Comentário sobre Deuteronômio 16:26

שמור את חדש האביב WATCH THE MONTH OF ABIB — This means: Before it comes watch whether it will be capable of producing ripe ears (אביב), so that one may offer the Omer meal-offering during it, and if not (i.e. if you observe that the ears will not be ripe by the 16th of Nisan), then intercalate the year (i.e. add a month to the winter-period, so that the month Abib falls later than it otherwise would, by which time the ears will be ripened) (cf. Sanhedrin 11b and Note 4 on p. 191 of Leviticus in the Silbermann edition of the Pentateuch).

KEEP THE MONTH OF AVIV. The commandment of the festivals [mentioned here] is explanatory, for He has already mentioned it. Now, in the Book of Leviticus He mentioned with reference to the festivals, And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal,³¹⁴Leviticus 23:8. but here he did not mention them [the offerings] at all. Instead he commanded Israel to ascend on their account [to celebrate the festivals] to the place which He will choose, and rejoice before Him. For just as he commanded that one bring the Second Tithe before G-d,³¹⁵Above, 14:23. and also the firstling,³¹⁶Ibid., 15:19. and eat them there in the place that G-d will choose, he added [here] to make it clear that they will all be further obligated to come before G-d and celebrate before Him on three festivals and rejoice with the peace-offerings that they will offer before Him. Now he did not mention the times of the Festivals of Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles on which dates they occur, but he briefly mentioned their months, for He had already stated everything there.³¹⁷Leviticus 23:4-43.

שמור את חודש האביב, make sure that the month of Nissan always occurs in the spring, by manipulating the calendar, if necessary and inserting an extra month of Adar. By doing this the solar orbit (year) and the lunar orbits, (12 moons equaling a year) can be brought into line with each other.

שמור את חודש האביב, “You shall observe the month of spring, etc.” The Torah in Leviticus, chapter 23 has already provided us with a list of these festivals and details regarding their observance as well as the communal offerings to be offered by the priests on those occasions. [Also, more specifically, in Numbers chapter 28. Ed.] This is why Moses does not repeat the legislation concerning these offerings. The emphasis in this chapter is on the duty for the male adults to make the three pilgrimages to the Temple each year in order to pay one’s respects to the Shechinah, the benevolent presence of Hashem in the Temple. Although certain of G’d’s blessings may only be consumed within the boundaries of the holy city of Jerusalem, notably the second tithe, (at anytime of the year), there are three fixed dates when such appearances are mandatory. Whereas Moses does not repeat the precise dates of these festivals, the Torah having done so twice already, he does repeat the months in which these festivals occur.

שמור את חדש האביב, “you shall observe the month of spring.” This is the month of Nissan during which the Exodus from Egypt took place. Our sages (Sifri) elaborate that the exhortation of the Torah means that we must make preparations for this month beforehand so that its arrival should coincide with the arrival of spring, a time when the offering of the first ripe barley is to take place on the 16th of that month. If this does not (at least) coincide with the spring solstice, the sages are to insert an extra month so that the spring solstice occurs before the 16th of Nissan

Kap. 16. V. 1. Es folgt ein Kapitel der מועדים, dessen Stellung in dem משנה תורה-Kompendium wir bereits zu Kap. 1, 15 besprochen haben. Es fehlen in demselben alle diejenigen Festzeiten, die wie י׳׳כ ,ר׳׳ה ,שבת und שמיני עצרת schon ihrem ganzen Wesen nach auch während der Wanderung in der Wüste zur Verwirklichung kamen, und es kommen in diesem Kompendium für die ins Land Ziehenden nur diejenigen zur nochmaligen Besprechung, die wie שבועות und סוכת eigentlich erst im Lande in ihre volle Bedeutung eintreten, oder hinsichtlich derer wie für פסח die Verpflichtung der Vollziehung in der Gottesstadt als der nationalen Zentralstätte ganz besonders hervorzuheben war, wie denn diese Verpflichtung auch hinsichtlich שבועות und סוכת ausgesprochen wird. Alle drei sind sie רגלים, deren Bedeutung als solche ja auch erst mit der Dezentralisierung im Lande beginnt, wie sie denn ja auch in dieser Beziehung (V. 16) zusammengefasst werden. Gleichzeitig sind denn auch einige wesentliche Ergänzungen der bereits in den vorigen Büchern enthaltenen מועד-Vorschriften für dieses Kompendium vorbehalten worden. So gleich der erste Satz der פסח-Bestimmungen:

שמור, “wait until the month of spring.” The month of Nissan is called the month of spring, as the spring equinox occurs always during that month.

ממצרים לילה [FOR IN THE MONTH OF ABIB THE LORD THY GOD BROUGHT THEE FORTH] FROM EGYPT BY NIGHT — But did they not go forth by day , as it is said, (Numbers 30:3) “on the morrow after the Passover the children of Israel went out … [in the sight of all the Egyptians]”? But it states that they went out by night because Pharaoh gave them permission to go forth by night, as it is said, (Exodus 12:31) “And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, [and said, Rise up, go forth from among my people etc.]” (cf. Sifrei Devarim 128:5; Berakhot 9a).

ועשית פסח, on the first evening of the festival of matzot

ממצרים לילה, “from Egypt at night.” The actual departure was by day as we know from Numbers 33,3 that “the Israelites left on the morrow after the Passover.” Moreover, the Torah adds in Exodus 12,41 that בעצם היום הזה יצאו, “they departed on that very day,” i.e. during the hours of daylight of the 15th of Nissan. Why then does the Torah speak here about the Israelites departing at night? The answer is that seeing that permission had been given for them to depart they are considered as having left the state of enslavement already. Exodus 12,31 reported that Pharaoh called upon Moses and Aaron during the night and told them: “arise and leave!” Onkelos translates our verse here ועבד לך נסין בלילה, “and He performed miracles for you at night,” so that you should not be misled into thinking that the departure took place at night.

שמור את חדש האביב וגו׳. Bereits in den einleitenden Worten des Moedkapitels im dritten Buche (Kap. 23, 2) ist die Gesetzesbestimmung niedergelegt, dass die Feststellung der Festeszeiten, obgleich dieselben an einen bestimmten Monatstag gebunden sind, einer Regulierung der Nationalrepräsentanz bedarf und von deren jährlicher Bestimmung bedingt ist. Wir haben (daselbst) dieses Bedürfnis bereits aus der durch das Gesetz gegebenen Notwendigkeit erläutert, die auf bestimmte Moedmonatstage fallenden Feste gleichzeitig in bestimmten vom Ablauf des Sonnenjahres abhängigen Jahreszeiten zu fixieren, wodurch, da das Moedjahr von zwölf Mondmonaten um etwa 11 Tage kürzer als das Sonnenjahr ist, somit, sich selbst überlassen, die Festzeiten jährlich um 11 Tage rückläufig alle Jahreszeiten durchlaufen würden, sich das Bedürfnis ergibt, durch eine periodische Einschaltung unsere Festzeiten im Einklange mit den bestimmten Jahreszeiten zu halten, so dass das Mazzothfest in den Anfang der Frühlings-תקופה, die Herbst-תקופה noch in das Suckothfest (תקופה: der Anfang eines Sonnenjahresviertels von 91 7/12 Tag und darüber; wir haben תקופות תשרי טבת ניסן und תמוז) und das Wochenfest der בכורים-Darbringung mit der ersten Baumfruchtreife zusammenfalle,

Crops known as אביב, ripen during that month in the land of Israel. They are primarily the barley crops. We have been told this already in connection with the plague of hail in Exodus 9,31.

כי בחודש האביב הוציאך, because it was G’d’s will that your departure from Egypt should be at the time when the month signaling the beginning of spring should occur, astrologically a time when the zodiac sign of the lamb ascends in tandem with the sun, and is opposite the moon, the latter symbolising the Jewish people, as opposed to the Egyptians who worship the sun as a major deity.

Diese Regulierung wird hier nun des Näheren bestimmt:

"You must not bend etc and not recognize a face" (Deuteronomy 16:20) because it is written "you shall not have other gods before Me [lit. in front of My face]" (Exodus 20:3) and one can explain it like this: behold, the Blessed Creator is called "face of every thing", since every thing has a piece of divinity that makes it present and gives it vitality, and if, God forbid, a person thinks a extraneous thought, or looks at something evil, then one turns away and distances one's face from it. And the extraneous thoughts and the evil sightings and evil passing thoughts are called "other gods" and this is "you shall not have other gods etc" and this is [also] "you must not recognize faces" that is to say, that you will not sin and not think outside thoughts, so that you won't distance the face and become estranged from yourself. "You shall take no bribe because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, etc" (Deuteronomy 16:20), and at a first glance don't our eyes see many and many receivers of bribe, and they are healthy, and strong, and they die closing their eyes? But the issue is that the righteous person who is dedicated to Hashem in truth merits high levels in the eyes of His intellect, that is, the higher Wisdom, and this is "the eyes of Hashem are on the righteous" (Psalms 34:16) that the Holy One of Blessing gives merit to the righteous in the eyes of the Higher Intellect, and this is "you shall not take etc because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise etc", meaning that the person will not merit in the eyes of His intellect in the Higher Wisdom, "and perverts the words of the righteous" that is, the righteous that speak in their holiness the receiver of bribes perverts them, that is, not just that that person will not merit Higher Wisdom, but also if the righteous want to negate their words and return that person to the good, their words will not help that person, since all their words will appear to that person as perverted.

ועשית פסח, “and you must observe the Passover;” the Torah was forced to repeat this law as in verse 5 of this chapter it stipulated that once the people were in their own land they were forbidden to offer this offering and consume it in their own dwellings, outside of Jerusalem.

לילה, on that occasion, the sun/lamb being opposite the moon occurred at night. Seeing that one cannot offer a sacrifice at night, the Torah arranged for the Passover to be offered on the afternoon preceding that night. As a commemoration of that event, it was decided not to change the time of offering the Passover even though the astrological/astronomical data change from year to year.

שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסח. Der Begriff חדש האביב kombiniert schon zwei Momente, deren eines dem Mondzyklus und das andere dem Sonnenjahre angehört. חדש, wirkliche Monate hat nur der Ablauf des Mondes, אביב, die Halmreife, Bezeichnung des Frühlingsanfangs, gehört dem Sonnenlaufe an. חדש, der Monat, in welchem wir das פסח-Opfer zu vollziehen haben, soll immer חדש האביב sein, es soll immer אביב, der Frühlingsanfang, תקופת ניסן, in ihn, und zwar präziser, in die erste Hälfte des Monats fallen, die spezifisch noch den חדש-Charakter trägt, indem sie dem steigenden, sich "erneuenden" Lichte angehört, im Gegensatz zu der zweiten Hälfte des bereits abnehmenden Lichts. Die erste Hälfte des Monats reicht aber bis zum vierzehnten, eben dem Tage der Vollziehung des Peßachopfers. Und nur, wenn an diesem vierzehnten Tag oder früher תקופת ניסן, die Frühlings-תקופה, beginnt, ist der Monat חדש האביב und kann in ihm das פסח zur Vollziehung kommen. Gehört aber der ganze vierzehnte noch der Winter-תקופה, der תקופת טבת an, und tritt תקופת ניסן erst am fünfzehnten oder später ein, so ist durch Einschaltung dem ניסן der חדש האביבCharakter zu reservieren, und zwar, wenn תקופת ניסן auf den fünfzehnten fiele, genügt es, durch מלא-Bestimmung des vorangehenden Monats Adar (siehe Schmot S. 96) den Anfang des Nissan um einen Tag zu verschieben. Fiele sie aber auf den sechzehnten und später, so muss dem für den פסח-Monat erforderlichen חדש האביב-Charakter durch Einschaltung eines ganzen Monats, des אדר שני, genügt werden. Daher der Satz: כי חזית דמשכה תקופת טבת עד שיתסר בניסן עברה לההיא שתא ולא תחוש לה דכתיב שמור את חדש האביב שמור אביב של תקופה שיהא בחדש ניסן; (Rosch Haschana 21a Raschi daselbst). — (Nach Tossfot daselbst jedoch gehört noch der fünfzehnte Tag dem "חדש", dem sich erneuenden Lichte an, und es genügt, wenn תקופת ניסן am fünfzehnten eintritt. Der Wortlaut unseres Textes: שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסה spricht für Raschis Auffassung, dass schon עשית הפסח in die Frühlings-תקופה falle. Nach ׳תוספו müsste man annehmen, der ganze Monat heiße חדש האביב, wenn die תקופה-אביב nicht später als am fünfzehnten eintritt, und die Bestimmung laute, dafür zu sorgen, dass der Monat, in welchem das פסח-Opfer zur Vollziehung kommt, חדש האביב sei).

In the expression: ממצרים לילה, “from Egypt, at night,” the word לילה here refers only to the eating of the Passover, as the Exodus did not commence until the morning of the fifteenth of Nissan, and they had been absolutely forbidden on pain of death to leave their homes already during that night. (Exodus 12,22)

Diese Fürsorge für den חדש האביב-Charakter des ניסן ist die Erfüllung der Aufgabe שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסח und diese Einschaltung des אדר שני selbst heißt עיבור שנה. Wir haben damit in Zusammenhang stehende Bestimmungen bereits zu Wajikra 23, 2 erläutert und verweisen hierauf. Die Ausübung dieser Fürsorge und die jedesmalige auf Grund astronomischer Berechnung und Wahrnehmung anderer dabei in Betracht kommender Umstände zu treffende Bestimmung gehört mit zu den Attributen der höchsten nationalen Gesetzesrepräsentanz. Nach unserer seit Hillel dem Jüngern, der letzten nationalen Gesetzesrepräsentanz und durch dieselbe für die Zeiten des Galut fixierten Kalenderordnung, fallen in einen Zyklus von neunzehn Jahren, מחזור sieben Schaltjahre, und zwar ist immer das 3, 6, 8, 11. 14., 17., 19 eines solchen Zyklus ein Schaltjahr von dreizehn Monaten, die übrigen sind שנות פשוטות

Wir haben bereits zu Schmot 12, 2 und Wajikra 23, 2 u. 4 auseinandergesetzt, wie die קידוש החדש- und עיבור השנה-Institution und die gleichzeitig geschichtlichen und jahreszeitlichen Bestimmungen unserer Festzeiten, allem und jedem antiken und modernen Naturkult entgegen, vielmehr aus einer vergötternden Anbetung der Natur uns zur Huldigung Gottes des einen Einzigen hinrufen, dessen Gegenwart jedes Wesen und jeder Wechsel, jeder Atemzug des Naturlebens verkündet, dessen Gesetz in jeder Entfaltung des Naturseins allmächtig ist, der aber in noch innigerer Nähe dem sittlich freien Menschenleben nahe ist und uns in Gestaltung und Lenkung unserer Geschicke und in Leitung unseres Tatenlebens durch sein Gesetz offenbar geworden. Die Identität des einen Einzigen in Natur und Geschichte, das ist die Basis unseres Gottes- und Selbstbewusstseins, und das ist die Wahrheit, zu deren Promulgierung das שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסח לה׳ אלקיך unser ganzes Kalenderwesen gestaltet. Das Fest unserer geschichtlichen Auferstehung muss zu gleicher Zeit das Fest der Auferstehung der Natur sein. Der Gott, dessen Frühlingshauch die Natur aus der Todesstarre des Winters weckt, das ist derselbe Gott, der uns aus Tod und Fessel zu Leben und Freiheit gerufen, und der Gott, der einst mit seinem: בדמיך חיי (Ezech. 16, 6) das ägyptische Grab unseres geschichtlichen Todes gesprengt, das ist derselbe Gott, dessen frei machendes, Leben gebendes Walten in der Natur noch jede aus dem Boden hervorbrechende Sprosse, jede zur Blüte aufbrechende Knospe, jedes aus der Todeserstarrung sich aufrüttelnde Wesen frühlingsselig verkündet. Der Tag, dessen Wiederkehr immer aufs neue im פסח-Opfer den geschichtlichen Moment uns begehen lassen will, in welchem physischer und politischer Tod über unseren Häuptern schwebten und Gott beide mit abwägender Prüfung über uns hinweg schreiten ließ und unser Opfergelöbnis ewig treuer, männlich heiterer Hingebung mit Leben und Freiheit rettend lohnte: der Tag, der vierzehnte Nissan, muss immer im Frühlingsanfang des Naturerwachens stehen und, zurückgeblieben, in diesen Anfang, durch Einschaltung, gestellt werden. Wir begreifen daher, warum אין מעברין אלא אדר (Sanhedrin 12 a), warum diese Regulierung nur durch Einschaltung eines zweiten Adar und nicht irgend eines anderen Monats des Jahres zu bewirken ist. Nur durch Einschaltung eines dem Monat Nissan unmittelbar vorangehenden Monats tritt der Zweck dieser Einschaltung, das Zusammenfallen des Peßachmonats mit dem Frühlingsmonat, in die Augen. Dagegen tritt die Offenbarung Gottes in unserer Geschichte also mit überwiegender Bedeutung in den Vordergrund, dass, wenn einmal der Monat Nissan eingetreten, ja selbst nur bereits der 30. Adar herangekommen, der der 1. Nissan werden konnte, dann keine Einschaltung mehr zulässig ist, אין מעברין ניסן בניסן, ja: אין מעברין את השנה ביום שלשים של אדר הואיל וראוי לקובעו ניסן (daselbst 12b).

Die hohe Bedeutsamkeit dieser עיבור שנה-Institution trat aber erst in voller Wichtigkeit mit der Niederlassung im Lande ein, und konnte daher deren spezielle Anordnung für dieses Kompendium des Gesetzes vorbehalten bleiben. Erst in Acker- und Feldumgebung drängt sich mit dem Frühlingserwachen das Naturleben dem Menschengedanken mit seinen mächtigen Reizen und seinem imponierenden Gleichschritt, und dem Menschenherzen mit der Hoheit einer seine Hoffnungen bedingenden Gewalt auf, erst in Acker- und Feldumgebung läuft das Gottesvolk Gefahr, in die Vergötterung dieser Naturgewalten zu versinken und dem "Baal" neben dem Gotte seines geschichtlichen Seins und Schaffens einen Thron der Huldigung in seinem Herzen zu reservieren. Da tritt das Gesetz hin und fordert Frühlingsanfang für den Peßachopfertag, fordert im Anblick des Frühlings der Natur die Gedächtnisfeier unseres Frühlings, und ruft zu ihr weg von dem grünenden Acker und dem blühenden Feld, hinauf und hinan zu der Stätte hin, wo in dem göttlichen Gesetze der Born unserer Verjüngung, der Quell unserer sittlichen und politischen Blüte und darin zugleich die eigentliche Bedingung der Blüte unserer Acker und Felder ruht, und lässt uns im Anblick dieses unseres Unterpfandes Gottes, des einzig Einen, Ihm, dem einzig Einen aufs neue huldigen, der in einer einzigen Frühlingsnacht uns aus pyhsischem und politischem Tode zu Leben und Freiheit geführt und sich mit dieser weltgeschichtlich einzigen Tat in das Buch der Menschen- und Völkererfahrung, vor allem zu unserem ewigen Gedenken und Beherzigen, als den eingeschrieben, der mit einer Hand die Gänge der Natur und der Geschichte leitet, und wie Er das Gesetz gegeben und aufrecht hält, nach welchem und durch welches die Sonne und die Erde ihren Lauf vollbringen, Zeiten kreisen und Keim und Wesen daseinsfroh und hoffnungsselig ihren Entwicklungsgang antreten und vollenden, also auch uns das Gesetz geschrieben, nach welchem wir unser Wesen und alle ihm eingeborenen Keime des Wahren und Guten entwickeln und damit die noch höhere, ewig sich verjüngende, daseinsfrohe, hoffnungsselige Vollendung eines Menschen- und Völkerfrühlings zu gewinnen vermögen — "wahre dir den Frühlingsmonat und vollziehe hingebungsvoll das Opfer deiner Auferstehung" — das ist ja פסח (siehe Schmot 12, 12 u. 27) — Gott, deinem Gotte; denn im Frühlingsmonat hat Gott, dein Gott, dich aus Mizrajim hinausgeführt."

