COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM: MY OFFERING, MY BREAD FOR MY FIRE-OFFERINGS. The reason [for stating this command here] is that after He had said, Unto these the Land shall be divided,¹⁷⁰ He completed the commands relating to the laws of the offerings which they are to observe in the Land, since they did not bring any Additional Offerings [of Sabbaths and festivals] in the desert, as I have mentioned in Seder Emor El Hakohanim.¹⁸¹ Likewise they were not obliged to bring drink-offerings in the wilderness, as I have explained in Seder Shelach Lecha.¹⁸² But now He charged those who were to come into the Land with the duty of bringing all [these offerings] there — the Daily Whole-offerings, the Additional Offerings, and their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings. And although He did not say expressly here: “when you come into the Land,” He has already mentioned it in the section of drink-offerings,¹⁸² and He hinted at it in the first section dealing with the festivals.¹⁸³ Now He started here with the [laws of the] Daily Whole-offering, [for] although it has already been mentioned in the section of V’atah Tetzaveh,¹⁸⁴ He repeated it in order that it should all be arranged in one section. And Rashi wrote [in Verse 4]; “That one [i.e., the section in V’atah Tetzaveh] was an instruction [only] for the days of the installation [of the priests], and here He [repeated it] as a commandment for [all future] generations.” But this is not correct, since there it says, *It shall be a continual burnt-offering ‘throughout your generations.’*¹⁸⁵, 29:42. Hence the commandment to offer this in future generations has already been stated there. And according to the interpretation [of the Rabbis]¹⁸⁶ 142. many new teachings are added here [in this repetition of the section of V’atah Tetzaveh; namely]: “My offering — this is the blood. My bread — this refers to [those parts of the offering] that are to be burnt on the altar. My fire offerings — these are the handfuls [of flour] and the frankincense [of the meal-offering]. For a pleasing odor unto Me — these are the [two] bowls [of frankincense that were brought as a memorial] with the showbread.¹⁸⁷ Ye shall observe — that it should only be brought from [animals which have been] kept [for a number of days, and examined so that no blemish occurs to them]. Ye shall observe — that one may only bring [the offering] from that [money] which was donated to the treasury [of the Sanctuary]. Ye shall observe — that priests, Levites and Israelites should stand over it. Ye shall observe — Scripture uses here the term shmirah [‘keeping,’ or ‘observing’], and elsewhere it [also] uses the term *shmirah;*¹⁸⁸ (in your keeping) until the fourteenth day of the same month (Exodus 12:6). Since the lamb had to be bought on the tenth of that month (ibid., Verse 3), the verse implies that it has to be carefully examined for a blemish for four days before it is slaughtered. Since here, in speaking of the Daily Whole-offering, Scripture likewise uses the term shmirah [— ‘tishmeru’ (ye shall keep)], we deduce that it also has to be examined for four days before it is slaughtered just as there the offering requires observation [so that no blemish should be found in it] for [a period of] four days before it is slaughtered, so here too etc.” [See] the whole interpretation, as it is stated in the Sifre.¹⁸⁶ 142. By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse also hints to the following: It states My offering, My bread ‘l’ishai’ — of ‘ishai’ (My Divine powers) — ye shall keep and be careful to offer unto Me to My Name, in its due season. And thou shalt say unto them¹⁸⁹ further, This is the fire-offering which ye shall offer unto the Eternal,¹⁸⁹ “so that the offering should bring about [the desired unity and harmony on high].”¹⁹⁰ on Ricanti. Now there is no sin-offering amongst the Additional Offerings of the Sabbath, as there is in all the other Additional Offerings [i.e., those brought on the New Moon and the festivals], because the congregation of Israel is its partner [that of the Sabbath],¹⁹¹ and all is [therefore] peace [and harmony]. The student [learned in the teachings of the Cabala] will understand. Similarly He mentioned [here for the purpose of arranging all offerings in one section] And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the Eternal’s Passover,¹⁹² meaning that they should offer the Paschal-offering, in order to command them about it together with the other [additional] offerings of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. And He dealt with it [the Paschal-offering] briefly, referring to it only by its name, since He had already explained [all] its laws, according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof.¹⁹³

footnotes: ¹⁷⁰ Above, 26:53. ¹⁸¹ Leviticus 23:2. ¹⁸² Above, 15:2, in the verse: when ye are come into the Land … ¹⁸² Above, 15:2, in the verse: when ye are come into the Land … ¹⁸³ Leviticus 23:10: when ye are come into the Land … ¹⁸⁴ Exodus 29:38-42. ¹⁸⁵ Ibid. ¹⁸⁶ Sifre, Pinchas ¹⁸⁷ Leviticus 24:7. ¹⁸⁸ I.e., in the case of the Paschal-lamb where it says: And it shall be to you ‘l’mishmereth’ ¹⁸⁶ Sifre, Pinchas ¹⁸⁹ Verse 3. ¹⁸⁹ Verse 3. ¹⁹⁰ See L’vush Ha’orah ¹⁹¹ See Vol. I, p. 60. The allusions here are Cabalistic. ¹⁹² Further, Verse 16. ¹⁹³ Above, 9:3.

