1The Levitic priests—the entire tribe of Levi—must have no portion in the spoils of war nor any land-inheritance with the rest of Israel. They must eat God’s fire-offerings and His inheritance. |
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אלֹא־יִֽ֠הְיֶ֠ה לַכֹּֽהֲנִ֨ים הַֽלְוִיִּ֜ם כָּל־שֵׁ֧בֶט לֵוִ֛י חֵ֥לֶק וְנַֽחֲלָ֖ה עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִשֵּׁ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה וְנַֽחֲלָת֖וֹ יֹֽאכֵלֽוּן: |
כָּל־שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי - The entire tribe of Levi - i.e., whether they are free of bodily blemishes or they possess blemishes. |
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כָּל־שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי.
בֵּין תְּמִימִין בֵּין בַּעֲלֵי מוּמִין (ספרי):
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חֵלֶק - Portion - in spoils of war. |
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חֵלֶק.
בַּבִּזָּה:
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וְנַֽחֲלָה - Nor inheritance - in the land. |
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וְנַֽחֲלָה.
בָּאָרֶץ (שם):
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אִשֵּׁי ה' - God’s fire-offerings. This refers to sanctified offerings brought in the Temple. |
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אִשֵּׁי ה'.
קָדְשֵׁי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:
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וְנַֽחֲלָתוֹ - And His inheritance. This refers to produce consecrated throughout the borders of the Land of Israel, i.e., terumot and tithes given to the priests and Levites, respectively – but an actual inheritance “they must not have among their brothers.” In Sifrei, our sages expounded: וְנַחֲלָה לֹא יִהְיֶה לּוֹ “they must have no inheritance” refers to the portion of the remaining ones; בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו “among their brothers” refers to the portion of the five – but I do not know to what this refers. Nonetheless, it seems to me that its meaning is as follows: The land of Canaan on the western side of the Jordan River is called “the territory of five nations,” as the two other nations, the Amorites and the Canaanites, also dwelt in the territory of Sichon and Og already apportioned. And “the portion of the remaining ones” is stated to include the territory of the Keinites, the Kenizites, and the Kadmonites. Sifrei on the passage communicated to Aaron regarding the priestly entitlements expounds the following verse in a similar manner: “therefore, the tribe of Levi did not have…” – this prohibits them to receive any territory of the Keinites, the Kenizites, and the Kadmonites.It was later found in the works of Rabbi Kalonimos: This is our version of Sifrei: וְנַחֲלָה לֹא יִהְיֶה לּוֹ “they must have no inheritance” refers to the portion of the five; בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו “among their brothers” refers to the portion of the seven, i.e., the portion of the five tribes and the portion of the seven tribes. Since Moses and Joshua apportioned inheritance to only five tribes – Moses apportioned to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and Joshua apportioned to Judah, Ephraim, and the other half of the tribe of Manasseh – and the other seven took possession of their land on their own after Joshua’s death, it prophetically mentions the five and the seven separately. |
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וְנַֽחֲלָתוֹ.
אֵלּוּ קָדְשֵׁי הַגְּבוּל – תְּרוּמוֹת וּמַעַשְׂרוֹת, אֲבָל נַחֲלָה גְּמוּרָה לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו; וּבְסִפְרֵי דָּרְשׁוּ – ונחלה לא יהיה לו — זוֹ נַחֲלַת שְׁאָר, בקרב אחיו — זוֹ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה. וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה הִיא, וְנִרְאֶה לִי שֶׁאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁמֵּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וָאֵילָךְ נִקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ חֲמִשָּׁה עֲמָמִין, וְשֶל סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג שְׁנֵי עֲמָמִין, אֱמוֹרִי וּכְנַעֲנִי, וְנַחֲלַת שְׁאָר לְרַבּוֹת קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי, וְכֵן דּוֹרֵשׁ בְּפָרָשַׁת מַתָּנוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ לְאַהֲרֹן (במדבר י"ח) "עַל כֵּן לֹא הָיָה לְלֵוִי וְגוֹ'" לְהַזְהִיר עַל קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי. שׁוּב נִמְצָא בְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי קְלוֹנִימוּס הָכֵי גָּרְסִינָן בְּסִפְרֵי: ונחלה לא יהיה לו. אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה, בקרב אחיו אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה, נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים וְנַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה שְׁבָטִים; וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא חִלְּקוּ נַחֲלָה אֶלָּא לַחֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים בִּלְבָד, שֶׁכֵּן מֹשֶׁה הִנְחִיל לִרְאוּבֵן וְגָד וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ הִנְחִיל לִיהוּדָה וְאֶפְרַיִם וְלַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וְשִׁבְעָה הָאֲחֵרִים נָטְלוּ מֵאֵלֵיהֶן אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הִזְכִּיר חֲמִשָּׁה לְבַד וְשִׁבְעָה לְבַד:
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2They must have no land-inheritance among their brothers. God is their inheritance, as He spoke concerning them. |
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בוְנַֽחֲלָ֥ה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֖וֹ בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֶחָ֑יו יְהֹוָה֙ ה֣וּא נַֽחֲלָת֔וֹ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לֽוֹ: |
וְנַֽחֲלָה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּוֹ - But he shall have no inheritance. This refers to the “inheritance of the remainder.” |
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וְנַֽחֲלָה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּוֹ.