לילה, "nachts": du warst untätig bei deiner Freiwerdung, wie das Kind im lichtlosen Mutterschoße geboren wird zu Licht und Leben, so wardst du geboren zur Freiheit. Und es war eine "Frühlingsnacht", die Geburtsnacht deines völkergeschichtlichen Seins. In einer "Frühlingsnacht" siehst du die Sonne nicht, aber in jedem rauschenden Blatt, in jedem nickenden Kelch, in jeder duftenden Blüte siehst du und weißt du ihr Werk, und am Himmel leuchtet dir im "Abglanz" ihres Lichtes der Mond — zu einem solchen Mondesgang am Firmament der Völkergeschichte wurdest du in jener Nacht von dem unsichtbaren Einen ausgesandt, zu leuchten in Seinem, des Unsichtbaren, Lichte und den Völkern ihre Welt als Seine, des unsichtbaren Einen, zu deuten, alles Sein, alles Werden, alles Blühen, alles Leben Sein, des Unsichtbaren Werk, den die Sinne nicht fassen, den aber der Menschengeist weiß und die Menschenbrust fühlt, wie die Frühlingsnacht die Sonne in ihrem Frühlingswerk wissen und fühlen lässt, obgleich das Auge sie nicht sieht. —

פסח .שיהו כל עשיותיו לשם פסח :ועשית פסח ist nebst חטאת die einzige Opferkategorie, die שלא לשמו völlig פסול ist (Sebachim 7 b; siehe zu V. 2 Ende).

וזבחת פסח לה' אלהיך צאן THOU SHALT THEREFORE SACRIFICE THE PASSOVER UNTO THE LORD THY GOD OF SHEEP, as it is said of the Passover offering, (Exodus 12:5) “Ye shall take it from the sheep or from the goats”,

AND THOU SHALT SACRIFICE THE PASSOVER-OFFERING UNTO THE ETERNAL THY G-D THE FLOCK AND THE HERD. Its purport³¹⁸The difficulty in the verse is the fact that the Passover-offering is not brought from the herd. Ramban therefore proceeds to explain it in accordance with the law. by way of the plain meaning of Scripture is similar to the expressions: the ox, the sheep, and the goats³¹⁹Above, 14:4. [which means: “the ox, ‘and’ the sheep … “]; Reuben, Simeon, Levi³²⁰Exodus 1:2. [which means: “Reuben, ‘and’ Simeon, ‘and’ Levi”], And here it means: “and thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering unto the Eternal thy G-d, ‘and’ the flock and the herd [thou shalt bring for the Festal-offering,” as will be explained]. Therefore, [because the flock and the herd are not used for the Passover-offering], he does not say “and thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering unto the Eternal thy G-d, ‘of’ the flock and ‘of’ the herd,” as He says in all places: ye shall bring your offering ‘of’ the cattle, ‘of’ the herd, or ‘of’ the flock;³²¹Leviticus 1:2. and if his offering be ‘of’ the flock;³²²Ibid., Verse 10. if he offer ‘of’ the herd.³²³Ibid., 3:1. But here he commands concerning the Passover-offering, which is the sheep as He has previously mentioned;³²⁴Exodus 12:5. and sheep and herd, rams and goats and calves, to celebrate the Festal-offering on that day, just as he commanded concerning the Festivals of Weeks and Tabernacles, saying, And thou shalt keep the Festival of Weeks unto the Eternal thy G-d after the measure of the freewill offering of thy hand,³²⁵Further, Verse 10. meaning that he shall bring herd and sheep as peace-offerings in accordance with his means. So also he said with reference to Tabernacles, Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the Eternal thy G-d etc.,³²⁶Ibid., Verse 15. and at the end he included all three [festivals] together.³²⁷Ibid., Verse 16. Similar to this [where the connecting letter vav — “and” is missing] is the verse: In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover; a feast of seven days, unleavened bread shall be eaten,³²⁸Ezekiel 45:21. which means “‘and’ a feast of seven days.” We find this also in the Passover celebrated by King Josiah where it says, of the flock, lambs, and kids, all of them for the Passover-offerings … and three thousand bullocks,³²⁹II Chronicles 35:7. and afterwards it says, And they roasted the Passover [-offering] with fire according to the ordinance, and the holy offerings they boiled in pots, and in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.³³⁰Ibid., Verse 13. Thus Scripture explained there that the lambs and kids were all for the Passover-offerings, not the goats themselves [that were older than a year] nor the herd, as it is written, Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.³³¹Exodus 12:5. And Scripture explains that the herd that he mentioned were three thousand, and they were holy offerings which were boiled in pots to be carried quickly to the people to eat their fill,³³²Isaiah 23:18. as our Rabbis have received by tradition concerning the Festal-offering.³³³Pesachim 70a. And Onkelos connected here [in the verse before us] the word flock with the Passover-offering [for he translated as follows: “and thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering from the young lambs, and holy offerings from the herd”]. But in that case the vav in the word u’bakar (“and” the herd) does not connect itself well [with the word tzon — “flock,” since the connecting letter, vav, indicates that the herd and the flock were used for the same offerings, while Onkelos says that the flock was for the Passover-offering and the herd was for other types of offerings.]³³⁴But according to Ramban, both the flock and the herd are intended for the Festal-offerings, hence the connecting vav in the word u’bakar (‘and’ the herd). Moreover, the flock is not valid for the Passover-offering, [but only males less than a year old, so it is not correct to explain as Onkelos did that the flock was used for the Passover-offering]. The correct explanation is what we have said.
Now he explained here many things. Thus he mentioned concerning the unleavened bread that it be bread of affliction,³³⁵Verse 3. teaching that he commanded to remember that they left [Egypt] in haste,³³⁵Verse 3. and this [bread of] affliction is a remembrance that they were living in Egypt with sparing bread and scant water.³³⁶Isaiah 30:20. Thus he alludes to two things [that they eat unleavened bread in order to remember that they went out in haste and there was no time for their dough to rise, and that they remember that they ate there “bread of affliction”]. And thus the Rabbis also said [in the Passover Hagadah]: “This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt.” Or it may be that he is saying that the unleavened bread be made like bread of poverty [flour and water] and not like rich bread [kneaded with wine, oil or honey] as our Rabbis stated.³³⁷Pesachim 36a. And he also explained in the commandment pertaining to leaven that it shall not ‘be seen’ with thee in ‘all thy borders’ [seven days],³³⁸Verse 4. for at first He said, [seven days] shall there be no leaven “‘found’ in your houses. ”³³⁹Exodus 12:19. See ibid., 13:7 where it already states, Neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy borders! But Ramban’s point is that here it adds seven days to the earlier prohibition of leaven not being “seen” in all “the borders,” thus making it parallel to the prohibition of leaven not being “found” in “the houses” where, in Exodus, it states seven days. See my Hebrew commentary p. 415.

ובקר, the cattle, of course, only as the festival offering, known as חגיגה. This was an offering that did not accompany the Passover on the original occasion in Egypt.

צאן ובקר, our sages explain this according to the plain meaning of the text, i.e. from the farmer’s flocks and herds, seeing that the voluntary vows, etc., which have to be presented on the altar have already been referred to in Numbers 29,39 as well as in Leviticus 23,38 as being due on these pilgrimage festivals.

וזבחת פסח לה' אלוקיך, צאן ובקר, “you are to slaughter the Pessach offering for the Lord your G’d consisting of the flock and the cattle;” Nachmanides writes that from the plain text, as compared with 14,4, the meaning of such words as צאן, בקר is illustrated as respectively שור and שה, oxen and sheep. This would lead us to believe that Moses includes an ox or calf as a possible candidate for the Pessach offering. Seeing that elsewhere (Exodus 12,3-4) the Torah had restricted the animals fit to serve as the Pessach offering to being a male sheep or goat both below the age of I year, the term בקר, cattle used by Moses here must refer to the unspecified offering called חגיגה, festival offering, which may consist of any of the domestic mammals normally offered on the altar as a שלמים, peace-offering. Each individual will bring the type of animal he can afford to discharge the commandment not to appear before the Lord empty handed. (Verse 16) The fact that the formula used by Moses here, i.e. וזבחת פסח...צאן ובקר is similar though not identical with such formulas elsewhere where it says מן הצאן ומן הבקר תקריבו את קרבנכם, (Leviticus 1,2) makes it clear that what is discussed here is not the Paschal lamb but the accompanying chagigah offerings.

וזבחת פסח לה' אלו-היך צאן ובקר, “you will slaughter a Passover for the Lord your G’d, flocks and herd.” The word צאן, meaning sheep, refers to the mandatory Passover offering, whereas the word בקר, “cattle,” refers to the peace-offerings which every Israelite was to offer on the holiday. This was necessary so that the Passover offering could be eaten in a satiated state (compare Pesachim 70).

You shall slaughter, as the chagigah- offering, etc. For the pesach-offering may only be from the sheep or from the goats.

