Thursday, March 22, 2012

Why won't Ibn Caspi discuss parashat Vayikra?

Here is an interesting one. Ibn Caspi excuses himself from explaining parashat Vayikra; indeed, all the way until Acharei Mot, for a very interesting reason:
He writes:
"I've already informed you in this commentary of mine many times, as well as in the sefer hasod and sefer hamashal that my strong purpose is choosing everywhere the brief. Therefore, since I have seen this parasha and many of those [parshiyot] which follow it encircling the details of the zevachim and the karbonot, which was written by Moshe Rabbenu in his sefer compelled and against his will, for there is no desire to Hashem in olot and zevachim [see Tehillim 51:18], but rather this was compelled by the practice of all the nations in that time which brought them to this. And it is enough in that which is found in the commentary of Rashi as well as in the commentary of Ibn Ezra. Therefore I leave this parasha alone, as well as parashat tzav, and vayhi bayom hashemini. I will abandon as well commentary on parshiyot which come to discuss ritual impurity and purity which are not [presently] practiced, and will be satisfied in them with the commentaries of the predecessors, in parashat Tazria and in torat HaMetzora. And I will abandon as well the parasha of Acharei Mot, specifically in that which discusses a few of the korbanot, but I will discuss that which is there in the statutes regarding forbidden relations."
In his other sefer, Tiras Kesef, he also begs off, but does not list this specific anti-korban reason. See here. Perhaps more on this later. See Ramban citing and rejecting the Rambam, as to the purpose of the korbanos.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How do Caspi and the Rambam account for Cain and Abel's sacrifices.

joshwaxman said...

bli neder, a post soon addressing this.

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