ראה, רביעי

לא תתגדדו. לֹא תִתְּנוּ גְדִידָה וְשֶׂרֶט בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם עַל מֵת כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהָאֱמוֹרִיִּים עוֹשִׂין, לְפִי שֶׁאַתֶּם בָּנָיו שֶׁל מָקוֹם וְאַתֶּם רְאוּיִין לִהְיוֹת נָאִים וְלֹא גְּדוּדִים וּמְקֹרָחִים:

Do not lacerate yourselves. Do not inflict lacerations and gashes on your flesh over the dead, as is the custom among the Emorites for you are God’s children, and must therefore appear suitably becoming, rather than lacerated and hairless.

בין עיניכם. אֵצֶל הַפַּדַּחַת, וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר הוּא אוֹמֵר (ויקרא כ"א) לֹא יִקְרְחֻה בְּרֹאשָׁם – לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל הָרֹאשׁ כְּבֵין הָעֵינַיִם (ספרי):

Between your eyes. Near the forehead. Elsewhere it is said, “They may not tear bald spots in their heads.” This equates the entire head with the area between the eyes.

כי עם קדוש אתה. קְדֻשַּׁת עַצְמְךָ מֵאֲבוֹתֶיךָ, וְעוֹד ובך בחר ה':

For you are a sacred people. Your own sanctity extends from your forefathers; in addition, “Adonoy has chosen you.”

כל תועבה. כָּל שֶׁתִּעַבְתִּי לְךָ, כְּגוֹן צָרַם אֹזֶן בְּכוֹר כְּדֵי לְשָׁחֳטוֹ בַמְּדִינָה הֲרֵי דָּבָר שֶׁתִּעַבְתִּי לְךָ, כָּל מוּם לֹא יִהְיֶה בּוֹ, בָּא וְלִמֵּד כָּאן שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁחַט וְיֹאכַל עַל אוֹתוֹ הַמּוּם. בִּשֵּׁל בָּשָׂר בְּחָלָב הֲרֵי דָּבָר שֶׁתִּעַבְתִּי לְךָ, וְהִזְהִיר כָּאן עַל אֲכִילָתוֹ (חולין קי"ד):

Any abomination. Anything I made abominable to you. For example, puncturing the ear of a first-born animal in order to slaughter it outside the Sanctuary — this is something I made abominable to you, from “There shall not be any blemish on it.” Here the Torah proceeds to teach that it is forbidden to slaughter it and then eat it on the basis of that blemish. If one cooked meat with milk — this is something I made abominable to you, so eating it is prohibited here.

זאת הבהמה, איל וצבי ויחמור. לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהַחַיָּה בִכְלַל בְּהֵמָה, וְלָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהַבְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה טְמֵאָה מְרֻבָּה מִן הַטְּהוֹרָה, שֶׁבְּכָל מָקוֹם פּוֹרֵט אֶת הַמֻּעָט (ספרי; חולין י"ג):

These are the animals . . . the gazelle, the deer, the antelope. We learn that wild animals are included in the word בְּהֵמָה, “animal”; and we learn that the unclean domestic and wild animals are more numerous than the clean ones, since the less numerous are specified everywhere.

ואקו. מְתֻרְגָּם יַעֲלָא (איוב ל"ט) "יַעֲלֵי סָלַע", הוּא אשטנב"וק:

The ibex. Targum renders “wild goat,” “Mountain goats.” This is the esteinbuc [in Old French].

ותאו. "תּוֹרְבָּלָא", תּוֹר הַיַּעַר, "בָּלָא" — יַעַר בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי:

And the wild ox. Torbala, ‘ox of the forest.’ Bala, ‘forest’ in Aramaic.

מפרסת. סְדוּקָה, כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ:

Cloven. Split, as Targum [Onkelos] renders.

פרסה. פלאנט"א:

Hoof. Plante [in Old French].

ושסעת. חֲלוּקָה בִשְׁתֵּי צִפָּרְנַיִם, שֶׁיֵּשׁ סְדוּקָה וְאֵינָהּ חֲלוּקָה בַּצִּפָּרְנַיִם, וְהִיא טְמֵאָה:

Truly split. Divided into two nails. Some are cloven, but not divided into nails. They are unclean.

בבהמה. מַשְׁמַע מַה שֶּׁנִּמְצָא בַבְּהֵמָה אֱכֹל, מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ שֶׁהַשְּׁלִיל נִתָּר בִּשְׁחִיטַת אִמּוֹ (חולין ס"ט):

Within the animals. The inference is, ‘what is found within the animal, you may eat.’ From here it is derived that the fetus is permitted through the slaughter of its mother.

השסועה. בְּרִיָּה הִיא שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ שְׁנֵי גַּבִּין וּשְׁתֵּי שִׁדְרָאוֹת (שם ס'); אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לָמָּה נִשְׁנוּ? בַּבְּהֵמוֹת מִפְּנֵי הַשְּׁסוּעָה וּבָעוֹפוֹת מִפְּנֵי הָרָאָה, שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמְרוּ בְּת"כֹּ (שם ס"ג):

The dromedary. A creature with two humps and two spinal columns. The Rabbis remark: Why were they repeated? The animals — because of the dromedary, and the fowl — because of the ra’ah, which were not listed in Toras Kohanim.

