תלמוד על במדבר 7:1

From where the dismantlings? Rebbi Zeˋira said,⁹⁰Num. 7:1. Since on this day the princes of the tribes started presenting their sacrifices, it must be the day when Aaron and his sons already officiated, the eighth day of initiation. Since the Tent of Meeting already was erected on the first day, finishing the erections on the eighth implies some dismantling in between. it was on the day that Moses stopped erecting the Dwelling, on the day the erections stopped. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, as he did on that day, did the Eternal command⁹¹Lev. 8:34. Since the verse implies that all of seven days the ritual commanded in Ex. 29 had to be repeated, including the erection of the Tent of Meeting.. Was this not already stated? One in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan ⁹²He interprets the verse differently, Note 7., and one in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish.

On the Eighth {Day}. There are Tannaim who state, it⁹³The Tent of Meeting. was anointed; and there are Tannaim who state, it was not anointed. There are Tannaim who state, it was dismantled; and there are Tannaim who state, it was not dismantled. Rebbi Ḥanin said, it is obvious for us that for him who said, it was anointed it was dismantled; and for him who said, it was not anointed it was not dismantled. Him who said, it was anointed, one understands since it is written he anointed them⁹⁰Num. 7:1. Since on this day the princes of the tribes started presenting their sacrifices, it must be the day when Aaron and his sons already officiated, the eighth day of initiation. Since the Tent of Meeting already was erected on the first day, finishing the erections on the eighth implies some dismantling in between.. But he who said, it was not anointed, how does he uphold he anointed them? I consider it as if it were missing anointment and you anointed it. Him who said, it was anointed, one understands since it is written⁹⁴Ex. 29:37. If the altar was not put out of commission in the meantime because the Tent was dismantled, only one atonement would have been necessary. Therefore every day must have seen a new commissioning of the altar., seven days they shall atone the altar. But he who said, it was not dismantled, how does he uphold seven days they shall atone the altari Atonement by blood, as it was stated⁹⁵Babli 4a. The persons referred to are the High Priest for the service of the Day of Atonement and the priest chosen to burn the corpse of the Red Cow. The sprinkling water has to penetrate the prietly garments below the blood and oil by which they were dedicated.: On both of them they were sprinkling from all purifications⁹⁶Ashes from all Red Cows conserved in the Temple. that were there, so that the water should penetrate under the blood, the words of Rebbi Jehudah; Rebbi Yose says, under the blood and under the anointing oil.

R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘What do we read [first]³¹In the second and third scrolls. when the New Moon of Ṭebeth³²Which always occurs in the week of Ḥanukkah. falls on a Sabbath?’³³Three scrolls are then taken from the ark. The usual weekly portion is read in the first, and the passages for New Moon and Ḥanukkah in the second and third. [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth,³⁴E.V. made an end (Num. 7, 1). This designates the entire section, descriptive of the dedication offerings brought by the princes of Israel, which is prescribed for the reading of the day. while the mafṭir reads³⁵In the third scroll. the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.³⁶Num. 28, 9-15. The present custom is always to read the section for the Sabbath and New Moon first, and then the passage for Ḥanukkah. If it falls on a week-day we call up on the first day³⁷Of the two days of the New Moon. three persons for the reading of the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence.³⁸The New Moon occurs monthly, Ḥanukkah once a year. But since the reading of the New Moon was read first,³⁹On the first day of the New Moon. [40a] three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah passage,⁴⁰In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on a week-day during Ḥanukkah. while the fourth reads⁴¹In the second scroll. the section of the New Moon, viz. uberashë ḥodshekem⁴²E.V. and in your new moons (Num. 28, 11). to the end of the passage.⁴³ibid. 15. Why is this so?⁴⁴i.e. why is the fourth person called to the reading of the New Moon passage and not, as on the first day, to the Ḥanukkah passage? Because it was only on account of the New Moon musaf that a fourth person is added’.⁴⁵On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of the New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month. The first of the two days of the New Moon is the last day of the preceding month. V and H insert here a ruling which has no connection with this chapter and is practically identical with XIV, 2 below.

