ויקרא י״ד:א׳-כ׳

זאת תהיה תורת וגו'. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין מְטַהֲרִין אוֹתוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה (ספרא):

'תהיה תורת וגו ‎זאת THIS SHALL BE THE LAW [OF THE LEPER IN THE DAY OF HIS BEING PRONOUNCED CLEAN] — The words “in the day” inform us that we may not pronounce him clean at night (Sifra, Metzora, Section 1 3; Megillah 21a).

אל מחוץ למחנה. חוּץ לִשְׁלוֹשָׁה מַחֲנוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלַח שָׁם בִּימֵי חֲלוּטוֹ:

אל מחוץ למחנה OUT OF THE CAMP — outside the three camps to where he (the leper) had been sent during the days he was decidedly a leper (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 13:46).

חיות. פְּרָט לִטְרֵפוֹת:

חיות LIVING [BIRDS] — This term excludes רפות‎ט, birds that suffer from some fatal organic disease (חיות does not only mean “living”, but also “capable of continuing to live”).

טהרות. פְּרָט לְעוֹף טָמֵא, לְפִי שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים בָּאִין עַל לָשׁוֹן הָרַע שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֵׂה פִטְפּוּטֵי דְבָרִים, לְפִיכָךְ הֻזְקְקוּ לְטָהֳרָתוֹ צִפֳּרִים שֶׁמְּפַטְפְּטִין תָּמִיד בְּצִפְצוּף קוֹל (ערכין ט"ז):

הרות‎ט CLEAN — This term excludes an unclean bird (of a species that may not be eaten) (cf. Chullin 140a). Because the plagues of leprosy come as a punishment for slander, which is done by chattering, therefore birds are compulsory for his (the leper’s) purification, because these chatter, as it were, continuously with a twittering sound (Arakhin 16b).

ועץ ארז. לְפִי שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים בָּאִין עַל גַּסּוּת הָרוּחַ (שם):

ועץ ארז AND CEDAR WOOD — This lofty tree was used because plagues come also as a punishment for haughtiness (cf. Arakhin 16a).

ושני תולעת ואזב. מַה תַּקָּנָתוֹ וְיִתְרַפֵּא? יַשְׁפִּיל עַצְמוֹ מִגַּאֲוָתוֹ כְּתוֹלַעַת וּכְאֵזוֹב:

ושני תולעת ואזוב AND CRIMSON AND HYSSOP — What is the remedy he should use, that he may be healed? Let him, abandoning pride, regard himself lowly as a worm (תולעת) and as hyssop (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 3).

עץ ארז. מַקֵּל שֶׁל אֶרֶז:

עץ ארז means a stick of cedar wood (not a cedar tree).

שני תולעת. לָשׁוֹן שֶׁל צֶמֶר צָבוּעַ זְהוֹרִית:

שני תולעת — a strip of wool dyed crimson.

על מים חיים. נוֹתֵן אוֹתָם תְּחִלָּה בִּכְלִי, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא דַם צִפּוֹר נִכָּר בָּהֶם, וְכַמָּה הֵם? רְבִיעִית (סוטה ט"ז):

אל מים חיים OVER RUNNING WATER — He first places it (the water) in the vessel but only, just enough that the bird’s blood may remain discernible in it. And how much is this? The fourth of a log (Sotah 16b).

את הצפר החיה יקח אתה. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ אוֹגְדָהּ עִמָּהֶם, אֶלָּא מַפְרִישָׁהּ לְעַצְמָהּ, אֲבָל הָעֵץ וְהָאֵזוֹב כְּרוּכִין יַחַד בִּלְשׁוֹן הַזְּהוֹרִית, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאֶת עֵץ הָאֶרֶז וְאֶת שְׁנִי הַתּוֹלַעַת וְאֶת הָאֵזֹב — קִיחָה אַחַת לִשְׁלָשְׁתָּן; יָכוֹל כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֵינָהּ בִּכְלַל אֲגֻדָּה, כָּךְ לֹא תְהֵא בִכְלַל טְבִילָה, תַּ"ל וְטָבַל אוֹתָם וְאֵת הַצִּפֹּר הַחַיָּה — הֶחֱזִיר אֶת הַצִּפּוֹר לִכְלַל טְבִילָה (ספרא):

