Midrasch zu Bamidbar 28:4

R. Bisna asserted: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My sons, do for Me what I have done for you: I fed you in the desert, therefore you must sacrifice a lamb unto me: Thou shalt offer in the morning (Exod. 29:39). Then washed I thee with water; yea, I cleansed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with richly woven work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I wound fine linen about thy head, and covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a ring upon thy nose, and earrings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head (Ezek. 16:9–12).

"he is Mine": What is the intent of this? It is written (Devarim 15:19) "the male shall you sanctify to the L rd your G d." (How am I to understand this?) As sanctify it so that you receive reward, or if you sanctify it, it is sanctified, and, if not, it is not sanctified? It is, therefore, written "he is Mine" — in any event. What is the intent, then, of "the male shall you sanctify"? Sanctify it (i.e., dedicate it to the L rd) for the sake of receiving reward. Similarly, (Leviticus 6:5) "And the Cohein shall burn wood upon it every morning, etc." What is the intent of this? Is it not written (Isaiah 40:16) "and (the whole forest of Levanon is not sufficient to burn, etc."? What, then, is the intent of "And the Cohein shall burn wood upon it"? For the sake of receiving reward. Similarly, (Numbers 28:4) "the one lamb shall you offer, etc." What is the intent of this? Is it not written (Isaiah, Ibid.) "nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering"? What, then, is the intent of "The one lamb, etc."? For the sake of receiving reward. Similarly, (Exodus 25:8) "and they shall make for Me a sanctuary, etc." What is the intent of this? Is it not written (Jeremiah 23:24) "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" What, then, is the intent of "And they shall make for Me a sanctuary"? For the sake of receiving reward for making it. Once, the disciples spent a Sabbath in Yavneh, R. Yehoshua not among them. When they returned to him he asked them: "What novelty did you hear in Yavneh?" They answered: "After you, our master" (i.e., there is no one to do so after you). R. Yehoshua: "Who spent the Sabbath there?" They: "R. Elazar b. Azaryah." R. Yehoshua: "Is it possible that R. Elazar b. Azaryah spent the Sabbath there without telling you something novel?" They: He expounded this principle (Devarim 31:12) "Gather the people — the men, the women, and the children." Now do little children know the difference between good and evil? But (He did so) in order to bestow reward upon their bringers, to increase the reward of the doers of His will, as it is written (Isaiah 42:21) "The L rd desires for the sake of His righteousness to magnify Torah and to exalt it." At this, he said to them: "What can be more novel than this? I am seventy years old, and I never merited hearing such a thing until this day! Happy are you, father Abraham, from whose loins Elazar b. Azaryah emerged! The generation is not an orphan in whose midst R. Elazar b. Azaryah resides!" They: Our master, he also expounded this principle: (Jeremiah 23:7) "Therefore, behold, days are coming, says the L rd, when it will no more be said: 'As the L rd lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, etc.'" To what may this be compared? A man desired children and had a daughter — whereupon (when he made a vow) he vowed upon her life. Thereafter, he had a son, and (in vowing) he left off (vowing by) his daughter and vowed upon the life of his son. R. Shimon b. Yochai says: To what may this be compared? A man was journeying and was accosted by a wolf, from which he was rescued — whereupon he would (always) talk about his encounter with the wolf. He was later accosted by a lion, from which he was rescued — whereupon he left off talking about his encounter with the wolf and spoke about his encounter with the lion. Similarly, (Genesis 29:19) "And he called the name of the place Beth-El." The first name was superseded by the second. Similarly, (Ibid. 17:5) "And your name will no longer be called Avram." The first name was superseded by the second. Similarly, (Ibid. 15) "Sarai, your wife, etc." The first name was superseded by the second. (Ibid. 32:28) "Your name will no longer be called Yaakov but Yisrael." The first name remained and the second was superadded. The name of Yitzchak was not changed, for he was thus (originally) called by the Holy One Blessed be He. There are three who were named by the Holy One Blessed be He — Yitzchak, Shlomoh, and Yoshiyahu. Yitzchak — (Ibid. 17:19) "But Sarah your wife will bear a son for you and you shall call his name Yitzchak." Shlomoh (I Chronicles 22:9) "for Shlomoh will be his name." Yoshiyahu (I Kings 13:2) "A son will be born to the house of David. Yoshiyahu will be his name." Others say: Also Yishmael among the gentiles. We find the names of righteous ones and their deeds to be revealed to the L rd before their creation, viz. (Jeremiah 1:5) "Before I created you in the womb, I knew you." Where do we find (the same for) the names of wicked ones? It is written (Psalms 58:4) "The wicked are estranged from the womb, etc."

Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “But you did not call Me, Jacob, for you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22). Rabbi Yoḥanan understood it [the verse in Isaiah 43:22] from this, as it is written: “A prophecy of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is removed from being a city and it will be a heap of ruins. Abandoned are the cities of Aroer; [they will be for flocks, and they will lie down, and none will threaten]” (Isaiah 17:1–2). What is it that stands in Damascus and evokes Aroer? Isn’t Aroer within the region of Moav? Rather, there were three hundred and sixty-five houses of [different types of] idolatry in Damascus, and they would worship [in] each one of them on its day. They had one day when they would go around to all of them on that day and worship [all of] them, and Israel assembled them together and worshipped them; that is what is written: “The children of Israel continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they served the Be'alim, and the Ashtarot, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moav, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; they forsook the Lord, and they did not serve Him” (Judges 10:6), not even in conjunction with other gods.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Shall a priestess not be like an innkeeper?²“Shall a priestess not be like an innkeeper” was apparently a popular saying. Here it means: Should not God be worshipped as much as other gods? Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Ḥanina: The Holy One blessed be He said: My children did not even make me like the dessert that comes at the end. Rabbi Levi said: [This is comparable] to a king’s servant who prepared a feast for his soldiers and invited all the king’s legions and did not invite his master. The king said to him: ‘If only you had treated me like all of my soldiers.’ So too, The Holy One blessed be He said: If only My children had treated me like the dessert that comes at the end; rather, “but you did not call Me, Jacob, for you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22). Regarding the Baal, what is written? “They called in the name of the Baal from the morning until noon, saying: ‘The Baal, answer us.’ But there was no voice, and none responded” (I Kings 18:26). He sits and talks all day and does not tire, but when standing to pray, he tires; he sits and talks all day and does not tire, but when sitting to study,³The verb refers specifically to the practice of reviewing the Oral Torah. he tires. That is: “But you did not call Me, Jacob” – if only I had not known you, Jacob – “for you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22). “You did not bring Me the sheep of your burnt offerings” (Isaiah 43:23) – these are the two daily offerings, as it is stated: “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning” (Numbers 28:4). “And you did not honor Me with your offerings” (Isaiah 43:23) – these are the portions of the offerings of sacred sanctity that are burned on the altar. “I have not burdened you with a meal offering” (Isaiah 43:23) – this is the handful of flour taken from the meal offering. “And I have not wearied you with frankincense” (Isaiah 43:23) – this is the handful of frankincense.
“You did not buy a cane [kaneh] for Me with silver” (Isaiah 43:24). Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: Cinnamon [kinamon] grew in the Land of Israel and goats and deer would eat it. “And with the fat of your offerings you did not satisfy Me,” (Isaiah 43:24) – these are the portions of the offerings of lesser sanctity that are burned on the altar. “Rather, you burdened Me with your sins, you wearied Me with your iniquities” (Isaiah 43:24) – look what your sins have caused me, Jacob. Isn’t it enough that you count the days for the banquet of the men, but even made a banquet for the women; that is what is written: “Also, Vashti the queen made a women’s banquet.”

R. Akiba asked R. Nechunia the Great: "Whereby have you merited to live so long?" The latter's servants came and beat R. Akiba [for such a question]. R. Akiba fled from them, and ascended the top of a tree, and said: Rabbi, since it is said (Num. 28, 4) Sheep [in singular], why should one be written in addition to it? I3e said to him: "To signify [that it should be] the best of the flock." [Turning to his servant] he said: "He is a young scholar, permit him to go." As to the first question, he said: "I never in my life accepted any presents, as it is written (Prov. 15, 27) He that hateth gifts will live. And I never insisted on retaliation; as Raba said: "He who passes over his retaliation, his sins will be passed over (be forgiven), as it is said (Micha 7, 18) Pardoning iniquity and forgiving transgression; i.e., to whom does God pardon iniquity? To him who pardons the wrongs of his neighbor toward him."