V. 2. וזבחת פסח לה׳ אלהיך צאן ובקר. Wir wissen aus Schmot 12, 5, dass das פסח-Opfer nur מן הכבשים ומן העזים, also von צאן zu vollziehen war. Daher im צאן ובקר והלא אין פסח בא אלא מן הכבשים ומן העזים א׳׳כ למה נאמר צאן :ספרי ובקר צאן לפסח ובקר לחגיגה. In der Mischna (Peßachim 69 b) wird nämlich gelehrt, dass במועט, wenn das Peßachopfer im Verhältnis zu der Genossenschaft, für welche es bestimmt ist, zu klein ist, am vierzehnten Nissan auch eine חגיגה dargebracht wird, welche vor dem Peßach genossen wird, damit mit Peßach die Sättigung geschlossen werde, חגיגה הבאה עם הפסח נאכלת תחלה כדי שיהא הפסח נאכל על השבע (Peßachim 70 a). רמב׳׳ם lehrt הל׳ קרבן פסח diesen Satz der Mischna auf Grund des im 12 ,10 ספרי allegierten Textes, und muss demnach diese Erläuterung des ספרי Halacha bleiben können, wenngleich Peßachim 70 b die Folgerung, welche בן דורתאי aus derselben gezogen, verworfen bleibt. Diese Folgerung dürfte sich auch in der Tat nicht an den Satz überhaupt, sondern an die Fassung des Textes knüpfen, in welchem die בקר) חגיגה) geradezu פסה wie צאן genannt wird, woran בן דורתאי in Widerspruch mit den חכמים die Folgerung knüpfte, dass dieser הגיגה הבאה עם הפסח in der Behandlung ganz der Charakter des Peßach zukomme und sie wie dieses דוחה שבת (Bamidbar 9, 2) sei. Diese aus der Fassung des Textes gemachte Folgerung wird zurückgewiesen und sie vielmehr als Andeutung eines andern halachischen Satzes begriffen, dass מותר פסח שלמים (siehe unten), allein die in diesem Texte enthaltene חגיגה-Bestimmung an sich kann gleichwohl unangefochten aufrecht bleiben, weshalb denn auch רמב׳׳ם sie a. a. O. und ebenso auch die מותר פסח-Bestimmung Kap. 4, 6 f. aufführt. Wir glauben, auch im Sinne des רמב׳׳ם annehmen zu dürfen, dass, wenngleich חגיגת י׳׳ד דאוריתא, da es nicht חובה ist, sondern nur מצוה, wenn במועט, und zwar nur, wie bemerkt, כדי שיהא הפסח נאכל על השובע, — ein Zweck, der, wie wir glauben, eventuell auch durch vorgängigen Genuss anderer Speisen erfüllt werden könnte, — wir glauben, dass alle diese Umstände wohl es motivieren dürften, dass, obgleich דאוריתא, dennoch חגיגת י׳׳ד weder דוחה שבת noch טומאה ist, wie die Halacha der Mischna (daselbst 69 b) lautet: אימתי מביא חגיגה עמו בזמן שהוא בחול בטהרה ובמועט ובזמן שהוא בא בשבת במרובה ובטומאה אין מביאין עמו חגיגה. Erläutert daher ja auch שמע מינה חגיגת י׳׳ד לאו חובה :רב אשי, nicht aber לאו דאוריתא, und dürften sich hiermit die vom זרע אברהם zum ספרי erhobenen Schwierigkeiten gegen die Auffassung des רמב׳׳ם einfach lösen. Und wenn Chagiga 8 a רב אשי in der Tat folgert: אלמא קסבר חגיגת י׳׳ד לאו דאוריתא, so dürfte dies רמב׳׳ם im uneigentlichen Sinne verstehen, denn es ist dort eben nur der Begriff חובה oder לאו חובה massgebend, so auch in seinem Kommentar zur Mischna: להודיעך כי חגיגת י׳׳ד אינו חובה. Vielleicht hatte auch der רמב׳׳ם dort die Lesart: לאו חובה wie in Peßachim. Wir haben daher in der Übersetzung des וזבחת פסח die dem Begriffe זבח wesentlich innewohnende Bedeutung: Mahlbereiten hervortreten lassen. Das פסח soll als "Mahl" vollzogen und genossen werden, wo es nicht reicht, ist daher mit dem צאן פסה auch בקר הגיגה zu verbinden. (זבח selbst ist doch, wie wir bereits anderweit bemerkt, lautverwandt mit שׂבע).

— ובקר AND OXEN thou shalt slaughter as the חגיגה (the festival offering sacrificed on the fourteenth of Nisan in addition to the Passover offering); for if they have counted themselves (formed themselves) into too large a company for the Passover offering (so that one lamb will not suffice for them) they bring together with it a festival offering and this is eaten first, in order that it (the Passover sacrifice) can be eaten in satiety (i.e. after the appetite is satisfied; cf. Pesachim 69b, 70a). — And besides this our Rabbis derived many Halachic matters from this verse (cf. Sifrei Devarim 129; Berakhot 9a).

Diese Bestimmung, dass פסח נאכל על השובע, welcher חגיגת י׳׳ד dient, und woraus auch unser Brauch, זכר לפסה mit einem כזית מצה das Mahl am Sederabend zu schließen, sowie die fernere Bestimmung hervorgegangen: אין מפטירין אחר הפסח אפיקומן, dass man nach dem Peßach (und nach der letzten Mazza) nichts mehr essen soll, darf wohl die Erinnerung bringen, dass die Peßach- und Mazzainstitution uns "sättigen" soll, dass sie alles enthalten, was wir als Grundlegung unseres Seins und Sollens auf Erden bedürfen, und wir nicht erst noch anderes heranzubringen haben, um daran unser Genüge zu finden — אין מפטירין אחר הפסח אפיקומן. — (Siehe בשב׳׳ם Peßachim 119 b.)

An der Fassung unseres Satzes, dessen Wortlaut den Begriff פסח auch auf צאן und בקר, somit auf Opfer ausdehnt, die nicht wie פסה nur von צאן, sondern auch von בקר dargebracht werden, wird, wie bereits oben bemerkt, an der zitierten Stelle in Peßachim und Sebachim 9 a gelehrt: וזבחת פסח וגו׳ והלא אין פסח בא אלא מן הכבשים ומן העזים אלא מכאן למותר הפסח שיהא לדבר הבא מן הצאן ומן הבקר ,ומאי ניהו שלמים. Es ist dies die bereits zu Wajikra 3, 6 erwähnte Halacha, dass מותר הפסח bestimmt gewesenes Tier, das zur Zeit des Opfers קרבן פסח dass ein zum ,קרב שלמים nicht dargebracht werden konnte, sei es, weil es abhanden gekommen, אבוד, oder bereits überjährig geworden war, עברה שנתו, als שלמים mit völligem שלמים-Charakter darzubringen ist. Wir haben dort bereits darauf hingewiesen, wie שלמים, das Opfer des sich vor Gott bewussten Familienglücks, das spezifisch jüdische Opfer ist, dessen Grundlegung eben das Peßachopfer bildet, also, dass in der Tat alle שלמים des ganzen Jahres begrifflich als Fortsetzung des Peßachopfers sich auffassen lassen. חגיגה selbst ist ja auch nichts anderes, als ein durch den חג-Gedanken veranlasstes שלמים, und tritt eben durch diese Halacha die Fassung unseres Satzes: וזבחת פסה צאן ובקר in ein helles Licht. Sowohl wenn es Bedürfnis ist, soll das פסח durch שלמי חגיגה erweitert werden, als auch, was nicht als פסח dargebracht werden konnte, seine subsidiarische Darbringung in שלמים finden. פסח שלא בזמנו קרב שלמים. Beides fließt tief aus der charakteristischen Bedeutung des פסח, als des ersten Aufbaus jüdischer Häuser vor Gott (siehe Schmot 12, 3 f.). Daher auch der Satz in der ersten Mischna Sebachim: כל הזבחים שנזבחו שלא לשמן כשרים אלא שלא עלו לבעלים לשם חובה חוץ מן הפסח והחטאת שלא בזמנו .הפסח בזמנו והחטאת בכל זמן, außer der Opferzeit des vierzehnten Nissan בין הערבים ist das פסח-Opfertier: שלמים, somit zu der Kategorie gehörig, die שלא לשמן כשרים wenngleich לא עלו לבעלים לשם חובה. In dem geschichtlich gegebenen Moment des durch gänzliche Unterordnung unter Gott zuerst gewonnenen Aufbaus der Familien, wie dies durch das erste פסח zum Ausdruck kam, und bei jeder Wiederkehr des "zu Abend sich neigenden vierzehnten Nissan" wiederholt zum Ausdruck kommen soll, gehört gerade der חובה-, der "Pflicht"charakter so wesentlich zum Opfer, dass, wenn es nicht עולה לחובה sein kann, es überhaupt den Opfercharakter verliert, ganz so wie חטאת בכל זמן (siehe zu Wajikra 2, 24).

Die gesteigerte Bedeutung aber, welche eine Gesetzesbestimmung, die das tägliche Familienglück das ganze Jahr von dem Standpunkte des פסח-Momentes aus begreifen und beherzigen lässt, eben für die nun beginnende Zeit der Niederlassung im Lande hat, ist durch sich selber klar.

במקום אשר יבחר וגו׳ (siehe zu V. 5).

לחם עני THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION — i.e. bread that calls to mind the affliction to which they were subjected in Egypt (Sifrei Devarim 130:5).

לא תאכל עליו חמץ שבעת ימים, even though in Egypt the prohibition of eating chametz was in effect for only one day, as our sages pointed out in Pessachim 96.

לא תאכל עליו חמץ, “Do not eat any leavened matter with it.” This refers already to the time when the Passover sacrifice may be slaughtered, i.e. about midday. At that time one must no longer own anything leavened (Ibn Ezra).

Bread which memorializes the anguish, etc. For in a brief moment they were all redeemed — their dough did not even have time to rise. And by [remembering] this miracle, they will [also] remember the anguish.

