Parashath Pinhhas - Shiur II
Yishay Ruvinski
THE TANACH STUDY CENTER - http://www.tanach.org
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
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PARSHAT PINCHAS - THE MUSAFIM [shiur from 5759]
You may not have noticed this, but on every Jewish holiday
(including Rosh Chodesh) either the entire Torah reading, or at
least the "maftir" section, is ALWAYS from Parshat Pinchas!
Likewise, whenever we doven MUSAF - we always include a
quote from Parshat Pinchas.
As we will see in our study of chapters 28->29, the reason
why is very simple. Hopefully, this week's shiur will also
enhance your appreciation of "tfilat Musaf".
INTRODUCTION
The second half of Parshat Pinchas (i.e. chapters 28->29)
contains a lengthy set of mitzvot which at first glance appear
to be describing the 'Jewish Holidays'. However, as we study this
unit more closely, we'll notice that a more accurate title for
this unit would be 'Parshat ha'TMIDIM u'MUSAFIM'. This
distinction will also help us better understand why the Torah
repeats these holidays in Sefer Bamidbar, even though they were
already discussed in Parshat Emor (in Sefer Vayikra).
AN ORGANIZED UNIT
Before we begin, let's take a quick glance a chapters 28->29
(preferably using a Tanach Koren). Note, that even though the
holidays themselves don't begin until 28:16, there is a new
"dibur" that opens this chapter (see 28:1) which clearly
indicates that all of the mitzvot included between 28:1 and 30:1
should be considered one unit.
[Note also how 30:1 closes this unit, for it records the
fulfillment of God's command in 28:1! [Compare also with
Vayikra 23:1 and 23:44.] Note also that it looks like 'King
James' (i.e. the Bible's division into chapters) made a
mistake here, for 30:1 should really have been 29:40! Note
the 'parshia' break which (as usual) is much more
accurate.]
Therefore, to determine what ties this unit together, let's
make a list of the topic of each of the parshiot in this unit.
[Note the very logical progression which emerges.]
PSUKIM TOPIC / The laws of:
====== =====
28:1-8 the DAILY korban TAMID
28:9-10 the WEEKLY korban MUSAF for SHABBAT
28:11-15 the MONTHLY korban MUSAF for ROSH CHODESH
28:16-25 the special korban MUSAF for CHAG HA'MATZOT
28:26-31 the special korban MUSAF for CHAG SHAVUOT
29:1-6 the special korban MUSAF for YOM TRU'AH
29:7-11 the special korban MUSAF for YOM KIPPUR
29:12-34 the special korban MUSAF for each day of SUCCOT
---> * [note how each day is a separate parshia!]
29:35-38 the special korban MUSAF for SHMINI ATZERET
29:39 Summary pasuk
The progression within this unit is very straightforward.
We begin with the DAILY "korban tamid", followed by the WEEKLY
"musaf shabbat", followed by the MONTHLY "korban rosh chodesh,
followed by the YEARLY schedule of korbanot offered on the
chagim, beginning with the first month, etc. It is for this
reason that the FIRST pasuk of each of these parshiot begins with
the precise date of the holiday.
Now, review these parshiot one more time, noting how each
and every parshia ends with the statement "al olat ha'tamid" or
"milvad olat ha'tamid"! In other words, the Torah goes out of its
way to emphasize that each of these korbanot are IN ADDITION to
the daily OLAH offering! That is why we call it MUSAF! - The word
"musaf" stems from the verb "l'hosif" = to add on. These special
korbanot are offered in ADDITION to the daily korban TAMID, and
hence their name - a korban MUSAF.
Therefore, this unit begins with the KORBAN TAMID and then
continues with the Korbanot MUSAF which are 'added' to it. Hence,
a more precise definition for this unit would be KORBANOT TMIDIM
u'MUSAFIM. Even though the general topic is korbanot, this unit
includes all of the holidays simply because on each holiday a
special korban MUSAF is offered - in 'addition' to the daily
korban TAMID.
[In case you didn't figure it out yet, this list contains
all of the days when we doven MUSAF, and that is the reason
why we doven MUSAF. [Recall that tfilat shacharit is in
place of the daily korban Tamid that was once offered in
the Bet ha'Mikdash.]
BETWEEN EMOR & PINCHAS
With this background, we can better understand the
difference between the presentation of the chagim in Parshat Emor
(see Vayikra chapter 23) and their presentation here.
In contrast to Parshat Pinchas whose primary topic is
korbanot, the primary topic in Parshat Emor is the holidays. In
fact, that is precisely its title: "moadei Hashem..." - God's
appointed times (23:1,4)! That unit details the nature and
specific laws for each holiday. For example, the prohibition to
work, the need to gather ("mikraei kodesh"), and special mitzvot
for each holiday, such as: offering the "omer", the "shtei
ha'lechem", blowing shofar, fasting, succah, lulav & etrog etc.
