Vayikra 23:15-22 ויקרא כ״ג:ט״ו-כ״ב

ממחרת השבת. מִמָּחֳרַת יוֹם טוֹב:

ממחרת השבת FROM THE MORROW AFTER THE DAY OF REST — i. e. from the morrow after the first day of the Passover festival (Menachot 65b).

תמימת תהיינה. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמַּתְחִיל וּמוֹנֶה מִבָּעֶרֶב, שֶׁאִם לֹא כֵן אֵינָן תְּמִימוֹת (ספרא; מנחות ס"ו):

תמימת תהיינה [SEVEN WEEKS] SHALL BE COMPLETE — This teaches that one has to begin counting in the evening, for otherwise they would not be complete (Menachot 66a).

השבת השביעת. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ שְׁבוּעֲתָא שְׁבִיעֵתָא:

השבת השביעת — Translate this as the Targum does שבועתא שביעתא THE SEVENTH WEEK.

עד ממחרת השבת השביעת תספרו. וְלֹא עַד בִּכְלָל, וְהֵן אַרְבָּעִים וְתִשְׁעָה יוֹם:

עד ממחרת השבת השביעת תספרו EVEN UNTIL THE MORROW AFTER THE SEVENTH WEEK SHALL YE NUMBER — until, but not including the day until which you count: thus there are 49 days (the seven complete weeks spoken of in the preceding verse).

חמשים יום והקרבתם מנחה חדשה לה'. בַּיּוֹם הַחֲמִשִּׁים תַּקְרִיבוּהָ, וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי זֶה מִדְרָשׁוֹ, אֲבָל פְּשׁוּטוֹ עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת שֶׁהוּא יוֹם חֲמִשִּׁים תִּסְפְּרוּ, וּמִקְרָא מְסֹרָס הוּא:

'חמשים יום והקרבתם מנחה חדשה לה‎… FIFTY DAYS — AND YE SHALL OFFER A NEW OBLATION UNTO THE LORD — i. e. on the fiftieth day ye shall offer it. This, I say, is a Midrashic explanation, but the literal sense is: “Even unto the morrow of the seventh week which is the fiftieth day shall ye number”: the text has its phrases inverted.

מנחה חדשה. הִיא הַמִּנְחָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁהוּבְאָה מִן הֶחָדָשׁ, וְאִ"תֹּ הֲרֵי קָרְבָה מִנְחַת הָעֹמֶר אֵינָהּ כִּשְׁאָר כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת, שֶׁהִיא בָאָה מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִים (מנחות פ"ד):

מנחה חדשה A NEW MEAL OFFERING — It was the first meal-offering that was offered from the new crop. And if you ask, “But surely the meal-offering of the Omer has already been offered on the 16th of Nisan”?! Then I reply: It (the Omer) was not like all the other meal-offerings — which, with one exception (cf. Numbers 5:15), were all brought of wheat — since it was brought of barley and therefore it is not taken into account (cf. Menachot 84b).

ממושבתיכם. וְלֹא מִחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ (ספרא):

מושבתיכם [YE SHALL BRING] OUT OF YOUR HABITATIONS [TWO WAVE LOAVES] — but not from outside the Land of Canaan (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 13 1; Menachot 83b).

לחם תנופה. לֶחֶם תְּרוּמָה, הַמּוּרָם לְשֵׁם גָּבוֹהַּ, וְזוֹ הִיא הַמִּנְחָה הַחֲדָשָׁה הָאֲמוּרָה לְמַעְלָה:

לחם תנופה WAVE LOAVES — i. e. heave loaves that have been heaved in honour of the Lord. It is these which constitute the “new meal-offering” mentioned above (v. 16).

בכורים. רִאשׁוֹנָה לְכָל הַמְּנָחוֹת, אַף לְמִנְחַת קְנָאוֹת הַבָּאָה מִן שְׂעוֹרִים לֹא תִּקְרַב מִן הֶחָדָשׁ קֹדֶם לִשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם (שם):

בכורים [THEY ARE] THE FIRSTLINGS — the first of all meal-offerings offered, the first even in relation to the “meal-offering of jealousy” (cf. Numbers 5:15) which was brought of barley; even that must not be offered of the new crop previous to the two loaves, although a barley offering had already been brought, viz., the Omer which was offered on Passover (Menachot 84b).

על הלחם. בִּגְלַל הַלֶּחֶם, חוֹבָה לַלֶּחֶם (ספרא; מנחות מ"ה):

על הלחם means, on account of the bread — as an obligation connected with the bread (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 13 4; Menachot 45b).

ומנחתם ונסכיהם. כְּמִשְׁפַּט מִנְחָה וּנְסָכִים הַמְפֹרָשִׁים בְּכָל בְּהֵמָה בְּפָרָשַׁת נְסָכִים, שְׁלוֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרוֹנִים לַפָּר וּשְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרוֹנִים לָאַיִל וְעִשָּׂרוֹן לַכֶּבֶשׂ, זוֹ הִיא הַמִּנְחָה, וְהַנְּסָכִים חֲצִי הַהִין לַפָּר וּשְׁלִישִׁית הַהִין לָאַיִל וּרְבִיעִית הַהִין לַכֶּבֶשׂ:

ומנחתם ונסכיהם WITH THEIR MEAL OFFERINGS AND THEIR DRINK OFFERINGS — according to the law of the meal offerings and the drink offerings which are distinctly set forth with reference to all animal sacrifices in the chapter dealing with drink offerings: (Numbers 28:12—14) “three tenth deals of flour for one bullock, two tenth deals of flour for one ram, and one tenth deal of flour for one lamb”: — this is the meal-offering. The drink-offerings were: “half a hin of wine for a bullock, the third part of a hin of wine for a ram, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a lamb”.