ובנבלתם לא תגעו. רַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ — בָּרֶגֶל, שֶׁאָדָם חַיָּב לְטַהֵר אֶת עַצְמוֹ בָּרֶגֶל, יָכוֹל יִהְיוּ מֻזְהָרִים בְּכָל הַשָּׁנָה, תַּ"לֹ "אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹ'", וּמַה טֻּמְאַת הַמֵּת חֲמוּרָה, הַכֹּהֲנִים מֻזְהָרִים וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל מֻזְהָרִים, טֻמְאַת נְבֵלָה קַלָּה, לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן:

And do not come in contact with their carcasses. The Rabbis explain that this applies during the festivals, for a man is required to purify himself during the festival. Perhaps the admonition applies throughout the year? The Torah therefore teaches, “Say to the kohanim, etc.” If uncleanliness emanating from a human corpse is stringent, restricting only the kohanim, but not the Israelites — then the lenient uncleanliness emanating from an animal carcass is — certainly.

כל צפור טהרה תאכלו. לְהַתִּיר מְשֻׁלַּחַת שֶׁבַּמְּצֹרָע (ספרי; קידושין נ"ז):

You may eat any pure bird. This permits the bird released by the metzora.

וזה אשר לא תאכלו מהם. לֶאֱסֹר אֶת הַשְּׁחוּטָה (שם):

This is what you may not eat. This prohibits the slaughtered bird.

הראה והאיה. הִיא רָאָה הִיא אַיָּה הִיא דַיָּה, וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ רָאָה? שֶׁרוֹאָה בְּיוֹתֵר, וְלָמָּה הִזְהִיר בְּכָל שְׁמוֹתֶיהָ? שֶׁלֹּא לִתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לְבַעַל דִּין לַחֲלֹק – שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא הָאוֹסְרָהּ קוֹרֵא אוֹתָהּ רָאָה, וְהַבָּא לְהַתִּיר אוֹמֵר זוֹ דַּיָּה שְׁמָהּ אוֹ אַיָּה שְׁמָהּ, וְזוֹ לֹא אָסַר הַכָּתוּב. וּבָעוֹפוֹת פֵּרֵט לְךָ הַטְּמֵאִים לְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָעוֹפוֹת הַטְּהוֹרִים מְרֻבִּים עַל הַטְּמֵאִים, לְפִיכָךְ פֵּרֵט אֶת הַמֻּעָט (חולין ס"ג):

The ra’ah, ayah, etc. The ra’ah, ayah, and dayah are one and the same. Why is it entitled “ra’ah”? Because its vision is exceedingly powerful. Why does our prohibition specify all its names? In order to refute those who would take exception; so that one does not prohibit it as “ra’ah,” while another permits it with the claim that its name is “dayah,” or its name is “ayah,” and it was thus never prohibited by Scripture. With the birds, the impure ones are specified. This teaches that the pure birds are more numerous than the impure ones. Therefore, those less numerous are specified.

התנשמת. קלב"א שורי"ץ:

And the tinshames. Chalve soriz, [in Old French].

שלך. הַשּׁוֹלֶה דָּגִים מִן הַיָּם (שם):

The shalach. Which catches fish in the ocean.

דוכיפת. הוּא תַּרְנְגוֹל הַבָּר, וּבְלַעַז הרו"פא, וְכַרְבָּלְתּוֹ כְפוּלָה (גיט' ס"ח):

The duchifas. This refers to the wild turkey, in Old French, herupe, with a double crest.

שרץ העוף. הֵם הַנְּמוּכִים, הָרוֹחֲשִׁים עַל הָאָרֶץ. זְבוּבִין וּצְרָעִים וַחֲגָבִים טְמֵאִים קְרוּיִים שֶׁרֶץ:

Flying creeping creatures. This refers to tiny insects that creep along the ground. Flies, hornets, and impure locusts, are called שֶׁרֶץ .

כל עוף טהור תאכלו. וְלֹא אֶת הַטָּמֵא, בָּא לִתֵּן עֲשֵׂה עַל לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה; וְכֵן בַּבְּהֵמָה "אֹתָהּ תֹּאכֵלוּ", וְלֹא בְהֵמָה טְמֵאָה, וְלָאו הַבָּא מִכְּלַל עֲשֵׂה עֲשֵׂה, לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶם בַּעֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה:

Every ritually clean bird, you may eat. But not the impure ones. This adds a positive command to the negative. Similarly with the animals: “That, you may eat” — but not impure animals. A negative command derived from a positive statement is regarded as a positive command, so that the violator transgresses a positive as well as a negative command.

לגר אשר בשעריך. גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲבֹד עֲ"זָ וְאוֹכֵל נְבֵלוֹת (ספרי):

To the alien in your cities. The resident alien, who has resolved to refrain from idolatry, but eats meat without ritual slaughter.

כי עם קדוש אתה לה'. קַדֵּשׁ אֶת עַצְמְךָ בַּמֻּתָּר לְךָ – דְּבָרִים הַמֻּתָּרִים וַאֲחֵרִים נוֹהֲגִים בָּהֶם אִסּוּר, אַל תַּתִּירֵם בִּפְנֵיהֶם (שם):

For you are a people sanctified to Adonoy. Sanctify yourselves by abstaining from that which is permitted. Things which are permitted, but some abstain from them as if they were prohibited; do not permit them in their presence.

לא תבשל גדי. שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, פְּרָט לְחַיָּה וּלְעוֹפוֹת וְלִבְהֵמָה טְמֵאָה (חולין קי"ג):

Do not cook a kid. Three times; this excludes wild animals, fowl, and impure animals.