פירוש על במדבר 8:7

הזה עליהם מי חטאת SPRINKLE UPON THEM WATER OF PURIFYING — water in which the ashes of the Red Heifer are mingled; on account of those among them who might have become unclean through contact with dead persons.

והעבירו, the vocalisation ve-he-eviru means that it is a modified version of the future tense known as vav hahipuch, the letter ו reversing the tense. Had the vocalisation been veha-aviru it would have been an imperative mode, just as in Exodus 8,4 העתירו אל ה', “plead with the Lord!”

הזה עליהם מי חטאת והעבירו תער על כל בשרם, “sprinkle upon them water of purification, and let them pass a razor over their entire flesh.” Ibn Ezra points out that the shaving of their flesh had preceded their being sprinkled with the waters of purification. [He derives this from the switch by the Torah from the singular הזה, an instruction to Moses, whereas the word והעבירו is in the plural, referring to something the Levites had already done.]

וכה תעשה להם לטהרם הזה עליהם מי חטאת, “so you shall do to them to purify them.” The מי חטאת refers to the ash of the red heifer. The need for this was due to people who had been contaminated through contact with the dead of the people who had been executed due to their involvement in worshipping the golden calf. At the time Moses had issued instructions to the Levites to kill the guilty persons even if they were close relatives of the Levites (Exodus 32,27).

For some of them were defiled by contact with the dead. Not by other forms of impurity, because other forms of impurity do not require sprinkling.

V. 7. הזה עליהם מי חטאת וגו׳ siehe Kap. 19,. 19. Dieses Ansprengen mit dem מי חטאת durfte nicht vor dem dritten Tage der טומאה geschehen, und musste dann am siebten wiederholt werden, הזית שלישי ושביעי, und, wie wir bereits zu Bereschit 1, 11 bemerkt, auch wenn an einem späteren Tage geschehen, war die erste הזיה immer in der Bedeutung des dritten Tages zu begreifen, so dass die zweite הזיה erst nach vier Tagen, als am siebten, vorgenommen werden konnte. Hier wird nun die anzustrebende טהרה durch das unmittelbar hinzugefügte הזה עליהם וגו׳ entschieden als eine טהרה von טומאת מת bezeichnet, so dass das folgende והעבירו וגו׳ וכבסו וגו׳ nur als zur הזיה gehörende Vollendung der טהרה erscheint, was ja auch der Schluss והטהרו ergibt, womit die zu erlangende טהרה als das Resultat aller vorhergehenden Handlungen erscheint. In der Tat gehört ja zu הזיה auch טבילה, die am siebten Tage nach geschehener zweiten הזיה vorzunehmen war, und diese טבילה ist hier, wie Wajikra 11, 25 u. 28 und sonst durch כבוס בגדים ausgedrückt. Es begreift das die טבילה des Leibes und der Gewänder (siehe Wajikra 11, 25). Es ist hier jedoch ein sonst nicht bei טמא מת vorgeschriebener Akt angeordnet, והעבירו תער וגו׳, der seiner Stellung nach entschieden zur טהרה gehört und zwar, den Akzenten nach, der sonst am siebten Tage vorzunehmenden טבילה vorangefügt ist. Ganz hiermit übereinstimmend lehrt auch נשא) ספרי zu 7, 1 nach unseren Ausgaben des ספרי; in der jüngst mit הגהות הגרא׳׳וו ז׳׳ל erschienenen Ausgabe sind die vier Worte durch Klammern als Interpolation bezeichnet): תחת הזאה שנייה גלחן. Ausführlicher in ותחת הזייה שנייה שהיו צריכין הלויים לחזור מפני :רבות שהיו כלם טמאי מתים במה שהרגו בעובדי העגל צוה המקום לגלחם במקום הזיה של יום שביעי. Wir haben bereits zu Bereschit 1, 11 die Ansicht geäußert, dass die erste הזיה der Erhebung der vegetativen Seite, des geschlechtlich genießenden Lebens, des Menschenwesens aus dem Bereiche der sittlichen Unfreiheit, die zweite jedoch, die הזיה des siebten Tages, der Erhebung des Menschen der Tat in das Bereich der sittlichen Freiheit gelte. Dass העברת תער die Aufhebung isolierender Selbstheit zum Bewusstsein bringen soll, haben wir bereits wiederholt zu erkennen geglaubt. Wenn daher eine so völlige Enthaarung, העברת תער על כל בשר, den Leviten in dem Momente ihrer Berufsweihe ein völliges Aufhören alles bisherigen Fürsichseins, ein völliges Ein- und Aufgehen ihres ganzen Wesens in den Dienst des Allgemeinen in eindrucksvollster Weise zum Bewusstsein brachte, so dürfte wohl sichs begreifen, wie eine solche Entkleidung des wirkenden Menschen von jeder Selbsthörigkeit, ein solches Bereitstellen der ganzen Persönlichkeit für den Dienst nationaler Zwecke, den Eintritt des Mannes der Tat in das Bereich sittlicher Freiheit in positivster Weise bezeichnete, und somit hier für die טהרה der Leviten גלוח die Stelle der הזיה שניה vollkommen vertreten konnte.