ועשיתם שעיר עזים. יָכוֹל שִׁבְעַת הַכְּבָשִׂים וְהַשָּׂעִיר הָאֲמוּרִים כָּאן הֵם ז' הַכְּבָשִׂים וְהַשָּׂעִיר הָאֲמוּרִים בְּחֻמַּשׁ הַפְּקוּדִים, כְּשֶׁאַתָּה מַגִּיעַ אֵצֶל פָּרִים וְאֵילִים אֵינָן הֵם, אֱמֹר מֵעַתָּה אֵלּוּ לְעַצְמָן וְאֵלּוּ לְעַצְמָן — אֵלּוּ קָרְבוּ בִּגְלַל הַלֶּחֶם וְאֵלּוּ לַמּוּסָפִין (שם):

ועשיתם שעיר עזים THEN YE SHALL SACRIFICE ONE KID OF THE GOATS — I might think that the seven lambs (cf. v. 18) and the goat mentioned here are identical with the seven lambs and one goat mentioned in the Book of Numbers (28:27—30). — This is, however, not the case, for when you come to the bullocks and the rams you will find that they are not identical (here, v. 18. we have one bullock and two rams, whilst there you have two bullocks and one ram). Consequently you must admit that these (the lambs and the goats mentioned here) form a group for themselves and the others form a group for themselves: these were offered on account of the loaves and the others as additional offerings for the day (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 13 6; Menachot 45b).

והניף הכהן אתם, תנופה. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁטְּעוּנִין תְּנוּפָה חַיִּים, יָכוֹל כֻּלָּם, תַּ"לֹ "עַל שְׁנֵי כְבָשִֹים" (עי' מנחות ס"ב):

והניף הכהן אתם... תנופה AND THE PRIEST SHALL WAVE THEM [WITH THE BREAD OF THE FIRSTLINGS] FOR A WAVE OFFERING — This teaches us that they (the offerings) require the waving whilst they are still living. One might think that all of them (the seven lambs mentioned in v. 18) have to be waved! It, however, states על שני כבשים “[and the priests shall wave them… upon the two lambs]” (cf. Menachot 62a).

קדש יהיו. לְפִי שֶׁשַּׁלְמֵי יָחִיד קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים, הֻזְקַק לוֹמַר בְּשַׁלְמֵי צִבּוּר שֶׁהֵן קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים:

קדש יהיו THEY SHALL BE HOLY [TO THE LORD FOR THE PRIEST] — Because festival-offerings offered by a private person are holy only in a minor degree, Scripture was compelled to state of the festival-offerings of the community that they are holy in the highest degree.

ובקצרכם. חָזַר וְשָׁנָה, לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶם בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוין; אָמַר ר' אַבְדִּימֵי בְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵף, מָה רָאָה הַכָּתוּב לִתְּנָהּ בְאֶמְצַע הָרְגָלִים — פֶּסַח וַעֲצֶרֶת מִכָּאן וְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְחַג מִכָּאן — ? לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל הַנּוֹתֵן לֶקֶט שִׁכְחָה וּפֵאָה לֶעָנִי כָּרָאוּי, מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ בָּנָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהִקְרִיב קָרְבְּנוֹתָיו בְּתוֹכוֹ (ספרא):

ובקצרכם AND WHEN YE REAP [THE HARVEST OF YOUR LAND, THOU SHALT NOT MAKE CLEAR RIDDANCE OF THE CORNER OF THE FIELD] — Scripture repeats the prohibition here (although it has already been mentioned above, 19:9) in order to make one who transgresses this law infringe two negative commands. R. Abdima the son of R. Joseph said: What reason had Scripture to place it (the law concerning the corner of the field) amidst those regarding the festival-sacrifices — those of Passover and Pentecost on this side of it, and those of the New Year, Day of Atonement and “the Feast” (Tabernacles) following on that side of it? To teach you that he who leaves the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf and the corner of the field to the poor as it ought to be, is regarded as though he had built the Temple and offered his sacrifices therein (cf. Sifra, Emor, Chapter 13 11).

תעזב. הַנַּח לִפְנֵיהֶם וְהֵם יִלְקְטוּ, וְאֵין לְךָ לְסַיֵּעַ לְאֶחָד מֵהֶם (פאה פ"ה):

תעזב THOU SHALT LEAVE [THEM UNTO THE POOR] — leave these in front of them and they shall gather: you are not allowed to assist one of them to the injury of another poor man (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 3 5; Mishnah Peah 5:6).

אני ה' אלהיכם. נֶאֱמָן לְשַׁלֵּם שָׂכָר:

אני ה' אלהיכם I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, Who am faithful to pay you your reward.