Commentary for Deuteronomy 12:18
כִּ֡י אִם־לִפְנֵי֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ תֹּאכְלֶ֗נּוּ בַּמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִבְחַ֜ר יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶיךָ֮ בּוֹ֒ אַתָּ֨ה וּבִנְךָ֤ וּבִתֶּ֙ךָ֙ וְעַבְדְּךָ֣ וַאֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וְהַלֵּוִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֗ לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל מִשְׁלַ֥ח יָדֶֽךָ׃
but thou shalt eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
Rashi on Deuteronomy
לפני ה׳ [BUT THOU MUST EAT THEM] BEFORE THE LORD — i.e. within the walls of the city of Jerusalem.
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Siftei Chakhamim
Within the walls. [Referring to the walls of Jerusalem] but not [in reference to] within the Temple courtyard as in, “And slaughter the young bull before Adonoy (Vayikra 1:5).” [We know this from context], for note that nothing mentioned above is eaten in the Temple courtyard — for only the most holy offerings are eaten there, but not the offerings of lesser holiness.
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Rav Hirsch on Torah
V. 18. כי אם וגו׳ bezieht auf das im vorigen Verse zuerst genannte מעשר דגנך ותירשך ויצהרך und bildet somit מעשר שני das Hauptobjekt der Gesetzesbestimmung, dem nur die anderen als gleicher und ähnlicher Genussbeschränkung unterliegend angeschlossen sind. Daher die häufige היקש, Gleichung, von ביכורים und anderen Heiligtümern mit מעשר שני (Peßachim 24 a u. 36 b und Jebamot 73 b u. s).
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