Commento su Numeri 18:9

מן האש FROM THE FIRE — i.e., after the burning of the portions given over the fire. (The words are taken to mean: from the time when the fire has operated).

מן האש, for all of it was meant for burning on the altar, the priests having no share in it until after the parts which have to be burned up have been burned up. The reason is that the priests’ share is not really theirs, i.e. the sacrificial animal or parts of it does not belong to them, but it belongs to G’d and whatever they may eat, they eat as “guests at G’d’s table,” not in their own right, in Talmudic parlance משלחן גבוה הם אוכלים.

מן האש, after the fat parts of the offerings had been burned up, that which the fire had left over.

Our author, when comparing the position of such words as לך יהיה, or יהיה לך, or a list of what is under discussion before adding that at least parts belong to the priest, explains that these are not stylistic nuances but they have a deeper meaning. Basically, he concludes that whenever parts of the gifts mentioned have first been presented on the Altar, the remains belong to the priest without restriction. He also explains why there appears to be an exception to this rule in connection with the פטר רחם, in 18,15, the reason being that this legislation was written in conjunction with the sanctity of the firstborn males of animals which are permitted to be offered on the Altar.

After the burning of the fire. As if the verse had said “after the fire,” meaning after it has been burned in the fire. One cannot explain, “From the fire” as meaning from what was burned in the fire, because the kohanim do not take any portion from the sacrificial parts that are in the fire, since they have already been set aside for Hashem. Rather, its meaning is that the kohanim take their portion only after the burning of the sacrificial parts.

V. 9. זה יהיה לך וגו׳, mit dem letzten, den Priesteranteilen von den קדשים, den Opfern, beginnt die Zusammenstellung der מתנות כהונה, und zwar zuerst: מקדש הקדשים, von den Opfern der Tatenweihe (siehe Schmot 29, 37), מן האש, nachdem dem אש אוכלה, dem אש דת auf dem Altar das לחם אשה geworden, welchem sich אכילת כהנים nur als ergänzende und vollendende Konsequenz anschließt (siehe Schmot 29, 33). כל קרבנם וגו׳, alles, was sie Gott nahe bringen, um damit die Gottesnähe zu erstreben. Sebachim 44b werden die generalisierenden Ausdrücke לכל מנחתם ,כל קרבנם usw. also erläutert, dass darin auch der Priesteranteil an solchen Opferkategorien mit inbegriffen ist, der anderweitig noch nicht ausgesprochen worden und aus Analogie mit den ausgesprochenen nicht gefolgert werden kann. כל קרבנם: auch לוג שמן של מצורע (Wajikra 14. 12 u. 18), das durch den Ausdruck והקריב (daselbst) mit unter קרבן zu fassen ist, obgleich es nicht מן האש stammt. לכל מנחתם, selbst מנחת העומר (Wajikra 23, 10) und מנחת הקנאות. (Bamidbar 5, 15), obgleich sie nicht eigentliche כפרה-Bestimmung haben und nicht unter ואכלו אותם אשר כופר בהם (Schmot 29, 33 siehe daselbst) zu fassen wären. ולכל חטאתם, selbst חטאת העוף, obgleich es durch מליקה getötet worden, eine Tötungsweise, die sonst נבלה bewirkt (siehe Wajikra 5, 8). לכל אשמם, selbst אשם נזיר. (Bamidbar 6, 12), obgleich auch dieses nicht eigentlich der כפרה-Bedürftigkeit entspringt, sondern nur die verfehlte Nasirperiode abschließt und die neue einleitet. ולכל אשמם אשר ישיבו לי: den אשם גולות ,אשם תלוי ,אשם מעילה, und in weiterem Sinne auch den übrigen אשמות liegt, wie wir dies bei jedem entwickelt, eine Versündigung im Güterbereiche zu Grunde, daher אשר ישיבו לי. Nach Sebachim 44b daselbst ist darunter noch besonders גול הגר begriffen, dessen קרן geradezu אשם heißt und wo das ישיבו לי in voller Prägnanz hervortritt (siehe Bamidbar 5, 8).

מן האש כל קרבנם, “reserved from the fire; each of their offerings.” These offerings also include baked goods, i.e. the minchah offerings.

מן האש, “reserved from the fire” (which consumes the remainder of these offerings).

כל קרבנם EVERY OFFERING OF THEIRS — for instance the sacrifices of communal feast offerings.

אשר ישיבו לי, the guilt offering, אשם, mentioned in te paragraph commencing with Numbers 5,5 property that used to belong to a proselyte who had died without leaving heirs.

For example [the communal peace-offerings]. Given that it says here, “most holy” and the peace-offerings of an individual are of lesser holiness. However one should not explain this as meaning “all of their sacrifices” as implied, because “their minchah-offerings, their sin-offerings and their guilt-offerings” is written afterwards.

ולכל חטאתם, “and all of their various kinds of sin offerings.”

זה יהיה לך מקדש הקדשים, “this is what is yours (priests) of the most holy things;” the Torah proceeds to spell out which parts of the respective animal sacrifices are for the consumption of the priest (and his household). After each category of animal sacrifice and meal offering and its purpose are listed, there follow what is to be saved for the priest or priests. The only category of animal offering of which no part is permitted to be eaten is the burnt offering, olah, and sin offerings presented on the golden altar as distinct from the copper altar.

מנחתם חטאתם ואשמם EVERY MEAL OFFERING OF THEIRS, AND EVERY SIN OFFERING OF THEIRS, AND EVERY GUILT OFFERING OF THEIRS — all these offerings should be understood in their usual meanings.

This refers to the proselyte’s stolen property. We learn a gezeirah shavah [scriptural comparison]: There it is written “The debt being returned then belongs to Hashem, to the kohein” (Bamidbar 5:8), and here it is written “which they return to Me.”

ולכל אשמתם, “and all of their various kinds of guilt offerings.”

אשר ישיבו לי WHICH THEY SHALL RENDER (more lit., which they shall return) UNTO ME — This refers to property wrongfully taken from a proselyte (which, when he has no legal heir, reverts to the priests; cf. Rashi on v. 8) (Sifrei Bamidbar 117:2; Zevachim 44b).

אשר ישיבו לי, “which they return to Me;” i.e. which are symbols of their having returned to Me in repentance. This is a specific reference for repentance for having stolen from a convert, who has died in the interval, and to whom no restitution can be made by the thief. By giving the value to the priest, it is considered as having been returned to G–d, Who is the original owner of everything.