Comentario sobre Números 28:9

וביום השבת שני כבשים, "And on the Sabbath day, two sheep, etc." The reason that the additional communal offering on the Sabbath was smaller than any of the parallel offerings on the festivals and even the intermediate days of the festivals is the mystical dimension of לחם משנה, the two loaves we eat on the Sabbath at each meal. The two additional sheep offered on the Sabbath symbolise the idea which has been eternalised in the custom of the two loaves, themselves a reminder of how G'd provided a double portion of manna to the Israelites in the desert each Friday. The mystical element of the number seven is alluded to by the fact that only this day is also called "the seventh day." Even though some festivals have a seventh day, the significance of the seventh day of a festival does not have anything in common with the mystical dimension of the seventh day which occurs regularly every week.

וביום השבת שני כבשים, “and on the Sabbath day, two male lambs (additionally).” On the holidays including New Moon and New Year and the day of Atonement a total of seven male sheep were part of the day’s communal additional offerings. These were additional to the daily two lambs. On the Sabbath, however, only two additional male lambs were offered. According to the Talmud Yuma we quoted these definitely had to match each other in their size, appearance and value if possible. The word למצוה, “for performance of the commandment,” used in the Talmud when stipulating this means that this was an a priori requirement, i.e. efforts had to be made to find two such matching animals. In the event it was impossible to find such, the next best match was acceptable.
The reason that on the Sabbath only two extra male lambs were required for the Mussaf offering is that the Sabbath, by definition, has a dual significance, i.e. the Torah once wrote the word זכור and once the word שמור in the two versions of the Ten Commandments concerning its observance. In other words, the positive and negative aspects of the Sabbath observance carry equal weight When the Torah speaks of Sabbath observance, G’d refers to this as את שבתותי תשמרו, “observe My Sabbath days,” i.e. each Sabbath has two aspects to it (Leviticus 26,2). Every piece of legislation in connection with the Sabbath appears in pairs, even the amount of manna which fell on Friday (on account of the Sabbath) comprised two omer instead of one. Warnings of penalties are worded as מות ימות, promises of reward for its observance are similarly expressed in dual form, i.e. the hymn recited on the Sabbath is called both מזמור and שיר. Also the reward promised for its observance is described in such terms, i.e. Isaiah 58,13-14: “then you will enjoy the favour of the Lord, I will set you astride the heights of the earth, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Yaakov.” According to a Midrash based on the wording of the mussaph prayer on Sabbath, G’d explained the reason why He is content with only two extra male sheep on that day as that He does not want to ask us for more than we ourselves enjoy on the Sabbath, i.e. two extra meals.

V. 9. וביום השבת וגו׳. Das zum Ausdruck des besonderen Tagescharakters am Schabbat zu dem täglichen Tamidopfer hinzukommende Emporopfer unterscheidet sich vom Tamidopfer in nichts, als darin, dass das Tamidopfer aus einem כבש, das מוסף-Opfer des שבת aber aus zwei כבשים besteht. Es muss daher das unterscheidende Charakteristische lediglich in der verschiedenen Bedeutung der Zahl eins und zwei bei den Tieren der Nationalopfer liegen. Nun haben wir bereits den wesentlichen Unterschied zwischen dem Nationalopferausdruck durch ein Tier und demjenigen durch zwei Tiere (Wajikra 23, 13 u. 17. 19 und sonst) kennen gelernt. Die Zahl eins drückt die Nation in ihrer Einheit, die Zahl zwei jedoch in ihrer Vielheit, in allen ihren einzelnen Gliedern aus. Und das bildet auch sofort den spezifischen Unterschied zwischen dem עולת תמיד und dem עולת שבת. Im כבש אחד des תמיד tritt die Nation als solche zu dem Lenker und Leiter ihres Nationalgeschickes und erneut mit jedem steigenden und fallenden Tageslichte das Nationalgelöbnis der Treue, der Folgsamkeit und Hingebung an die ihr von ihrem "Hirten" und ihrem Herrn und Meister zur Lösung gesteckten Ziele.