AND THE DRINK-OFFERING THEREOF — “of wine. IN THE HOLY PLACE THOU SHALT POUR — upon the altar they shall be poured out. A POURING FORTH OF STRONG DRINK — wine which has an intoxicating power. This excludes wine straight from the [wine-]press.” This is the language of Rashi. But it is not correct, for the Rabbis have already said:¹⁹⁴ “Wine straight from the wine-press one may not bring [for the drink-offering, since it is non-intoxicating], but if one did bring [such wine], it is valid” [and there is no need to bring other wine]. Thus [we see that] wine straight from the wine-press is not excluded on the basis of a [Scriptural] verse [for in that case, he would have to bring other wine instead of it], but it is merely a prohibition of the Rabbis to be observed as a rule directly [but if not observed, it does not invalidate the drink-offering]. However, [the correct interpretation is]:¹⁹⁵ 143. “Strong drink, to exclude wine which is diluted [with water],” which is invalid even if already brought [so that one must bring other wine which is undiluted]. And this is how it is interpreted in the Sifre.¹⁹⁵ 143. And there they [furthermore] said: “In the holy place thou shalt pour — it was to be poured in the holy place, and in the holy place it was absorbed.”¹⁹⁶ Now Scripture mentions in the [case of the] Daily Whole-offering and [the Additional Offerings of] your New Moons the amount of fine flour in the meal-offering [which accompanied them],¹⁹⁷ and the amount of wine in the drink-offerings [which accompanied them],¹⁹⁸ but in the [case of the Additional Offerings of the] Sabbath, the Festival[s] of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, the New Year, the Day of Atonement, and the first day of the Festival of Tabernacles, He mentioned the amount of the meal-offering, but did not specify the amount of the drink-offerings. The reason for this is that although in the section [dealing with] the drink-offerings¹⁹⁹ He commanded how much the meal-offerings and the drink-offerings should be for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs,²⁰⁰ in vow-offerings, freewill offerings, and [the offerings of] the festivals,²⁰¹ we find a double meal-offering for the lamb brought with the sheaf [of barley],²⁰² and on the day of Atzereth²⁰³. — Ibid., Verse 17. [they brought] two tenth-parts of an ephah [baked] with leaven,²⁰³. — Ibid., Verse 17. and so also we find [unleavened cakes, wafers, and cakes of leavened bread] in a thanks-offering, which were a meal-offering.²⁰⁴, 7:12-13. Therefore Scripture had to specify [here] in the case of all the festivals that their meal-offering does not change, as it changed in these [above-mentioned cases]. But the drink-offerings never varied; therefore He mentioned them at first in [the case of the] Daily Whole-offering, and did not refer to them afterwards in the case of [the Additional Offering of] the Sabbath. He did refer to them again [when speaking] of the New Moon,²⁰⁵ in order to mention also the drink-offerings of the bullocks and the rams, but afterwards He did not have to mention them at all. [Likewise] He mentioned on the first day of Tabernacles the amount of the meal-offering,²⁰⁶, 29:14. and it was [therefore] no longer necessary to mention it in connection with the other days of the festival, except [to state], and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings … according to their number, after their ordinance,²⁰⁰ meaning to say: “after their ordinance on the first day [of the festival] as mentioned [previously].”

footnotes: ¹⁹⁴ Baba Bathra 97a. ¹⁹⁵ Sifre, Pinchas ¹⁹⁵ Sifre, Pinchas ¹⁹⁶ This is a reference to the cavity at the side of the altar, into which the libations were poured. It was a natural cavity in the ground which had existed since the six days of creation, and the wine went down and was absorbed therein. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 317. ¹⁹⁷ Verses 5, 13. ¹⁹⁸ Verses 7, 14. ¹⁹⁹ Above, 15:4-12. ²⁰⁰ Further, 29:33. ²⁰¹ Above, 15:3. ²⁰² Leviticus 23:13. ²⁰³ I.e., the Festival of Weeks. See in Vol. III, p. 393, why this festival is called by the name Atzereth ²⁰³ I.e., the Festival of Weeks. See in Vol. III, p. 393, why this festival is called by the name Atzereth ²⁰⁴ Ibid. ²⁰⁵ Further, Verse 14. ²⁰⁶ Ibid. ²⁰⁰ Further, 29:33.

THREE TENTH-PARTS SHALL YE OFFER FOR ‘A BULLOCK’ — that is, for each of the [two] bullocks, [mentioned in the preceding verse]. Similarly, *three tenth-parts for ‘the one bullock’*²⁰⁶, 29:14. means for each one of the [thirteen] bullocks [mentioned in the preceding verse]. And [the expression in the following Verse 21] for the one lamb shows us [the meaning of] this [phrase — for ‘a bullock,’ in Verse 20 before us], since it says [there in Verse 21], ‘isaron isaron’ [literally: ‘a tenth-part, a tenth-part’ shalt thou offer for ‘the one lamb’ — thus indicating clearly that this amount of the meal-offering is for each of the Iambs; and here too the amount stated is for each of the bullocks and rams]. Scripture further states explicitly [in Verse 21]: for every lamb of the seven lambs. So here too, for ‘a bullock’ means for [each of] the two bullocks. Scripture, however, sometimes speaks briefly in a matter which is self-understood, for it is obvious that there are not three tenth-parts [of an ephah offered up] for one bullock, whilst the second one has none [at all]. And [the reason why] He stated explicitly [in the following Verse 21] in connection with the lambs [that the meal-offering specified is for each one of the lambs], is because they are many [i.e., seven], and it follows all the more so in the [case of the] bullocks [mentioned here in Verse 20 that the meal-offering specified there is to be offered up for each of the two bullocks]. And in [speaking about the first day of] the Festival of Tabernacles, when the bullocks were more [than on any other festival], He explains three tenth-parts for the one bullock of the thirteen bullocks.²⁰⁶, 29:14.

footnotes: ²⁰⁶ Ibid. ²⁰⁶ Ibid.