Commento su Deuteronomio 18:6

וכי יבא הלוי AND IF A LEVITE COME […AND MINISTER] — One might think that Scripture speaks of a “Levite” in the usual sense of the word (i.e. of a לוי and not of a כהן)! Scripture, however, goes on to state, (v. 7) “And he shall minister [in the name of the Lord]”; thus the Levites must be excluded for they are not fit for (not entitled to) service in the Temple (Sifrei Devarim 168:1).

וכי יבא הלוי, a priest who does not belong to the roster of priests performing Temple service on that day in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem

Perhaps it is literally to the Levite that Scripture refers?, etc. I.e. an actual descendant of Levi, to exclude a kohein. Or perhaps the verse includes a kohein also, because a kohein is also a descendant of Levi? [In proof of this latter suggestion] the Torah therefore teaches, “He shall perform the service,”, etc.

V. 6. וכי יבא הלוי, es ist dies der fern von der Stadt des Heiligtums unterm Volke wohnende Priester (siehe zu V. 1).

וכי יבא הלוי, “and if a Levite comes, etc.” the Levites are mentioned after the priests as they too have been charged with teaching the people the Torah, [and the fact that they do not have to work the land makes them free to do so. Ed.] Their task has been spelled out clearly in Chronicles II 17,79; in fact, we see there that they were travelling teachers, leaving the towns set aside for the Levites and visiting small communities in order to teach there. This is the plain meaning of the words as written.

ובא בכל אות נפשו ושרת AND COME WITH ALL THE LONGING OF HIS SOUL …AND MINISTER — This teaches that a priest may come and offer his free-will and obligatory sacrifices even at a time when a priestly shift is in charge to which he does not belong (Bava Kamma 109b). Another explanation: It further teaches regarding priests who appear in the Temple as pilgrims on the festivals that they may offer [with the rota], and do the services connected with the sacrifices that are offered on account of the festival, as for instance, the additional offerings due on festivals — although the shift is not theirs (Sifrei Devarim 168:3; Sukkah 55b).

This teaches, concerning the kohein, that he is permitted to come and offer up, etc. Because this is implied in the word “with all his soul’s desire,” which means that he wants to offer up with his soul’s desire and not because of the obligation of his ministering watch.

כל ישראל ,מכל ישראל heißt nie das ganze jüdische Land, und kann dies hier um so weniger heißen, da die beliebige einzelne Örtlichkeit außerhalb der Tempelstadt bereits wie immer durch אחד שעריך bezeichnet ist. כל ישראל heißt daher auch hier wie immer: ganz Israel, die Gesamtheit der Nation. Es kommt also ein in einer Stadt im Lande wohnender Kohen aus der Gesamtnation hervor, um die Priesterfunktion im Tempel zu üben. Das heißt: er ist mit der nationalen Gesamtheit nach der Tempelstadt gekommen und will nun dort das ihm aus ihrer Mitte heraus übertragene Amt in ihrer Gegenwart üben. Es ist dies zur Zeit der drei Wanderfeste: רגלים, ein Satz, der (Sucka 55 b) an den Worten festgehalten wird: מאחד שעריך לא אמרתי אלא בשעה שכל ישראל נכנסין בשער אחד. Wir glauben, dass, wie häufig, hier auch auf die folgenden Worte: מכל ישראל hingeblickt ist, indem durch die Anwesenheit von כל ישראל eine jede Partikularität von אחד שעריך aufgehoben ist. An רגלים hat כל ישראל nur ein שער, und jedes שער gehört כל ישראל, und alle, die aus irgend einem שער kommen, kommen als כל ישראל, als die Gesamtheit bildend.

Another interpretation. This teaches, further, etc. The first interpretation is problematic might why it says “to the place that Adonoy chooses,” [a term normally mentioned in connection with coming up to Yerusholayim on the festivals]. It should have only said “to the altar that is before Adonoy and he shall serve, etc.” And the second interpretation is problematic why it says “with all his soul’s desire.” Therefore we also need the first interpretation that “all his soul’s desire” refers to his personal vows and voluntary sacrifices, because he vows and volunteers out of his soul’s desire.

[Were permitted] to bring offerings with the ministering watch, by performing the sacrificial services, etc. Otherwise, why does it say “like all his brother Levites”? It should only have said, “He shall come and serve with all his soul’s desire.” Therefore the verse must be referring to kohanim who come for a festival [and is saying] that they offer sacrifices like all their brothers who belong to the ministering watch.

Which were brought because of the festival obligation — for example, the festival musaf-offerings, etc. Below (v. 8) I will explain that [this applies] only to musaf-offering of festivals that come because of the festival, and not to things which do not pertain to the festival.

And that is that He commanded us that the priests serve in watches, each watch serving one week. And the hand of all should not be mixed together (in service); except on festivals when all of the watches serve equally and anyone who comes from them can offer a sacrifice. And this has already been explained in Chronicles (I Chronicles 9:22) - how David and Shmuel divided them into twenty-four watches. And it is explained in Sukkah (Sukkah 55b) that the hand of all [priests] are equal on festivals. And the language of this commandment is His saying, "If a Levite would go, etc. he may come as he pleases. He may serve in the name of the Lord, his God [...] They shall eat equal shares" (Deuteronomy 18:6-8). And the language of the Sifrei (Sifrei Devarim 168:5, 169:3) is, "'He may come as he pleases.' I might think always. [Hence] we learn to say, 'from one of your gates' (Deuteronomy 18:6) - when all of Israel are assembled within one gate; and that is during the three festivals. I might think that all of the watches are [also] equal for offerings brought on the festival not for the sake of the festival. [Hence] we learn to say, 'aside from the sale of the fathers' (Deuteronomy 18:8) - what the fathers sold to each other, i.e., 'You [take them] on your Shabbat, and I on my Shabbat.'" This means their agreement about all of the watches of the service, one watch for each week. And so did Onkelos (Targum Onkelos on Deuteronomy 18:8), explain, "except for the allotment which comes on Shabbat, as our (fore)fathers have regulated." And they have already explained the laws of this commandment at the end of the Gemara in Sukkah. (See Parashat Shoftim; Mishneh Torah, Vessels of the Sanctuary and Those who Serve Therein 4.)