Chapter 15 - Rashi
Verse 2: (When you arrive.
He informed them that they would enter the land.)
Verse 3: When you make a fire-offering.
This does not denote a command.139
Rather, when you come there, and it occurs to you
to make a fire-offering.
By verbalizing as a pledge or as a donation.
Or, that you make the fire-offering140 in order
to fulfill the holiday obligation141
which I have required you
to perform142 during the holiday.
A pleasing fragrance.
Satisfying to Me.143
Verse 4: The one bringing
[his offering] should present.
You should present144 libations and a meal-offering
for each animal.
The meal-offering is to be completely consumed,145
with the oil absorbed in it,
and the wine [is poured] into the bowls,
as we learned in Maseches Sukkah.146
Verse 5: For the one sheep.
This relates to everything147 stated above---
the meal-offering, the oil, and the wine.
Verse 6: If (lit. or) for a ram.
If148 it is a ram. The Rabbis extrapolate,149
' {Hebrew Ref} ' includes the "palgas"150
in the libations of the ram.151
Verse 10: A fire-offering [of pleasing] fragrance.
This refers only to the meal-offering and the oil,
but the wine is not a fire-offering,
as it is not placed on the fire.
Verse 11: Or for the sheep, etc.
Whether of sheep or of goats.
{Hebrew Ref} and {Hebrew Ref} are so entitled during their
first year;
{Hebrew Ref} from the age of thirteen months and one day.152
Verse 12: According to the number which you offer.
According to the number of animals
which you offer as sacrifices,
so shall you make the libations for each of them.153
According to the number of animals,
the number of libations.
Verse 15: Just as it is for yourselves,
so shall it be for the proselyte.
Like you, so is the proselyte.
This is the Hebrew style, "Like G-d's garden,
like the land of Egypt"154---so is the land of Egypt.
"Like me, like you,
like my people, like your people."155 156
Verse 18: At your coming to the land.
This "coming" is different
from all the "comings" in the Torah.
With all of them it says, "when you come,"
"when all of you come."
Therefore, all are learned from each other.
Since Scripture specified with one of them157
that it is only after inheriting and settling,
all of them are the same.
But with this, it is said, "at your coming."
As soon as they entered it (the land) and ate its bread,
they were obligated with the mitzvah of challah.158
Verse 20: [From] the first portion of your doughs.
When you knead the amount of dough
that you generally knead in the desert159---
how much is that?
"They measured it with an omer,"160
"An omer per person"161
(the amount is forty-three and one-fifth eggs)---
you shall separate [the terumah-gift]
from its first portion.
As if to say, 'before you eat the first portion from it,
separate one loaf
as a terumah-gift for the sake of G-d.'
A loaf.
Tortel in Old French.
Like the terumah-gift of the granary.
For which no specific amount is required,162
but not like like the terumah-offering from the tithe,
for which a specific amount is required.163
However, the sages required a specific amount:164
For the home maker, one twenty-fourth,
for the commercial baker, one forty-eighth.165
Verse 21: Of the first portion of your doughs.
Why is this said? Because it says,
"The first portion of your dough,"
I would understand this as the first of the loaves.166
The Torah therefore teaches, "of the first portion"---
part of it,167 but not all of it.168
You shall give to Ad-noy, as a terumah-offering.
As we have not heard of a specific amount
for the challah-offering,
it says, "you shall give"---it should consist
of an amount sufficient for "giving."169
Verse 22: If you should err and not fulfill.
this refers to idol worship.170
which was categorized171 within all the commandments
for which the community brings an ox,172
but Scripture here removes it from the category,
to indicate that it requires an ox as a burnt-offering,
and a goat as a sin-offering.173
If you err, etc.
Scripture speaks here of idol worship.
But perhaps it refers
to one of all the [other] commandments?
The Torah therefore teaches,
"all of these commandments"---
a single commandment174
which is equivalent to all the commandments.
Just as someone
who transgresses all the commandments
casts off the yoke, breaks the covenant,
and brazenly defies [the Torah],
so with [someone
who transgresses] this commandment,
he casts off the yoke, breaks the covenant,
and brazenly defies [the Torah].175 Which is this?
Idol worship.176
Which Ad-noy said to Moshe.
"I am ...," and "you must not have ..."
we heard from the mouth of the Omnipotent,177
as it is written, "G-d spoke once, but I heard two."178
Verse 23: All that [Ad-noy] commanded.
This teaches that if one admits to idolatry,
it is as if he had denied the entire Torah,
and all that the prophets prophesied, as it is said,
"from the day that G-d commanded and onward."179
Verse 24: If,
it was obscured from the eyes of the congregation,
having been done in error.
If, because of the seers of the community,180
this transgression was committed through error.181
[For example,] they erred,
and ruled that one of the forms of service182
is permitted for idol worship.
{Hebrew Ref} , as a sin-offering.