זוֹ נַחֲלַת שְׁאָר:
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בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו - among his brothers. this refers to the “inheritance of the five.” I do not know what this means. It appears to me, however, that across the Jordan and onwards is called “the land of the five nations,” and that of Sihon and Og is called “the land of the two nations,” namely, the Amorites and the Canaanites. Now the expression, “inheritance of the remainder,” is meant to include the [remaining three nations of the ten whose land God promised to Abraham, namely] the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites (Gen. 15:19). The Sifrei in the section dealing with the [priestly] gifts specified for Aaron expounds this in a similar fashion, on the verse (Deut. 10:9), “Therefore, Levi has no portion or inheritance,” to admonish [the Levite to take no portion in] the inheritance of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites. It has since been found in the words of Rabbi Kalonymus that the proper version of this passage in Sifrei reads as follows: |
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בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו.
זוֹ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה. וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה הִיא, וְנִרְאֶה לִי שֶׁאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁמֵּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וָאֵילָךְ נִקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ חֲמִשָּׁה עֲמָמִין, וְשֶל סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג שְׁנֵי עֲמָמִין, אֱמוֹרִי וּכְנַעֲנִי, וְנַחֲלַת שְׁאָר לְרַבּוֹת קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי, וְכֵן דּוֹרֵשׁ בְּפָרָשַׁת מַתָּנוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ לְאַהֲרֹן (במדבר י"ח) "עַל כֵּן לֹא הָיָה לְלֵוִי וְגוֹ'" לְהַזְהִיר עַל קֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמוֹנִי. שׁוּב נִמְצָא בְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי קְלוֹנִימוּס הָכֵי גָּרְסִינָן בְּסִפְרֵי:
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ונחלה לא יהיה לו - And he will have no inheritance. This refers to the “inheritance of the five.” |
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וְנַֽחֲלָה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּוֹ.
אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה:
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בקרב אחיו - among his brothers. This refers to the “inheritance of the seven.” [Rashi now explains this version of the Sifrei:] [The first reference is to] the inheritance of five [of the twelve] tribes [of Israel]. [The second, is to] the inheritance of [the remaining] seven tribes [of Israel]. Now Moses and Joshua apportioned inheritance only to five tribes: Moses, to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh; Joshua, to Judah, Ephraim, and [the other] half of the tribe of Manasseh. The remaining seven tribes took their inheritance by themselves after Joshua’s demise. Thus, because of this [distinction between these five former tribes and the seven latter ones], the Sifrei mentions five and seven separately. |
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בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו.
אֵלּוּ נַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה, נַחֲלַת חֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים וְנַחֲלַת שִׁבְעָה שְׁבָטִים; וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא חִלְּקוּ נַחֲלָה אֶלָּא לַחֲמִשָּׁה שְׁבָטִים בִּלְבָד, שֶׁכֵּן מֹשֶׁה הִנְחִיל לִרְאוּבֵן וְגָד וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ הִנְחִיל לִיהוּדָה וְאֶפְרַיִם וְלַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה, וְשִׁבְעָה הָאֲחֵרִים נָטְלוּ מֵאֵלֵיהֶן אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הִזְכִּיר חֲמִשָּׁה לְבַד וְשִׁבְעָה לְבַד:
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כַּֽאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לּוֹ - as He spoke to him - i.e., to Aaron [saying], “You shall not inherit in their land… I am your portion [and your inheritance, among the children of Israel].”- [Num. 18:20] |
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כַּֽאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לּוֹ.
"בְּאַרְצָם לֹא תִנְחָל, אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ" (במדבר י"ח):
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3The following must be the priests’ entitlement from the people: From those who slaughter, be it a work-bull or a sheep, he must give the priest the foreleg, the cheeks, and the stomach. |
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גוְזֶ֡ה יִֽהְיֶה֩ מִשְׁפַּ֨ט הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֜ים מֵאֵ֣ת הָעָ֗ם מֵאֵ֛ת זֹֽבְחֵ֥י הַזֶּ֖בַח אִם־שׁ֣וֹר אִם־שֶׂ֑ה וְנָתַן֙ לַכֹּהֵ֔ן הַזְּרֹ֥עַ וְהַלְּחָיַ֖יִם וְהַקֵּבָֽה: |
מֵאֵת הָעָם - From the people - and not from the priests. |
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מֵאֵת הָעָם.
וְלֹא מֵאֵת הַכֹּהֲנִים (ספרי; חולין קל"ב):
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אִם־שׁוֹר אִם־שֶׂה - Be it a work-bull or a sheep - this excludes a wild animal. |
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אִם־שׁוֹר אִם־שֶׂה.
פְּרָט לְחַיָּה:
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הַזְּרֹעַ - The foreleg - which is from the joint above the lower leg bone until the shoulder blade, called “espaldon” in Old French. |
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הַזְּרֹעַ.