V. 3. ׳לא תאכל עליו וגו. Das Chamez- und Mazzagesetz ist bereits Schmot Kap. 12 u. 13 ausgesprochen und haben wir dort dasselbe erläutert. Dass das Chamezgesetz schon mit der Zeit der Peßachopferdarbringung am vierzehnten Nissan in Wirkung tritt, ist bereits daselbst Kap. 12, 15 ׳אך ביום הראשון תשביתו וגו und Kap. 23, 18 ,חמץ ausgesprochen. Hier wird nun auch das Genussverbot des לא תובח על חמץ וגו׳ der איסור אכילה והנאה des Chamez (daselbst 15. 19 u. 20) noch als ausdrückliches Verbot עליו, mit Beginn der Pesachopferzeit ausgesprochen (Peßachim 28 b) und das Chamezverbot mit dem Mazzagebot in enge gesetzliche Verbindung gesetzt, in welcher Verbindung — לא תאכל עלין חמץ שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות — die Halacha niedergelegt ist, dass das Mazzai>gebot sowohl stofflich, als persönlich und zeitlich durch das Chamezi>verbot bedingt ist. Stofflich: דברים הבאים לידי חימוץ אדם יוצא בהן ידי חובתו במצה (daselbst 35 a), die Mazza, mit deren Pflichtgenuss am ersten Peßachabend wir der historischen Tatsache unserer Unselbständigkeit im Momente der Erlösung, sowie unserer Gott gegenüber ewig dauernden Unselbständigkeit positiven Ausdruck verleihen sollen, kann nur von gährungsfähigen Stoffen zum symbolischen Ausdruck dieses Bekenntnisses taugen. Was Mazza sein soll, muss Chamez haben werden können. Nicht natürlicher Mangel an Kraft zur Selbständigkeit war die Ursache unserer Sklaverei in Ägypten, oder ist die Ursache unseres Gottesdienstes aller Zeiten. Gewaltsame Unterdrückung war unser עבדות פרעה und freie Unterordnung heißt unsere ׳מצה .עבודת ה selbst heißt ja sprachlich: unterdrückte Gährung (siehe zu Schmot 2, 13). — Persönlich: נשים היבות באכילת מצה דבר תורה שנאמר לא תאכל עליו חמץ וגו׳ כל שישנו בבל תאכל חמץ ישנו באכילת מצה והני נשי הואיל וישנן בבל תאכל המץ ישנן בקום אכול מצה (Pesachim 43 b). Obgleich von an Zeit gebundenen Geboten, מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא, in der Regel Frauen nicht betroffen werden (siehe Wajikra S. 545), so sind sie doch zu dem Mazzagenuss am ersten Peßachabend verpflichtet; denn dieses Mazzagebot trifft alle, für welche das Chamezverbot Geltung hat. Alle, die aus völliger Unselbständigkeit in völliger Unselbständigkeit durch Gott Erlösten, die diese historische Unselbständigkeit im Momente der Erlösung durch Nichtgenuss des Chamez zu bekennen haben, alle die haben bei jeder Wiederkehr dieser Erlösungsstunde, die zugleich die Stunde unserer Geburt zu unserer nationalen Bestimmung ist, sich auf Grund dieser Erlösung zu dieser Bestimmung durch den Genuss des "Brotes der Unselbständigkeit vor Gott" freudig zu bekennen. Zu diesem grundlegenden Bekenntnis — ebenso wie ja auch zu den positiven Begehungen הקהל שמחה ,פסח — sind auch Frauen verpflichtet, obgleich für manche andere מצות das Gesetz für sie kein Verpflichtungsbedürfnis erkannte (siehe Wajikra עשה שהזמן גרמא S. 545). — Zeitlich: לקובעו חובה בזמן הזה (daselbst 28 b). Obgleich das Mazzagebot zuerst als das Peßach begleitender Genuss ausgesprochen ist, צלי אש ומצות על מרורים יאכלוהו (Schmot 12, 8), so ist doch ebenso wie das חמץ-Verbot auch das Mazzagebot ein selbständiges und unabhängig vom פסח, so dass auch bei zeitlicher Verhinderung der פסח-Darbringung doch die Mazzapflicht am ersten Abend in Kraft bleibt, sei es bei individueller Verhinderung wie טמא ושהיה בדרך רחוקה, wofür das קבעו חובה, die von פסח unabhängige Verpflichtung bereits in dem בראשון בארבעה עשר יום לחדש בערב האכלו מצות (Schmot 12, 18) niedergelegt ist, sei es bei zeitlich allgemeinem Wegfall der פסח-Opferdarbringung, wie בזמן הזה, für welche Galutzeit die Mazzapflicht hier mit dem zeitlich unbeschränkten חמץ-Verbot zusammengestellt ist (Peßachim 28 b). Hat doch die weltgeschichtliche Bestimmung, die wir in der Stunde unserer nationalen Geburt angetreten, mit dem Galut keine Änderung erlitten, und haben wir auch im Galut, wo das פסח-Opfer in wehmütigem Erinnerungsmerkmal vor uns liegt, doch mit dem Mazzagenuss unserer ewigen Aufgabe vor Gott mit freudiger Unterordnung unter Seinen Willen und Seine Fügung uns zu weihen, und wohl dürfte, wie überhaupt die wiederholte Verpflichtung zum Mazzagenuss, so insbesondere die Niederlegung der Galutmazzahalacha an dieser Stelle des Landbesitzkompendiums von ernst mahnender Bedeutung sein (siehe jedoch auch Peßachim 120 a und Kiduschin 37 b).

לא תאכל עליו חמץ, “you must not eat any leavened products with it.” The word עליו here means the same as the word: עמו, “with it,” elsewhere. Other examples where the word עליו is used in the same sense as here are: Exodus 12,9: ראשו על כרעיו ועל קרבו, “its head with its legs, and with the inwards thereof.” Compare also Exodus 34,25: לא תשחוט על חמץ דם זבחי, “do not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread. “

כי בחפזון יצאת FOR THOU CAMEST FORTH [FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT] IN HASTE, and the dough therefore had no time to become leavened, and this (the eating of unleavened bread) shall be unto you as reminder of this. The haste, spoken of here, was not on thy part, but on Egypt’s part, for so it states, (Exodus 12:33) “And Egypt was urgent upon the people [hastening to send them out of the land]” (Sifrei Devarim 130:6; cf. Berakhot 9a).

תאכל עליו מצות, seeing it was an offering commemorating the redemption, something that took place in a short moment in time, it is not appropriate to eat chametz, something which by definition requires time in order to become leavened. (compare Hoseah 7,4, “from kneading the dough until it has been baked”).

Without sufficient time for the dough to leaven, etc. You might ask: Regardless they were not permitted to eat leaven, for it is written (Shmos 12:15), “Seven days you shall eat matzos, etc.” The answer is: “Seven days, etc.,” applies only to future generations. But in Egypt, leaven was forbidden only on that day, as mentioned in tractate Pesachim (28b, 96a).

שבעת ימים, direkte Pflicht, Mazza zu essen, ist nur עליו, im Anschluss an den Peßachmoment, in der Nacht des vierzehnten zum fünfzehnten Nissan, indirekt dauert diese Pflicht sieben Tage, insofern kein anderes gesäuertes Brot zu essen erlaubt ist (siehe Schmot 12. 15 u. 18).

שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות, “for seven consecutive days shall you eat unleavened bread with it.” In this verse we best translate the word: עליו as “on account of it.” Compare also Psalms 44,23: כי עליך הורגנו כל היום, “for on Your account we are being killed every day;” compare also Psalms 69,8: כי עליב נשאני חרפה, “for on Your account have I been reviled.” In other words: you are to eat unleavened bread on account of the Passover sacrifice which you offer as a memorial of the Exodus from Egypt.

למען תזכר THAT THOU MAYEST REMEMBER through the eating of the Passover sacrifice and the unleavened bread, את יום צאתך THE DAY WHEN THOU CAMEST FORTH [OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT].

לחם עוני, bread which they ate while in a state of ענים, external pressure, not having time to wait until the dough had risen so that it became leavened. The taskmasters had always been rushing them, during their entire stay in Egypt as slave labourers.

לחם עני: Brot der "Unselbständigkeit", dies ist ja der ganz eigentliche Begriff von עני und ist dies somit die sprechendste Charakterisierung der Mazzabedeutung (siehe Schmot 12. 8).

לחם עוני, “bread of affliction.” Poor people when given a small amount of flour, do not have a vessel at hand in order to make a proper dough. They also do not have enough time to spare to wait for the dough to rise before baking it. Therefore they throw the mixture of flour and water into the heated stove at once and retrieve is as soon as it is baked.

כי בחפזון יצאת, the reason why we have to remember this state of haste is because haste is a form of pressure. It was because you always had to rush while being slaves that the redemption when it came also came in the guise of extreme haste. Jeremiah 31,12 describes such an experience in the words והפכתי אבלם לששון, “I will turn their mourning into joy.”

כי בחפזון וגו׳. Deinem ganzen Auszuge aus Mizrajim war das Gepräge der "gedrängten Eile" aufgedrückt. Gottes Hand lag schwer auf den Ägyptern, sie, die dir früher keine drei Tage Arbeitsfeier, ja keinen arbeitsfreien Atemzug bewilligen wollten, sie trieben dich jetzt in die Freiheit, ließen dir, wie während der ganzen Zeit deiner Sklavenarbeit, nicht einmal Zeit, dir gehöriges Brot zu bereiten. So warst du im Momente der Erlösung noch Sklave, hast dir die Freiheit nicht selber errungen, hast sie von Gott durch die Hand deiner Dränger erhalten; deine Dränger waren בחפזון, du warst בחפזון, deine Dränger wurden von Gott getrieben, du wurdest von deinen Drängern getrieben — ותחזק מצרים על העם למהר לשלחם מן הארץ כי אמרו Schmot) כלנו מתים — כי גרשו ממצרים ולא יכלו להתמהמה וגם צדה לא עשו להם 12. 33 u. 39) — und nur Gott war allein der frei Handelnde an diesem einzigen Tage der Menschengeschichte, und alles dies: למען תזכר את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך weil dieser Tag der Ausgangspunkt alles deines künftigen Denkens und Handelns werden sollte, du mit diesem Tage nicht "dein eigener Herr" geworden, sondern aus Menschengewalt in Gottes Eigentum übergegangen, aus Menschendienst in den Dienst Gottes eingetreten sein sollst. — (Wenn es im ספרי z. St. heißt: יכול חפזון לישראל ולמצרים ת׳׳ל ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו אמור מעתה לא היה חפזון כי אם למצרים, so dürfte im Anblick des zitierten Berichtes Schmot 12, 33 u. 39 dies wohl nur heißen, dass das eigentliche חפזון nur bei den von Untergang bedrohten Mizrajim war, Israel aber trotz des חפזון, in dem unzweifelhaft auch es sich befand, doch durch nichts beunruhigt war. Ja, in der Parallelstelle Mechiltha בא zu Kap. 12, 11 wird dem eigentlichen Wortlaute nach aus dem ׳לא יחרץ וגו gerade חפזון דישראל bewiesen, dass, obgleich בחפזון, doch ׳לא יחרץ וגו, und gefolgert, dass sowohl Israel als Mizrajim sich im חפזון-Zustande befanden.)

כי בחפזון יצאת, “for when you departed from Egypt you were in a great hurry;” G-d could have waited until the Israelites had baked their dough by taking their time. However, He wanted them to have an eternal reminder of the haste in which their departure had taken place, and therefore He urged them to act with haste.

למען תזכור את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך, the reason why I have commanded to eternalize this manifestation of G’d’s direct guidance of your fate, השגחה, is so that the compensation of the shorter lunar year with the seasonal orbits of the solar year be effected through the addition of extra days or an extra month, so that this month will always occur partially after the equinox of spring. I did not legislate anything similar for the solar year as there is no need for it, and that would have little to do with the Exodus. There is no reason why the gentile nations should commemorate the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. כל ימי חייך, every time the calendar is adjusted, be it to add a day or to add a month, you will be reminded of the reason for this being a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt.

