Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 44:20

If his offering is a burnt offering of cattle, he shall offer it an unblemished male. The reason why the burnt offering is brought as a male, and the sin offering as a female, and the peace offerings can be either male or female, is because the burnt offering comes for what arises in your spirit, that is, for the sin of impure thoughts, as it is said And he would offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all, for Job said, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” (Job 1:5). The sin offering comes for the sin of action. It follows that one who contemplates a transgression but does not carry out his thought into action is certainly “mighty in the land,” for his strength is like a man’s, conquering his evil inclination, as the thought did not go outward to perform its strange deed; therefore his offering is a male. But one who sins also in deed, his strength is weakened like a female’s, for he was not able to stand against his evil inclination; therefore his offering is a female, similar to him. And since both the burnt offering and the sin offering come for sin which originates from the heart, for a deceived heart has turned him aside (Isaiah 44:20), and the wicked are under the control of their heart, which is located on the left side, therefore their slaughter is in the north. But the peace offerings, which run without iniquity, their slaughter is anywhere in the Temple courtyard, and there is no distinction between male and female for them.

Have mercy upon me, Lord, for I am feeble (withered): – אֻמְלַל (feeble, withered) has the force of an adjective although written with a pathah; and a similar example is (the passage): “A heart deceived (הוּתַל) hath turned him aside” (Is. 44:20); and it (אֻמְלַל) has the sense of “uprooting” and “cutting off,” as (in the passage): “And she that hath many children is withered away” (languisheth) (1 Sam. 2:5); “these feeble Jews” (Neh. 3:34); “she that hath borne seven is withered away” (languisheth) (Jer. 15:9); and (other) similar passages.

In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered. The commentators said this is to cover for the sinners, so people will say he is offering a burnt offering. This is a weak reason because, in any case, his sin would be revealed when they see that he is not offering it completely [entirely consumed, as] for a burnt offering. Furthermore, the burnt offering is male and the sin offering is female. Now, regarding the burnt offering, some say it comes for the contemplation of sin, and others say the burnt offering is among those sacrifices that run without iniquity (Psalms 59:5). For those who say that the burnt offering has an aspect of sin atonement, the reason is that the heart, which is on the left side, is the cause of all sin, as the heart desires and the implements of action complete it. Therefore, both are slaughtered on the north side [associated with the left], to indicate that a deluded heart has turned him aside (Isaiah 44:20) and from the north the evil will break forth (Jeremiah 1:14). For those who say that the burnt offering only comes as a gift, with their proof from the verse I will come into Your house with burnt offerings (Psalms 66:13), we can say that after the sinner has resolved in his heart to repent and bring a sin offering for atonement, from then on he is acceptable and his sacrifice is pleasing before the Holy One, Blessed be He, as if he had offered a burnt offering, which is the most elevated of all sacrifices.