Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]
Voluntary Burnt Offerings
The parsha begins by saying that "(G-d) called to Moshe and He spoke to him..."
The seeming redundancy of the wording is to teach a few things:
* Whenever chumash uses the verbs "to speak", "to say" or "to command" to introduce what G-d is telling Moshe, this is an indication that by way of endearment, G-d called out to Moshe by name twice before telling him what He wanted to say. This is in contrast to how G-d appears to the prophets of the other nations, which scripture describes as being in a way of happenstance (see the story with Bilaam in Bamidbar 23:4 for example in which it it describes G-d "happening upon" Bilaam).
* Another reason for the text stating that G-d called to Moshe is to hint to us that Moshe would hear G-d speaking but the rest of Israel did not. One might think that whenever there are "breaks" in the text (i.e sections which are separated by empty space in the scripture) these are indicative of a new prophecy being related, however Rashi explains that this is not the case. The purpose of the breaks were to give Moshe a chance to reflect between each topic that he was told. All the more so should regular people, who are no where near as great as Moshe, take time to reflect each time we learn one topic before jumping to the next.
* The wording "He spoke to him" is an indication that this was one of 13 cases in which G-d was speaking to Moshe to the exclusion of Aaron. Correspondingly there are 13 other cases where G-d's address was meant for both Moshe and Aaron, however even in those instances, it was through Moshe that G-d communicated and Moshe would then relay the message to Aaron.
So as mentioned, the parsha begins with G-d calling to Moshe. He did so from between the two churubim upon the Aron within the Ohel Moed, and His voice could not be heard outside of the Ohel Moed. Not because His voice wasn't loud enough, but rather because the voice halted in there.
G-d tells Moshe that he is to tell the Israelites that it is in their merit that G-d is communicating with Moshe. In fact, this form of communication ceased after the sin of the spies for 38 years thereafter. And then only after all the men who were 20 years of age and older at the time of this sin died did these intimate communions resume. Alternatively, G-d is telling Moshe to relay His words to the nation and then report back to G-d as to whether or not they accepted them.
G-d then instructs Moshe in regards to the voluntary sacrifices:
* The text reads "when a person from among you will bring an offering.. " "A person" is written as אדם (i.e Adam), alluding to the original Adam. Just as the first man Adam did not steal the sacrifice that he offered to G-d, so should any offering they make to G-d not be stolen but from their own property.
* These sacrifices must be from cattle and flock (not wild animals).
* The animal being brought for sacrifice must not have been an active or passive participant in beastiality.
* It could not be an animal which was worshiped or set aside for worship as an idol.
* It may not be an animal that killed a person
* It may not be a treifah (i.e. a "torn" animal - an animal that has a physical defect that will ultimately result in its death).
* Two or more people can join together and bring a collective sacrifice.
* This offering can even come from the entire community as a whole, from extra funds that it has.
If the sacrifice is from cattle:
* It must be a clearly male animal (not a hermaphrodite or an animal of indeterminable gender).
* It must be without blemish
* The owner of the animal must himself bring it up to the temple Courtyard to be sacrificed
* Once a person promises to bring a sacrifice, they are bound by that promise. Although they must bring the sacrifice willingly, if he refuses, he must be coerced until he says he is willing.
* The ritual of the "leaning of the hands" should be performed for these sacrifices, however not on any sacrifices which were made outside of the Mishkan on private altars (this type of thing was permitted while the Mishlan was in Gilgal, Nob and Givon).
* This leaning of the hands was required for all burnt offerings, both voluntary and required, excluding those of birds.
* These sacrifices were acceptable for someone who failed to perform a positive commandment (as there is no explicit punishment for this mentioned in Torah) or violation of a negative commandment that is attached to a positive commandment (for example if someone left over some of the Paschal sacrifice overnight (negative commandment), he can redeem this by burning this leftover in fire.
So this is how the process of offering these sacrifices went.
* The animal is brought to the Temple Courtyard.
* The actual slaughtering of the animal can be done by even a "stranger" (i.e non koshen).
* The "receiving of the blood" in a vessel and bringing the blood up onto the altar must be done by the Kohanim.
* Kohanim which are "chalalim", i.e. who's lineage has been disqualified (for example a Kohen who marries a divorcee) is not allowed to perform these duties.
* Blood from two different burnt offerings (i.e from two different people) may be mixed together (but not together with an unfit sacrifice or of a sin offering).
* The Kohen stands on the ground, takes blood from the vessel and throws it onto the all of the altar below the chut hasikra (a band of red paint which went around the middle of the mizbeach) in the direction of its corners, thus hitting two sides with one throw (by throwing at the corner).
* This altar is found at the entrance of the Ohel Moed. If the Ohel Moed was disassembled, even if the altar is still there, one cannot sacrifice on it.
* The offering is then skinned and cut into specifically prescribed pieces.
* Fire miraculously came down from above the altar, however it was still a mitzvah to bring fire to it to light it, so Aaron, the high priest, would do so. Side note: A high priest could only perform the duties of a regular priest if he was wearing his special high priestly clothing. A regular Kohen by contrast could only officiate if he wore his specifically ascribed clothing, but not if he wore the additional clothing of the high priest.
* The Kohanim then arranged the pieces of skinned meat, the head (which was not skinned) and the fat on the wood on the altar. The fat was used to cover the area of the head where the animal was slaughtered out of respect for G-d. The wood needed to be within the 1 sqaure cubit of the altar, so as not to distract the Kohanim with wood protruding when they would be around it.
There is now a space in the text, i.e. a "break" to give Moshe time to contemplate before going onwards.
And then it continues:
* If the offering is from sheep or goats:
* It must be from an unblemished male
* It cannot be aged, sick or foul smelling
* It must be slaughtered on the north side of the altar (which is not required when sacrificing on a personal altar outside of the Temple (i..e a "high place" mentioned above)
* Similar to the previously discussed sacrifice, the Kohanim are to sprinkle the blood all around the altar and it should be cut up and arrange on top of the wood just as the previously discussed sacrifice.
* Its internal organs and legs must be washed with water.
* Then the Kohen can sacrifice it.
Get full access to Sarede’s Substack at sarede.substack.com/subscribe