הזה עליהם מי חטאת, “sprinkle the water of purification on them;” it is impossible to say that this command was issued on the day when this paragraph was revealed, as on the day when the Tabernacle had been erected the procedure of burning the red heifer had not yet been performed. (Jerusalem Talmud tractate Megillah 3,3, and quoted by Rashi on Gittin folio 60) The red heifer was burned on the day following. We therefore have to understand the sequence as being as follows: it is taken for granted that the sprinkling of the purification waters took place after the procedure with the red heifer had been performed. (Numbers chapter 19) Even though the Levites were obligated to purify themselves in anticipation of performing their service as otherwise they could not have sung their songs, since the day when the Tabernacle had been erected, we must assume that they used the oil with which they had been anointed in lieu of the waters containing the ash of the red heifer. Commencing with that day, it became the task of the Levites to dismantle the Tabernacle and to reassemble it as the progress of the Israelites’ journeys demanded this. Prior to that, when they needed to become purified they used either blood from the altar or some of the oil of anointment. The Talmud in tractate Yuma folio 4 states that the water of the red heifer took the place of blood which had been used previously in the procedure of purification.

והעבירו תער AND LET THEM SHAVE [ALL THEIR FLESH] — I have found in the work of R. Moses the Preacher the following: Because they were made propitiatory substitutes for the firstborn who had worshipped the idol (the Golden Calf), and it (idolatry) is called (Psalms 106:28) “offerings to the dead”, and the leper is also called dead (cf. Numbers 12:12), it (Scripture) requires them to shave their body like lepers.

והעבירו תער על כל בשרם "They should pass a razor over their entire flesh." The instructions to pass a razor over the entire flesh of the Levites includes the beard and sideburns. The Levites were required to shave just as one who is afflicted with tzoraat (Lev. 14,9), being that they replaced the firstborn who had previously functioned as priests. The firstborn had become disqualified for further service due to their involvement in the sin of the golden calf, and were hence considered as having been associated with זבחי מתים, offerings addressed to the dead (as opposed to the living G’d). When someone is afflicted with tzoraat he is also considered as equivalent to the dead. These Levites had not yet been purified and in their present state they could not have commenced their sacred duties. This is why the Torah writes: “after that the Levites may come and perform their service,” in connection with the Tabernacle (verse 15).

Who practiced idolatry. (Minchah Blulah) Even though others who practice idolatry are not required to shave, these were different because they served the golden calf and were afflicted with leprosy. As the Rabbis expounded the verse “for it is פרוע (revealed), for Aharon has פרעה (revealed) it” (Shemos 32:25) where they learn a gezeirah shavah to the leper — where the Torah writes “his head shall be פרוע (unshorn)” (Vayikra 13:45).

הזה עליהם מי חטאת, “sprinkle water of purification on them” Seeing that from that day on they were charged with the dismantling and reassembling the Tabernacle, they would have to undergo this sprinkling on the third and seventh day of a seven day period. [This editor finds it difficult to reconcile this with the Torah’s statement that on occasion the Tabernacle was put up only for a single day, as the Israelites moved on again as soon as the cloud above it moved. (Numbers 9,1823) Ed.] The reason that this was needed was that it was impossible for the Levites not to have been in contact with dead bodies while the people were encamped, especially after the sin of the spies when dying had to have become a daily occurrence.

והעבירו תער על כל בשרם, “and let the cause a razor to pass over all their flesh;” they had to do this every time prior to the sprinkling of the ash in the water of the red heifer on the third and seventh day of their purification ritual. Rashi mentions in his commentary here that he found in the writings of Rabbi Moshe hadarshan, that seeing that the Levites had functioned as the instruments of atonement for the firstborn who had been guilty during the episode of the golden calf, and that was called a זבחי מתים, “offering of the dead,” and the “leprous” (מצורעים) people also referred to as “dead,” [compare Numbers 12,1113. Ed.] the Levites required shaving of all body hair as required from “leprous” people during their purification process after the priest has declared them as healed. (Leviticus chapter 14)