Another matter: “Your hair is like a flock of goats that streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away [shegelashten], I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? These are the sacrificial offerings. What is it that you took from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, “the one lamb you shall offer in the morning, [and the second lamb you shall offer in the afternoon]” (Numbers 28:4). “That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – that continually atone for Israel.
“That are all paired” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: A ram is offered with eleven…with fifteen (Yoma 26b).⁵⁸The mishna states that when a ram is brought as a burnt-offering, eleven priests participate in bringing the different parts of the offering to the altar. It then states that twenty-four priests would participate in the offering of a bull, of which fifteen would assist in carrying the limbs of the bull to the altar. The midrash is calling attention to the fact that there were clear guidelines delineating all of these aspects of the offerings, and that the guidelines were tailored to the particular offering under discussion. “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: The intestines, the fine flour, and the wine are carried by three each (Yoma 26b).

8) "And the Cohein shall kindle wood on it every morning (lit., "in the morning, in the morning")": It is written here "in the morning, in the morning," and in respect to the daily burnt-offering (the tamid) "in the morning" (Bamidbar 28:4): "And the one lamb shall you offer in the morning." I would not know which takes precedence, (the placing of the two logs on the wood pile, "wood" in our instance, or the slaughtering of the tamid). — Let that of which it is written "in the morning, in the morning" take precedence to that of which only one "in the morning" is written. It is written in respect to the wood "in the morning, in the morning," and in respect to the incense (Shemoth 30:7): "in the morning, in the morning, when he cleans the lamps he shall burn it (the incense)." I would not know which takes precedence. Which is a prerequisite for which? The wood (i.e., the placing of the two logs) is a prerequisite for the incense, (being a prerequisite for the entire altar service). — Let them precede the incense.

Another matter, “I have likened you [dimitikh], my love,” the Rabbis say: Because Israel appeared like mares, and [the horses of] the wicked Egyptians were aroused stallions, and they were pursuing them until they sank in the sea. Rabbi Simon said: Heaven forbid, Israel did not appear like mares, but rather the waves of the sea appeared like mares and [the horses of] the wicked Egyptians were aroused stallions, and they pursued them until they sank them in the sea. The Egyptian would say to his horse: ‘Yesterday, I would drag you to the Nile and you would not follow me, and now, you are sinking me in the sea?’ The horse would say to its rider: “He cast into the sea [rama bayam]” (Exodus 15:1); see what is in the sea [re’eh ma bayam]. A trap is prepared for you in the sea. Rabbi Yishmael taught: “The Lord overthrew Egypt in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:27); it teaches that the horse would cast its rider upward and he would descend downward with the horse above him. Rabbi Levi said: Like one who stirs a pot; what is below rises to the top and what is above descends below.
“My love [rayati]”—what is rayati? Rabbi Yonatan said: My benefactor; it is they who provide for Me two daily continual offerings. That is what is written: “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning” (Numbers 28:4), as Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: Israel would sacrifice two continual offerings each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The one in the morning was sacrificed for transgressions that were performed at night, and the one in the afternoon was sacrificed for transgressions that were performed during the day. There was, then, no person in Jerusalem who would remain overnight with iniquity ascribed to him, as it is stated: “Righteousness would dwell there” (Isaiah 1:21).
Another matter, “I have likened you, my love [rayati]”—the shepherds [rayata] of My world, as you accepted the Torah. Had you not accepted it, I would have restored My world to emptiness and disorder, as Rabbi Ḥanina said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: It is written: “The earth and all its inhabitants melt away; I set its pillars firm, Selah” (Psalms 75:4). Had Israel not stood at Mount Sinai and said: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will obey” (Exodus 24:7), the world would have melted away and returned to emptiness and disorder. Who firmly established the world? “I [anokhi] set its pillars firm, Selah.” Due to the merit of “I [anokhi] am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2),²⁵¹Due to the fact that Israel accepted the Torah, represented by the first of the Ten Commandments, “I am the Lord your God,” God set the the world on a firm foundation. “I set its pillars firm.”

