Vayikra 21:16-24 ויקרא כ״א:ט״ז-כ״ד

לחם אלהיו. מַאֲכַל אֱלֹהָיו, כָּל סְעוּדָה קְרוּיָה לֶחֶם, כְּמוֹ "עֲבַד לְחֶם רַב" (דניאל ה'):

לחם אלהיו THE BREAD OF HIS GOD — This means, any food of his God (not “bread” only); any meal is termed לחם, as e. g., (Daniel 5:1) “he made a great banquet (לְחַם)” (cf. Rashi on Genesis 31:54).

כי כל איש אשר בו מום לא יקרב. אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּקְרַב, כְּמוֹ הַקְרִיבֵהוּ נָא לְפֶחָתֶךָ (מלאכי א'):

כי כל איש אשר בו מום לא יקרב FOR ANY MAN THAT HATH A BLEMISH SHALL NOT APPROACH — This means: it is not right that he should approach; It expresses the same idea as (Malachi 1:8) “[And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame or sick, is it not evil?] offer it now unto thy governor! [will he be pleased with thee?]”.

חרם. שֶׁחָטְמוֹ שָׁקוּעַ בֵּין שְׁתֵּי הָעֵינַיִם, שֶׁכּוֹחֵל שְׁתֵּי עֵינָיו כְּאַחַת (ספרא; בכורות מ"ג):

חרם A FLAT-NOSED MAN — one whose nose is sunk between his two eyes so that he is able to paint both his eyes (for medical or cosmetic purposes) with one stroke (Sifra, Emor, Section 3 7; Mishna Bekhorot 7:3).

שרוע. שֶׁאֶחָד מֵאֵבָרָיו גָּדוֹל מֵחֲבֵרוֹ — עֵינוֹ אַחַת גְּדוֹלָה וְעֵינוֹ אַחַת קְטַנָּה, אוֹ שׁוֹקוֹ אַחַת אֲרֻכָּה מֵחֲבֶרְתָּהּ (ספרא; בכורות מ'):

שרוע HE THAT HATH A LIMB TOO LARGE — i.e. one of whose limbs forming a pair is larger than the other, e. g. one of his eyes is large and the other small, or, one of his legs is longer than the other (Bekhorot 40b; cf. Sifra, Emor, Section 3 9).

או גבן. שׁורי"ציולש בְּלַעַז, שֶׁגְּבִינֵי עֵינָיו שְׂעָרָן אָרֹךְ וְשׁוֹכֵב:

או גבן — sourcils in O. F. — is one whose eye-brows have their hair long so that they lie over his eyes (Bekhorot 43b)

או דק. שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בְעֵינָיו דֹּק, שֶׁקּוֹרִים טיל"א, כְּמוֹ "הַנּוֹטֶה כַדֹּק" (ישעיהו מ'):

או דק — one who has in his eye a membrane which is called “toile” (web) in old French The word is similar in meaning to (Isaiah 40:22) “It is He that stretcheth out the heavens like a web (כַּדֹּק) (Bekhorot 48a).

או תבלל. דָּבָר הַמְבַלְבֵּל אֶת הָעַיִן, כְּגוֹן חוּט לָבָן הַנִּמְשָׁךְ מִן הַלֹּבֶן וּפוֹסֵק בַּסִּירָא, שֶׁהוּא עֹגֶל הַמַּקִּיף אֶת הַשָּׁחֹר שֶׁקּוֹרִים פרוני"לא, וְהַחוּט הַזֶּה פּוֹסֵק אֶת הָעֹגֶל וְנִכְנָס בַּשָּׁחֹר; וְתַרְגּוּם תְּבַלּוּל "חִלִּיז", לְשׁוֹן חִלָּזוֹן, שֶׁהוּא דוֹמֶה לְתוֹלַעַת אוֹתוֹ הַחוּט, וְכֵן כִּנּוּהוּ חַכְמֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל בְּמוּמֵי הַבְּכוֹר חִלָּזוֹן, נָחָשׁ, עֵינָב (בכורות ל"ח):

או תבלל — (from בלל "to mingle") denotes anything that causes a mingling in the eye, e. g., a white line which extends from the white of the eye and intersects the סירא (the iris), which is the ring that encloses the black of the eye which is called prunelle in old French This white line intersects the circle and runs into the black (so that the white and the black of the eye mingle). The Targum rendering of תבלל is חילוז, connected in meaning with חלזון (a kind of worm); he translates it thus because that line resembles a worm. Thus, too, the Sages of Israel name it (the while line) among the blemishes of first-born animals: חלזון נחש עינב (worm, snake, wart) (cf. Bekhorot 38a,b).

