Commento su Deuteronomio 21:5

לשרתו ולברך, the (Temple) service of the priests is instrumental in attaining expiation for the innocent blood spilled, and in securing blessing for the land.

ונגשו הכהנים בני לוי וענו ואמרו כפר לעמך ישראל, in order to facilitate our understanding of these 4 verses the author summarises the principal parts of the verses in question without including what is only in parenthesis.

ונגשו הכהנים, “The priests will draw near, etc.” they do so in order to intone the prayer asking for atonement, written down in verse 8. The meaning of the whole verse is as follows: the priests, and all the elders of the nation, as well as all the people residing within a narrow radius from where this murder had occurred, will wash their hands and intone the prescribed formula, i.e. some of the assembled will wash the hands of the others. Concerning the procedure of killing that heifer, Ibn Ezra writes that G’d imposed the duty to perform these rites on the city closest to where the murdered person had been found, for if people in that city had been free from all other sins as well, G’d would not have embarrassed them by a murder having been committed in their vicinity. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim 3,40 that the reason for the procedure is to assist in apprehending the killer, who most likely resides in that vicinity. The publicity that the killing of the heifer in such circumstances attracts, as well as the fact that the reputation of the city near which it occurs suffers a decline of its good image, is hoped to involve more people in the active search for the perpetrator of this crime. Anyone who can make a contribution to finding out who the guilty party was will be liable to do so. Once the guilty party has been found out and located and convicted of whatever penalty is appropriate, exile or death, this will serve as a deterrent to others who had planned to commit a similar crime. The event will long be remembered as the piece of earth on which the heifer has been killed is no longer allowed to be farmed and people will want to know the reason why this is so. Nachmanides writes that while it is true that the procedure prescribed by the Torah will help to find this murderer and will possibly frighten off future murderers, but what did it do to reconcile G’d with the fact that innocent blood was spilled in the Holy Land? In order to achieve maximum effect this procedure should have been performed on a field that is under cultivation, not one that had never been under cultivation, and therefore is not often visited by people. Nachmanides therefore feels that this procedure has more in common with that of the scapegoat and the burning of the red heifer for the sake of getting its ash, which when mixed with spring water, purifies people who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body or being under the same roof with such a body. These three procedures have one thing in common; neither one of them is performed on sacred ground. They therefore fall under the heading of חוק, decree, legislation the reason for which G’d has not seen fit to share with us.

V. 5. ונגשו הכהנים וגו׳. In Gegenwart der כהנים haben die Stadtbehörden den V. 6 vorgeschriebenen Akt des Händewaschens vorzunehmen und die V. 7 vorgeschriebenen Reinigungsworte zu sprechen, und die כהנים sprechen dann die V. 8 vorgeschriebene Bitte um Sühne aus. Die bei diesem Akt assistierenden und fungierenden Priester werden in der ganzen Fülle ihrer Attribute vorgeführt: sie sind הכהנים, die der Nation die "Richtung" auf ihre geistig-sittliche Bestimmung wahren sollen; sie sind בני לוי, die Elite jenes Stammes, der sich als Vertreter der Sache Gottes in der Nation geadelt; sie sind die von Gott Erwählten לשרתו, in seinem Gesetzesheiligtum die Gestaltung aller irdischen Verhältnisse zu seinem Wohlgefallen in symbolischen Handlungen, und ׳לברך בשם ד dort in seinem Namen und mit seinem Namen die Segnungen auszusprechen, die sich an die Verwirklichung jener symbolisch ausgedrückten Aufgaben und Vorsätze knüpfen; und sie sind endlich dieselben, die על פיהם יהיה כל ריב וכל נגע, die auch außerhalb des Gesetzesheiligtums, in Mitte des vollen Volkslebens der Gesetzesverwirklichung, überall da mit zu intervenieren haben, wo das Recht zwischen Mensch und Mensch zur Geltung zu bringen ist, und da allein zu intervenieren haben, wo der "Gottesfinger" zu deuten ist, der mit dem Zeichen seines Tadels einen sozial verirrten Menschen berührt. Alle diese Momente, die ganze Beziehung Gottes zur Nation, die ganze ideale Erkenntnis und reale Verwirklichung seines Gesetzes mit allem, was sich an Wohl und Wehe für die Gesamtheit und den Einzelnen daran knüpft, alles ist durch einen einzigen Mord in Frage gestellt, dem die Nation und ihre Behörden mit Gleichgültigkeit begegneten.

ונגשו הכהנים, “and the priests will approach;” they as well as all the elders of the town nearest the slain person; the Torah resumes the narrative interrupted in verse 2. The priests are often identified with the judges of Israel, and have been referred to as such in that verse as colleagues of the elders.

ועל פיהם יהיה כל ריב וכל נגע, so that they are familiar with the psyches of the people and their norms, as they observed already by watching their fathers deal with such matters. Perhaps, due to such cumulative empirical knowledge they have some knowledge of whose character has been tainted by sin so that such intuitive knowledge will help them bring the truth to light. (in the investigation of the murder)

Das durch Menschen ungeknickte und ungetrübte Hiersein eines jeden Menschen gehört zu den höchsten Zielen der ganzen Gottesveranstaltungen mit Israel und ein auf den Boden seines Gesetzes hingeworfener erschlagener Mensch ist die größte Höhnung dieses Gesetzes, ist der größte Vorwurf für dessen Vertreter und stellt alles in Frage, was der כהן repräsentiert. Daher die Gegenwart der כהנים mit Vergegenwärtigung aller ihrer Attribute. Nicht zu übersehen ist, dass ihre Assistenz erst nach der עריפה hervortritt. Damit ist der עריפה jede auch nur leiseste Annäherung an eine Opferbedeutung genommen, und unterscheidet sich diese damit wesentlich von der פרה אדומה, deren ganzer Vollzug gerade dem כהן überwiesen ist.

בני לוי, the Levites, who are not subject to having to have unblemished bodies in order to fulfill their normal functions related to the Temple. (Sifri)

'ולברך בשם ה, ”and to pronounce the blessings using the name of The Lord;” we learn from here that the priests may pronounce the priestly blessings even if they have blemished bodies. [Although they may, of course, not perform service on consecrated ground. Ed.]