וביום השבת, “and on the Sabbath day, etc.;” there is a comment by Midrash Shocher tov on Psalms 92,1 that amongst all the mussaph offerings there is none that is as inexpensive as that of the Sabbath, i.e. consisting of only two not more than one year old sheep. According to the author of that Midrash the Sabbath complained to G–d about this. G–d told the Sabbath that this day is distinguished by a number of things that occur on it or relating to it in duplicates. It has two hymns dedicated to it; its special offering consists of two sheep; it is known as עונג, “pleasure, delight,” not once but twice; when it is deliberately desecrated it brings a dual penalty, i.e. מות יומת, the show breads are paired on the table in the Temple. This is also why we speak of this mussaph offering being כראוי, “tailored to its essence.” This is an expression that has not been applied to the mussaph offerings on any other occasion. The Midrash elaborates by means of a parable: a King told his servants to prepare his meal for “my sons”. The servants prepared two separate meals. After both his sons had consumed these meals, the king asked for a meal to be prepared for him. The servants asked him which kind of meal he desired. The king asked what kind of meal they had served to his sons? The servants spelled out the details for him. The king then responded that they should not prepare a more elaborate meal for him than they had prepared for his sons. [My version of this Midrash does not quote the Sabbath as having complained to G–d. Ed.]
G–d acted in a similar manner when He provided the Jewish people with a double portion of manna for the Sabbath even before the Sabbath had commenced. Seeing He gave His people the equivalent of two loaves of bread before the Sabbath, He wished this to be remembered by “feeding” Him the equivalent of two loaves of bread as the special offering on the Sabbath. This is what the two sheep of the mussaph offering on that day represent. Seeing that we are on the subject of preparations for the Sabbath, let us explain also the central part of the Sabbath Mussaph prayer which commences with the words: תכנת שבת, “You (G–d) have instituted the Sabbath, etc.” The sequence of the letters תכן in the word תכנת, are a reminder of Exodus 5,18, where in response to Moses requesting a three day vacation for the Israelites to serve the G–d of his people, Pharaoh not only refused, but doubled the work load of the people by denying them the straw that had been given to them for making bricks, and insisting that the daily number of bricks required תכן לבנים, remain the same. The “institution” the author of the prayer speaks of refers to G–d having named each day of the creation sequentially so that the Sabbath would be the seventh day, a number which G–d is especially fond of. (Compare Vayikra Rabbah 29,11) [The author of the Midrash there makes a long list of proving the statement he has just made. Ed.] He claims that this is why G–d took a special liking to Chanoch, the outstanding human specimen of the seventh generation.]

וביום השבת, “and on every Sabbath, etc.” All of the offerings are described as being offered with either the word עשיה, something being carried out, or with the word הקרבה, something being presented. Seeing that basically such activities as offering sacrifices are forbidden on the Sabbath, the Torah avoids the use of these terms in connection with the communal offerings that are mandatory on the Sabbath nonetheless. The reader may therefore be misled by the absence of these words in connection with the communal offerings on the Sabbath.

ושני עשרונים “and two tenths, etc.” These correspond to the two loaves of bread over which we recite the benediction on the Sabbath meals. The reason that at this point the Torah omits the words והקרבתם or תקריבו, is that while the Israelites were in the desert these mussaf sacrifices were not offered up. The people had not been commanded concerning them until now, at the end of their wanderings in the desert.

In den שני כבשים des עולת שבת treten alle die Individuen der jüdischen Gesamtheit, alle die jüdischen Menschen zu ihrem Schöpfer und Herrn und, wie sie im שבתון des שבת, in der Einstellung alles Werkschaffens Ihm, dem Schöpfer und Herrn der Welt, sich und seine Welt huldigend zu Füßen legen, betätigen sie im עולה des שבת das Bewusstsein, dass der רועה ישראל, dass der "Hirte des jüdischen Nationalganzen" auch der besondere "Lebenshirte einer jeden jüdischen Seele" in diesem Nationalganzen ist, der כרועה עדרו ירעה בזרעו יקבץ טלאים ובחיקו ישא עלות ינהל (Jes. 40, 11). und erneuern das Gelöbnis, Ihm stets als dem Hirten aller seiner Geschöpfe die Treue, Folgsamkeit und Hingebung an die Ziele zu, zollen, für welche Er sie als "jüdische Menschen" ins Dasein gerufen und ihnen für diese Bestimmung einen Anteil an Seiner Welt und an den seine Welt beherrschenden Menschenkräften erteilt.

רצית קרבנותיה, ”You took pleasure in its offerings.” Any offerings of animals which had been alive for at least one Sabbath are especially welcome to G–d. [In fact animals which have not been alive on at least one Sabbath are not considered as fit as such. [Compare Leviticus 22,27 Ed.]

