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Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Leviticus 22:22

עַוֶּרֶת֩ א֨וֹ שָׁב֜וּר אוֹ־חָר֣וּץ אֽוֹ־יַבֶּ֗לֶת א֤וֹ גָרָב֙ א֣וֹ יַלֶּ֔פֶת לֹא־תַקְרִ֥יבוּ אֵ֖לֶּה לַיהוָ֑ה וְאִשֶּׁ֗ה לֹא־תִתְּנ֥וּ מֵהֶ֛ם עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לַיהוָֽה׃

Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scabbed, or scurvy, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.

Rashi on Leviticus

‎עורת is a noun denoting the blemish of blindness (עִוָּרֹן), being, however, a feminine form of the latter. The text therefore means that there shall not be the defect of blindness in it (in the sacrifice).
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Tur HaArokh

עורת או שבור, “blind or having a fractured limb.” Nachmanides writes that seeing the Torah had already listed the blind and broken limbs as disqualifying such an animal it did not have to lengthen the list of disqualifications. It is therefore quite possible that the whole list of disqualifications in our verse applies to the נדבה kind of vow, which was not intended as an offering on the altar in the first place, but was intended as a gift to the Temple treasury. The verse therefore has to be understood as telling us that all the blemishes listed are acceptable in a vow called נדבה, but are not acceptable in a vow called נדר.
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Siftei Chakhamim

[This is] the noun. Explanation: עורת is not the adjective of a female [noun], i.e., a blind animal, because [in] this whole subject [of blemishes, the adjectives are] expressed in the masculine form. Rather, it is a noun like ivaron (blindness), excepting that ivaron is a masculine term and עורת is a feminine term. It is as if the verse said, “The blemish of blindness shall not be in it” (Gur Aryeh). Gur Aryeh means that עורת cannot be the adjective of “animal,” because if so שבורה (broken-limbed) too should have been feminine. Rather it is a noun, like tzedakah and tzedek [righteousness] that both have the same meaning.
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