Kli Yakar on Leviticus Chapter 22
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שׁוֹר אוֹ כֶשֶׂב אוֹ עֵז כִּי יִוָּלֵד. אָמְרוּ הַמְפָרְשִׁים שֶׁבְּיוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹ עָלָיו שֵׁם שׁוֹר אוֹ כֶשֶׂב, כִּי אֵינוֹ מוֹסִיף עַל שְׁלֵמָתוֹ וְעַל עַצְמוּתוֹ כְּלוּם, כִּי הוּא נוֹלָד עִם כָּל שְׁלֵמָתוֹ. לְאַפּוֹקֵי הָאָדָם, עַיִר פֶּרֶא יִוָּלֵד (איוב יא יב), וּקְנִיַּת שְׁלֵמָתוֹ תָּלוּי בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁלְּכָךְ הוֹדִיעַ לָנוּ הַכָּתוּב, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא תֹּאמַר, מֵאַחַר שֶׁבְּיוֹם הִוָּלְדָם יֵשׁ לָהֶם כָּל הַשְּׁלֵמוּת הָרָאוּי לָהֶם, אִם כֵּן יִהְיוּ כְּשֵׁרִים לְהַקְרָבָה מִיָּד, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְהָיָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תַּחַת אִמּוֹ״. ״וּמִיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי וָהָלְאָה יֵרָצֶה״, כִּי כָל מִסְפַּר שְׁמִינִי קֹדֶשׁ, כַּמְבֹאָר לְמַעְלָה פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמִינִי (ט א), עַל כֵּן אֵינוֹ רָאוּי לִהְיוֹת קֹדֶשׁ עַד אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹר עָלָיו מִסְפָּר זֶה.
An ox or a sheep or a goat that is born. The commentators have said that on the day of its birth, it already has the name ox or sheep because it does not add anything to its completeness or essence, as it is born with all its completeness. This is in contrast to a human, who is born a wild donkey’s colt (Job 11:12), and the acquisition of his completeness depends on his actions. It seems that the verse informs us of this so that you would not say that since on the day of their birth they have all the completeness appropriate for them, they should be immediately eligible for sacrifice. Therefore, the verse says: it shall be seven days under its mother, and from the eighth day onward it shall be acceptable. For every count of eight is holy, as explained above in the portion of Shemini (9:1), therefore it is not fitting to be consecrated until this count has passed over it.