출애굽기 24:5의 주석

את נערי THE LADS — the first-born sons (Zevachim 115b; Onkelos).

AND HE SENT ‘NA’AREI’ (THE YOUNG MEN OF) THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. These were the firstborns, as Onkelos rendered it, for it was they who used to offer the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings. But I do not know why Scripture designates the firstborns by the term na’arei (the young men)? Perhaps it is because Scripture mentioned the elders who are the nobles of the children of Israel,⁵¹⁹Further, Verse 11. therefore it called the firstborns ne’arim (young men), for in relation to the elders they were young. It thus indicates that Moses sent them to offer the sacrifices not because of their status in wisdom, for they were not yet advanced in age, but only an account of the birthright, through which they were set aside to offer sacrifices.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the young men of the children of Israel were the youth of Israel who had not tasted of sin,⁵²⁰Erubin 21b. and had never come near a woman, for they were the most select and holy of the people, in a similar manner to that which the Rabbis have said:⁵²¹Berachoth 43b. “The young men of Israel who have not tasted of sin⁵²²“Who have not tasted of sin” is not found in our Gemara, but it is present in manuscripts of the Talmud and other early works (see Dikdukei Sofrim, ibid., Note 6). are destined to give forth a fragrance like the Lebanon etc.”⁵²³“As it said, His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his fragrance as Lebanon (Hosea 14:7)” (ibid). The word Lebanon [of the root lavan — white] is an allusion here to the Sanctuary which “whitens” [atones for] the sins of Israel. The thought suggested then is that these young men who have not tasted of sin are as beneficial to Israel as the Sanctuary (Maharsha).

את נערי בני ישראל, the firstborns of each family.

את נערי בני ישראל, “the youths of the Children of Israel.” What are meant are the firstborn sons of the respective families. Nachmanides writes: “I do not know why the Torah calls these firstborns נערים, “youths?” Perhaps the reason is that in the previous verses the Torah had specifically mentioned the זקנים, the elders, the ones who had also been characterized as the אצילי בני ישראל, “the great men of Israel,” the ones blessed with a measure of holy spirit. The Torah may have hinted that attainment of spiritual maturity was not something reserved for people who were born as firstborns, even though those were the ones to whom the functions of the priesthood were entrusted. Seeing that they were the ones, he distinguished them as separate from the multitude. According to the plain meaning of the text the reference is to the young men who were still free from sin, had not slept with any woman, so that they were considered the elite of the people.

וישלח את נערי בני ישראל, “He sent the youths of the Children of Israel, etc.” These were the firstborn. The reason the Torah refers to them as נערי, “youths of,” is that they were ritually pure, ready to perform sacrificial service. They had never committed a sin, had not had sexual intercourse with a woman. This is what our sages said in Berachot 43 when they described that in the future these בחורי ישראל, “young men of the Jewish people,” who had never committed any sin would exude a fragrance like that of the Lebanon. They based this on Hoseah 14,7: “His beauty shall be like the olive tree’s, his fragrance like that of the Lebanon.” With the bringing of this sacrifice the covenant signifying the giving of the Torah was concluded. There were three separate occasions when the Israelites were committed through conclusion of a covenant.
One was circumcision; the second was immersion in a ritual bath; the third is the offering of a communal sacrifice. The circumcision occurred prior to the Exodus from Egypt. All of them had first been circumcised as we know from the fact that they could not eat the Passover unless they had been circumcised. We also have a specific verse in Joshua 5,5 stating that all the Israelite males who had departed from Egypt had been circumcised.
Immersion in a ritual bath was part of the process of sanctification commanded by G’d in 19,10. The offering of a communal sacrifice is what is referred to in our verse. When someone wishes to convert to Judaism he must fulfill all these three rituals. This is based on the Torah comparing natural-born Jews to newly converted Jews when it wrote in Numbers 15,15 ככם כגר, “one teaching for you as well as for the proselyte.” The Jewish court is obligated to administer and supervise circumcision and ritual bath of the converts. When the Temple will be rebuilt, each convert will then offer his sacrifice to complete the procedure of his conversion (Maimonides Hilchot Issurey Biah 13,5).
Our sages in Yevamot 47 state that prior to circumcision and ritual bath the proselyte receives instruction in some of the laws of the Torah, especially those dealing with the various tithes imposed by the Torah on the Jewish farmer. One also makes such a proselyte familiar with the penalties he incurs for violating laws of the Torah. The reason is that the mixed multitude who joined the Jewish people as converts at the time of the Exodus were the ones who initiated the sin of the golden calf. They were also the cause of the death of 14,000 Israelites on the occasion when the people had demanded meat after expressing their dissatisfaction with the manna diet (Numbers 11,4). The Torah had described the instigators of that affair as האספסוף, ‘the collection of rabble.” The Talmud Yevamot 43 adds that the absorption of proselytes is a very difficult task for Israel, as difficult to stomach as ספחת, psoriasis, as we know from Isaiah 14,1 ונספחו על בית ישראל, “and strangers shall join them and cleave to the House of Yaakov.” The reason that these proselytes are so hard to absorb is that their inexperience with Jewish laws and customs produces the result that Jews learn from their customs instead of vice versa.

