Commentaire de citation sur Les Nombres 15:16

NOR THY STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THY GATES. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, “the stranger of the gate” is always the geir toshav,⁴⁶⁰Literally: “resident alien,” so called because he was permitted to dwell within the Land of Israel. The conditions under which he becomes a geir toshav are described here in the text. who came to dwell in “the gates of our cities” and has taken upon himself the Seven Laws of the Noachides.⁴⁶¹See Vol. I, p. 417, Note 148, and see also in index there under “Noachides.” It is he who is called “the stranger who eats the unlawfully-slaughtered animal,” of whom Scripture says, thou mayest give it to the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it.⁴⁶²Deuteronomy 14:21. Therefore, the commandment [prohibiting work on the Sabbath] was not directed to him so that Scripture would be saying: “Do not do any work on it, the home-born or the stranger.” Instead, it is we who are commanded that he do no work for our benefit, just as [we are commanded about] our minors and the cattle, but this commandment is not incumbent upon him and he may do work for himself on the Sabbath. The verse which states, so that the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest,⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. speaks of the righteous proselyte who has become Jewish and embraced our Torah, which has commanded him concerning the Sabbath and all the rest of the commandments as well, as He has said, One law and one ordinance shall be both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you;⁴⁶⁴Numbers 15:16. both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.⁴⁶⁵Ibid., 9:14.
However, we have found in the words of our Rabbis that they have interpreted it in the opposite manner. Thus they have said⁴⁶⁶Mechilta on the verse here. that by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, thy stranger that is within thy gates means the righteous proselyte, and ceasing from work [on the Sabbath] is incumbent upon him as it is upon us. The verse, so that the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest,⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. includes the uncircumcised geir toshav.⁴⁶⁰Literally: “resident alien,” so called because he was permitted to dwell within the Land of Israel. The conditions under which he becomes a geir toshav are described here in the text. The Rabbis’ intent in so explaining the verses is that first, [i.e., right here in the Ten Commandments], “the stranger” warned is the proselyte who has been circumcised, who is obligated in the observance of the Sabbath as we are. The second verse — [further, 23:12] — includes the uncircumcised [geir toshav]. Therefore, he is likened there to the cattle, as the verse says, that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest.⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. Thus He commanded us concerning the resting of all of them alike that they should not work for us, but they may do [work] for themselves if they so wish. Similarly, the servant and the stranger mentioned in the Ten Commandments are alike, being obligated in the observance of all laws of the Sabbath as we are, even as He has said, that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.⁴⁵⁸Deuteronomy 5:14.

or a resident alien The laws concerning vows and pledges apply equally to Israel and to aliens, as it is written [Numbers 15:16]. Our Sages have distinguished between a “vow” and a “pledge” [Qinnim 1:1]. Every vow eventually becomes a pledge, but not every pledge ultimately becomes a vow. Any offering which is entirely burnt upon the Altar should be entirely perfect.

והדוה בנדתה, “concerning a woman experiencing this flow, etc.” The sequence in which the Torah has arranged all the paragraphs describing these sources of impurity originating in our bodies is this: the Torah first listed the male who experiences an involuntary discharge of something similar to seminal fluid (verse 2); next the Torah writes about the result of cohabitation between man and woman (verse 18) resulting in contamination, seeing that also the first example (verse 16) of man having a nocturnal emission had resulted in such contamination. As a result, the Torah here can write: “this is the legislation concerning the male who experiences a discharge” (verse 32). This is followed by the woman who experiences a vaginal discharge at times other than her menstrual cycle, followed by the woman who experiences her regular menstrual cycle (verse 33). At the very conclusion of our portion the Torah speaks about someone who defies this legislation by cohabiting with a woman while she is contaminated through vaginal discharge of either kind.