שני כבשים, “two male sheep” the Torah did not demand more than the minimal as additional communal sacrifices on the Sabbath. In fact that additional offering is equal to the daily morning and evening offerings. No sin offering is offered on the Sabbath as a communal offering, contrary to the musspah, additional offerings on the various festival days. The major reason is that seeing that parts of the sin offerings were meant to be consumed by the priests, the Torah did not want them to benefit from animals that were slaughtered on the Sabbath, something that in their private lives they were not allowed to do on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was “desecrated” only for offerings which were presented only to G-d. This is why the Torah adds the words: רצית קרבנותיה, “You received the offerings pertaining to the Sabbath with goodwill.” The exception to this rule is when New Moon occurs on the Sabbath and there is an additional offering including a sin offering on that day, due to the calendar day occurring on the Sabbath. (B’chor shor) At any rate, on ordinary Sabbath days the Torah made a distinction.

Nachdem daher im תמיד bereits Israel als nationale Einheit, als כבש אחד mit seinem einen עשרון und seinem einen רביעית יין seinem Gotte genaht, tritt am שבת Israel nochmals als nationale Vielheit in Vertretung aller ihm angehörigen Seelen als solcher mit ihren zwei כבשים und ihren zwei עשרונים und ihren zwei רביעית יין hin, innerhalb des nationalen Gesamtbewusstseins die von demselben gepflegte Einzelbeziehung eines jeden einzelnen seiner Angehörigen zu Gott in dem vom שבת geweckten Geschöpfesgefühle zum lebendigen Bewusstsein zu bringen.

צוית פירושיה עם סדורי נסכיה, “You did commanded its special obligations with the order of its drink offerings.” The word “You did command,” implies that violation of the command carries a serious penalty. Rashi explains this in connection with the words זכור, “remember,” and שמור, “make sure you do not violate,” appearing on the two versions of the Sabbath Commandment in the two sets of Tablets. (Exodus 20,8) He explains that these two versions of the same commandment were uttered by the Lawgiver at the Revelation as if they were a single utterance. We find something similar in connection with one of the commandments concerning incestuous relationships, where the Torah wrote לא יקח איש את אשת אחיו, “a man is not to take as a wife a woman who had been the wife of his brother, but where the reverse i.e. “the nakedness of the wife of the wife of your brother you must not reveal.” (Leviticus 19,15) In Deuteronomy 25,5, we find a similar construction concerning the levirate marriage. One utterance, but two written recordings. The Torah writes: יבמה יבא עליה ולקחח לו לאשה ויבמה,”her brother-in-law shall sleep with her, and take her as a levirate wife.” Although some of these statements appear on the face of it as if they contradict one on another in some way, the one concerning the Sabbath does not contain a contradiction but appears to complement one the other. Some scholars see in even this commandment some contradiction to the extent that the word זכור, which our sages interpret as making kiddush over wine when it commences, i.e. a positive commandment, which would relieve women from observing it as positive commandment linked to a specific time frame are not binding on women, and it is clear to the whole world that Sabbath observance applies to women no less than to men. [The double portion of manna was provided for men and women equally, i.e. both were included in that legislation. Ed.] The expression שמר only appears in the Torah in connection with negative commandments, i.e. violation involves an act. (Compare Talmud, tractate Zevachim, folio 106. At first glance it looks as if שמר is the opposite of זכור. Actually, this is not so, as women are no less obliged to sanctify the Sabbath seeing that the Talmud stated specifically in tractate B’rachot, folio 20 that whosoever is obligated not to violate the negative commandments of the Sabbath is also obligated to fulfill the positive commandments pertaining to that day. One might raise the question of why we do not publicly read both of these paragraphs every Sabbath? We do this every New Moon, and on every festival, whenever we pray a mussaph prayer in remembrance of the sacrifices offered in honour of such days. The fact that these two paragraphs consist of only two verses each is no excuse for not reading them in public on every Sabbath, and the Talmud, tractate Megillah folio 22, prohibits the public reading of paragraphs of the Torah that are not at least three verses long. The fact remains that we add this paragraph to the public reading of the Torah on every New Moon day that occurs on a Sabbath. The reason that we do so on those days is that New Moon is a day associated with the need to obtain atonement of sins as pointed out in the Talmud, tractate Taanit, folio 27; This is supposed to date back to the time of Avraham in Genesis chapter 15, when upon being told by G–d that he would have biological offspring who would develop into a great nation, he had asked for some sign as confirmation that he had not imagined G–d speaking to him. He wanted to know by what merit he had deserved such a promise and such a future. G–d spelled this out to him in verse 8 and 9 of that chapter when He asked him to prepare some sacrifices to Him. In other words, these sacrifices would earn him the merit that this promise of G–d would be fulfilled. When Avraham heard this, he responded that this was all well and good as long as there would be a Temple in which to offer these sacrifices daily. What would ensure that even during years of exile, which G–d had indicated that his descendants would have to endure, there would not be a chance to offer these sacrifices? G–d replied that these exiles would recite the relevant portions of the Torah in which the legislation about the sacrificial offerings is written, and then He would consider this as a substitute for their not having been presented on an appropriate altar. On New Moon we recite a verse in the mussaph prayer relating to a male goat that had to be presented on that day as a sin offering.
An alternate approach: When the Torah dealt with the subject of the festivals at length in Leviticus chapter 23, it wrote: “these are the festivals for the Lord which you are to proclaim (ahead of time)”, and it is forbidden to interpret a text contrary to the plain meaning, p’shat, and the Sabbath is obviously not included in this commandment as it occurs at the end of every week, and the people are all aware of this, neither is that day ever referred to as a moed, days which are related strictly to certain days of the calendar, whereas New Moon is included in the days called: moed. (Lamentations 1,15, based on the Talmud in tractate Taanit, folio 29). The sages felt the need to explain why, for instance, the sin offering in the mussaph offering is described as לה', “for the Lord,” i.e. on behalf of the Lord, a formulation we do not find elsewhere. The sages of the Talmud tractate Sh’vuot folio, 9 suggest that this offering is offered on behalf of the Lord for having diminished the size of the moon, which had originally been the same size as the sun. This is a very puzzling explanation. We may have to understand it as follows: G–d, in speaking of a sin offering on His behalf, refers to our offering an atonement offering on His behalf throughout the generations on New Moon and this will comfort the moon for having been demoted. The “comfort” will help babies not to be infected with certain diseases called diphtheria to small children, seeing that the first renewal of the moon occurred on the fourth day of the week, the day on which G–d had “hung” the luminaries during the six days of the creation. (Compare Talmud tractate Taanit folio 29.) This is also how Rashi explains this when commenting of Genesis 1,14. He draws our attention to the defective spelling of the word meorot, luminaries, which ought to have been spelled מאורות, seeing it is derived from the word אור, “light,” but the first letter ו has been omitted. By omitting this letter, what remains is the plural of the word מארה, “curse.” On the first day of the month when the light of the moon is at its weakest, the children are more at risk than during any other day of the month. Hence G–d, in a manner of speaking, apologises for this, so that this day makes that sacrifice atonement for anything that could have harmed these children in the normal course of events. [G–d does not “apologise” to the moon, -He had diminished the size of the moon for a valid reason- but to our children who would have been at greater risk had we not offered this extra sin offering on each New Year’s day. Ed.]