Similarly, when He said: Command the children of Israel, and say unto them: My food which is presented unto Me for offerings (Num. 28:2), Moses called out: Master of the Universe, if I should assemble all the animals and all the beasts in the world, they would not be sufficient for even one offering, and all of the trees in the world would be insufficient for a single fire, for it is said: And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burial offerings (Isa. 40:16). He replied: Moses, it is not as you think. You need offer unto Me but one lamb in the morning and not two, for they are not meant to be food and drink for Me. If I had food and drink when you were with Me on the mountain for forty days, would I not have eaten, and if I had food would you not have eaten? Only for a sweet savor, shall ye observe to offer unto Me (Num. 28:2).

Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “But you did not call Me, Jacob, for you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22). Rabbi Yoḥanan understood this from this verse: “A prophecy of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is removed from being a city, and it will be a heap of ruins. Abandoned are the cities of Aroer” (Isaiah 17:1–2). He is standing in Damascus and mentions Aroer, but is Aroer not within the boundaries of Moav?²⁶Damascus is in the territory of ancient Aram, whereas Aroer is in Moav. Rather, there were three hundred and sixty-five houses of idol worship in Damascus, and each and every one of them they would worship one day, and they had one day on which they would worship all of them.²⁷There were 365 idols, each with its own house of worship. The people of Damascus would dedicate one day a year to worship each of them. There was also one day per year when they would worship all of the idols. Aroer is mentioned with Damascus because even the gods of Amon were worshipped in Damascus. Israel made all of them a joint deity and worshipped them, as it is written: “The children of Israel continued to do what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they worshipped the Be’alim, the Ashtarot, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Amon, and the gods of the Philistines; they forsook the Lord and did not worship Him” (Judges 10:6), even together with other gods. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Shall the wife of a priest not be like an innkeeper?²⁸The wife of the priest is distinguished whereas the innkeeper is considered lowly. This is a parable which means: Shall the Holy One blessed be He be regarded any less than the idols?
Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: If only My children had treated Me like a dessert that is served last.²⁹Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina says, speaking from the perspective of God: If only Israel had worshipped me at all, even just as the conclusion of their idolatrous services. Rabbi Yudan said: This is analogous to a king’s servant who made a feast and invited his whole circle of friends, but did not invite his master. The king said: If only my servant had made me the equal of his circle of friends. So too, the Holy One blessed be He said: If only My children had made Me like a dessert that is served last. Rather, “but you did not call Me, Jacob” (Isaiah 43:22). You stand and engage in business all day and do not grow weary, but to pray before Me you are weary. He stands and engages in business all day and does not grow weary, but when his friend says to him: Come and pray, he says: I cannot. Regarding Baal what is written? “They called in the name of the Baal from morning until noon, saying: Baal, answer us. But there was neither sound nor response. They danced near the altar that they had made” (I Kings 18:26). That is, “but you did not call Me, Jacob” – if only I had not known you, Jacob. Why? “For you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22).
“You did not bring Me the sheep of your burnt offerings” (Isaiah 43:23) – the two daily offerings that they would sacrifice each day, as it is stated: “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer in the afternoon” (Numbers 28:4). “And you did not honor Me with your offerings” (Isaiah 43:23) – these are the offerings of the most sacred order. “I have not burdened you with a meal offering” (Isaiah 43:23) – this is the handful from the meal offering.³⁰A handful is taken from each meal offering and burned on the altar. The remainder is eaten by the priests. See Leviticus 2:2–3. “And I have not wearied you with frankincense” (Isaiah 43:23) – this is the handful of frankincense.³¹Frankincense is brought with a meal offering; see Leviticus 2:2. “You did not buy cane [kaneh] for Me with silver” (Isaiah 43:24) – Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Yosef: Cinnamon [kinamon] would grow in the Land of Israel, and goats and gazelles would eat from it.³²Although it was readily available and could have been harvested even from wild crops, they did not bring it to the Temple for the incense (see Exodus 30:23). “And with the fat of your offerings you did not satisfy Me” (Isaiah 43:24) – these are the portions of the offerings of lesser sanctity that are burned on the altar. “Rather, you burdened Me with your sins, you wearied Me with your iniquities” (Isaiah 43:24) – look what your iniquities caused Me: To burn My Temple, to destroy My city, to exile My children among the nations of the world, and for Me to sit alone. “How does…sit solitary?” (Lamentations 1:1).

