Commento su Levitico 10:15

THE THIGH OF HEAVING AND THE BREAST OF WAVING. “This expression is similar to the verse, [the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering], which is waved, and which is heaved up.¹²⁶Exodus 29:27. ‘Waving’ is an expression for moving to and fro [in a horizontal direction]. ‘Heaving’ is an expression for moving up and down. But why Scripture divided them, mentioning ‘heaving’ in connection with the thigh and ‘waving’ in connection with the breast, I do not know, for both of them [required] waving and heaving.” Thus far is the language of Rashi.¹²⁷This whole text of Rashi quoted by Ramban is missing in all standard versions of Rashi. It is found, however, in the Reggio edition of 1475, “Rashi’s Commentary to the Pentateuch.” This book incidentally was the first Hebrew book to appear in print. A facsimilie thereof has lately appeared in Jerusalem.
It appears to me that the reason for it is that during the [seven days of] consecration, the thigh was a heave-offering to G-d, being burned together with the bread and the fats,¹²⁸Exodus 29:22-25. and that which is set aside from a peace-offering [to be burnt on the altar] is called “a heave-offering,” just as it is said, And of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave-offering unto the Eternal,¹²⁹Above, 7:14. and [it follows] all the more so that these parts [of the ram of consecration] offered on the altar, were all “a heave-offering unto the Eternal.” [Hence the expression “the thigh of heaving.”] It was not called by the term “waving,” for that movement [to and fro in a horizontal direction] was done to the thigh together with the fats and the bread so as to burn them unto the Eternal. The breast, however, was waved by itself, and was only different from the rest of the meat [which was to be eaten by the priests] in that it was waved, and it was through this waving alone that it became sanctified and that Moses acquired it as his portion.¹³⁰It is so clearly stated in Exodus 29:26: And thou [Moses] shalt take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before the Eternal; and it shall be thy portion. Now since the right of Aaron and his sons to the breast and thigh [of peace-offerings] in future generations was [derived] from the day of their consecration as priests, when they acquired the thigh through its being a heave-offering to G-d and the breast through its being waved, whilst the rest of the meat belonged to the owners, therefore the thigh was forever called [the thigh of] “heaving,” and the breast that of “waving,” as was done to them on the day of [the priests] acquiring their rights to them.

יביאו להניף...והיה לך ולבניך, you will not be able to claim these until after the waving has been performed. In other words, this is not a “kick back” from G’d’s “Table.”

שוק התרומה וחזה התנופה, “the thigh of the heaving, and the breast of the weaving.” Rashi already questions why the Torah describes the “raising” of the thigh with the verb רום, whereas for the raising of the breast the verb הניף is chosen. Whereas the first refers to an up and down motion, and the second refers to a sideways motion, the reason for these different motions for different parts of the animal is not clear. Nachmanides writes that it seems to him that during the inaugural offerings the thigh represented a תרומה, “heaving” to Hashem, which was burned up together with the loaves and the fat parts. The parts of the peace-offerings which qualified for this treatment were known as תרומה, “heaving,” as we know from 7,14 והקריב ממנו אחד מכל קרבן תרומה לה', “from it he shall offer one from each as an offering (heave offering) for Hashem.” If that was so in the case of the peace-offerings, of which only a small part is given to the priest, (as a symbolic gift to Hashem) the bulk of the meat being consumed by the owner of the animal, how much more so would the thigh of this inaugural offering qualify, -seeing that all of which (except the parts mentioned which were consumed by the priest) was intended for Hashem directly, i.e. it was consumed by the altar,- for such a procedure, and it would qualify for such a description. Although the breast and thigh were also subjected to this heaving in a vertical motion, the Torah did not mention this specifically (in addition) and preferred the description שוק התרומה, and חזה התנופה, as this was the first occasion on which this procedure with this offering occurred. The occasion was notable because on that day the priests were inducted.

על אשי החלבים WITH THE FIRE OFFERINGS OF THE FAT — From this we may learn that the fat-portions were beneath the others at the time of waving (Sifra, Shemini, Chapter 1 11). And as for the exposition of the texts in such a manner that they shall not contradict each other I have already explained the three of them in the section צו את אהרן (Leviticus 7:30; see Rashi thereon).

AL ISHEI HACHALAVIM’ (UPON THE FIRE-OFFERINGS OF THE FAT). “This is like: ‘upon the fat of the fire-offerings.’¹³¹Since the fats are burnt with fire they are called “the fats of the fire,” not “the fire of the fats.” This comment is found in Rashi’s text as quoted by Mizrachi and other commentators. It is not in our printed texts of Rashi. From here we learn that at the time of waving the fat-portions were beneath.” This is the language of Rashi. But there is no need for it [i.e., to invert the verse, and to derive this law from the verse here]. For the word ishei (“fire-offerings of”) is an adjectival-noun qualifying the word chalavim (fats), just as He said, ‘ishei Hashem’ (the fire-offerings of the Eternal) and His inheritance they [the priests] shall eat.¹³²Deuteronomy 18:1. — Ramban’s intent is as follows: Rashi had inverted the expression in the verse before us because since the fats are burned with fire, they are called “the fats of the fire,” and not “the fire-offerings of the fats” as the verse literally has it. But Ramban quotes the above-mentioned verse from Deuteronomy to show that the word ishei does not have its precise meaning of “the fires of,” since the priests do not eat that which has actually been on the fire upon the altar. The word ishei must therefore be taken as an adjectival-noun for all offerings, since most of them are put upon the fire. Consequently the fats are not called ishei because of the fire, and the expression in the verse need not be inverted. — Ramban now proceeds to comment on the second point that Rashi made, namely that from the verse here we learn that the fat-portions were at the bottom at the time of waving. The explanation of this verse is that it constitutes a reason for that which He said [in the preceding verse], for they [the offerings] are given as thy due, and thy sons’ due, out of the offerings of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel.¹³³Verse 14. [With reference to this] He now said, The thigh of heaving and the breast of waving shall they — that is, the children of Israel, mentioned [in the previous verse] — bring upon the fire-offerings of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before the Eternal, that they [i.e., the thigh and the breast] be hallowed before Him, and they shall be thine and thy sons’ with thee, as a due forever. For this is not the place of the command concerning the waving,¹³⁴It is above, 7:30. See Ramban ibid. but incidentally¹³⁵Rashi therefore should not have written, “From here we learn etc.,” as it is not from here that we learn it, since the law of waving is mentioned elsewhere; here it is mentioned only incidentally. we learn that at the time of waving the fats were beneath the others.

על אישי החלבים יביאו להניף תנופה לפני ה', “they shall present on the fat parts as a wave offering before Hashem.” Nachmanides explains that this verse is not the verse in which this command has been issued, but in this verse the above statement is recorded only as the reason why it was possible for the donor-Israelite to consume the remainder of the meat of these peace offerings. The reason was that prior to this the priest, as the representative of Hashem, had received his designated share. The words (verse 13) כי חקך וחק בניך הוא מאישי ה', “for it is your portion and the portion of your sons from the fire-offerings of Hashem,” set the tone for the entire subject of the peace offerings, שלמים. Once the portions to be eaten by the priests had been sanctified by this symbolic procedure of heaving and waving, the way was clear for the donors to eat the share allocated to them by the Torah.