Commentaire sur Les Nombres 28:4

את הכבש אחד THE ONE LAMB [SHALT THOU OFFER IN THE MORNING] — Although it has already been stated in the section beginning with the words ,ואתה תצוה (Exodus 29:38 39): “Now this is what thou shalt offer … [The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning]”, that was an instruction for the days of the installation ceremony of the priests, but here it states the commands for all generations.

את הכבש אחד, “One of the lambs,” we would have expected the Torah to write את הכבש האחד, however the omission of the letter ה here is to alert us to the fact that the word אחד has a numerical value of 13 to teach us that 13 priests were involved in this procedure (Yuma 25). This number is also not accidental but is in itself a reminder that the offering was addressed to the אחד, to the One and Only G’d. In Exodus chapter 29,39 the Torah does write: את הכבש האחד, as is grammatically appropriate when speaking of an animal singled out from its flock as superior.

Here the commandment is for all the generations. (Kitzur Mizrochi) Ramban claims that this is not correct, for there it already stated, “A continual burned-offering for your generations.” Chizkuni answers that the minimum [meaning of the] number of “generations” is two and no more, therefore the verse where it is written “command” (v. 2) implies alacrity for now and for future generations is necessary.

V. 4. את הכבש אחד. Statt האחד heißt es אחד, also nicht: das eine Schaf, sondern: das Schaf, und zwar nur eins. Damit dürfte der sadduzäischen Auffassung begegnet und ausdrücklich gesagt sein, dass für die Gesamtnation nur ein Schaf zum Tamid nahegebracht werden soll, dies daher entschieden nur ein קרבן צבור sei und keineswegs von jedem יחיד als נדבה gebracht werden könne. ואת הכבש השני ist wohl nicht die Anordnung des תמיד של יבין הערבים, die erst V. 8 erfolgt, sondern nur Erläuterung zu dem vorangehenden את הכבש אחד וגו׳. Es sollen nicht beide, es soll nur eines dargebracht werden, — denn das zweite soll erst abends zum Opfer kommen — diese notwendig erschienene Erläuterung dürfte das Einheitliche des Tamidopfers noch mehr hervorheben. Es könnte, ohne den Charakter eines קרבן צבור zu verlieren, das צבור selbst, wie sogleich im Schabbatmussafopfer, durch zwei Tiere zum Ausdruck gelangen. Allein es würde dann die nationale Gesamtheit in der Vielheit ihrer Glieder und nicht als geschlossene Einheit ihren Ausdruck finden. Das Tamid soll jedoch Israel in der Idee seiner Gesamteinheit darstellen (siehe zu Versen 9 u. 10).

את הכבש אחד, “the one sheep;” Rashi explains that although this commandment had already been written in Exodus 29,38, at that time it applied only to the days during which the priests were consecrated. Now it applies permanently. If you were to argue that we find the word: לדורותיכם, “for your generations,” in the passage containing this law in Exodus, the word there might be understood as applying only to the minimum number of generations, i.e. two generations, whereas here it applies to all future generations when the Temple would be standing. This is also why it is introduced herewith the word: צו, “issue a command!” (verse 2) (Sifra, at the beginning of the portion Tzav.)

תעשה בבוקר, “you are to prepare it in the morning.” The numerical value of these two words is the same as לארבע שעות, i.e. during the first four hours of the day.

בבוקר, “in the morning.” a period from sunrise until the sun has spread its rays across the horizon. The universe was created during the day as we know from Genesis 2,4: “on the day the Lord G’d made earth and heaven.”