The first-born. The Nachalas Yaakov writes that sacrifices were offered by the first-born [not only now, before the Giving of the Torah, but even afterward,] until the Mishkan was actually constructed. This is true even though the Levites were chosen right after the sin of the Golden Calf [to take their place]. This is different from the Re’m’s approach; see what he wrote there.

He sent the youths [first-born]. The first born had not yet been deprived of the privilege of performing the service. And even if Aharon and his offspring were chosen to be the priests before the sin of the Golden Calf (which is not clear), the first born could have served in the capacity of the Levites.

V. 5. נערי בני ישראל, die Jünglinge, die Jugend, die nächsten Träger der Zukunft; sie bringen עולות: Opfer der gänzlichen Hingebung ( — eigentlich: Steigopfer, Opfer des Hinanklimmens zur Höhe, daher זריקת דם למטה מחוט הסיקרא. Siehe zu Wajikra 1) und זבחי שלמים: Friedensmahlopfer, Opfer des seligen Bewusstseins der Bundesnähe Gottes mitten im irdischen Dasein und Leben ( — man ist gleichsam Gast am Gottestische auf Erden —), und sie brachten diese Höhe- und Friedenopfer in פרים, Stieren, dem Ausdruck der "Arbeit im Dienste Gottes" (siehe das.), in welchen sie so eben durch Übernahme des Gesetzes getreten. (Chagiga 7 b bleibt es jedoch zweifelhaft, ob פרים sich auch auf עולות oder nur auf שלמים bezieht. Es würde sodann in den עולות zuerst die in ihrem Geschicke von Gott geleitete Nation, כבש, als צאן מרעיתו zu ihrem "Hirten" hingetreten sein, und dann in שלמים als פרים, des nunmehrigen Eintrittes in seinen Dienst vor ihrem "Herrn" froh, sich diese Freude zum Ausdruck gebracht haben).

נערי בני ישראל, “young men of the Children of Israel.” They were young lads on the threshold of becoming of age when they would be eligible to observe the commandments. According to a different view, these were all firstborns of their respective families.

OXEN UNTO THE ETERNAL. The reason they brought oxen is that as long as Israel was in the wilderness they feared the attribute of justice, this being indeed the source of their mistake at the incident of the golden calf — as I will mention there.⁵²⁴See Ramban further, 32:1. And so they now offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed peace-offerings all of oxen, for a similar reason to that of the bullock brought by the anointed priest [for a sin-offering],⁵²⁵Leviticus 4:3. and the bullock which the court brings for an erroneous decision [which contradicts in part what the Torah enjoins],⁵²⁶Ibid., Verse 14. and the bullock for idolatry,⁵²⁷Numbers 15:24. as well as the Red Heifer.⁵²⁸Ibid., 19:2. See Ramban there: “Its redness alludes to the attribute of justice, etc.”

ויעלו עולות, “they presented burntofferings.” They meant to fulfill what G-d had told Moses at the burning bush that the Israelites would in due course worship him at that Mountain. (Exodus 3,12)

זבחים שלמים לה' פרים, “as feast peace-offerings for Hashem, bulls.” As long as the Israelites were in the desert they always experienced some fear of the attribute of Justice seeing they found themselves in a part of the earth which was desolate, reflected destruction of nature, etc. This is why they slaughtered bulls as their offerings [the standard sin-offering of High Priests, or the communal sin-offering for the whole people when the occasion demanded it. Ed.].