גרב או ילפת. מִינֵי שְׁחִין הֵם; גָּרָב זוֹ הַחֶרֶס, שְׁחִין הַיָּבֵשׁ מִבִּפְנִים וּמִבַּחוּץ, יַלֶּפֶת הִיא חֲזָזִית הַמִּצְרִית, וְלָמָּה נִקְרֵאת יַלֶּפֶת? שֶׁמְּלַפֶּפֶת וְהוֹלֶכֶת עַד יוֹם הַמִּיתָה, וְהוּא לַח מִבַּחוּץ וְיָבֵשׁ מִבִּפְנִים, וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר קוֹרֵא לַגָּרָב שְׁחִין הַלַּח מִבַּחוּץ וְיָבֵשׁ מִבִּפְנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּבַגָּרָב וּבֶחָרֶס" (דברים כ"ח), כְּשֶׁסָּמַךְ גָּרָב אֵצֶל חֶרֶס, קוֹרֵא לַיַּלֶּפֶת גָּרָב, וּכְשֶׁהוּא סָמוּךְ אֵצֶל יַלֶּפֶת, קוֹרֵא לַחֶרֶס גָּרָב, כָּךְ מְפֹרָשׁ בִּבְכוֹרוֹת (דף מ"א):

גרב וילפת — These are kinds of boil; גרב is identical with חרס (mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:27) — a boil which is dry both inside and on the surface. ילפת is identical with the Egyptian lichen, (חזזית) (Sifra, Emor, Section 3 15). Why is it called ילפת (root לפת “to embrace")? Because it continues to cling to the body until the day of death. It is wet on the surface and dry inside. In another passage, however, Scripture gives the name גרב to a boil which is wet on the surface and dry inside, as it is said (Deuteronomy 28:27) "[The Lord will smite thee…] ובגרב ובחרס”, where גרב necessarily denotes a wet boil since חרס (identical with חרש, potsherd) denotes the dry species. But the explanation is as follows: חרס always denotes the dry skin disease, ילפח always the wet one; as to גרב it depends: When Scripture mentions גרב together with חרס it is calling a ילפת by the term ,גרב and when it mentions it (גרב) together with ילפת (as is the case here) it is calling a חרס by the term גרב. Thus is it explained in Bekhorot 41a.

מרוח אשך. לְפִי הַתַּרְגּוּם מְרַס פַּחֲדִין, שֶׁפְּחָדָיו מְרֻסָּסִין — שֶׁבֵּיצִים שֶׁלּוֹ כְתוּתִין, פְּחָדִין כְּמוֹ "גִּידֵי פַחֲדָו יְשֹׂרָגוּ" (איוב מ'):

מרוח אשך, according to the Targum, מרס פחדין, which signifies one whose פחדין are מרוססין, i. e., one whose testicles are crushed. פחדין has the same meaning as (Job 40:17) “and the sinews of his stones (פחדיו) are wrapped together”.

כל איש אשר בו מום. לְרַבּוֹת שְׁאָר מוּמִין:

כל איש אשר בו מום NO MAN THAT HATH A BLEMISH… [SHALL COME NEAR] — This is intended to include in the prohibition (besides the blemishes expressly mentioned in vv. 18—20) also other bodily blemishes (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 1).

מום בו. בְּעוֹד מוּמוֹ בּוֹ פָּסוּל, הָא אִם עָבַר מוּמוֹ כָּשֵׁר (ספרא):

מום בו HE HATH A BLEMISH — These apparently redundant words imply: so long as he has the bodily blemish he is unfit for priestly service; (the translation is: מום בו while the blemish is in him, '‎לא יגש וכו‎ he shall not approach to offer); consequently, if his blemish disappears, he becomes again fit for it (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 6).

