Comentario sobre Levítico 23:8

'והקרבתם אשה וגו‎‎ BUT YE SHALL OFFER A FIRE-OFFERING etc. — This is identical with the additional offerings due on the first day of Passover which are mentioned in the section of פנחס (Numbers 28:19). But why are these referred to here? In order to intimate that the additional offerings do not impede one another (i. e. that if a particular animal of these מוספים cannot be scarified, it is still lawful to bring the others) (Menachot 49a), because it states: —

AND YE SHALL BRING AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE ETERNAL SEVEN DAYS. Scripture is stating that all seven days [of Passover] should be a festival to bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal,²³⁹Further. Verse 37. but not that they are all equally forbidden as far as doing work, like on the first and seventh days. He did not explain [here the precise nature of] the offering, since He is going to mention it in a special section dealing with all the offerings of the festivals,¹⁶⁶These are found in Numbers beginning with 28:9 up to the end of Chapter 29. when it is His wish that they should be binding on the children of Israel, and as I have explained.²⁴⁰Above on Verse 2. And the interpretation of our Rabbis²⁴¹Torath Kohanim, Emor 10:5. is that [the intention of the verse here] is to state that we are to bring an offering under all circumstances, even if we do not have all the [required] Additional Offerings. This is a correct [explanation].

והקרבתם אשה לה' שבעת ימים, the offering of the mussaph offering for seven consecutive days is to remind us that the intervening days of this festival are not totally secular in nature, although only the first and seventh day have been accorded the title מקרא קודש. The whole matter of the mussaph, additional communal offerings, has not been gone into in detail here as this is a subject treated in Numbers when this legislation appears in detail in chapters 28-29. The reason why in connection with the New Year’s day the Torah does mention the offering of an אשה לה', is that this day already qualified for a mussaph offering, it being not only the first day of the new year but also the first day of the month of Tishrey. In Numbers 29,6 the Torah once more draws our attention to this fact, [presumably to tell us that New Year’s day does not replace the significance of the date of the new moon. Ed.] If you were to counter that אשה ה' is also mentioned in this chapter in connection with the day of Atonement, remember that what is referred to there are burnt offerings and sin offerings, both on behalf of the High Priest and the people but not by each individual member of the people as are sin offerings generally, not mussaph offerings which are mandatory communal offerings. The reason why the Torah listed the Sabbath and the festival of matzot in a single paragraph is that both were legislated prior to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Each of the other festivals has been accorded a paragraph of its own. The Torah commences its reference to the festival of weeks by speaking of the Omer, and the counting of the seven weeks from the Passover until that festival, seeing that the festival of weeks is also known as the harvest festival,חג הקציר and we thank the Lord for the שבועות חקות קציד, “who keeps for our benefit the weeks appointed for harvest” (Jeremiah 5,24). The principal reason for the festivals is to afford us an opportunity to express our gratitude in prayer and in deed. For instance, an example is the appointed time for the festival during spring when we pray to G’d giving thanks for His having given us our freedom at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. The Omer was an expression of gratitude for the barley harvest, the earliest opportunity to fulfill part of the bikkurim legislation, presenting the first of the ripened crop to G’d. This prayer also contains a request concerning the future. The counting of the 49 days between Passover and the festival of weeks reminds us of the need to offer such prayers on a daily basis. On the festival of Sukkot, the festival of ingathering, we thank the Lord for having enabled us to bring the year’s major harvest under our roofs.

והקרבתם אשה לה' שבעת ימים, “you shall bring a fire-offering to Hashem for a seven-day period.” The reason is that all the seven days of Passover enjoy the status of being festivals, חג, so that these additional publicly financed sacrifices are mandatory. On the other hand, the work prohibition applies only on the first and the seventh day of this festival. The components of this fire offering are not detailed here but in a separate section in Numbers chapters 28-29.

Seteyne in Old French. In other words, שבעה is like an adjective describing a group of seven tangible objects, whether animals, plants or inanimate objects, whereas שבעת refers to a group of seven that is removed from something tangible, such as power or wisdom which are not intangible. Unlike “the strong person” or “the wise person,” which indicate a connection [of strength or wisdom] to something physical. Afterwards the verse explains that the group [implied by the abstract seven] consists of days. See parshas Bo (Shemos 12:15).

‎'והקרבתם אשה לה‎ YE SHALL BRING THE FIRE-OFFERING OF THE LORD — bring it under any circumstances — if there are no bullocks available as prescribed, offer the prescribed rams; and if there are neither bullocks nor rams, offer the lambs (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 11 5).

Perhaps even [during] the intermediate days of the festival. It answers [this query by saying] that whatever any activity which [would] incurs a loss [if it were not done at that time] is permitted [to be performed] onduring the intermediate days of the festival. This implies that on the festival itself, even that something which incurs a monetary loss [if it is not done] is forbidden.

שבעת ימים SEVEN DAYS — Wherever the term שבעת is used it is a noun (not a cardinal numeral), so that the words here mean a septaine of days (a period of seven days), in old French Similar is the meaning of all the expressions שמנת ,ששת ,חמשת ,שלשת.

מלאכת עבדה [YOU SHALL DO NO] SERVILE WORK — Not even such labors as are regarded by you as an obligation and a necessity, the neglect of which involves loss of money, as, for instance, a matter that may become lost (that cannot be postponed without irretrievable loss). I understand this (that the above is the meaning of מלאכת עבדה) from Torat Cohanim (on .v 36 of this chapter), since it states there: I might think from what Scripture states (vv. 36, 37) כָּל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי‎ that‎ מלאכת עבדה is forbidden also on the intermediate days of Passover and Tabernacles (lit., the week-days of the festivals). Scripture, however, states, “it (the eighth day) is a festival and ye shall do no מלאכת עבדה” thus intimating that on a day which is not a festival such work is permitted. The intermediate days are not regarded as a festival and the rule is that דבר האבד may be attended to. Hence the very question: “may מלאכת עבדה be done on the intermediate days?”, implies that the term denotes דבר האבד.

That is that He commanded to offer a sacrifice on all seven days of Pesach in addition to the daily offering. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "Seven days shall you offer a fire-offering to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:36). (See Parashat Emor; Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 7.)