Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Imamat 20:27

(1) "Say to the priests” - After [the Torah had] warned the Israelites to become holy [19:2], it warns the priests to protect themselves from ritual impurity, given that they are dedicated to God’s service and are considered the members of G-d’s “household” on earth.

בני אהרן, “sons of Aaron,” etc. Our sages in Sotah 23 understand this as excluding female descendants of priests, i.e. “the sons of Aaron but not the daughters of Aaron.” I have explained the reason why the female offspring of priests is not considered as priests in the full sense of the word in my commentary on Parshat Tzav (Leviticus 6,19) as due to the woman having been the one who brought death into the world. This does not make them fit to act as priests, i.e. people who are concerned with preserving and extending life.
The reason that this paragraph of special laws for the priests has been written immediately after the verse prohibiting the law of how to deal with sorcerers, various kinds of performers of magic, is explained in the Midrash as justified by subsequent Jewish history. King Saul killed an entire city of Priests (Nof), compare Samuel I 22,18 appointing Doeg their accuser to be the executioner. [There had not been the kind of evidence that the priests had committed treason against Saul which would stand up in court. Ed.] Subsequently, when King Saul found himself in a quandary when he did want advice from G’d and was refused it, he turned to a necromancer despite the express prohibition to even allow such people to live in Leviticus 20,27. G’d had foreseen all this and had written these two commandments, i.e. to give precedence to the priests and to abhor necromancers as a warning to Saul and others not to become guilty of the sin described.
Isaiah 8,19 deals with this subject when he writes addressing the common folk who might be asked to practice the art of necromancy by saying: “should the people say to you, ‘inquire of the ghosts and familiar spirits that chirp and moan, for a people may inquire of its divine beings, of the dead on behalf of the living, for instruction and message;’ by responding: ‘surely for one who speaks thus there shall be no dawn.” Isaiah’s point is that if such a practice is raising its head in Israel the people have to respond that they get any information they are desirous of from their G’d directly, not from charlatans, etc. The prophet Elijah had remonstrated with King Achazyah who had sent inquiries to idols of other nations, and had challenged him saying: “are there then no representatives of the true Lord in Israel that you saw fit to inquire from deities like Baal Zevuv and others?” (Kings II 1,6). In the event that the people feel that they have no legitimate address from which to inquire about their future, the Torah goes on record in Deut. 17,9: “you will come to the priests, the Levites, or to the judge who will officiate in those days; when you inquire they will tell you.”
Rabbi Yehoshua from the village Sakinin said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that G’d showed Moses a bird’s eye view of all subsequent generations and their respective leaders. He showed him King Saul, his sons, and his death by the sword of the Jewish people’s enemies. This was part of the panorama G’d showed to Moses. Moses was aghast and exclaimed: “the first King of the Jewish people should have such a tragic end, should be stabbed by a sword?” Thereupon G’d told Moses to write down the paragraph we are now dealing with. Thus far Rabbi Yehoshua (compare Tanchuma Emor 2). I plan to explain the details about the various forms of necromancy, etc., in connection with Parshat Shoftim, (seeing there are different views about this subject).

IF THERE BE FOUND IN THE MIDST OF THEE WITHIN ANY OF THY GATES WHICH THE ETERNAL THY G-D GIVETH THEE. I have already explained⁵⁶Above, 7:15; 11:32. that when he speaks of the ordinances he mentions first the judgment to be executed upon the idols or their worshippers. He states [here] within any of thy gates which the Eternal thy G-d giveth thee, not to imply that this law applies only in the Land of Israel, since one who worships idols outside the Land is also liable to stoning. The purport thereof is rather to state, “if the matter be found in one of the distant cities which G-d will give you when He will enlarge thy border⁵⁷Further, 19:8. — and it be told thee, and thou hear it,⁵⁸Verse 4 here. in whatever city you may be, you are to investigate the matter diligently and if you discover that the charge is true, you shall bring them forth to that city wherein they worshipped, and stone them.”⁵⁹Verse 5. He states that such abomination was done in Israel⁵⁸Verse 4 here. [implying that it is done within the nation rather than within the Land] in order to hold the worshipper [of the idols] culpable even outside the Land, for in the case of the apostate city he said, that such abomination is done ‘in thy midst,’⁶⁰Above, 13:15. [within the Land], but here he mentioned within any of thy gates [a term generally limited to the Land] for it refers to common events as we have explained, and then he states in Israel⁵⁸Verse 4 here. in order to teach that it is binding upon the entire [nation of] Israel [even outside the Land]. It was also necessary to state within any of thy gates in order to teach that the worshipper be stoned at the gates [of the city] in which he worshipped the idols.⁶¹Kethuboth 45b. This is [the law] in the Land, for outside the Land he is stoned at the entrance of the court where he was judged.
Now, this commandment is explanatory, since He already stated He that sacrificeth unto the gods shall be utterly destroyed,⁶²Exodus 22:19. this applying in every place and at every time. Therefore he repeated it in order to explain what must be added to the commandment, but he abbreviated regarding matters previously mentioned.
And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], it is possible that he mentioned within any of thy gates because he stated in transgressing His covenant,⁶³In Verse 2 before us. The question is why is “the woman” mentioned in the case of idol-worship. this [transgression] being the abomination done in [the Land of] Israel.⁵⁸Verse 4 here. Scripture made it known that the covenant is in the Land of the covenant,⁶⁴Ezekiel 30:5. whereas he who lives outside the Land is as if he worshipped idols.⁶⁵Kethuboth 110b. I have already mentioned this subject.⁶⁶Leviticus 18:25.
He mentioned man or woman,⁶³In Verse 2 before us. The question is why is “the woman” mentioned in the case of idol-worship. because, due to a woman’s frivolity, she can be enticed into idol-worship through a sign or wonder done before her, the proof being the case of the women before Jeremiah.⁶⁷Jeremiah Chapter 44. Similarly, with reference to [the witchcraft of] the ov (ghost) or yide’oni (familiar spirit), Scripture mentioned or a woman⁶⁸Leviticus 20:27. because these forms of sorcery were customarily practiced by women, as He said, Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live⁶⁹Exodus 22:17. [even though both male and female sorcerers are equally liable].⁷⁰Sanhedrin 67a. And in the Sifre⁷¹Sifre, Shoftim 148. the Rabbis interpret that [the reason for the expression or a woman is] because, having said in the case of an inciter Certain base ‘men’ are gone out from the midst of thee,⁷²Above, 13:14. implying that this law [of the apostate city] is not the same for [the inciters if they were] women,⁷³Sifre, R’eih 93. it was necessary to explain that regarding an idol-worshipper the law is the same for man and woman.
The meaning of the expression which I have commanded not⁷⁴Verse 3. is already explained.⁷⁵Above, 4:21.