In dem למען תזכור וגו׳ ist die Pflicht des täglichen Gedächtnisses יציאת מצרים gegeben, und wird Berachot 12 b an der Erweiterung כל ימי חייך die Bestimmung gelehrt, dass auch die Nacht in dieses Gebot mit eingeschlossen, und זכירת יציאת מצרים auch nachts geboten ist, מזכירין יציאת מצרים בלילות. Dass die Aufgabe, auch nachts der Erlösung aus Mizrajim zu gedenken, eines besonderen Nachweises bedurfte, obgleich es V. 1 ausdrücklich heißt: הוציאך ה׳ אלהיך ממצרים לילה, und obgleich der Auszug erst am Tage geschah (Bamidbar 33, 3), doch die Erlösung selbst bereits in der Nacht vollzogen war (Berachot 9 a), dies Gebot gleichwohl zunächst die Tageszeit berührt, dürfte für die Bedeutung dieses Gebotes bemerkenswert sein. Beide Seiten, die den Inhalt unseres Lebens erschöpfen: unser Geschicks- und unser Tatenleben, erhalten durch יציאת מצרים ihre Basis, unser Geschicksleben: das Gottesvertrauen, unser Tatenleben: das Pflichtbewusstsein. Jenes hat sich vor allem in den Nächten des Lebens, dieses in den dem tätigen Pflichtwirken angehörigen Tagen zu bewähren. Ein oberflächlicher Gedanke würde aus der ägyptischen Erlösung in erster Linie das Vertrauen für die Nächte des Lebens folgern zu sollen glauben und das Gebot זכירת יציאת מצרים zunächst für die Nacht begreifen. Der jüdische Gedanke weiß aber, dass es viel leichter ist, in nächtlichem Unglück Gott zu vertrauen, als im hellen schaffenden Tageswirken unserer Pflichtaufgabe treu zu bleiben, das aus dem יציאת מצרים-Gedächtnis immer zu erneuende jüdische Pflichtbewusstsein daher das unendlich wichtigere sei, und זכירת יציאת מצרים ביום unbezweifelt im Vordergrunde stehe. Daher war ihm darüber kein Zweifel, und er sah sich nach einer Andeutung der Geltung dieses Gebotes auch für die Nacht im Texte des Gesetzes um, und fand sie in der Erweiterung: כל ימי חייך. Eine andere Auffassung (daselbst) findet in dieser Erweiterung angedeutet, dass זכירת יציאת מצרים selbst dann nicht seine Bedeutung verlieren werde, wenn einst Gott sein unmittelbares Lenken der jüdischen Geschicke und sein unmittelbares Eingreifen in die Weltgeschichte in einer die ägyptische Erlösung an Umfang und Öffentlichkeit noch weit überstrahlenden Erlösung des durch alle Länder und Völker hin zerstreuten jüdischen Volkes offenbaren wird, nicht nur כל ימי חייך ,בעולם הזה: auch für ימות המשיח verliert יציאת מצרים seine Bedeutung nicht, und wenn es auch von jener einstigen endlichen Erlösungszeit heißt: חנה ימים באים נאם ה׳ ולא יאמרו עוד חי ה׳ אשר העלה את בני ישראל מארץ מצרים כי אם חי ה׳ אשר העלה ואשר הביא את זרע בית ישראל מארץ צפונה ומכל הארצות אשר הדחתים שמה (Jirmija 23, 7 u. 8), so ist damit nicht gesagt שתעקר י׳׳מ ממקומה, dass dann י׳׳מ völlig seine Bedeutung für das jüdische Gedächtnis verliere, sondern שתהא שיעבוד מלכיות עיקר וי׳׳מ טפל לו, dass die dann erlebte Sammlung und Erlösung aus der Völkerunterordnung die Hauptbasis für die Pflichtzukunft werde, die ägyptische Erlösung aber immer in diesem Bewusstsein einen Platz behalte. Sind doch ימות המשיח selber nur Vollendung dessen, wozu mit יציאת מצרים der Grund gelegt wurde, und wird dann doch Israel nur die Vollreife für die Bestimmung erlangt haben, die es mit יציאת מצרים übernommen. —

למען תזכור את יום צאתך ממצרים, “all this in order that you will have a visible reminder of the day that you came out of Egypt.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah is quoted in the Haggadah shel Pessach as saying that although he feels as if seventy years old, he had not properly understood the meaning of the words: “in order that you may remember the day you came out of Egypt all the days of your lives,” until the sage ben Zoma had explained the word כל in this verse to mean: “the whole days of your lives,” i.e. not only the daylight hours but also during the nighttime.

Dass diese Pflicht des täglichen Gedächtnisses der Erlösung aus Mizrajim erst ihre Stelle in diesem Kompendium für die ins Land Ziehenden erhielt, motiviert sich wohl von selbst. Bis dahin waren sie ja noch mitten in der Erlösung aus Mizrajim begriffen. Erst mit der Ansiedelung konnte das Gedächtnis des geschichtlichen Ursprungs und seiner Folgen für unsere Pflicht- und Geschicksleben immer mehr und mehr erblassen, und erst für diese und alle Folgezeit gewann das Gebot: תזכור את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך seine volle Bedeutung.

ולא ילין מן הבשר אשר תזבח בערב ביום הראשון לבקר NEITHER SHALL ANY OF THE FLESH, WHICH THOU HAST SACRIFIED THE FIRST DAY AT EVEN, REMAIN ALL NIGHT UNTIL THE MORNING — This is a prohibition addressed to one who might, in the case of the Passover sacrifice offered in later generations (i.e. after the first that was offered in Egypt), leave over night any of its flesh. And it was necessary to state this because so far it has been mentioned only with regard to that one Passover sacrifice that was offered in Egypt (פסח מצרים) (Exodus 22:10). — The “first day” spoken of here is the fourteenth day of Nisan (not the, fifteenth which is the first day of the Festival), just as you must explain that term in the passage (Exodus 22:15): “even the first day (ביום הראשון) ye shall put away leaven out of your houses” (cf. Rashi on that verse). — And because Scripture has digressed from the subject of the Passover Sacrifice with which this section begins and has begun to speak of the ordinances relating to the seven days of the festival, as, for instance, (v. 3) “seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread therewith”, and (v. 4) “and there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all thy boundaries [seven days]”, it was compelled to specify with regard to which offering it states the prohibition of leaving the flesh over night. For if it had written only “neither shall any of the flesh which thou sacrificedst at even (not mentioning ביום הראשון) remain all night until the morning”, I might have thought that the peace offerings which are slaughtered during all the seven days all come under the prohibition of “and thou shalt not leave any of it until the morning” (Exodus 22:12), and may therefore be eaten one day and the following night only (which is not so); therefore it wrote “[neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst] at even on the first day [remain all night]”. — Another explanation is that Scripture speaks here of the festival offering brought on the fourteenth of Nisan (חגיגת י״ד, not of the קרבן פסח) and that it teaches with reference to it that it may be eaten during two successive days and the intervening night (cf. however, Rashi on Exodus 7:14 and Note 2 thereon). As regards the first day” that is mentioned here — according to this explanation — Scripture is speaking of the first day of the festival (the fifteenth of Nisan), and what the verse implies is the following: None of the flesh of the festival offering which you slaughtered at even (i.e. towards eventide on the fourteenth of Nisan) shall remain on the first day of the festival until the morning of the second day of the festival (the sixteenth of Nisan), but it may be eaten on the fourteenth and the fifteenth (and the intervening night). So is it set forth in Treatise Pesachim 71b.

NEITHER SHALL ANY OF THE FLESH, WHICH ‘TIZBACH’ (THOU SACRIFICEST)³⁴⁰Ramban will give a new interpretation of the word tizbach. THE FIRST DAY AT EVEN, REMAIN ALL NIGHT UNTIL THE MORNING. The meaning thereof is that you are not to leave overnight until morning any of the meat [i.e., the Passover-offering] with which you celebrated the festival³⁴¹The word tizbach is not understood by Ramban in its general sense as “that which you slaughtered” or “sacrificed,” but as “that which you have eaten in celebration of the festival.” The reason for this interpretation will be clarified further in the text. on the evening of the first of the seven days mentioned. This [time of the celebration] was the night, as he stated, the Eternal thy G-d brought thee forth out of Egypt at night.³⁴²Above, Verse 1. [The word tizbach cannot mean “which thou slaughterest” or “sacrificest”] because he did not mention in this section the fourteenth day [of Nisan] and the slaughtering of the Passover-offering at all [which took place on the afternoon of the fourteenth]. Instead he mentioned the observance of the Passover³⁴²Above, Verse 1. at night, that is to say, the eating of the Passover-offering and the unleavened bread with it. The reason for [not mentioning the slaughter] is that the slaughtering of the Passover-offering and the burning of its sacrificial portion on the fourteenth day of Nisan are part of the commandment of the offerings, and these have already been mentioned in the law of the offerings; he did not repeat it here just as he did not restate the laws of the rest of the offerings. Neither did he mention here that [special] offerings are brought on the three festivals [because these relate to the laws of offerings], but he did mention to Israel [the laws] concerning the eating of the Passover-offering and the unleavened bread. So also, there ‘tizbach’ the Passover-offering at even, at the going down of the sun³⁴³Verse 6. means: “there you shall observe the feast of the Passover-offering at night, at the going down of the sun, for it is to be ‘eaten’ at night.” And he stated by way of explanation, And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Eternal thy G-d shall choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.³⁴⁴Verse 7. I have already explained this in the section of This month shall be unto you the beginning of months.³⁴⁵Exodus 12:6 (Vol. II, pp. 125-127).
It is also possible that we explain [the verse before us], Neither shall any of the flesh, which ‘tizbach’ the first day at ‘erev’ remain until the morning as meaning: “of the flesh which you slaughtered at erev (the afternoon),” this being the afternoon preceding the morning [mentioned in the verse, i.e., the morning of the fifteenth day] which is thus the [afternoon of the] fourteenth day of Nisan. And he states, there ‘tizbach’ (thou shalt sacrifice) the Passover-offering ba’erev³⁴³Verse 6. [on the afternoon of the fourteenth day], for at the going down of the sun, at the season thou comest forth out of Egypt³⁴³Verse 6. — then thou shalt roast and eat it.³⁴⁶Thus Verses 6 and 7 are combined, since the final part of Verse 6 [at the going down of the sun …] refers to the time of eating the Passover-offering, which begins at nightfall. See Vol. II, p. 125, where Ramban’s first interpretation of the verses before us is identical with his second one here. He mentions just u’bishalta³⁴⁴Verse 7. [which literally means “and thou shalt boil” or “seethe” — a cooking process forbidden on the Passover-offering], since He has already explained there that it be prepared roast with fire and not boiled at all in water.³⁴⁷Exodus 12:9. If so, the expression here u’bishalta³⁴⁴Verse 7. means “and you shall cook it on fire according to the ordinance.”

ולא יראה לך שאור בכל גבולך שבעת ימים, even though this was not a requirement on the original Passover in Egypt.