לחם אלהיו. כָּל מַאֲכָל קָרוּי לֶחֶם:

לחם אלהיו THE BREAD OF HIS LORD — any food is called לחם (cf. Rashi on v. 17).

מקדשי הקדשים. אֵלּוּ קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים:

מקדשי הקדשים OF THE MOST HOLY — These are what are technically known as קדשי קדשים — of them he may eat.

ומן הקדשים יאכל. אֵלּוּ קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים, וְאִם נֶאֶמְרוּ קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים? אִם לֹא נֶאֱמַר, הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר בְּקָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים יֹאכַל בַּעַל מוּם, שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁהֻתְּרוּ לְזָר, שֶׁאָכַל מֹשֶׁה בְּשַׂר הַמִּלּוּאִים, אֲבָל בְּחָזֶה וְשׁוֹק שֶׁל קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים לֹא יֹאכַל, שֶׁלֹּא מָצִינוּ זָר חוֹלֵק בָּהֶן, לְכָךְ נֶאֶמְרוּ קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים, כָּךְ מְפֹרָשׁ בִּזְבָחִים (דף ק"א):

ומן הקדשים יאכל AND OF THE HOLY HE MAY EAT — these are what are technically known as קדשים קלים. But if קדשי קדשים are mentioned as being permitted to him as food, why are קדשים קלים also mentioned? Could this not be inferred by a conclusion a fortiori? But the explanation is as follows: If קדשים קלים were not expressly mentioned as being permitted, I might have said: of the sacrifices holy in the highest degree the priest with a bodily blemish may eat — because we find that these had on one occasion been permitted to be eaten even by a non-priest, for Moses (who was not a priest) ate the flesh of the installation offering (cf. Leviticus 8:29; and this was holy in the highest degree since Scripture continues there: “Seethe the flesh at the entrance of the appointed tent… etc., a law that only applies to קדשי קדשים) — but he (a priest who is בעל מום) must not eat of the breast and the shoulder of sacrifices holy in a minor degree, since we do not find that a non-priest ever took a share in them. On this account sacrifices holy in a minor degree are expressly stated as permitted to be eaten. Thus it is explained in Treatise Zevachim 101b (cf. also Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 8-9).

אך אל הפרכת. לְהַזּוֹת שֶׁבַע הַזָּאוֹת שֶׁעַל הַפָּרֹכֶת.

אך אל הפרכת ONLY [HE SHALL NOT GO IN] UNTO THE PARTITION VEIL for the purpose of applying the seven sprinklings which are to be made upon the partition vail (cf. Leviticus 16:17).

ואל המזבח. הַחִיצוֹן; וּשְׁנֵיהֶם הֻצְרְכוּ לִכָּתֵב, וּמְפֹרָשׁ בְּתֹ"כֹּ:

ואל המזבח [NOR SHALL HE COME NIGH] UNTO THE ALTAR — i. e. the outer altar. Both (פרכת and מזבח) must be mentioned here and the reason is explained in Torath Cohanim (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 10).

ולא יחלל את מקדשי. שֶׁאִם עָבַד עֲבוֹדָתוֹ מְחֻלֶּלֶת לִפָּסֵל (ספרא):

ולא יחלל את מקדשי THAT HE PROFANE NOT WHAT IS HOLY TO ME — Consequently, if he performs the service it is profaned and thus becomes invalid (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 11).

וידבר משה. הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת.

וידבר משה AND MOSES TOLD this command,

אל אהרן ואל בניו ואל כל בני ישראל. לְהַזְהִיר בֵּית דִּין עַל הַכֹּהֲנִים (עי' ספרא):

אל אהרן ואל בניו ואל כל בני ישראל UNTO AARON AND UNTO HIS SONS AND UNTO ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — He told it to the Israelites although they were not directly concerned with these commands in order to admonish the court regarding the priests (i. e. that the authorities should watch over the sanctity of the Sanctuary and prevent priests with a bodily blemish from officiating) (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 12).