Comentario sobre Levítico 7:12

אם על תורה יקריבנו IF HE OFFER IT FOR A THANKSGIVING — i.e., if he brings it on account of (על) a matter that requires thanksgiving (תודה): on account of a miraculous deliverance that was wrought for him, as being, for instance, one of those who have made a sea-voyage. or travelled in the wilderness, or had been kept in prison, or if he had been sick and was now healed, all of whom are bound to offer thanks-giving, since it is written with reference to them, (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31) “Let them offer thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (cf. Rashi on those vv. and on vv. 4, 10, 17 and 23 of that chapter; see also Berakhot 54b) — if it is on account of one of these things that he vowed those peace offerings, they are “peace offerings for acknowledgement” and require the offering of bread that is mentioned in the section, and may not be eaten beyond a period of one day and one night as it is here set forth (v. 15) [whilst other שלמים may be eaten at any time during two days and the intervening night].

THEN HE SHALL OFFER ‘AL’ THE OFFERING OF THANKSGIVING. The commentators⁹⁰So explained by Ibn Ezra. have explained the word al as meaning “with” — with the offering of thanksgiving. Similarly, ‘al’ the cakes of leavened bread⁹¹Verse 13. means “with them.” The correct interpretation appears to me that the word al is here to be understood in its ordinary sense [i.e., “upon”], meaning that he should add bread “upon” the offering. Similarly, ‘al’ the cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering,⁹¹Verse 13. means that he is to bring cakes of leavened bread, and adding “upon” them he is to bring his offering, which is the unleavened bread mentioned [in Verse 12 before us] — all these breads [thirty unleavened cakes and ten leavened ones] he is to bring upon the offering [of thanksgiving]. Scripture thus made the leavened bread the chief part of the offering, “adding” upon it the rest of the bread [i.e., the unleavened bread, by stating “upon the cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering,” which means “his unleavened bread”], because the unleavened breads are more than all the other kinds.⁹²Flour comprising twenty tenths of an ephah (see Note 95) was divided equally for the baking of the unleavened and leavened breads. The unleavened breads were of three kinds [cakes, wafers, and cakes of flour saturated with oil — as mentioned in Verse 12] each consisting of ten, thus making thirty unleavened breads. The leavened breads were ten. Thus while fewer in number, the leavened breads were yet larger, since the same amount of flour was used for the total amount of unleavened breads — thirty — as for the ten leavened breads. Of these four kinds of breads, one of each was given to the priest and the rest were eaten by the owner of the offering and his family. Scripture changed the expression, stating, [he shall present his offering] of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving⁹¹Verse 13. [while here in Verse 12 it merely says, the offering of thanksgiving], in order to allude to the Rabbis’ interpretation regarding it, namely that the bread does not become holy in itself [in the sense that it cannot be redeemed, or that it becomes invalid if carried outside the wall of the city, etc.] until the offering is slaughtered, and [also] that it should be slaughtered “upon” it [the bread], that is to say, with the intention that the bread should become holy with it [the offering].
Now Rashi wrote: “Then he shall bring with the offering of thanksgiving four sorts of bread: cakes, wafers, and cakes mingled with oil — these three kinds being of unleavened bread. And it further states, with cakes of leavened bread,⁹¹Verse 13. [thus making four kinds], and each kind consisted of ten cakes. Thus it is explained in Tractate Menachoth.⁹³Menachoth 77 a. And their total measure was five Jerusalem seahs, which are six measures according to the Wilderness measure,⁹⁴The Jerusalem measure was one sixth larger than that of the wilderness. Hence six seahs of Wilderness measure made five seahs of Jerusalem measure. or twenty tenths [of the ephah].”⁹⁵An ephah is three seahs. Six seahs thus make two ephahs. Since in each ephah there are ten tenths [of the ephah], the two ephahs [comprising the six seahs] make twenty tenths of the ephah. Now the Rabbi [Rashi] did not mention in connection with these twenty tenths [of flour] that ten of them were for the leavened cakes, a tenth for each one, and the other ten tenths for the unleavened ones, thus making three unleavened cakes to each tenth of flour.⁹⁶There were three kinds of unleavened cake, each consisting of ten cakes, thus totaling thirty. Thus since thirty cakes were made out of the total of ten tenths of an ephah, it follows that three cakes were made out of each tenth. The Rabbis interpreted that this is so on the basis of the verse, ‘al’ cakes of leavened bread,⁹¹Verse 13. [which they explained⁹³Menachoth 77 a. as meaning]: “‘Corresponding to’ [the amount of flour used in the preparation of the ten] leavened cakes, use the same amount to bring therefrom [the thirty] unleavened cakes. Thus there were twenty tenths [of an ephah of flour], ten for the leavened cakes and ten for the unleavened. Ten tenths were used for the leavened ones, thus making one tenth of flour for each of [the ten] leavened cakes, and ten tenths for the unleavened ones, thus making three cakes to one tenth of flour. Thus there were forty cakes altogether.”

אם על תודה, if a person had made a vow using the expression תודה instead of using the expression שלמים to describe what he vowed to bring. The most common occasion when people make such a vow is when they have been saved from imminent danger. The sages in Berachot 54 described the four types of dangers which qualify for the party who has been saved to offer such a “thanksgiving” offering, תודה. The total number of challot which this offering consists of are 40. Here we are told all the details.

