THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES, EVEN ALL THE TRIBE OF LEVI, SHALL HAVE NO PORTION. When Scripture mentions the laws of the king,¹ who is the judge,² it makes mention of the laws of the kohanim, who are the teachers of the Torah. After Scripture states that they have no inheritance,³ it states that they will take from the sacrificer⁴ the shoulder, the cheeks, and the maw:⁵ the shoulder from the body; the cheeks, which have the tongue between them, from the head; and the maw from the insides. There is a midrashic interpretation that since the kohen slaughters the peace offerings, he receives the shoulder as payment for the use of his shoulder in the slaughtering, the cheeks as payment for reciting the blessing,⁶ and the maw as payment for the investigation.⁷ checks the innards to see if they are healthy. If they are not, the animal is declared unfit and cannot be eaten. However, according to the plain meaning of the text, these⁸ are better than the rest of the meat.⁹ Scripture also mentions the laws regarding the Levites,¹⁰ for they too¹¹. will teach the Torah in the gates. The Book of Chronicles shows this to be the case.¹² (the Levites) taught in Judah, having the hook of the Law of the Lord with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.

footnotes: ¹ Deut. 17:14-20. ² Spoken of in Deut. 17:1. ³ They will not receive a portion in the land of Canaan when it is divided among the tribes. ⁴ Of a sacrifice. See verse 3. ⁵ Verse 3. ⁶ Before slaughtering the offering. ⁷ The kohen ⁸ The maw, the shoulder and the cheeks. ⁹ In other words, the maw, the shoulder and rhe cheeks are the choicest parts of the animal. ¹⁰ Verses 6-8. ¹¹ Like the kohanim ¹² Cf. II Chronicles 17:9: And they

BESIDE THAT WHICH IS HIS DUE. Some say that mimkarav (which is his due) is similar to makkarekhem¹³. 38. The printed texts have makkarehem. (them that bestow it upon you)¹⁴ (which is his due) his relatives. They read our verse as, beside that which his relatives from his fathers’ houses bestow upon him. They interpret the latter as follows: if a member of a kohen family allows another kohen to sacrifice in his place, then his colleagues cannot say to him, “Since you are offering the sacrifice in place of your relative, you shall not in addition eat the sacred food with us.” See Rashbam. It should be noted that according to the commentaries, Levite in our verse refers to a kohen from the house of Levi. in from them that bestow it upon you (II Kings 12:8).¹⁵ However, they are a bit off the mark. The rules of grammar will not accede to it.¹⁶ comes from the root nun, kaf, resh, while mimkarav comes from the root mem, kaf, resh. On the contrary, mimkarav is related to timkeru mimkar (sell aught) in and if thou sell aught (Lev. 25:14).¹⁷. The meaning of le-vad mimkarav al ha-avot (beside that which is due according to the father’s house)¹⁸ is, if the kohen sold his house, which he inherited from his father as Scripture states, then the house that was sold in the city of his¹⁹. possession, shall go out²⁰) may sell, in a Levitical city, the house which he received as an inheritance. (Lev. 25:33). The latter explains according to the fathers.²¹) has inherited from his fathers. The local kohanim shall not say to him, Look, you have money, you shall not in addition eat the sacred food with us. On the contrary, they shall eat like portions.²² shall receive an equal share in the sacrificial meat. After Moses concludes the laws pertaining to the judge²³ and the kohen,²⁴ he mentions the laws regarding the prophet.²⁵

footnotes: ¹³ This is the reading in II Kings 12:8 and in the Vat. Ebr ¹⁴ Your friends or relatives. This opinion renders mimkarav ¹⁵ This is the opinion of Rashbam. ¹⁶ For makkarav ¹⁷ From the root mem, kaf, resh ¹⁸ According to I.E., literally, beside that which he has sold according to the fathers. ¹⁹ The Levite’s. The same law applies to a kohen ²⁰ In the year of the jubilee. The point is that Lev. 25:33 indicates that a Levite (or kohen ²¹ In other words, it means that which he (the Levite, or kohen ²² Of the sacrificial meat. In other words, the kohen ²³ In chapters 16-18. ²⁴ In chapter 18. ²⁵ Verses 18-22.

ONE THAT MAKETH HIS SON OR HIS DAUGHTER TO PASS THROUGH THE FIRE. This was a form of idol worship, for we have among us today many gentiles who worship the fire.²⁶

footnotes: ²⁶ I.E. was probably alluding to the Zoroastrians.

