Rashi on TanakhNumbers 18

Adonoy said to Aharon. He told Moshe to say to Aharon, To exhort him concerning [precautions] for the benefit of the Israelites, so that they do not enter the Sanctuary.

You, your sons, and your father’s house. The children of Kehos, Amram’s father.

Will bear the sin of the Sanctuary. I am casting, upon you, the punishment of the unauthorized persons who sin by their involvement with the sacred objects placed in your charge — the Tent, Ark, Table, and sacred vessels. You must station yourselves and warn every unauthorized person who attempts contact.

And you and your sons. The kohanim.

Will bear the sin of your kehunah. Since it is not a charge given to the Levites, you must warn the erring Levites not to come in contact with you during your service.

Also, your brothers. The sons of Gershon and the sons of Merori.

They shall join you. They shall unite with you in also warning the unauthorized persons not to approach them.

And serve you. By guarding the gateways, and through the appointment, from them, of custodians and administrators.

A commonor should not approach you. I admonish you about this.

So that there will be no more wrath. As there already was, as it is said, “for the wrath has surfaced.”

Given to you as a gift. Perhaps for your personal, secular service? The Torah, therefore, teaches, “for God,” as specified above, to attend to the mandate — custodians and administrators.

The service as a gift. I have given it to you as a gift.

Behold, I have given you. With joy. This term denotes joy, as in, “behold, he is going out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.” This is compared to a king who gave a property to his intimate friend, but did not write and sign a deed, or register it with the authorities. Someone came and claimed the property. The king said to him: “Whoever wishes will come and claim against you. Behold, I will write and sign a deed to you, and register it with the authorites.” Here, too, because Korach came and claimed the kehunah from Aharon, Scripture presents him with twenty-four kehunah gifts, with the eternal covenant of salt. This is why this chapter was placed here.

The guarding of my terumah-gifts. Which you must guard in ritual purity.

For consecration. For greatness.

From the fire. After the burning of the fire.

[Of] all their sacrifices. For example, the communal shelamim-offerings.

Their minchah-offerings, their sin-offerings, and their guilt-offerings. As the plain meaning indicates.

Which they return to Me. This refers to the proselyte’s stolen property.

You shall eat it in the supremely holy. This teaches that the supremely holy offerings may be eaten only in the Sanctuary courtyard, and by the male kohanim.

Their terumah-gift. Which was set aside from the thanksgiving-offering, the peace- offering, and the ram of the nazarite.

Of all of the wave-offerings. Since these require waving.

All those ritually pure. But not those ritually defiled. Another interpretation of “all those ritually pure” — to include his wife.

Their terumah-gift. This refers to the major terumah-gift.

Like the breast which is waved and like the right thigh. Of the peace-offering, which are eaten by the kohanim, and their wives, children, and servants, for two days and one night. The firstborn [animal], also, is eaten for two days and one night.

It shall be yours. R’ Akiva came, and expounded: Scripture adds an additional “being,” so that you should not say, “like the breast and thigh of the thanksgiving-offering, which is only eaten for a day and a night.”

All of the sacred terumah-gifts. Because this parashah is precious, it is generalized at the beginning, generalized at the end, and detailed in between.

An eternal covenant of salt. He made a covenant with Aharon with a robust, enduring object which invigorates others.

A covenant of salt. Like the covenant made with salt, which never spoils.

And you will not have a share among them. Even in the spoils.

They. The Levites will bear the sins of the Israelites, since it is incumbent upon them to warn unauthorized persons against approaching them.

Which they must set aside to Adonoy as a terumah-gift. Scripture calls it “a terumah-gift” until he separates the terumah of the tithe from it.

Your terumah-gift will be considered the same as grain from the granary. The terumah of your tithe is prohibited to unauthorized persons and to the ritually unclean, and they are liable to the death penalty, and to the additional fifth, like the major terumah- gift, which is called the first portion of grain from the granary.

And [wine and oil of] fully ripened fruit from the cistern. The terumah-gift of wine and oil taken from the cisterns.

Fully ripened fruit (lit. full). The term denotes ripeness. Full produce.

Cistern. This refers to the pit before the press, wherein the wine flows. The word יֶקֶב always denotes an excavation of earth. Similarly, “the king’s cisterns,” referring to the sea of Okiyanus, an excavation dug by the King of the universe.

So must you, too, set aside. Just as the Israelites set aside from their granaries and cisterns, so must you, too, from your tithe, since that is your inheritance.

From all of your gifts you must set aside all of the terumah-gifts of Adonoy. Scripture speaks of major terumah, [teaching] that if the Levite pre-empted the kohein at the storage bin, and received his tithes before the kohein took the major terumah from the storage bin, the Levite must first set aside one fiftieth of the tithe as major terumah, and then return and set aside the terumah of the tithe.

When you set aside the finest part of it. After you set aside the terumah of the tithe from it.

It will be considered. What remains for the Levites [will be considered] completely secular.

Like the produce of the granary. To the Israelite. So that you should not say, since the Torah calls it “terumah,” as it is said, “for the Israelites’ tithe which they set aside for God as a terumah-gift,” perhaps it is completely forbidden. The Torah therefore teaches, “It will be considered, for the Levites, like the produce of the granary.” Just as that of the Israelite is secular, so is that of the Levite secular.

Anywhere. Even in the cemetery.

You will not bear a sin because of it, etc. Hence, if you do not set aside, you will bear a sin.

And you will not die. Hence, if you profane, you will die.