The ' {Hebrew Ref} '183 is missing,
because this is not like the other sin-offerings.
All of the sin-offerings in the Torah
which are brought with an olah-offering,
the sin-offering precedes the olah,
as it is said, "he shall make the second one an olah."
184
But with this, the olah precedes the sin-offering.185
Verse 25: They have brought their offering
as a fire-offering to Ad-noy.
This refers to that which is stated in our parshah,186
namely the ox as the olah-offering, as it is said,
"a fire-offering to Ad-noy."187
And their sin-offering.
This refers to the goat.
Verse 27: Will sin erroneously.
Through idolatry.188
A yearling she-goat.
For other transgressions, the individual brings
a sheep or goat, but for this, a goat is designated.189
Verse 30: High handedly.
Intentionally.
Blasphemes.
Reviles, like, "despised and reviled,"190
"which the servants of the king of Ashur reviled."191
In addition,192 the Rabbis derive
from here that someone who curses G-d193
is subject to "koreis."194
Verse 31: The word of Ad-noy.
The prohibition against idol worship
was by the word of the Omnipotent,
the rest by the word of Moshe.195
Its iniquity is upon it.
During the time his sin is within him---
if he has not repented.196
Verse 32: [Bnei Yisroel] were in the desert197
and they found.
Scripture speaks disparagingly of the Israelites.198
They kept only the first199 Shabbos,200
then this person came and desecrated the second.201
Verse 33: Those who found him gathering.
They warned him, but he did not desist
from gathering, even after they found him202
and warned him.
Verse 34: Since it was not specified,
what was to be done with him.
[They did not know] how to execute him,
but they knew
that someone who desecrates the Shabbos
must be put to death.203
Verse 35: Shall stone.204
Constantly do.
Fisant in Old French. Similarly, {Hebrew Ref} ,205
alant.
Similarly,
"constantly remember,"206 and "constantly keep."207
Verse 36: Brought him outside.
From here [we derive] that the stoning platform
was outside, far from the courthouse.208
Verse 38: To make
for themselves, tzitzis-fringes.
So named because of the fringes hanging from it,
like, "He took me by the fringes of my head."209
Another interpretation: "tzizis" because of
"when you see it,"
like "watching from the openings."210
Blue [wool].
The blue dye of the chilazon-fish.211
Verse 39: You will remember
all of Ad-noy's commandments.
As the numerical value of {Hebrew Ref} is 600---212
and the eight threads and five knots213
equal 613.
And you will not search
after [the desire of] your hearts.
This is similar to "from spying the land."214
The heart and eye are the body's spies,
bringing it sins.215
The eye sees, the heart lusts, and the body sins.
Verse 41: I am Ad-noy.
Faithful in rewarding.216
Your G-d.
Faithful in exacting punishment.217
Who brought you out.
I redeemed you on condition
that you accept218 my decrees.219
I am Ad-noy your G-d.
Why is this said again?
So that the Israelites should not say:
"Why did the Omnipresent command?
Was it not so
that we should perform [the commandments]
and be rewarded?
Let us not perform, and not be rewarded"!
Even against your will, I am your king.220
Similarly, it says,221 "[As I live ... ] if I shall
not,
with a mighty hand ... rule over you."222
Another interpretation.
Why is the exodus from Egypt mentioned?
It was I who distinguished, in Egypt,
between the [reproductive] drop
which was the firstborn,
and that which was not the firstborn.223
It is I who will distinguish, and punish
those who attach [fringes dyed with] indigo dye224
on their garments,
and claim that it is the "techeiles" dye.225
From R' Moshe Hadarshan's commentary I transcribed:
Why is the chapter of the "gatherer"226 adjacent
to the chapter of idolatry?227
To teach that the
Shabbos desecrator
is like an idolator,228 since it (Shabbos), too,
is equated with the entire Torah.229
This is stated in Ezra230:
"You descended on mount Sinai
and gave Your nation
the Torah and the commandments, etc.,231
and You made Your sacred Shabbos known to them."
The portion of tzitzis,
also for this reason, is adjacent to these [portions]---
since it, too, is equivalent to all the commandments,
as it is said, "you will perform all the commandments."
On the corners of their garments.
This corresponds with,
"I carried you on the wings of eagles."232 233
On the four corners---
but not on a garment with three, or with five [corners].234
This corresponds with the four expressions
of redemption which were stated in Egypt---
"I will bring [you] out,"235
"I will save [you],"236 "I will redeem [you],"237
"I will take [you]."238
A thread of blue.
[ {Hebrew Ref} ] so named because of the [Egyptians']
loss of their firstborn.
The targum---translation of {Hebrew Ref} ,
"loss of a child," is {Hebrew Ref} .
And they were struck down at night.
The color of "
techeiles" is similar to the sky
which darkens during evening.
Its eight threads239
correspond with the eight days
the Israelites waited,
from the time they left Egypt,240
until they sang at the [Reed] Sea.
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