Derasha 1 on Metzora 14:16

Parashas Metzora · Passuk 14:16

The Complete Passuk

וְטָבַ֤ל הַכֹּהֵן֙ אֶת־אֶצְבָּע֣וֹ הַיְמָנִ֔ית מִן־הַשֶּׁ֕מֶן אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־כַּפּ֖וֹ הַשְּׂמָאלִ֑ית וְהִזָּ֨ה מִן־הַשֶּׁ֧מֶן בְּאֶצְבָּע֛וֹ שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִ֖ים לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temima points to Menachos 10a (verified on the daf).

E-Daf.com — Tsurras Hadaf (size=3)
HebrewBooks / Shas PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אֶת אֶצְבָּעוֹ הַיְמָנִית — אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ: כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֶצְבַּע וּכְהֻנָּה אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא יָמִין, מִנַּלָּן מִמְּצֹרָע, דִּכְתִיב וְטָבַל הַכֹּהֵן אֶת אֶצְבָּעוֹ הַיְמָנִית.

English: “His right finger” — Rabbah bar bar Chanah said in the name of R’ Shimon ben Lakish: Wherever the Torah mentions “finger” and “kehunah,” it refers only to the right hand. Whence do we know this? From the metzora, as it is written “and the kohen shall dip his right finger.”

Type of Learning

General rule from the metzora

What Is Learned

Chazal derive the general principle that any priestly service requiring a finger must be performed with the right hand, learning it from the explicit wording here.