מצורע, ראשון

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.