[To verify, review Vayikra 23:1-44.]
[That parsha does include certain korbanot, such as those
which come with the "omer" and "shtei ha'lechem". But
again, those korbanot are special for that day and hence,
relate to the special nature of each of those holidays.]
Notice also how each holiday in Parshat Emor includes the
mitzvah of "v'hikravtem ishe la'Hashem" [you shall bring an
offering to God/ see 23:8,25,27,36]. This commandment appears to
be very general for it doesn't specify which korban must be
offered. However, a key summary pasuk toward the end of that unit
points us directly to Parshat Pinchas:
"These are God's appointed times set aside for gathering IN
ORDER to offer a - ISHE LA'HASHEM -, an OLAH, MINCHA,
ZEVACH, & NESACHIM, - on EACH DAY what is proper to it -
DVAR YOM B'YOMO." (See Vayikra 23:37, compare with 23:4)
What does "dvar yom b'yomo" refer to? Most likely to the
precise details for these korbanot as recorded in Parshat
Pinchas! [Note Rashi on that pasuk (23:37), that is exactly what
he says!]
[Using computer language we could say that Parshat Emor is
'indexed' to Parshat Pinchas - or, if each "v'hikravtem
ishe" in Emor was in 'hyper-text', it would link to its
respective URL address in Pinchas. [e.g. 23:8->28:19, etc.]
Also, if you look carefully at the names of the chagim in
the opening pasuk of each parshia in Parshat Pinchas, you'll
notice that it reflects the primary aspect of each chag as
described in Parshat Emor! [That comparison you'll have to do on
your own.] However, other than the details of the MUSAF, Parshat
Pinchas does not add in any new specific laws for any of the
chagim.
THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF PARSHAT HA'MUSAFIM
Let's return now to Parshat Pinchas to take a look at the
actual korbanot and what they're all about.
Even though the korban MUSAF of each holiday is presented
in a separate parshia, the korbanot themselves are quite similar
for each contains:
* an OLAH offering of PARIM, AYLIM, KVASIM /bulls, rams,
sheep;
* the appropriate flour & wine offerings, known as NESACHIM;
* and a CHATAT offering of a SEIR IZIM (a goat).
The following table compares the specific korbanot of each
chag. [If you have the time (and patience), I recommend that you
try to work it our first on your own.]
As you review this table, note how similar most of the
MUSAFIM are. However, note as well where and how they differ!
CHAG / OLAT: PAR AYIL KEVES / SEIR CHATAT / NOTES
=============================================================
ROSH CHODESH - 2 1 7 1
CHAG HA'MATZOT - 2 1 7 1 [same for all 7 days]
SHAVUOT - 2 1 7 1
ROSH HA'SHANA - 1 1 7 1
YOM KIPPUR - 1 1 7 1 [same as Rosh Hashana!]
SUCCOT (day 1) - 13 2 14 1 for Succot:
SUCCOT (day 2) 12 2 14 1 [each day/ 1 PAR less]
SUCCOT (day 3) - 11 2 14 1 "
SUCCOT (day 4) - 10 2 14 1 "
SUCCOT (day 5) - 9 2 14 1 "
SUCCOT (day 6) - 8 2 14 1 "
SUCCOT (day 7) - 7 2 14 1 "
SHMINI ATZERET - 1 1 7 1 [same as Rosh Hashana!]
The results of this chart are very interesting for they
create various groups of holidays (which we may not have
expected). Let's organize them as follows:
GROUP ONE: [the 2-1-7-1]
Rosh Chodesh, Chag ha'Matzot, and Shavuot
Note how all three are connected to YETZIAT MITZRAYIM!
[Rosh Chodesh based on Shmot 12:1, and Shavuot can be
considered the conclusion of Pesach (7 week count-
up).]
GROUP TWO: [the 1-1-7-1]
Rosh ha'Shana, Yom Kippur, and Shmini Atzeret
Note, that all three are in Tishrei! Since the first
two are 'days of judgement', then we must conclude
that Shmini Atzeret must also be a 'day of judgement'!
[e.g. "tfilat geshem" etc.]
GROUP THREE: [the {13->7}-2-14-1]
The seven days of Succot
This is the most interesting group, for (unlike "chag
ha'matzot") even though each day of Succot is the same
holiday, for some reason the number of PARIM decreases
daily.
DOUBLE NATURE
In addition to this obvious division into three groups,
there remains another interesting phenomena in the above chart.