והקריב על זבח התודה, “he shall offer with the meat part of the thanksgiving offering, etc.” The thanksgiving offering consists of several parts, a peace offering described as זבח השלמים, breads, both unleavened and leavened. He will bring it all to the (side of) the altar and the leavened loaves will be considered the major component [although they are 10 loaves out of a total of forty loaves. Ed.] The reason that the Torah uses the word עליו, “in addition to it,” stressing that the leavened loaves are the principal component, is because the unleavened loaves outnumber the leavened loaves and we would otherwise have thought that they outrank the leavened loaves in that offering. Nachmanides writes that he is amazed that the Torah did not exclude the thanksgiving offering as one to which the prohibition of bringing it to the altar is applied, just as it did state this in connection with bringing of the בכורים, the first fruit offerings. [I suppose the references are to Leviticus 2,12 where no mention of exceptions are made at all, and Leviticus 23,17 where the Torah specifically exempts this offering by writing it is to consist of leavened loaves. I have not yet found where Nachmanides writes what our author attributes to him. Maybe Nachmanides’ comment on verse 14 is meant. Ed.] Nachmanides poses a problem that is no problem at all, seeing that in the prohibition of leavened products for the altar, the Torah stresses that bringing leavened products to the altar is prohibited. Seeing that the loaves of these offerings mentioned here are not presented on the altar, they are in a different category and cannot be lumped together with the firstling offerings mentioned elsewhere. The loaves of the thanksgiving offering are only heaved by the priest, but not deposited on the altar. Seeing they are all being consumed, what would be the point in depositing them on the altar where things are deposited for burning up? Nachmanides also suggests that seeing that the ריח ניחוח, pleasant fragrance, enjoyed by G’d, is not an issue in these offerings, the donor not having to restore himself in G’d’s grace, there was no need at all to refer to the admissibility or not of leavened products. Perhaps there was not even any cause for the Torah to mention any of this dispensation of the restriction on offering leavened products on the altar, seeing that this offering was accompanied by animal sacrifices which achieved the ריח ניחוח status through the parts of it which were burned up on the altar. At any rate, -Nachmanides- speaking, I have already pointed out earlier that the need for ריח ניחוח is not an issue in voluntary offerings at all, as the people presenting those had not fallen out of grace with G’d, and would not regain their grace except by presenting something described as ריח ניחוח.

So it is set forth in Menochos. It says here (v. 14): “תרומה ליי (separated portion to Hashem),” and it says with regard toתרומת מעשר (the tithe of the tithe): “תרומה ליי” (Bamidbar 18:26), just as later on it means one tenth, here, too, it means one tenth. Thus, we learn that each type [of bread] should be ten loaves. This is because if they were less than ten or more than ten, then the tenth of each type would be a piece of a loaf or half a loaf. The Torah however says, (v. 14): “one from each offering,” which means one whole loaf from each type; he should not take a piece.

אם על תודה יקריבנו, “If he offers this offering as a thanksgiving offering;” it does require placing his weight on it with his hands before slaughtering, and elevating it, i.e. swinging it, after the slaughtering; (Sifra)

והקריב על זבח התודה [IF HE OFFER IT FOR AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT] THEN HE SHALL OFFER WITH THE SACRIFICE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT four sorts of bread: cakes, wafers and cakes of flour saturated with oil — these being three kinds of unleavened bread; it further states (v. 13), “together with cakes of leavened bread [he shall offer his offering etc.]”, thus making four. Each kind consisted of ten cakes; thus is it explained in Treatise Menachoth 77a. And their total measure was five Seahs according to the Jerusalem standard, these being equal to six Seahs of the “wilderness” standard (i.e. in force at the period when the Israelites were in the wilderness) comprising 20 tenths of an ephah) (Menachot 76b).

Twenty esronos (tenths). This is because it is written here (v. 13): “לחם חמץ (leavened bread),” and with regard to the loaves of Atzeres (Shavuos) is written: “לחם תנופה שתים שני עשרונים (two bread wave-offerings; of two tenths)” (23:17). If so, we derive [from a gezeiroh shovoh] “לחם לחם” — just as each bread mentioned concerning Atzeres was one ‘tenth,’ [so too, here, each leavened bread was one ‘tenth’]. Here, there were ten loaves of leaven, since each type had ten loaves. If so, the amount of bread was ten ‘tenths.’ The total of the rest of the three types [of matzoh] was only ten ‘tenths,’ [thus, the total of all the four types was twenty ‘tenths’]. [You might ask:] How does Rashi know this? Perhaps each type [even of matzoh] was ten ‘tenths’! [The answer is:] If so, Scripture should have written, “And leavened bread...” why does it say: “With loaves — [leavened] bread [he shall bring]...”? It had already specified above the three types of leaves! Rather, it comes to tell you that the loaves should resemble the [leavened] bread, i.e., all the loaves [of matzoh] should only be ten ‘tenths’ as was the [leavened] bread by itself.

והקריב על זבח, “he will offer with the meat offering, etc;” the word על meaning “with” also in על חלת לחם, is also to be understood as meaning: “with”; we have an example of this in Leviticus 25, 31 על שדה הארץ, “it will be considered as belonging with the field of the earth.”

מרבכת — bread scalded with oil, as much as is needed to saturate it.

Scalded in boiling water as much as needed. Rashi does not intend to say that they were scalded in boiling water but not baked afterwards in an oven. Rather, they are required to be baked after the scalding, as it is written clearly regarding the meal-offering (6:14): “תופיני (well-baked).” Then, we derive from the words “מורבכת מורבכת (saturated, saturated)” for a gezeiroh shovoh.

וסלת מורכבת, “and fine flour mixed in well soaked oil.” This teaches that the cakes the Torah speaks of must be soaked well in oil.

חלות בלולות בשמן, wafers mixed with oil. Here we have one addition followed by another addition, (חלות and רקיקות) something unusual. It suggests that actually it is meant to be a limitation, i.e. that this is not to be treated like other gift offerings in which a whole log of oil is used, whereas here only half a log of oil is used. (Compare Rashi on Menachot 89)