Similarly, though Scripture states: And the priests shall kindle wood upon it every morning (Lev. 6:5), it is written: And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel (Isa. 40:16). This was stated so that one might receive a reward for doing so. Similarly, it says: The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning (Num. 28:4), though it has already been said: Nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings (Isa. 40:16). This indicates that you may receive a reward (for its observance). Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8) may be explained in a like manner. Has it not been written already Do not I fill heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24)? This commandment was imposed upon you so that you would receive a reward (for building a Sanctuary). And Moses said unto the people: Remember this day (Exod. 13:3). Scripture states elsewhere: That thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life (Deut. 16:3). Does this mean that they were to remember it only during the day and not at night? Ben Zoma interpreted the verse That thou mayest remember the day when thou came forth … all the days of your life to mean that the days of your life refers to the daytime, while all the days of your life alludes to night time.

The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; the other thou shalt offer at dusk (ibid. 29:39). These two offerings shall be made every day. However, if you should say (to Me), “Here is food and drink, eat the flesh of limbs, and drink the blood of the daily offerings,” even if I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof (Ps. 50:12). I require the offerings only for their savor, as it is said: My food which is presented unto Me for offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Me, shall ye observe (Num. 28:2). Proof of this is that the altar upon which the burnt offering was placed was outside the tent, while the altar for the incense, which gave forth merely a sweet savor, was placed inside the tent. Therefore Moses was told: And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27): BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. < The verse > speaks about sacrifice. (Ibid., cont.:) IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY. (Cf. Numb. 28:4:) THE ONE LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER IN THE MORNING.⁷⁵Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= p. 1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition). (Gen. 49:27, cont.:) AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL. (Cf. Numb. 28:4, cont.:) AND THE SECOND LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER AT TWILIGHT.

21 (Numb 28:2) “Guard to offer it to Me at its set time”: This text is related (to Prov. 13:25), “The righteous man eats to satiate his soul.” This is Eliezer who said to Rebekah (in Gen. 24:17), “Please let me sip a bit of water,” enough to sip. (Prov. 13:25, cont.) “But the belly of the wicked is lacking.” That is Esau who said to Jacob (in Gen. 25:30), “Please stuff me (haliteini).” R. Isaac bar Zeira said, “He opened his mouth wide like a camel and said, ‘I will open my mouth and you put it in.’” It is taught there (Mishnah Shabbat 24:3), “One may not forcibly overfeed a camel on Shabbat and one may not force-feed it. However, one may place food into its mouth (malitin).” (Prov. 13:25), “The righteous man eats to satiate his soul”: This is Ruth about whom it is written (in Ruth 2:14), “and she ate her fill and had some left over.” As blessing dwelt in the mouth of that righteous woman. (Prov. 13:25, cont.) “But the belly of the wicked is lacking”: That is the gentiles. There was a story about a gentile who made a banquet for all the people of his city: R. Dustai said, “He invited me to that banquet, with all the people of his city, and his table was not lacking any of the tasty foods of the world except for perekh nuts alone. What did he do? He took the serving table that was in front of us that was worth more than sixty talents of silver and he broke it. I said to him, ‘Why did you do this?’ He said to me, ‘You say that this world is ours and the next world is yours. If we do not [get to] eat now, when will we eat?’ I read [as being] about him (Prov. 13:25, cont.), ‘but the belly of the wicked is lacking.’”

"who ate the fat of their sacrifices." He said: These (Jews) were swindled by Moses, who said to them: Build an altar, sacrifice burnt-offerings upon it, and pour libations upon it, as it is written (Bamidbar 29:4) "The one lamb shall you make in the morning, etc." (all for his own delectation!)