For some reason, the OLAH offering on Succot seems to be DOUBLE.
On every other holiday we offer one AYIL and seven KVASIM, but
on each day of Succot we double that - offering TWO and FOURTEEN
instead! Furthermore, in regard to the PARIM, there's an
'explosion'. Instead of either one or two, we find THIRTEEN! More
puzzling is the fact that each day we bring one less.
So what's going on with the korbanot on Succot?
One could suggest that Succot should not be considered a
separate category, but rather a COMBINATION of the other two.
Let's explain why.
On the one hand, Succot could be included in Group One, for
that group contains the other two "shalosh regalim" (i.e. Chag
ha'Matzot and Shavuot). On the other hand, Succot could also be
included in Group Two, for that group contains all of the other
holidays that fall out in the seventh month (i.e. "chagei
Tishrei").
[Thematically as well, Succot fits into both groups. On the
one hand it is a thanksgiving holiday (like the holidays in
Group One), where we thank God for our fruit harvest
/that's why we recite the Hallel. On the other hand, it is
also a time of awe (like the holidays in Group Two), for we
anticipate the rainy season which will determine the fate
of the forthcoming year/& that's why we recite the
"Hoshanot"].
This 'double nature' of Succot can explain why its korbanot
are DOUBLE - two AYLIM instead of one; & fourteen KVASIM instead
of seven. But what about the PARIM. According to this
interpretation, we should only bring THREE on each day of Succot.
So why do we bring and 'extra' ten on the first day, an extra
nine on the second, etc.
It's rather cute, but if we add up all the 'extras', i.e.
10+9+8+7+6+5+4 we find that we've added 49 [=7x7] PARIM. Now when
we discuss the "chagim", that number, or any other multiple of
SEVEN should not surprise us, for 'seven' in Chumash always
relates to our recognition that it God who controls what we
perceive as nature (see shiurim on both Parshat Breishit and on
Parshat Emor). Even more so on Succot - for it sits at the
junction (and 'overlap') of the agricultural year, i.e. at the
end of the previous year (the final harvest) and beginning of the
new year (the upcoming rainy season).
Then if we add these 49 PARIM to the original 21 PARIM
[3x7days], we find that a total of SEVENTY parim are offered
during SUCCOT. Chazal point out that these seventy bulls are
representative of the seventy nations of mankind. [See shiur on
Parshat Noach.]
In any case, there is definitely more in the parsha that
meets the eye. But a deeper discussion is beyond the scope of the
shiur.
[If you want to find additional meaning to the number 7 or
49 [=7x7] in relation to the 7 days of Succot in the 7th
month, ask your local kabbalist. - "v'akmal".]
In summary, we have shown how what appears to be a rather
monotonous list of korbanot may actually be hiding some very
fundamental aspects of the "chagim". Hopefully, next time you
doven MUSAF, it will make your tfilah a bit more meaningful.
shabbat shalom,
menachem
==========================
FOR FURTHER IYUN
1. If you are not familiar with the structure of tfilat Musaf,
after the standard opening three brachot, we recite a "piyut"
which describes our sorrow (& our fault) over the fact that the
Bet ha'Mikdash not longer stands (e.g. "mpnei chataeinu", or
tikanta shabbat..." etc.). That "piyut" concludes with our wish
that the Bet ha'Mikdash will be rebuilt so that we can once again
offer the korbanot - then we quote the actual korban from Parshat
Pinchas and a brief description of its NESACHIM. This is
followed by yet another piyut (e.g. "yismchu b'malchutcha" or
"melech rachaman...") and then concludes with the bracha of
"kedushat ha'yom" (e.g. "mkadesh ha'shabbat", or "yisrael
v'hazmanim').
2. Note that in regard to lighting Chanuka candles, Bet Shamai's
shita that we begin with eight and conclude with one is based on
a comparison to PAREI ha'CHAG - i.e. the PARIM of Succot.
3. The only korban that doesn't change for any holiday is the
"seir izim l'CHATAT". This korban serves as atonement for any
possible sin of Am Yisrael in the Mikdash. The "seir izim" is
chosen as it is symbolic of the sin of the brothers of Yosef when
they used a "seir" to 'cover up' their sin. See Ramban!
4. See previous shiur on Rosh Ha'shana for a more complete
explanation of why Tishrei (at the beginning of the rainy
season), serves as a time when all mankind is judged.
5. Note machloket between Ramban (and everyone else) concerning
whether this korban MUSAF was offered in the desert or only once
Bnei Yisrael entered the land. Relate it to his "shita" of "yeish
mukdam u'muchar ba'Torah". [Ramban on 28:1 & on Vayikra 3:2.]
Relate this to the above shiur.