ונסכו, “and the drink offering thereof.” This again refers to a libation consisting of wine.

Weil nun eben das עולת שבת nichts als ein nuanciertes תמיד ist, dessen Nuance nur in den zwei כבשים statt des einen כבש des תמיד-Opfers besteht, darum schließt sich auch die Anordnung des עולת שבת, ohne weitere Einleitung etwa: וביום השבת תקריבו עולה לד׳ שני כבשים וגו׳, gleichsam das תמיד-Opfergesetz fortsetzend: וביום ,השבת שני כבשים וגו׳ einfach an, damit eben das Charakteristische der zwei כבשים im Gegensatz zu dem einen כבש des Tamidopfers hervorhebend.

ונסכו es ist zweifelhaft, worauf das Suffix ו sich bezieht. Auf כבשים, wie gewöhnlich, müsste es ונסכיהם heißen. Im Singular bezieht es sich entweder auf סלת oder auf יום השבת, oder überhaupt auf שבת, das ja auch V. 10 männlich erscheint. Also entweder: das zu jedem סלת einer מנחת נסכים gehörige נסך, zum Ausdruck der Nahrungs- und Wohlstandsgüter auch den Ausdruck der höchsten Lebensfreude, oder: diesen bereits beim Tamid erschienenen Ausdruck noch besonders auch für den שבת hervorgehoben, der ja eben jedes Einzelleben mit dem Geiste der höchsten hieniedigen Seligkeit erfüllen will und zu jedem einzelnen spricht: וקראת לשבת עונג (Jes. 58, 13), damit eben das Nichtschaffen von Nahrungs- und Wohlstandsgütern am Schabbat, das תשיב משבת רגלך עשות חפצך ביום קדשי aus dem Scheine eines widerwilligen Tributs zu einem Quell der höchsten Glückseligkeit erhebend.

That is that He commanded to offer a sacrifice on every Shabbat in addition to the regular offering of every day. And that is His saying, "two one-year old lambs" (Numbers 28:9). And the order of their offering has already been explained in the second chapter in Yoma and in Tamid. (See Parashat Pinchas; Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 4)