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Rashi on Leviticus Chapter 12

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אשה כי תזריע. אָ"רַ שִׂמְלַאי: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיְּצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אַחַר כָּל בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ נִתְפָּרְשָׁה אַחַר תּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף (ויקרא רבה יד):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

אשה כי תזריע IF A WOMAN HAVE CONCEIVED SEED — R. Simlai said: Even as the formation of man took place after that of every cattle, beast and fowl when the world was created, so, too, the law regarding him is set forth after the law regarding cattle, beast and fowl (contained in the previous chapter) (Leviticus Rabbah 14:1).

כי תזריע. לְרַבּוֹת שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ יְלָדַתּוּ מָחוּי — שֶׁנִּמְחָה וְנַעֲשָׂה כְּעֵין זֶרַע — אִמּוֹ טְמֵאָה לֵידָה (נדה כ"ז):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

כי תזריע — These words are superfluous, כי ילדה would suffice — they mean literally, ”if she bringeth forth seed” and are employed to include the case that if she gave birth to him (the male child) as a pulpy mass which had dissolved, having become liquified like seed, even then its mother becomes unclean as though it were a normal birth (Niddah 27b).

כימי נדת דותה תטמא. כְּסֵדֶר כָּל טֻמְאָה הָאֲמוּרָה בְנִדָּה מִטַּמְּאָה בְטֻמְאַת לֵידָה, וַאֲפִלוּ נִפְתַּח הַקֶּבֶר בְּלֹא דָם (שם כ"א):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

כימי נדת דותה תטמא AS IN THE DAYS OF THE SEPARATION FOR HER IMPURITY SHALL SHE BECOME UNCLEAN — According to the regulation of every uncleanness which is mentioned in the case of a נדה does she become unclean in respect to the uncleanness resulting from child-birth — even though the womb opened without any issue of blood (cf. Niddah 21a).

דותה. לְשׁוֹן דָּבָר הַזָּב מִגּוּפָהּ; לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר לְשׁוֹן מַדְוֶה וְחֹלִי, שֶׁאֵין אִשָּׁה רוֹאָה דָם שֶׁלֹּא תֶחֱלֶה וְרֹאשָׁהּ וְאֵבָרֶיהָ כְבֵדִין עָלֶיהָ (שם ט'):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

דותה — This is an expression for anything which flows from her body (‎‎‏זב = דו, “flowing”), and the translation is: “as in the days of separation due to her flux”. Another explanation is: it has the same meaning as .מדוה (root דוה), malady and sickness, and this is termed דותה, “her sickness”, because no woman sees an issue of blood from herself except that, as a result of it, she becomes unwell and her head and limbs feel heavy (cf. Niddah 9a).

תשב. אֵין תֵּשֵׁב אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן עַכָּבָה, כְּמוֹ וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בְקָדֵשׁ (דברים א'), וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא (בראשית י"ג):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

תשב — The word תשב signifies here “remaining”, just as in (Deuteronomy 1:46) “And ye stayed (ותשבו) at Kadesh”, and (Genesis 13:18) “and he stayed (‎‎‎וישב) in the Plain of Mamre”

בדמי טהרה. אַעַ"פִּי שֶׁרוֹאָה טְהוֹרָה:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

בדמי טהרה IN THE BLOOD OF PURIFICATION — Even though she see an issue of blood she is nevertheless clean (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Yoledet, Chapter 1 7).

בדמי טהרה. לֹא מַפִּיק הֵ"א, וְהוּא שֵׁם דָּבָר כְּמוֹ טֹהַר:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

בדמי טהרה — There is no Mappik in the last 'ה‎ of טהרה (as there is in the last word of this verse): it (the word) is an uninflected noun similar in meaning to טֹהַר (being a feminine form of it).

ימי טהרה. מַפִּיק הֵ"א — יְמֵי טֹהַר שֶׁלָּהּ:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

ימי טהרה — the 'ה here has a Mappik and the meaning is: the days of her טֹהַר, her purification.

בכל קדש. לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַתְּרוּמָה, לְפִי שֶׁזּוֹ טְבוּלַת יוֹם אָרֹךְ, שֶׁטָּבְלָה לְסוֹף שִׁבְעָה וְאֵין שִׁמְשָׁהּ מַעֲרִיב לְטַהֲרָהּ עַד שְׁקִיעַת הַחַמָּה שֶׁל יוֹם אַרְבָּעִים שֶׁלְּמָחָר תָּבִיא אֶת כַּפָּרַת טָהֳרָתָהּ:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

בכל קדש [SHE SHALL NOT TOUCH] ANYTHING THAT IS HOLY — not anything: this serves to include the heave-offering (Makkot 14b; Yevamot 75a). The Torah prescribes this because such a woman must be regarded as one who has taken the immersion on a very long day (טבולת יום ארוך), because she immersed herself at the end of the first seven days whilst her sun does not set to bring about her purification until sunset of the fortieth day since it is only on the morrow that she has to bring the atonement offering in connection with her purification, as it is stated in v. 6.

לא תגע. אַזְהָרָה לָאוֹכֵל וְכוֹ' כְּמוֹ שֶׁשְּׁנוּיָה בִיבָמוֹת (דף ע"ה):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

לא תגע SHE SHALL NOT TOUCH — This is a prohibition addressed to anyone who would eat holy things in a state of uncleanness, as it is stated in a Baraitha in Yevamot 75a.

והקריבו. לִמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין מְעַכְּבָהּ לֶאֱכֹל בְּקָדָשִׁים אֶלָּא אֶחָד מֵהֶם, וְאֵי זֶה הוּא? זֶה חַטָּאת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְכִפֶּר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן וְטָהֵרָה, מִי שֶׁהוּא בָא לְכַפֵּר, בּוֹ הַטָּהֳרָה תְלוּיָה:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

והקריבו AND HE SHALL OFFER IT — Two offerings have been mentioned, a lamb and a bird, but it states here ,,and he shall offer it and so make an atonement for her” — this teaches you that only the omission to sacrifice a particular one of these two precludes her from eating the sacrificial food. And which is this? It is the sin-offering, because it is stated immediately afterwards: “he shall make expiation for her and she shall be clean” — that which is intended as expiation (i. e. the sin-offering), upon it does the purification depend (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Yoledet, Chapter 3 4).

וטהרה. מִכְּלָל שֶׁעַד כָּאן קְרוּיָה טְמֵאָה:

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

וטהרה AND SHE SHALL BE CLEAN — it follows, therefore, that until now (until she has brought the atonement offering) she is termed ‘‘unclean” (i.e. she is regarded as טמאה) although she is actually טהרה.

אחד לעלה ואחד לחטאת. לֹא הִקְדִּימָהּ הַכָּתוּב אֶלָּא לְמִקְרָאָהּ, אֲבָל לְהַקְרָבָה חַטָּאת קוֹדֵם לָעוֹלָה, כָּךְ שָׁנִינוּ בִּזְבָחִים בְּפֶרֶק כָּל הַתָּדִיר (זבחים צ ע"א):

Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934

אחד לעלה ואחד לחטאת THE ONE FOR A BURNT-OFFERING AND THE OTHER FOR A SIN-OFFERING — Scripture puts it (the עולה) first only by way of mention, but so far as offering it is concerned the sin-offering precedes the burnt-offering; thus do we learn in the Treatise Zevachim 90a, in the chapter commencing כל התדיר .

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