ולא ילין מן הבשר אשר תזבח בערב ביום הראשון לבוקר, “no flesh that you offer on the previous evening shall remain overnight until morning.” Nachmanides writes that the reference is to the offering presented on the first night of this seven-day holiday. Neither the calendar date of the first day of Passover nor the evening ushering it in, had been mentioned by Moses in this paragraph. Seeing that the consumption of the Paschal lamb and when and how it is to be eaten and consumed has been described repeatedly, Moses only repeats a ruling here that applies beyond the time of its being offered, namely not to allow it to become נותר, left over offering, something basically an affront to the sanctity of consecrated meat, and to G’d.

This prohibits retaining the flesh of the pesach offered during future generations, etc. For regarding the pesach brought in Egypt it is written (Shmos 12:10), “Do not let any of it remain until morning.” [Therefore] we might think that this applies only to the pesach brought in Egypt, which the Jews ate in haste while preparing to travel. And for this reason it should not be allowed to remain — so there should be no delay. But the pesach brought during future generations may remain until morning. So the verse here comes to teach us differently. And the verse in Parshas Ki Sisa (ibid. 34:25), “Do not allow to remain overnight until the morning, etc.,” is speaking about the innards of the pesach offering. And the verse in Parshas Beha’aloscha (Bamidbar 9:12), “They shall not leave any of it over until the morning,” is speaking about the Second Pesach [on the fifteenth of Iyar].

V. 4. ולא יראה לך שאר (siehe Schmot 12, 15. 19. 13.7). לך, dir: als das Deine, als dein Eigentum. Der איסור בל יראה verweist während der ganzen Gedächtnisfeier der Erlösung aus Mizrajim nicht nur חמץ, sondern auch שאור, das Mittel zum חמץ, somit jede Spur von Selbständigkeit, ja auch die nur dazu führende Fähigkeit und Gesinnung aus dem Bereiche unseres Eigentums. Die Erlösung fand uns nicht nur eigentumlos, sondern auch des Rechts zum Eigentum beraubt. Aus Gottes Händen haben wir wieder Eigentum erlangt. Das Bewusstsein darf uns nimmer schwinden, und das Bekenntnis zu dieser Tatsache haben wir immer aufs neue durch Entfernung alles חמץ und alles שאור aus unserem ganzen Bereiche zu betätigen. Hier heißt es nun im Zusammenhange mit den beiden vorhergehenden Versen: Während die Nation in allen ihren Gliedern in der Zentralstadt um das Gottesheiligtum versammelt, dort im Peßachopfer und im Anschluss daran im Nichtgenuss des המץ und im Genuss der Mazzot das Gedächtnis der Erlösung und die daraus sich ergebende Gesinnung der Selbstlosigkeit und Hingebungsfreude vor Gott betätigt: soll auch das ganze Land, das ganze nationale Gebiet, die letzte jüdische Hütte das Gepräge dieser Gedächtnisfeier und dieses Gesinnungsausdrucks tragen und ולא יראה לך שאור בכל גבולך שבעת ימים!

ולא ילין מן הבשר, “and no part of the meat of the Passover lamb is to remain uneaten until the morning of the 15th of the month.”If it were allowed to remain uneaten all night long, it would follow that this sacrifice is the only one for which no timelimit for eating it had been fixed by the Torah. Rashi comments that this limitation actually had been decreed only for the original Passover which had been consumed in Egypt. This seems difficult, as we have a verse in Exodus 34,24 as well as in Numbers 9,12 where this prohibition to leave part of the Passover until the following morning is spelled out clearly.

ולא ילין מן הבשר, so that you should not think that leftovers of the Passover sacrifice were forbidden only on the original occasion, seeing that on that occasion the people were in such a state of haste, that the Torah did not want leftover sacred meat to be at the disposal of the Egyptians.

The “first day” mentioned here refers to the fourteenth of Nisan, etc. [I.e., it should not be understood literally as “the first day” after slaughtering, which is the fifteenth.] The verse should be understood as, “Which you slaughtered on the first day — which is the fourteenth of Nisan.” And the phrase, “Until morning,” is connected to, “None of the flesh may remain overnight.” It is as if the verse says, “And none may remain overnight until morning from the flesh which you slaughtered towards the evening of the first day.”

ולא ילין מן הבשר וגו׳: und ebenso wie das im מקדש vollbrachte Peßach seine Wirkung so weit nur Juden wohnen erkennen lässt, und mit dem Momente seiner Vollziehung die letzte jüdische Hütte durch Entfernung jeder חמץ- und שאור-Spur sich mit vollendeter Güterselbstlosigkeit in Einklang mit dem Geist und der Gesinnung gesetzt hat, die das Opfer zum Ausdruck bringen soll: so hat auch das dem Peßachopfer sich anschließende Chagiga (V. 2) das frohe genießende Leben in demselben Geiste nicht von dem Aufgeben und Hingeben der Persönlichkeit, אכילת בשר nicht von שחיטת הזבח zu trennen. Peßach, bei welchem אכילה, der Selbstgenuss des Opfers in symbolisch so bedeutsamster Prägnanz hervortritt — שלא בא מתחלתו אלא לאכילה (siehe zu Schmot 12. 7 u. 8) — ist die Basis jener großen das ganze Opferleben des Heiligtums beherrschenden נותר- und פגול-Institution, die nur im engsten Zusammenschluss von שחיטה und אכילה das Opfer zu einem sittlichen Erhebungsakt des Menschen zu Gott gestaltet, mit deren Auseinanderklüften das Opfern heidnischer Selbstvernichtung und der Genuss heidnischer Sinnlichkeitsvergötterung verfällt (Wajikra 7, 16 — 18).

Because Scripture has digressed from matters concerning the pesach, etc. I.e., if Scripture had not digressed then it would only need to say, “None of the flesh may remain overnight which you slaughtered towards the evening, until morning.” It would obviously be referring to the fourteenth day of Nisan, for right beforehand it is written, “You shall slaughter the pesach-offering, etc.”

Für חגיגת ארבעה עשר — das ist בשר אשר תזבח בערב (siehe zu V. 2), — wird hier gelehrt, dass, wenngleich seiner אכילה ein weiterer Spielraum als dem פסח eingeräumt ist, dessen אכילה nur auf die der שחיטה folgende Nacht beschränkt ist, so dass es bereits mit dem folgenden Morgen נותר, die אכילה des בשר חגיגה doch nur noch ביום הראשון am fünfzehnten Nissan stattfinden darf, es aber לבקר gelassen, mit dem Morgen des sechzehnten נותר würde. Damit ist denn auch für חגיגת ארבעה עשר die für alle חגיגות geltende שלמים-Bestimmung gegeben, dass sie נאכלים לב׳ ימים ולילה א׳ (Peßachim 71 b חגיגה obgleich שלמי חובה werden dort hinsichtlich dieser, Erweiterung des Genusses in die zunächst für die שלמי נדבה ausgesprochene Bestimmung נדר או נרבה וגו׳ Wajikra 7. 16 eingeschlossen).

לא תוכל לזבוח את הפסח, even though in Egypt there was no need to slaughter the Passover either on an altar or in a Temple (precincts), this is not the way it is to be observed in the future.

V. 5. לא תוכל וגו׳. Obgleich bereits Kap. 12, 5 f. u. 13 f. für alle Opfer die Darbringung außerhalb der von Gott erwählten Stätte seines Heiligtums untersagt ist, so war doch für die ausdrückliche Wiederholung dieses Verbotes für das Peßachopfer sehr wohl Veranlassung. Ist doch das Peßachopfer ganz eigentlich die Konstituierung des Hauses und der Familie — שה לבית אבות שה לבית — so sehr, dass ja das erste Peßach in jedem Hause vollzogen wurde und Pfosten und Schwellen des Hauses die Stelle des Altars vertraten. Mehr als bei irgend einem anderen Opfer war daher Veranlassung, noch ausdrücklich zu erklären, dass auch nach der bevorstehenden Dezentralisation im Lande von keinem das Peßach in der Heimat, sondern in der Gottesstätte des Zentralheiligtums vollzogen werden dürfe, und damit der bedeutsame Passus in den Konstitutionsakt der jüdischen Nation — das ist ja das פסח (siehe Schmot 12, 3. — 6) — eingefügt, dass jeder erst sich und sein Haus in den Gesamtkreis der nationalen Zusammenhörigkeit auf den Boden des Gesetzesheiligtums stellen muss, und erst von da aus des eigenen Hauses vor Gott sich froh bewusst werden könne. Es ist dies gerade bei פסה so bedeutsam, dass selbst בשעת היתר במות das Peßach nur בבמה גדולה, in dem nationalen Zentralheiligtum zum Vollzug kommen durfte (Megilla 9 b und Sebachim 114 b).

לא תוכל לזבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך, “you must not slaughter the Passover in one of your gates;” this applies not only to the Passover but to all other sacrifices. The reason it has been repeated here is that seeing that the Torah had decreed that during the days of the Passover festival unleavened bread only must be eaten “in all your dwellings,” I might have concluded that seeing that at least on the first night when the Passover lamb is to be eaten at the same time as unleavened bread, someone might have erred believing that what applied to the eating of Matza would apply also to the Passover lamb. An alternate interpretation: even though the Torah had already warned concerning this, it saw fit to repeat the warning because seeing that this was a sacrifice permitted (commanded) to be eaten by all the commoners, it could also be slaughtered everywhere.

בערב כבוא השמש מועד צאתך ממצרים [THERE THOU SHALT SACRIFICE THE PASSOVER] AT EVEN, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, AT THE APPOINTED TIME THAT THOU CAME FORTH OUT OF EGYPT — But these are three different points of time! The explanation is: at evening, i.e. from the sixth hour (reckoning from six o’clock in the morning) and onwards you shall slaughter it (תזבח בערב); and when the sun goes down you shall eat it, and at the time when you left Egypt (in the early morning) you shall burn it — that is to say, if in the morning there is any flesh left, it becomes what is technically termed נותר and must be removed to the “place of burning” (not actually burnt, for this is not permissible on a festival) (Sifrei Devarim 133:1; cf. Berakhot 9a).

בערב, כבוא השמש מועד, “in the evening, as the sun sets, the appointed time;” the Torah here mentions three separate times:
1) “in the evening;” the Passover is to be slaughtered beginning with a period which can be termed “evening,” i.e. after noon.
2) “when the sun sets,” this is the time when you may eat it.
3) “at the time you left Egypt (dawn);” at this point any leftovers have to be burned (Berachot 9).

