Commento su Esodo 29:14

תשרף באש SHALT THOU BURN WITH FIRE — We do not find that any “outside” sin offering was to be burnt except this (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 9:11).

THOU SHALT BURN WITH FIRE WITHOUT THE CAMP; IT IS A SIN-OFFERING. “We do not find any outside¹⁹⁰An inner sin-offering was one the blood of which was sprinkled within the Sanctuary — upon the veil in front of the Holy of Holies and the golden altar; that kind of a sin-offering was burnt completely outside the camp (Leviticus 6:23). Such a sacrifice, for example, was the sin-offering of the High Priest (ibid., 4:3-12). An outside sin-offering was one the blood of which was sprinkled upon the outer altar that stood in the court of the Tabernacle [or Sanctuary]. Of such a sin-offering only certain fats were burnt on the altar, and the meat eaten by the priests. Since the sin-offering mentioned here was an outside sacrifice, and yet it was to the burnt wholly outside of the camp, it must have been a temporary, special legislation. sin-offering that was to be burnt except this.” Thus is Rashi’s language. It was a temporary, special legislation, according to the words of our Rabbis.¹⁹¹See Rashi to Leviticus 9:11. The reason for this is, that everything being foreseen by Him, this sin-offering was to effect forgiveness for the making of the golden calf, and it was the sacrifice of the anointed priest;¹⁹²A reference to Aaron’s role in that affair (see further 32:35) (Ricanti). and there [in the Book of Leviticus] He was to command that the blood of the sin-offering [of the High Priest] be brought within [the Tent of Meeting and sprinkled in front of] the veil,¹⁹³Leviticus 4:6. [and the sacrifice be burnt outside the camp¹⁹⁴Ibid., Verse 12. Hence He commanded here — in advance — that that sin-offering was to be burnt.]. At present, however, He did not wish to mention that [the blood be brought] within the Tent, for there [in the Book of Leviticus] He says in discernment, [that he sprinkle the blood] in front of the holy veil,¹⁹³Leviticus 4:6. and at this point [the Tabernacle] had not yet been sanctified, and the Divine Glory did not yet dwell upon it, that it be called “the holy veil.” Thus the outside sin-offering [mentioned here] was like the inner one [of the anointed priest]. The laying of hands was [also] by Aaron’s sons, [although if it was deemed to be Aaron’s sin-offering the laying of hands should have been done only by Aaron], because He was angry with Aaron to have destroyed him,¹⁹⁵Deuteronomy 9:20. which means the extermination of his children, therefore they too needed atonement by this sin-offering. The reason for burning [such a sin-offering outside the camp] is the same as the reason for burning the Red Heifer there,¹⁹⁶Numbers 19:3, 5. and the secret thereof is known from [the text concerning] the goat sent to Azazel.¹⁹⁷Leviticus 16:10. See Ramban there on Verse 8.

תשרף באש, “you are to burn by fire.” Rashi writes that nowhere else do we find that a sin offering offered on the altar in the Temple’s courtyard, was completely burned up without a portion of the meat being consumed by the priests. This was so only because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding this event. Nachmanides suggests a specific reason for the departure from the normal procedure when a sin offering is presented on the altar. He claims that this bull was meant to atone for the sin of the golden calf; the offering in question, i.e. a bull as a sin offering, is that assigned to the High Priest if he has committed an inadvertent sin, which if it had been deliberate would result in the karet penalty. Aaron atoned for his share in the sin of the golden calf by means of this offering. This particular sin offering (its blood) is brought to the Sanctuary, seeing that in the legislation dealing with this kind of sin offering the Torah stipulates that its blood is to be presented to the front of the curtain dividing the Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies. The element known as הוראת שעהemergency legislation, involved on this occasion, was that Aaron had not yet completed his consecration as High Priest, so that he really had no business to be in the Sanctuary as yet. On the other hand, the Presence of the Shechinah had not yet manifested itself until the eighth day of the מלואים, so that he did not commit a capital crime by doing so in his present state. The dividing curtain therefore had not yet qualified for its very name, i.e. a fence before the Holy of Holies. Nonetheless, the legal status of the Sanctuary was similar to that of the Holy of Holies, so that both he and his sons required a degree of atonement for what they did, but this was not connected to the sin of the golden calf that had occurred many months earlier.