In what manner are the interruptions made if the New Moon or the days of Ḥanukkah fall on a Sabbath? [In the former case] seven persons read the regular Sabbath section while the eighth reads that of the New Moon, viz. the two portions⁷So GRA. V and M read ‘breaks’. And on the sabbath day⁸i.e. the passage Num. 28, 9f which begins with these words. and And in your new moons;⁹The passage ibid. 11-15. and if the first day of Ḥanukkah¹⁰Or any of the other days. Unlike our present custom, they read the same portion on the Sabbath irrespective of which day of Ḥanukkah it was. falls on a Sabbath, seven read [the section] of the Sabbath while the eighth reads, And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end¹¹Num. 7, 1. up to so he made the candlestick.¹²ibid. VIII, 5.

A scroll⁶¹M and H read ‘a scroll of the Torah’. is then taken out⁶²In the Synagogue Service during Ḥanukkah. and we read in the section of the princes,⁶³Num. 7. And he that presented his offering the first day was;⁶⁴ibid. 12-17. and likewise for each day [the corresponding section of the offering] of that day,⁶⁵lit. ‘and so for each day its day’, the number of the Ḥanukkah day corresponding to the respective number of the days of the offerings of the princes. until the eighth day. On the Sabbath [during Ḥanukkah] one reads, And it came to pass on the day that Moses made an end⁶⁶Num. 7, 1. up to so he made the candlestick.⁶⁷ibid. VIII, 4. On the eighth day he reads from On the eighth day⁶⁸ibid. 54. through all the sections⁶⁹Of the offerings of all the princes. until so he made the candlestick. On the Sabbath⁷⁰So GRA. V and M read: ‘and so on the eighth day until And this was the work of the candlestick (Num. 8, 4) all the verse’. H has a different text. one also reads as the hafṭarah, Thus all the work … was finished.⁷¹i.e. in the passage 1 Kings 7, 51—VIII, 21.

When the New Moon of Ṭebeth⁸¹Which always occurs during Ḥanukkah. falls on a Sunday, three persons read on the first day⁸²Of the New Moon, which is observed sometimes on one day and sometimes on two. in the passage of the New Moon first, while the fourth reads the passage of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence,⁸³The New Moon occurs every month, Ḥanukkah once a year. and so [the reading for the New Moon] precedes the other. On the second day, however, the order is not the same, but three persons read the passage of Ḥanukkah while the fourth reads that of the New Moon, because on the previous day the section of the New Moon had been read first.⁸⁴So GRA. V, M and H read: ‘because the reckoning of the month is from the second day only when the years are regular’. [This is the procedure] because R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘Which do we read [first]⁸⁵In the second and third scrolls of the Torah. In the first the regular portion of the week is read. when the New Moon of Ṭebeth falls on a Sabbath?’ [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth Mosheh,⁸⁶E.V. Moses had made an end (Num. 7, 1). The extent of the reading is given in Rule 10 above. while the mafṭir reads⁸⁷In the third scroll. the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.⁸⁸Num. 28, 9-15. If it falls on a week-day, on the first day [of the New Moon] three persons read [the passage] for the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah; because that which is more frequent takes precedence. As, however, the section of the New Moon was read first,⁸⁹On the first day of New Moon. three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah section,⁹⁰In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on the week-days of Ḥanukkah. while the fourth reads⁹¹In the second scroll. the section of the New Moon, viz. And in your new moons to the end of the section.⁹²Num. 28, 11-15. Why is this so?⁹³Why is the order of the reading reversed on the second day as compared with the first? Because it is only on account of the musaf of New Moon⁹⁴On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month, the first being the last day of the old month. that a fourth person is added.⁹⁵Rule 12 incorporates nearly the whole of XII, 7. Behold [we have concluded the regulations respecting] the interruption which is made for the sake of Ḥanukkah.⁹⁶Cf. XVII, 2f.