Commentaire sur Les Nombres 35:33
וְלֹֽא־תַחֲנִ֣יפוּ אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתֶּם֙ בָּ֔הּ כִּ֣י הַדָּ֔ם ה֥וּא יַחֲנִ֖יף אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְלָאָ֣רֶץ לֹֽא־יְכֻפַּ֗ר לַדָּם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שֻׁפַּךְ־בָּ֔הּ כִּי־אִ֖ם בְּדַ֥ם שֹׁפְכֽוֹ׃
De la sorte, vous ne souillerez point le pays où vous demeurez. Car le sang est une souillure pour la terre; et la terre où le sang a coulé ne peut être lavée de cette souillure que par le sang de celui qui l’a répandu.
Rashi on Numbers
ולא תחניפו means AND YE SHALL NOT [MAKE THE LAND] WICKED, as it is translated in the Targum: לא תחיבון.
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Ramban on Numbers
V’LO TACHANIPHU’ (AND YE SHALL NOT POLLUTE) THE LAND. Because He had said at the beginning: And these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your habitations,104Verse 29. meaning that these judgments apply also outside the Land [of Israel], therefore He mentioned additional stringencies applying to the inhabitants of the Land [of Israel], in honor of the Divine Presence which is [especially] present there, and He warned us not to pollute it and not to defile it.105Verse 34.
And the meaning of the term chanuphah [mentioned here, which literally means: “flattery,” or “pollution”] is that which is said with reference to the imprecations: Thou shalt carry out much into the field, and shalt gather in little;106Deuteronomy 28:38. Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine;107Ibid., Verse 39. Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil;108Ibid., Verse 40. All thy trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust make bare,109Ibid., Verse 42. for all expressions of chanuphah indicate doing the opposite of that which is seen by or appears to the eyes. This is the punishment [which will come] to the Land because of idolatry, bloodshed, and immorality, just as it is said, will not the Land ‘chanoph techenaph’ (become polluted)?;110Jeremiah 3:1. the earth also ‘chanepha’ (is polluted) under the inhabitants thereof;111Isaiah 24:5. ‘vatachniphi’ (and thou hast polluted) the Land with thy harlotries.112Jeremiah 3:2. In all these three verses, the earth itself is described as becoming “chanuphah (polluted)” because of the sins of its inhabitants, which means, according to Ramban, that it will do the opposite of that which is its nature, for it will be planted and cultivated but not produce fruit. And the meaning of the term “defilement” [used in the next verse — And thou shalt not ‘defile’ the Land] is that the Land will become defiled so that the Glory of G-d will not dwell therein if there is innocent blood [shed] in it which has not been atoned for by the blood of him that shed it.113Verse 36 here. Thus the Rabbis have said in the Sifre:114Sifre, Mas’ei 161. “‘V’lo tachaniphu’ the Land — this is an admonition against flatterers.” For at first [in Verses 31-32] He warned us against taking a bribe from murderers, and then [in Verse 33 here] He warned us against flattering them because of their high position or their power, or the honor of their family, even without taking a bribe, because if we flatter them, we will thereby cause the Land to “betray” its inhabitants [as explained above].
And the meaning of the term chanuphah [mentioned here, which literally means: “flattery,” or “pollution”] is that which is said with reference to the imprecations: Thou shalt carry out much into the field, and shalt gather in little;106Deuteronomy 28:38. Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine;107Ibid., Verse 39. Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil;108Ibid., Verse 40. All thy trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust make bare,109Ibid., Verse 42. for all expressions of chanuphah indicate doing the opposite of that which is seen by or appears to the eyes. This is the punishment [which will come] to the Land because of idolatry, bloodshed, and immorality, just as it is said, will not the Land ‘chanoph techenaph’ (become polluted)?;110Jeremiah 3:1. the earth also ‘chanepha’ (is polluted) under the inhabitants thereof;111Isaiah 24:5. ‘vatachniphi’ (and thou hast polluted) the Land with thy harlotries.112Jeremiah 3:2. In all these three verses, the earth itself is described as becoming “chanuphah (polluted)” because of the sins of its inhabitants, which means, according to Ramban, that it will do the opposite of that which is its nature, for it will be planted and cultivated but not produce fruit. And the meaning of the term “defilement” [used in the next verse — And thou shalt not ‘defile’ the Land] is that the Land will become defiled so that the Glory of G-d will not dwell therein if there is innocent blood [shed] in it which has not been atoned for by the blood of him that shed it.113Verse 36 here. Thus the Rabbis have said in the Sifre:114Sifre, Mas’ei 161. “‘V’lo tachaniphu’ the Land — this is an admonition against flatterers.” For at first [in Verses 31-32] He warned us against taking a bribe from murderers, and then [in Verse 33 here] He warned us against flattering them because of their high position or their power, or the honor of their family, even without taking a bribe, because if we flatter them, we will thereby cause the Land to “betray” its inhabitants [as explained above].
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Rashbam on Numbers
כי אם בדם שפכו. As if the Torah had written כי אם בדם האיש אשר שופך את הדם, ”only blood spilled by the killer of the murdered party does not contaminate the Holy Land but cleanses it from blood spilled innocently.” [this is the way I understand the author. Do not forget that normally spilling blood in the Holy Land contaminates its soil, whereas here the blood of the murderer does the very oppsosite. Ed.]
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