את הצפור החיה יקח אתה AS FOR THE LIVING BIRD HE SHALL‎ TAKE IT — The phrasing (since it does not state ‘‘the living bird and the cedar wood etc. he shall take”, but, “the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar stick etc.”) informs us that he does not bind it (the bird) together with them (the cedar wood etc.) but keeps it apart by itself. The cedar stick, however, and the hyssop are tied together by the crimson slip, just as it is stated: “and the cedar wood and the crimson slip and the hyssop” — one “taking” for the three (since these three are grouped together after the word יקח). One might think that just as it (the bird) does not come under the regulation as regards binding, so, too, it does not come under the regulation as regards “dipping”; it therefore states “and he shall dip them and the living bird” — thus it (Scripture) mentions the bird again in connection with them to bring it, too, under the regulation of dipping (cf. Sifra, Metzora, Chapter 1 6).

וישב מחוץ לאהלו. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאָסוּר בְּתַשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה (שם):

וישב מחוץ לאהלו AND HE SHALL ABIDE OUTSIDE HIS TENT — This informs us that matrimonial intercourse is forbidden to him (מחוץ לאהלו implies outside his home — his family life; cf. Deuteronomy 5:27: שובו לכם לאהליכם) (Sifra, Metzora, Section 2 11).

את כל שערו וגו'. כְּלָל וּפְרָט וּכְלָל, לְהָבִיא כָּל מְקוֹם כִּנּוּס שֵׂעָר וְנִרְאֶה (סוטה ט"ז):

את כל שערו [HE SHALL CUT OFF] ALL HIS HAIR etc. — We have a generalisation (“all his hair”), a particularisation (“his head and his beard and his eyebrows”), and again a generalisation (“and all his hair”). According to the rule of interpretation (מדה ו' י״ג מדות) the purpose of this is to include in the generalisation only such things as are similar to those contained in the particularisation; here it intends to include every spot of the body where there is a collection of hair, it (the hair) being visible (these being the characteristics of the head, beard and eyebrows) (Sotah 16a).

וכבשה אחת. לְחַטָּאת:

וכבשה אחת AND ONE EWE-LAMB for a sin-offering.

ושלשה עשרנים. לְנִסְכֵּי שְׁלוֹשָׁה כְבָשִֹים הַלָּלוּ, שֶׁחַטָּאתוֹ וַאֲשָׁמוֹ שֶׁל מְצֹרָע טְעוּנִין נְסָכִים (מנחות צ"א):

ושלשה עשרנים AND THREE TENTH DEALS [OF FLOUR] — as the drink-offerings of these three he-lambs (Menachot 91a) — because the sin-offering and the guilt-offering of the leper require drink-offerings (although they are not required with other sin- and guilt-offerings).

ולג אחד שמן. לְהַזּוֹת עָלָיו שֶׁבַע, וְלִתֵּן מִמֶּנּוּ עַל תְּנוּךְ אָזְנוֹ וּמַתַּן בְּהוֹנוֹת:

ולג אחד שמן AND ONE LOG OF OIL — to sprinkle on his behalf before the Lord seven times (cf. v. 17), and to put of it upon the tip of his ear and for putting it upon his thumbs (v. 25).

לפני ה'. בְּשַׁעַר נִקָּנוֹר, וְלֹא בָעֲזָרָה עַצְמָהּ, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא מְחֻסָּר כִּפּוּרִים (כלים פ"א):

'לפני ה BEFORE THE LORD — i. e. in the gate of Nicanor and not in the court itself (Sifra, Metzora, Section 3 6; Sotah 8a), since he was still short of atonement (as the sin-offering had not yet been brought, and under such circumstances he was not permitted to enter the court).

והקריב אתו לאשם. יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ לְתוֹךְ הָעֲזָרָה לְשֵׁם אָשָׁם לְהָנִיף, שֶׁהוּא טָעוּן תְּנוּפָה חָי (מנחות ס"ב):

והקריב אתו לאשם AND HE SHALL BRING IT FOR A GUILT-OFFERING - This means: he shall bring it inside the court as a guilt-offering to wave it, for it required waving whilst alive (for it states that he shall bring it “and the log of oil” and the latter was not brought as a sacrifice; besides, the act of slaughtering is mentioned in v. 13) (Menachot 62b),

והניף אתם. אֶת הָאָשָׁם וְאֶת הַלֹּג (שם ס"א):

והניף אתם AND HE SHALL WAVE THEM — the guilt-offering and the log of oil.

