הַמֵּת בְּבֵית הַשֶּׁחִי שֶׁלּוֹ:

One who invokes the spirit of Ov. This refers to sorcery entitled “Pisom”: A voice emanates from the armpit, and summons the dead onto the armpit.

וידעני. מַכְנִיס עֶצֶם חַיָּה שֶׁשְּׁמָהּ יַדּוּעַ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וּמְדַבֵּר הָעֶצֶם עַל יְדֵי מְכַשְּׁפוּת (שם):

Or yidoni. He places the bone of an animal called yedoa into his mouth, and the bone speaks through magical powers.

ודרש אל המתים. כְּגוֹן הַמַּעֲלֶה בְזַכְרוּתוֹ וְהַנִּשְׁאָל בְּגֻלְגֹּלֶת (שם):

Or communicates with the dead. For example, someone who conjures up [the dead] onto his male organ, or communicates with a skull.

כל עשה אלה. עֹשֶׂה כָּל אֵלֶּה לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא כָל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה, אֲפִלּוּ אַחַת מֵהֶן (ספרי):

Anyone perpetrating this. ‘One perpetrating all this’ is not said, but ‘anyone perpetrating this’ — even one of them.

תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך. הִתְהַלֵּךְ עִמּוֹ בִתְמִימוּת, וּתְצַפֶּה לוֹ, וְלֹא תַחֲקֹר אַחַר הָעֲתִידוֹת, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁיָּבֹא עָלֶיךָ קַבֵּל בִּתְמִימוּת וְאָז תִּהְיֶה עִמּוֹ וּלְחֶלְקוֹ:

Walk in perfect trust with Adonoy, your God. Walk with Him in utter trust, in anticipation of Him. Do not explore the future, rather, whatever befalls you accept with perfect trust. Then, you will be with Him, [He will take you] as His portion.