מִן הַפֶּרֶק שֶׁל אַרְכֻּבָּה עַד כַּף שֶׁל יַד שֶׁקּוֹרִין אשפלד"ון (חולין קל"ד):
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הַלְּחָיַיִם - The cheeks - along with the tongue. Those who symbolically expound verses would say: The foreleg is given to the priests in reward for that which Pinechas did with the hand, as it says: “and he took a spear in his hand”; the cheeks are given in reward for his prayer, as it says: “Pinechas stood and prayed”; and the stomach (הַקֵּבָה) is given in reward for his having speared “the woman through her stomach (קֳבָתָהּ).” |
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הַלְּחָיַיִם.
עִם הַלָּשׁוֹן. דּוֹרְשֵׁי רְשׁוּמוֹת הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים זְרוֹעַ תַּחַת יַד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כ"ה) "וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ", לְחָיַיִם תַּחַת תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ק"י) "וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל", וְהַקֵּבָה תַּחַת "הָאִשָּׁה אֶל קֳבָתָהּ" (במדבר כ"ה):
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4You must give him the first of your grain, wine, and oil; and the first of the fleece of your flock. |
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דרֵאשִׁ֨ית דְּגָֽנְךָ֜ תִּירֽשְׁךָ֣ וְיִצְהָרֶ֗ךָ וְרֵאשִׁ֛ית גֵּ֥ז צֹֽאנְךָ֖ תִּתֶּן־לֽוֹ: |
רֵאשִׁית דְּגָֽנְךָ - The first of your grain. This refers to terumah. Although Scripture did not specify any minimal amount, our rabbis determined its minimal amount: a generous measure is one-fortieth of the crop; a miserly measure is one-sixtieth; an average measure is one-fiftieth. They found support from Scripture that one should not give less than one-sixtieth from the following verse: וְשִׁשִּׁיתֶם הָאֵיפָה מֵחֹמֶר הַשְּׂעֹרִים “you must separate one sixth of an ephah from a chomer of barley.” A sixth of an ephah is half a se’ah. When you give half a se’ah for a kor, it is one-sixtieth, for a kor is 30 se’ah. |
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רֵאשִׁית דְּגָֽנְךָ.
זוֹ תְּרוּמָה, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ בָּהּ שִׁעוּר, אֲבָל רַבּוֹתֵינוּ נָתְנוּ בָהּ שִׁעוּר – עַיִן יָפָה אֶחָד מֵאַרְבָּעִים, עַיִן רָעָה אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, בֵּינוֹנִית אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשִּׁים, וְסָמְכוּ עַל הַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלֹּא לִפְחֹת מֵאֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל מ"ה) שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה מֵחֹמֶר הַחִטִּים, שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה חֲצִי סְאָה, כְּשֶׁאַתָּה נוֹתֵן חֲצִי סְאָה לְכֹר הֲרֵי אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, שֶׁהַכֹּר שְׁלוֹשִׁים סְאִין (תלמוד ירושלמי תרומות פ"ד):
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וְרֵאשִׁית גֵּז צֹֽאנְךָ - And the first of the fleece of your flock - i.e., when you shear your flocks each year, give the first part to the priest. Here too, although Scripture did not specify any minimal amount to be given, our rabbis stipulated that its amount be at least one-sixtieth. And how large a flock is subject to the obligation to give the first of the fleece? Five ewes, as it says: “and five prepared sheep.” Rabbi Akiva says: we may derive it from our verse: רֵאשִׁית גֵּז suggests two, צֹאנְךָ another two, making four, and תִּתֶּן לוֹ adds one, making five in total. |
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וְרֵאשִׁית גֵּז צֹֽאנְךָ.
כְּשֶׁאַתָּה גּוֹזֵז צֹאנְךָ בְּכָל שָׁנָה תֵּן מִמֶּנָּה רֵאשִׁית לַכֹּהֵן, וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ בָּהּ שִׁעוּר, וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ נָתְנוּ בָהּ שִׁעוּר אֶחָד מִשִּׁשִּׁים, וְכַמָּה צֹאן חַיָּבוֹת בְּרֵאשִׁית הַגֵּז? חָמֵשׁ רְחֵלוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א כ"ה) וְחָמֵשׁ צֹאן עֲשׂוּיוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר רֵאשִׁית גֵּז – שְׁתַּיִם, צֹאנְךָ – אַרְבָּעָה, תִּתֶּן לוֹ – הֲרֵי חֲמִשָּׁה (עי' ספרי וחולין קל"ה):
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5For God, your God, has selected him out of all your tribes to stand and serve in the name of God—he and his sons—for all time. |
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הכִּ֣י ב֗וֹ בָּחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מִכָּל־שְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ לַֽעֲמֹ֨ד לְשָׁרֵ֧ת בְּשֵֽׁם־יְהֹוָ֛ה ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים: |
לַֽעֲמֹד לְשָׁרֵת - To stand and serve. From here we learn that the Temple service may only be performed standing. |
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לַֽעֲמֹד לְשָׁרֵת.
מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין שֵׁרוּת אֶלָּא מֵעוֹמֵד (ספרי; סוטה ל"ח):
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