במקום אשר ישחט וגו'. עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בַּצָּפוֹן, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר? וַהֲלֹא כְבָר נֶאֱמַר בְּתוֹרַת אָשָׁם בְפָרָשַׁת צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן שֶׁהָאָשָׁם טָעוּן שְׁחִיטָה בַצָּפוֹן? לְפִי שֶׁיָּצָא זֶה מִכְּלַל אֲשָׁמוֹת לִדּוֹן בְּהַעֲמָדָה, יָכוֹל תְּהֵא שְׁחִיטָתוֹ בִּמְקוֹם הַעֲמָדָתוֹ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר "וְשָׁחַט … בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁחַט וְגוֹ'" (ספרא):

‎ ‎'במקום אשר ישחט וגו‎‎‎ IN THE PLACE WHERE HE SHALL SLAUGHTER etc. — i.e. on the side of the altar on the north. But why is this stated at all? Has it not already been stated in in the law about the guilt-offering in the section צו את אהרן that the guilt-offering requires slaughtering on the north side of the altar? But because this guilt-offering has gone forth from (was made an exception to) the general rule of the guilt- offerings in that it is subject to the law of being placed before the Lord (v. 11), one might think that its slaughtering should be in the spot where it was placed (in the gateway of Nicanor; i. e. it shall be made an exception also in respect to the place where it should be slaughtered); on that account it states, “and he shall slaughter [the lamb] in the place where he slaughters [the sin-offering] etc ” (Sifra, Metzora, Section 3 8).

כי כחטאת. כִּי כְּכָל הַחַטָּאוֹת האשם הַזֶּה הוא לכהן — בְּכָל עֲבוֹדוֹת הַתְּלוּיוֹת בַּכֹּהֵן הֻשְׁוָה אָשָׁם זֶה לְחַטָּאת. שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְיָצָא דָמוֹ מִכְּלַל שְׁאָר אֲשָׁמוֹת לִנָּתֵן עַל תְּנוּךְ וּבְהוֹנוֹת, לֹא יְהֵא טָעוּן מַתַּן דָּמִים וְאֵמוּרִים לְגַבֵּי מִזְבֵּחַ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר כִּי כַּחַטָּאת הָאָשָׁם הוּא לַכֹּהֵן יָכוֹל יְהֵא דָמוֹ נִתָּן לְמַעְלָה כַּחַטָּאת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְכוּ' בְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים:

‎י כחטאת‏‎כ FOR AS THE SIN-OFFERING [SO IS THE GUILT-OFFERING TO THE PRIEST] — This means, for as all sin-offerings so this guilt-offering הוא לכהן is to the priest, i. e. as regards all sacrificial rites which depend upon the priest this guilt-offering is made exactly similar to the sin-offering. In order that you should not say: Since its blood is made an exception to the general rule governing other guilt-offerings in that this is placed upon the tip of the ear and upon the thumbs, it must also form an exception in that it should not require the placing of the blood and the fat portions upon the altar, it therefore expressly states, “for as all sin-offerings so is this guilt-offering to the priest” (לכהן, in reference to the priest, so far as he is concerned). One might also think that its blood must be sprinkled on the upper part of the altar as is the case with the sin-offering! Therefore it says: (Leviticus 7:1, 2) “it is most holy … and its blood shall he sprinkle round about the altar”. So it is set forth in Torath Cohanim (cf. Sifra, Metzora, Chapter 3 1; Zevachim 49a).

תנוך. גָּדֵר אֶמְצָעִי שֶׁבָּאֹזֶן, וּלְשׁוֹן תְּנוּךְ לֹא נוֹדַע לִי, וְהַפּוֹתְרִים קוֹרִים לוֹ טנד"רום:

תנוך is the inner wall of the ear. The etymology of the word תנוך is unknown to me, and the compilers of glossaries call it (translate it by) tendron (cf. Rashi on Exodus 29:22).

בהן. גּוּדָל:

בהן means THUMB.

לפני ה'. כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים (ספרא):

'לפני ה‎ [AND HE SHALL SPRINKLE …] BEFORE THE LORD — in the direction of the Holy of Holies (cf. Sifra, Metzora, Chapter 3 9).

ואת המנחה. מִנְחַת נְסָכִים שֶׁל בְּהֵמָה:

ואת המנחה AND THE MEAL-OFFERING — the meal-offering of the drink-offering that accompanies an animal sacrifice.