Chapter 05 - Text Notes
257 That is, he is a proper witness, not a relative of the
person he is to testify for; according to Sifra, that is the reason for
the seemingly redundant "and he is a witness," since the verse had
already stated "he heard an oath" and continues with "or saw or
knew".
258 Sifra Chovoh, per. 11, 4
259 Being cut off,
dying at age fifty without surviving descendants.
260 Shevuos
14a.
261 A man who has a flow from his genital organ; see Vayikro
15, 1--15.
262 A woman from whom blood flows at a time other
than her menstrual period; see Vayikro 15, 25--30.
263 The
phrase "which causes impurity" is redundant, and therefore comes to
include this category, that is, those who become impure not of
themselves, but through contact with someone else, and in particular,
those who become "fathers of uncleanness" to transmit their impurity
to another person (M.L.).
264 Sifra Chovoh, per. 12, 8. Again,
the word bah, "through itself" is seemingly unnecessary, and
comes to include a related category of impurity, even though "through
itself" is ordinarily considered a reason for an exclusion or
limitation. Here,however, it comes to include, because it follows
another limitation, and two successive limitations yield an inclusion,
as two negatives yield a positive. The earlier limitation is that of
the previous verse, which states, "he touches," which implies a
transfer of impurity by touch and not by other means (see Shevuos 7b).
"Through itself," literally, "in it," implies something which
imparts impurity not through touch or the other, more ordinary methods,
but through the carcass of a clean bird, which imparts impurity only
by being swallowed (Malbim).
265 That is an essential
requirement for bringing the sacrifice detailed here: he must have
known of the impurity at first, then forgotten about it, and after
having eaten holy food or having entered the Temple, remembered that he
was impure.
266 Literally, "with his lips."
267 Sifra Chovoh par.
9, 2. That is, if he had thought of taking an oath but did not actually
take one, he is not required to bring this offering (Sifra; Shevuos
26b).
268 But not to the detriment of others.
269 Shevuos
27a.
270 That is, he takes an oath that he had eaten or not
eaten in the past, etc.
271 As explained below (verse 11), this
is a sacrifice whose worth varies with the financial ability of the
person bringing it.
272 As a general rule; Sifra Hovoh per. 18, 3.
273 Zevochim
7b.
274 Either the gullet or the windpipe; Chullin 21a. On the
matter of "nipping" see 1, 15 above and notes.
275 I.e., the back of the head, corresponding to the face in
front; in Yirmiyoh 2, 27, {Hebrew Ref} , "back of the head," and {Hebrew Ref} , "face," are counterposed; see Chullin 19b.
276 But
not the entire back of the head. This is called the nape in English.
277 More probably, "the body," as Rashi explains in his
comments to Zevochim 64b, d.h. {Hebrew Ref} : "he seizes the bird
itself" ( {Hebrew Ref} ). The first edition of Rashi's
commentary has "the bird" (L.B.).
278 Sifra Chovoh, per. 18,
9.
279 Vayikro 1, 14--17.
280 Menochos 6b.
281 Literally, "his."
282 Verse
6.
283 Verse 10.
284 Literally, "from" his sin-offering, i.e., a part of it.
285 An ephah is approximately 40 liters, though this
approximation should not be used for halachic purposes.
286 That
is, for the sacrifice which he can afford when he finally comes
to bring it (Kerisos 27b).
287 Sifra Chovoh per. 19, 10.
288 Vayikro 6, 16; Sifra
Chovoh per. 19, 11.
289 Literally, "changing." Thus, when one
misappropriates Temple property he "changes" it from its proper use.
290 Divrei Hayomim II, 1, 5, 25.
291 Bemidbar 5, 12.
292 Vayikro 22, 9.
293 And not against deriving other
benefit from the terumah,such as using it as fuel.
294 Since
the root {Hebrew Ref} is repeated, this shows that not only eating
but other benefits are forbidden; Sifra Chovoh par.11, 1.
295 Such
as firstborn cattle, or Pesach offerings (Sifra Chovoh per. 20, 1).
296 Yechezkel 17, 13.
297 Sifra Chovoh per. 20, 6.
298
Since no number is specified, the Torah must intend the minimum
of the plural, "shekalim," which implies two shekalim.
299 Since the verse says "and give it to the kohein"
immediately afterwards, Rashi here
wishes to insure that we do not misunderstand, and think that the
monetary payment goes to the kohein; rather, the oshom
mentioned in the previous verse is given to the kohein, as the
verse continues to say (B.Y.).
300 That is, he is not sure
whether he committed a sin whose punishment involves {Hebrew Ref} ,
being cut off in one's fifties without surviving offspring.
301
Kerisos 22b, 23a.
302 Literally, "the giving of the reward."
303 "The
first Adam."
304 Literally, "his generations."
305 After
all, we know that G-d's desire to reward is 500 times greater than His
desire to punish; see Rashi to Shemos 20,
306 The sin of
slaughtering a sacrifice with the intention of eating it in an improper
place (see Rashi on Vayikro 19, 7).
307 Allowing a sacrifice to
remain beyond its proper time of consumption.
308 And refrains
from the other actions forbidden on Yom Kippur, such as drinking or
washing.
309 Devorim 17, 6.
310 "Plotting" against someone by joining with false
witnesses to testify against him, after which the testimony is proven
false when other witnesses come to testify that the first set were
actually in another place than where they claimed the crime or sin had
been committed; see Rashi on Devorim 19, 15.
311 That is, the
false testimony is validated by the first two witnesses, and there is
actually no (legal) need for the third witness mentioned in the verse,
as Rabbi Akivah notes. But that third man is punished equally with the
others.
312 Sanhedrin 9a.
313 Devorim 24, 19.
314 That
is, the one who lost the money; Sifra Chovoh par. 12.
315 See
verse 15.
316 See Devorim 21, 4--9.
317 The atonement holds only
while the murderer is unknown,but not once he is found. So too here:
the guilt offering protects the person who may be guilty of a sin only
while the matter is in doubt; once he knows that he has certainly
committed a transgression, he must bring a sin-offering (Sifra Chovoh
per.21, 2).
318 It is all superfluous.
319 As Rashi
explains in the following lines (B.Y.).
320 See Vayikro 19, 20.
321 Who became unclean by contact with a dead body or the like;
see Bemidbar 6, 12.
322 Someone suffering from a certain skin
disease (commonly but incorrectly identified as "leprosy") who is
cured and must bring a guilt offering; see Vayikro 14, 12. Perhaps
these two guilt offerings (that of a nazirite and of a {Hebrew Ref} )
should also consist of a two-year old ram worth two shekalim?
323 Which is a limitation; only the guilt offering of an
engaged maidservant is to consist of a two-year old ram worth two
shekalim, but not the other two guilt offerings, which are not rams;
Sifra Chovoh per. 21, 7.
324 Sifra Chovoh per. 22, 4.
325
Literally, "a placing of the hand."
326 Sifra Chovoh per. 22,
6.
327 That is, a fifth of a fifth, or a twenty-fifth.
328
Bovo Kammo 103b. According to the Malbim, the source of this rule is
the word "his fifths" in our verse, which in Hebrew is not a pure
pural, which would be {Hebrew Ref} , and not {Hebrew Ref} .
This strange singular/plural points to the process Rashi outlines.
329 He cannot salve his conscience by donating the sum to charity or
the like, but must return it to the man he defrauded,or, if the man is
no longer alive, to his heirs (L.B.).
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