ANYONE THAT USETH DIVINATION.²⁷. Kosem (one that useth divination) is most probably a general term. It refers to those who issue decrees and declare things will undoubtedly be so.²⁸ The term gazerin (magicians) is similar.²⁹ (Dan. 2:27) comes from gazar (to decree). Thus gazerin means those who decree. The word kesem (divine sentence) in A divine sentence is in the lips of the king (Prov. 16:10) is close in meaning to it. The particulars³⁰. are a soothsayer (me’onen), or an enchanter (menachesh), or a sorcerer (mechashef). It is also possible that kosem is a specific term for astrologers³¹. This is a phrase found in Is. 47:13. I.E. there defines it as astrologers. I.E. believed that the study of astrology was permitted. What was prohibited was making absolute predictions using astrology. It should be noted that I.E. believed that the urim and tummim entailed the use of astrology. Therefore I.E. probably believed that certain types of astrological predictions were prohibited, while others, i.e., those sanctioned by the Torah, were permitted. See I.E. on Ex. 28:5 (Vol. 2, pp. 595-598? and the notes thereto). See also Dov. Schwartz, Astral Magic in Medieval Jewish Thought (Heb.), Bar-Ilan University, Israel, 1999, pp. 62-91. and that kesamim (divinations) refers to divination that astrologers make based on the primary and secondary stars.³²

footnotes: ²⁷ Hebrew, kosem kesamim ²⁸ They predict the future in no uncertain terms. ²⁹ Gazerin ³⁰ Following the general term kesamim ³¹ The term used by I.E. is hovere shamayim ³² The primary stars are the true stars. The secondary stars are shooting stars and the like. The latter were thought to be produced by the stars themselves. Hence they are called secondary stars. See I.E. on Gen. 1:14 (Vol. 1, p. 38). See also Motot.

A SOOTHSAYER,³³. OR AN ENCHANTER.³⁴. I have explained these terms previously.³⁵

footnotes: ³³ Hebrew, me’onen ³⁴ Hebrew, menachesh ³⁵ See I.E. on Lev. 19:26.

OR A SORCERER.³⁶. I have also explained this term.³⁷

footnotes: ³⁶ Hebrew, mechashef ³⁷ See I.E. on Ex. 7:11 (Vol. 2, p. 148).

OR A CHARMER.³⁸. One who calls the demons together.

footnotes: ³⁸ Hebrew, chover chaver

OR ONE THAT CONSULTETH A GHOST OR A FAMILIAR SPIRIT. I have explained these terms before.³⁹

footnotes: ³⁹ See I.E. on Lev. 19:31.

OR A NECROMANCER. Such as those who go to cemeteries and take the bone of a dead person and, because of their imagination and madness, see shapes⁴⁰ while they are awake⁴¹ or in a dream. All of these things⁴² are abominations to God. The truth is that a person must fully believe in his creator in his heart. When a person relies on his wisdom, and not on God, in seeking the truth and what will be in the future, his mind is deficient, for it is perverted. The person who wants to inquire,⁴³ let him inquire from God via a prophet. Scripture therefore afterward reads, A prophet will the Lord…raise up…from the midst of thee (v. 15). The latter refers to Joshua. Unto him ye shall hearken (Ibid.), which is later followed by and the children of Israel hearkened unto him (Deut. 34:9), is proof of this. The fact that we do not find any other prophet but Joshua entering Canaan⁴⁴ is additional proof of this.⁴⁵. The only one who fits that description is Joshua, for we do not find any other prophet but Joshua immediately following Moses. It is also possible that our verse lays down a general rule for each and every prophet who will arise after Moses.⁴⁶ applies not only to Moses’ successor, but to all prophets following Moses.

footnotes: ⁴⁰ See things. ⁴¹ Hallucinate. ⁴² Mentioned in verses 10,11. ⁴³ As to what the future holds. ⁴⁴ That is, leading Israel. ⁴⁵ Verse 15 speaks of A prophet…like unto me ⁴⁶ In other words, A prophet…like unto me

LIKE UNTO ME. Who is a prophet of God and not an enchanter.

I WILL REQUIRE IT OF HIM. His death is thus caused by God.⁴⁷ What happened to the man who did not listen to the words of the prophet who said, Smite me, I pray thee (I Kings 20:35) is proof of this.⁴⁸ Scripture states there that the prophet⁴⁹. spoke by the word of the Lord⁵⁰ (I Kings 21:35), The prophet was previously known as a prophet of God.

footnotes: ⁴⁷ He is not executed by a human court. ⁴⁸ The man who did not listen to the prophet was killed by a lion. ⁴⁹ Who said, Smite me, I pray thee ⁵⁰ What he said came from God, not from the prophet’s mind. Hence the addressee was obligated to follow what he said.

WHEN A PROPHET SPEAKETH. The prophet Jeremiah similarly says, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass (Jer. 28:9) in the time predicted by the prophet.⁵¹ (Jer. 28:9). After Moses finished explaining the law relating to the soothsayers and their practices, which were practiced by the idolaters of the land, he warned⁵² that no innocent blood be shed in the land. The reason for this is that the land shall be pure from the abomination of the soothsayers, and it should also not be defiled by the shedding of innocent blood.

footnotes: ⁵¹ Then shall the prophet he known ⁵² In the following chapter.