Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Leviticus 27:11

וְאִם֙ כָּל־בְּהֵמָ֣ה טְמֵאָ֔ה אֲ֠שֶׁר לֹא־יַקְרִ֧יבוּ מִמֶּ֛נָּה קָרְבָּ֖ן לַֽיהוָ֑ה וְהֶֽעֱמִ֥יד אֶת־הַבְּהֵמָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הַכֹּהֵֽן׃

And if it be any unclean beast, of which they may not bring an offering unto the LORD, then he shall set the beast before the priest.

Rashi on Leviticus

ואם כל בהמה טמאה AND IF IT BE ANY בהמה טמאה — Scripture is really speaking here not of an “unclean" but of a blemished animal which ,is just on this account, unclean (i. e. unfit) for sacrificing, and Scripture is telling you that sacred animals which have no blemish cannot again become non-holy (more lit., go forth from the category of holy animals to that of non-holy animals) through redemption except if they become blemished (Temurah 32b; Sifra, Bechukotai, Section 4 1).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashbam on Leviticus

ואם כל בהמה, an animal already sanctified as a sacrifice which had in the meantime become ritually unclean so that it no longer qualified for the altar because it had developed a physical blemish;
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Siftei Chakhamim

A blemished [animal]. Rashi’s proof of this is from the end of the section (verse 27) where it is written, “If it is of an unclean animal...” There one is has to say that it is speaking of an actual unclean animal, and it is connected to this verse [which speaks of exchanging animals for animals], as Rashi explains there. If so, this indicates that [here] it is speaking of a blemished animal (Re’m). Alternatively, Rashi derives this since it is written, “Which cannot be offered to Hashem.” This is superfluous as it is obvious that one cannot offer unclean animals to Hashem. Thus it teaches that the verse is speaking of a blemished animal.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Chizkuni

Available for Premium members only

Rashbam on Leviticus

Available for Premium members only
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse