Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 9/אבן עזרא על ויקרא ט׳

אויהי ביום השמיני. היה נראה לנו כי ביום השמיני שמיני לניסן כי המשכן הוקם באחד לחדש רק המעתיקים אמרו שהיה ראש חדש ניסן ובשבעת ימי המלואים היה משה מקים את המשכן בכל יום וסותרו כדי להרגיל בו וללמד:

1AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE EIGHTH DAY. It would have appeared to us that the eighth day is the eighth day of Nisan, for the tabernacle was erected on the first day of the month.¹ However, the transmitters of tradition² said that the reference is to the first of Nisan.³ 7:1. Moses erected and took apart the tabernacle on each one of the seven days of consecration⁴ to train and teach.⁵ how to do it.

בקרא משה לאהרן ולבניו. ויצאו מפתח אהל מועד או העדה נכנסה אל החצר:

2THAT MOSES CALLED AARON AND HIS SONS. And they went out from the opening of the tent of meeting.⁶ left the opening of the tent of meeting where they had to stay during the seven days of consecration (Lev. 8:35) and went into the camp of Israel to meet the elders (Filwarg). On the other hand, the congregation entered the courtyard.⁷. During the seven days of consecration the kohanim and the elders were separated. On the eighth day Moses spoke to them as a group. Hence the two possibilities offered by I.E. as to how they met.

אעגל בן בקר. בשבעת ימי המלואים היה פר חטאת גם איל לעולה ולא הזכיר עם עגל בן בקר אם הוא בן שנה והקרוב אלי שפר כמו עגל בלא זכר שנה:

1A BULL-CALF.⁸. During the seven days of consecration a bullock and also a ram were offered for a burnt offering.⁹ Scripture does not mention whether the bull-calf was “of the year.”¹⁰, which means less than a year old. Scripture reads, egel ben bakar. It does not read, egel ben shanah (a calf of the year). It appears to me that a bullock¹¹. and a bull-calf¹². are one and the same when the term “year”¹³ is unmentioned.¹⁴ and par refer to a bull over the age of one. Thus the bull offered during the seven days of consecration and the one offered on the eighth day were similar. They were both over a year old.

בתמימים. על העגל ועל האיל ופרי המלואים לחטא את המזבח וזה העגל לכפר על אהרן וכבר פירשתי זאת המלה:

2WITHOUT BLEMISH. This refers to the bull-calf and the ram.¹⁵ (without blemish). The bullocks of consecration¹⁶ were to purify the altar. This bull-calf was to atone (le-khapper) for Aaron.¹⁷, “Let this calf come and atone for the making of the calf.” However, I.E. explicitly rejects this interpretation in Ex. 31:18 (Vol. 2, p. 656). I have already explained this word.¹⁸. See I.E. on Lev. 1:4, “Le-khapper alav: To serve as a ransom for the punishment due to him.”

אשעיר עזים לחטאת. על הקהל ועגל שאין לו שנה תמימה וכן כבש לעולה:

1A HE-GOAT FOR A SIN-OFFERING. For the congregation. Also [for the congregation] a calf that has not reached the age of a complete year,¹⁹. and a lamb for a burnt offering.

אושור ואיל. גדולים:

1AND AN OX AND A RAM. Fully grown.²⁰ and ayil, not par and keves.

בומנחה. היא סלת לכל אחד ואחד:

2AND A MEAL-OFFERING. Of fine flour for each and every one.²¹. Hence I.E.’s comment.

אוטעם ויאמר משה. כאשר הראיתיך. ואשאל אותה וטעמו כבר אמר להם משה זה הדבר עשו שיתנו שעיר ועגל וכבש ושור ואיל אז יראה לכם כבוד ה׳‎ והטעם על האש שיצא:

1[6. AND MOSES SAID.] Va-yomer mosheh (and Moses said) is to be understood in a manner similar to that of va-eshal otah (and I asked her) (Gen. 24:47). I have pointed out to you how the latter is to be interpreted.²² (and I asked her) is, I had already asked. See I.E. on Gen. 24:14 (Vol. 1, p. 236). The meaning of our clause is that Moses had already said to them, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do, namely, that you offer a he-goat (v. 3), a calf (v. 3), a lamb (v. 3), and an ox and a ram (v. 4);²³ before Israel brought that which Moses commanded before the tent of meeting. then the glory of God will then appear to them. The latter refers to the fire that came forth from the Lord.²⁴

אוכפר בעדך ובעד העם. שהיא מצוה שתכפר על נפשך ועל כל הקהל ובפר החטאת תכפר בעדך ואחר כך תעשה קרבן העם וכפר בעדם כי לא יוכל אדם לכפר על אחד עד היותו טהור מכל חטא:

1AND MAKE ATONEMENT FOR THYSELF, AND FOR THE PEOPLE. There is a divine command that you make atonement for yourself and for all of the people. You will atone for yourself with a sin offering bullock. Afterwards you will atone for the congregation by offering the people’s sacrifice, for a person cannot atone for another unless he has been purified from all sin.

אאשר לו. משלו היה וכן פר יום הכפורים:

1WHICH WAS FOR HIMSELF. It came from his own property. So too the bullock of the Day of Atonement.²⁵. See Lev. 16:3.

אואת הדם. הנשאר יצק:

1THE BLOOD. He poured out the blood which remained.

אואת החלב המכסה. ואשר על הקרב ועל הכליות:

1BUT THE FAT. Which covered the innards, which was upon the innards, and which was on the kidneys.²⁶

אוימציאו. מגזרת מצא שמצאו בשעת הצורך:

1AND…DELIVERED UNTO HIM The word va-yamtzi’u (and…delivered unto him) is related to the word matza (found). Aaron found the blood when it was needed.²⁷ is a hifil, meaning, and they caused it to be found.

אויקרב את קרבן העם. על המזבח:

1AND THE PEOPLE’S OFFERING WAS PRESENTED.²⁸ (literally, and he brought). Thus our clause literally reads, And he brought the people’s offering. On the altar.²⁹ to el. In this case I.E. reads, “to the altar.” In other words, Scripture first tells us that the people’s offering was brought to the altar and then goes on to tell us how Aaron and his sons dealt with it

בויחטאהו כראשון. הוא עגל החטאת:

2AND OFFERED IT FOR SIN, AS THE FIRST. This refers to the sin offering bull-calf.³⁰ means as the first sin offering.

גוטעם ויחטאו. כפר בו החטאת:

3The meaning of va-yechattehu (and offered it for sin) is, to atone with it for the sin.³¹

אוישימו את החלבים. עם הכליות ויותרת הכבד כאשר הראיתיך:

1AND THEY PUT THE FAT. With the kidneys and the lobe of the liver, as I have shown you.³²

אואת החזות. חזה השור גם חזה האיל:

1AND THE BREASTS. The breast of the ox and the breast of the ram.

בואת שוק הימין. מזה ומזה ושוק סמוך אל הפאה או הצד:

2AND THE RIGHT THIGH.³³. From this one and that one.³⁴ The word shok (thigh) is connected to the word ha-pe’ah (corner), or ha-tazad (side).³⁵ or shok ha-pe’ah ha-yamin. In other words, shok ha-yamin is not to be rendered the right thigh, for ha-yamin (the right) is not an adjective describing shok (thigh). If ha-yamin (the right) were an adjective describing shok (thigh), our phrase would have read, ha-shok ha-yamin, rather than shok ha-yamin.

אוישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם. אל נכחם וקדמוננו העתיקו מכאן צורת נשיאות כפים:

1AND AARON LIFTED UP HIS HANDS TOWARD³⁶ (literally, to). THE PEOPLE. Toward them.³⁷ means towards the people. We have followed the reading in Vat. Ebr. 38. The Mikra’ot Gedolot editions of I.E. read, ra’a nikhecham. The word ra’a has not been explained. It appears to be a copyist’s error. See Filwarg and Weiser. From here our ancients transmitted to us the form taken by the “raising of the hands.”³⁸ lift their hands when bestowing the priestly benediction. See Sotah 38a.

בוירד. כאשר הראיתיך רבים וכבר ירד מעשות חטאת העם ועולתם והשלמים:

2AND HE CAME DOWN. Va-yered (and he came down) is to be understood in accordance with what I have previously pointed out to you many times.³⁹ often introduces the pluperfect. See I.E. on verse 6. It means that Aaron had already come down⁴⁰ from offering the people’s sin offering, burnt offering, and peace offering.

גוטעם וירד. בעבור המזבח שהיה שלש אמות קומתו ואחר כן באו משה ואהרן אל אהל מועד ויתכן שבאו להתפלל על האש שתצא ובצאתם ברכו שניהם את העם:

3Scripture reads came down because the altar was three cubits in height.⁴¹ After this,⁴² Moses and Aaron came to the tent of meeting. It is likely that they came to pray that a fire would come forth. When they came out⁴³ both of them blessed the people.

אאת העולה. עולת אהרן ועולת העם ועולת תמיד כי כן כ׳‎ מלבד עולת הבוקר:

1THE BURNT-OFFERING. The burnt offering of Aaron, the burnt offering of the people, and the continual burnt offering,⁴⁴. for Scripture states, beside the burnt-offering of the morning (Num. 28:23).⁴⁵ (the festival offerings) beside the burnt-offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt-offering. Hence the burnt offering is to be offered every day. Thus the burnt offering in our verse also includes the continual burnt offering.

בואת החלבים. מהעגל ואיל אהרן והשעיר והשור והאיל:

2AND THE FAT. From the bull-calf and the ram of Aaron, and the he-goat, the ox, and the ram

גוירנו. הרמת קול וכן ותעבו׳‎ הרנה במחנה:

3THEY SHOUTED. Va-yaronnu (they shouted) means they raised their voices. Compare, rinnah (cry) in And there went a cry throughout the host (I Kings 22:36).