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Sit in most shuls during the Passover holiday and you probably experienced this phenomena. After the initial reading, the second Torah scroll is opened up for maftir reading. The reading is from chapter 28 in Numbers. Everything seems normal until the reader finishes verse 23, and suddenly, everyone in the room yells out the notation of the first word of verse 24: “KAELEH!!” Jewish Whatsapp and Facebook groups are also full of “KAELEH!” memes. What does this word mean and why does it appear here in the discussion of the Passover holiday? Chizkuni compares chapter 28 of Numbers with chapter 23 of Leviticus. In chapter 23 of Leviticus, God detailed the rules of the holidays as they related to the land. In this chapter, God provides the details of the offerings. Therefore, the word kaeleh (like these) is meant to modify the previous listing to explain the offerings like these are given. Chizkuni’s answer does not explain why kaeleh only appears with the rules for Passover. It also only connects to chapter 23 of Leviticus, but not the other times that the holidays are mentioned. Rashi addresses the Passover question by explaining that kaeleh is meant to modify the offerings of Passover with the offerings of Sukkot discussed in chapter 29. The Sukkot offerings gradually decrease in number over the holiday, while the Passover ones stay constant. The issue with Rashi is that Passover is discussed before Sukkot. Why would the Torah need to modify something that it has not yet mentioned? Malbim modifies Rashi slightly and explains that kaelah is meant to emphasize that these are the specific sacrifices given on that day to avoid any confusion. Perhaps kaeleh is meant to distinguish these Passover rules from the previous Passover. The only holiday celebrated so far is Passover and each of them has been slightly different. The Torah, therefore, needs to clarify that these specific Passover sacrifices are the ones that will apply to every Passover going forward.
By Josh BlechnerSit in most shuls during the Passover holiday and you probably experienced this phenomena. After the initial reading, the second Torah scroll is opened up for maftir reading. The reading is from chapter 28 in Numbers. Everything seems normal until the reader finishes verse 23, and suddenly, everyone in the room yells out the notation of the first word of verse 24: “KAELEH!!” Jewish Whatsapp and Facebook groups are also full of “KAELEH!” memes. What does this word mean and why does it appear here in the discussion of the Passover holiday? Chizkuni compares chapter 28 of Numbers with chapter 23 of Leviticus. In chapter 23 of Leviticus, God detailed the rules of the holidays as they related to the land. In this chapter, God provides the details of the offerings. Therefore, the word kaeleh (like these) is meant to modify the previous listing to explain the offerings like these are given. Chizkuni’s answer does not explain why kaeleh only appears with the rules for Passover. It also only connects to chapter 23 of Leviticus, but not the other times that the holidays are mentioned. Rashi addresses the Passover question by explaining that kaeleh is meant to modify the offerings of Passover with the offerings of Sukkot discussed in chapter 29. The Sukkot offerings gradually decrease in number over the holiday, while the Passover ones stay constant. The issue with Rashi is that Passover is discussed before Sukkot. Why would the Torah need to modify something that it has not yet mentioned? Malbim modifies Rashi slightly and explains that kaelah is meant to emphasize that these are the specific sacrifices given on that day to avoid any confusion. Perhaps kaeleh is meant to distinguish these Passover rules from the previous Passover. The only holiday celebrated so far is Passover and each of them has been slightly different. The Torah, therefore, needs to clarify that these specific Passover sacrifices are the ones that will apply to every Passover going forward.