Commentaire sur Les Nombres 15:25

הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה׳ [AND] THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OFFERING, A FIRE OFFERING UNTO THE LORD — This is that offering mentioned previously in this chapter (v. 24), viz., the bullock for a burnt offering, since it says here, “a fire offering to the Lord” (which is a description of a burnt offering) (Sifrei Bamidbar 111:3).

AND THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OFFERING, AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE ETERNAL. This refers to the bullock as a burnt-offering mentioned [in the preceding verse]. AND THEIR SIN-OFFERING, which refers to the he-goat for a sin-offering [mentioned there]. Scripture states this on account of the greatness of the sin, involving as it does all the commandments of G-d, and is thereby saying that although the sin was exceedingly grave, since it was in error and they have brought their offerings for it, the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, they are worthy of atonement. And in the Sifre²⁰³Sifre, Shelach 111. the Rabbis interpreted this verse on the basis of its [apparent] redundancy: “Rabbi Yashiyah says: If the whole of one tribe [unwittingly] acted [committed idolatry] on the basis of a [mistaken] decision of the [chief] court of that tribe, and the other tribes did so [too, on their word], whence do we know that they [the other tribes] must also bring [these prescribed offerings] on account of them [i.e., the people of the particular tribe who acted according to the decision of its chief court]? Scripture therefore states, ‘and they’ have brought their offering, an offering made by fire unto the Eternal. Rabbi Yonathan says etc.”²⁰⁴Rabbi Yonathan is of the opinion that if the people erred on the basis of the decision of the chief court of a particular tribe, then only the members of that tribe must bring these offerings, but not the other tribes [as is the opinion of Rabbi Yashiyah]. It is only if a wrong decision was [mistakenly] given by the Great Court of seventy-one judges — the supreme court of all Israel — and one tribe acted upon this decision, that all the other tribes must also participate in these offerings, according to Rabbi Yonathan (Malbim ibid.).
And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], I have already informed you²⁰⁵Exodus 20:3; 25:30. that wherever the Tetragrammaton is mentioned it refers to the attribute of mercy, and the expression ‘liphnei Hashem’ [before the Eternal — as here in the phrase: and their sin-offering ‘before the Eternal’] is like ‘al panai’ (before Me),²⁰⁶Ibid., 20:3. Literally “upon My face.” and this is similar to what the Rabbis of blessed memory have said:²⁰⁷Bereshith Rabbah 51:3. See Vol. I, p. 260. “He and His Celestial Court.” Thus the verse is stating that “they have brought their offering to the Proper Name of G-d [i.e., the Tetragrammaton],²⁰⁸This is indicated by the first part of the verse, and they have brought their offering, ‘isheh Lashem’ (an offering made by fire to the Eternal) where the Hebrew for the Eternal is the Tetragrammaton. Ramban explained at the beginning of his commentary on this verse that their offering refers to the burnt-offering, which was thus offered to the Tetragrammaton, the Divine Name symbolizing G-d’s attribute of mercy; and the second half of the verse speaks of sin-offering brought l’phanai, i.e., to the Name symbolizing the attribute of judgment. Hence [in the concluding words of Ramban] “the sin is atoned for in the attribute of mercy and in the attribute of judgment.” and their sin-offering ‘l’phanai’ (before Me),” and thus the sin is atoned for in the attribute of mercy and in the attribute of judgment. He mentioned this in the case of idolatry [due to the gravity of the sin, because of which they need to be forgiven in both attributes], but in Seder Vayikra where [the sin-offering for violation of] the other commandments is commanded, He mentioned many times ‘liphnei Hashem’ (before the Eternal).²⁰⁹Leviticus 4:4, 6, 7, 15, 17, 24. In all these cases only the Tetragrammaton, symbolizing the attribute of mercy, is used. See Vol. III, pp. 21-25 for fuller discussion of this theme. and the reason for this is clear.

והם הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה', “and they have brought their offering, a fire offering for Hashem.” These words refer to the burnt offering.

והם הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה' וחטאתם לפני ה', “and they have brought their offering to the Lord, and their sin-offering before the Lord.” Nachmanides writes that the words: “before the Lord,” refer to the celestial court, as these words had not really been necessary. The fact is that sins are expiated both by the attribute of Mercy, i.e. Hashem, as well as by the attribute of Justice. This has been spelled out in greater detail in connection with the sin of idolatry, i.e. that the forgiveness of both attributes is required to wipe out this sin. The word ונסלח appears both in verse 25 as well as in verse 26 although the subject is the same sin. This proves that forgiveness is required both from the attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice. The reason that in verse 28 the Torah makes special mention of G’d forgiving the proselyte is that proselytes, who used to be idol-worshipers, are more prone to commit an act which in Jewish law is considered as idol worship, than are natural born Jews. The repeated emphasis that the sin had been an unintentional one, i.e. שגגה, is the Torah’s way of justifying that forgiveness for this cardinal sin is indeed appropriate after the sinner or sinners have brought the appropriate offerings as outlined in our passage.

The ox as the olah-offering. [Rashi says this] so that you do not understand the words “they have brought their offering” as meaning the olah- offering and sin-offering. And that when it is written “and their sin-offering” it refers to the ox sin-offering mentioned in Vayikra. Consequently, the verse here would come to say that aside from the ox olah-offering and the goat sin-offering that are mentioned in this passage, they also brought the ox sin-offering that was mentioned in Vayikra. Therefore Rashi explains that this refers to the ox as the olah-offering, as it says “a fire offering to Hashem.” This is to the exclusion of a sin-offering which is not “a fire-offering to Hashem” given that only an olah-offering is considered as such.

V. 25. והם הביאו את קרבנם אשה לד׳: das עולה und וחטאתם לפני ד׳ ,נסכים: der שעיר הנעשה בפנים als חטאת פנימית.

וחטאתם AND THEIR SIN OFFERING — This is the he-goat (mentioned in v. 24).

וחטאתם לפני ה', “as well as their sin offering for Hashem.” These words refer to the male goat serving as the sin offering. According to Nachmanides the Torah writes both offerings separately so as to stress the enormity of the sin, and to teach that in spite of the sin itself being of a colossal nature, the fact that it was not committed knowingly qualifies it for forgiveness by the Creator.