These are three separate times, etc. It is as if the verse had written, “There you will slaughter the pesach in the evening — which is after six hours, and eat it at sunset — which is night time, and burn it at the time you left Egypt.” But since it is not an obligation to burn it, therefore Rashi says, “Meaning that it is disqualified as nosar and must be removed to the burning site.”

V. 6. כי אם אל המקום וגו׳ ist als ein besonderer Satz zu fassen; um sich auf das folgende תזבח zu beziehen, hätte es כי אם במקום heißen müssen. Du darfst das פסח nicht zu Hause vollziehen, sondern zu diesem Zwecke musst du zu dem Orte hin usw.

שם תזבח את הפסח, “there only, (in the place decreed by the Lord) you will slaughter the Passover.” Seeing that the Torah, in connection with the offerings of the firstling male animals which could be consumed only on the hallowed grounds of the Temple, and seeing that the rules of the second Passover (for people who through no fault of their own had been unable to slaughter it on the fourteenth day of Nissan, were also written in Numbers chapter 9, and there no mention was made of where such a substitute Passover was to be slaughtered, the Torah here makes sure that we cannot remain in any doubt about this. Not only the date, but also the location are of the essence. The Torah here did not bother to mention New Year’s or the Day of Atonement, as neither of these Holy Days involves assemblies in Jerusalem.

בערב Schmot 12, 6 ist בין הערבים als die für die Vollziehung des Peßachopfers bestimmte Zeit angegeben (siehe daselbst). Hier wird die Zeit näher durch בערב präzisiert, um damit nach Peßachim 59 a zu sagen, dass dem Peßach alle die der Tagesneige des Vierzehnten angehörigen Opferhandlungen: נרות ,קטורת ,תמיד voranzugehen haben, so dass das Peßach den Schluss des Vierzehnten im Heiligtum bilde. Der vierzehnte Nissan gehörte ja noch der Knechtschaft an, der mit der Nacht eintretende fünfzehnte sollte die Erlösung bringen, derer würdig zu machen, die Bestimmung des Peßach war. Alle dem Vierzehnten angehörigen Handlungen mussten daher vor dem Peßach vollzogen werden, dessen Zeit eben בערב בין הערבים in die der Nacht zugewendete Zeit der Tagesneige fiel. יאוחר דבר שנאמר בו בערב ובין הערבים לדבר שלא נאמר בו אלא בין הערבים בלבד (daselbst).

בערב, “in the evening;” this may be understood literally, i.e. after noon, until nightfall. In the Jewish calendar, the evening commences “a half hour after noon.” Since the Israelites did not leave until the morning of the following day, our verse must speak about the afternoon and evening of the day before. The author admits that there is nowhere a definite proof that the evening starts that early, he cites support from verses in Jeremiah 6,4,

מועד צאתך ממצרים ,כבוא השמש ,בערב sind nach Berachot 9 a drei aufeinander folgende Zeiten der Nacht vom vierzehnten zum fünfzehnten. בערב: die Tagesneige des vierzehnten, בוא השמש: der mit vollendetem Sonnenuntergange beginnende Anfang des fünfzehnten, מועד צאתך ממצרים: die mit Tagesanbruch beginnende Zeit des wirklichen Auszugs. בערב בין הערבים ist die Zeit der Vorbereitung für die גאולה durch völliges Aufgeben und Hingeben alles Selbstseins an die Gottesführung in בוא .שחיטת הפסח השמש, die mit vollendetem Sonnenuntergang eintretende Nacht, die Zeit der aus Tod und Knechtschaft erlösenden, sich selbst genießende Freiheit bringenden, uns uns selbst wiedergebenden Gottestat, deren Werk im symbolischen Selbstgenuss des Peßachs zum Bewusstsein kam. מועד צאתך ממצרים die Zeit der konkreten Wirkung dieser Erlösung, des konkreten Auszugs in die Freiheit, mit welchem das Erlösungswerk seinen Abschluss fand und, was der Peßachgenuss symbolisch sagte, in heller Wirklichkeit einem jeden als Tatsache in seiner frei und selbständig gewordenen Persönlichkeit dastand. Daher die Sätze: בערב אתה זובח כבוא השמש אתה אוכל ועד מתי אתה אוכל והולך עד מועד צאתך ממצרים, oder nach ראב׳׳ע, der den Peßachgenuss nur bis zur Mitternacht, der Zeit des eigentlichen Hervortretens der Rettung bringenden Gotteshand, begrenzte: ומועד צאתך ממצרים אתה שורף, mit dem Momente des wirklichen Auszugs ward alles noch ל vom Peßachmahl Vorhandene נותר und der שרפה verfallen, im Momente des ersten wirklichen Schrittes in die Freiheit den Söhnen dieses Volkes sagend, dass es für sie keine אכילה ohne זביחה, keine Freiheit ohne selbstlose Gotteshingebung gebe, und jede אכילה, die sie fortan nicht auf dem Boden der זביחה suchen wollen, für sie eine verlorene sei.

ובשלת is identical with צלי אש “roast with fire” mentioned in Exodus 12:9, for it (roasting) also comes under the term בשול “cooking” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12::9:2).

ובשלת ואכלת, "you shall cook it and eat it, etc." In this instance the Torah uses the term "cook" although in Exodus 12,9 "boiling" or "cooking" the passover has been expressly prohibited. Perhaps the Torah here refers back to the peace offering which accompanies the passover which may also consist of cattle, not only of sheep (compare 16,2) Our sages in Pessachim 70 read the words צאן ובקר in that verse as meaning that the passover has to be from the category of animal called צאן, whereas the peace-offering may consist of בקר, cattle. I have elaborated on this subject in my volume פרי תואר on the Yoreh Deyah.

ובשלת, not in water but by roasting on a spit. (compare Rashi)

ובשלת ואכלת, “you are to roast it and eat it.” Actually, ובשלת means to prepare it so it is fit to be eaten; seeing that the Torah had forbidden for it to be boiled in water, etc., already in Exodus 12, Moses refers to the known manner of its preparation, i.e. roasting on the spit.

ובשלת ואכלת, “you are to boil it and eat it.” The word ובשלת in this connection means “to barbecue it on a spit over an open fire” as we know already from Exodus 12,8. The word בשל occurs in the sense of “ripening, becoming ready for its destiny,” already in Genesis 40,7 when the butler described his dream with the grapes. Similarly, the meaning of Chronicles II 35,13 ויבשלו את הפסח, does not mean that the people boiled the Passover in water, but that they made it ready for eating.

The morning of the second day, etc. “Morning,” cannot refer to the morning of the first day, for it is the Festival and one may not leave the city boundaries. Furthermore, one is obligated on the first day to [appear in the Beis Hamikdash and] bring r’iyah burnt-offerings. Tosefos write this in Succah (47a).

V. 7. ובשלת ואכלת וגו׳, nicht wenn du nur an gottgeweihter Stätte zu beten und zu opfern verstehst, erst wenn du gelernt hast, an gottgeweihter Stätte zu "kochen und zu essen", erst wenn der Geist des Heiligtums also dein ganzes Wesen durchdrungen, dass selbst dein "Kochen und Essen", dass selbst dein leiblich sinnliches Leben, von gottverwandtem Pflichtbewusstsein getragen, zu sittlich heiligem gottdienenden Pflichtleben sich hebt, erst wenn ובשלת ואכלת במקום אשר יבחר ה׳ אלהיך בו, erst dann: ופנית בבקר והלכת לאהליך, erst dann hast du an der Gottesstätte den rechten Sinn gewonnen, der dich in deine Häuslichkeit hingeleiten soll (vergl. Kap. 14, 23).

ובשלת, the true meaning of the word בשל is: “to make something ready and fit to eat.” The author cites Genesis 40,10, הבשילו אשכלותיה ענבים, “its grape clusters had become ripe,” or Exodus 23,19: גם, לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו "do not boil the kid in the milk of its mother,” as support.

ופנית בבקר AND THOU SHALT TURN IN THE MORNING [AND GO INTO THY TENTS] — i.e. in the morning of the second day of the Passover week. — It teaches us that he (the pilgrim) is required to stay in Jerusalem during the night when the festival terminates (Sifrei Devarim 134:2; Pesachim 95b; Chagigah 17).

ופנית בבקר, you do not need to remain in Jerusalem all the seven days of the Passover festival.

ופנית בבוקר, “you may turn (homeward bound) in the morning.” The second morning is considered a regular day, not part of the festival and its restrictions. If you live close to Jerusalem you may return home on that day. From there you may go to any part of the country (Ibn Ezra verse 7). Our sages derive from this verse that the first night of the holiday must be spent inside Jerusalem (Sifri Re'ey 134). This is a display of respect for Jerusalem and the importance of the commandment of Passover.
Our sages in the Sifri also derive from the words ופנית בבקר that departures from the Temple should always occur no earlier than in the mornings. The word לאהליך, “to your own tents, dwellings,” is a kind of justification for the departure of the pilgrim already on the second day of Passover. If his “tent” i.e. residence were at the farthest corner of Israel he would have to leave that soon in order to make the next pilgrimage to Jerusalem in time for Shavuot. This is the reason this legislation is written in connection with Passover, seeing that there is only a short interval between Passover and Shavuot. [The following is an illustration of the slow travel in those days. Ed.] The sages described the area of the land of Israel being 400 by 400 parssah. (400 times 4,45 km). The Temple is perceived as located at the center of this area (Tanchuma Kedoshim 10). It follows that the person living furthest from the Temple had to travel a distance of approx. 900 km in one direction to get to Jerusalem. Assuming that one can cover a distance of 10 parssah per day (based on Pessachim 94) he would have a total of 49 days minus 8 Sabbath days between Pessach and Shavuot leaving a maximum of 40 days for travel The person in question would require the entire interval for traveling home and back again to Jerusalem.

ובשלת ואכלת wir glauben, es sei darum der allgemeine צלי und בשול umfassende Ausdruck בשל gewählt, weil hier nicht nur auf פסח, sondern auch auf חגיגת ארבעה עשר hingeblickt wird, das ja ganz eigentlich das Neue in diesem Peßachkapitel ist und wovon Verse 2 und 4 die Rede war. Diese חגיגה wurde ja, wie V. 4 bemerkt, noch am fünfzehnten, dem יום הראשון des V. 4, gegessen, und wäre daher das בבקר unseres Textes der Morgen des sechzehnten Nissan, an welchem bereits die Heimreise möglich war. Mit dieser Auffassung übereinstimmend, wird auch Nedarim 49 a der Beweis, dass unter בשול auch der Begriff צלי enthalten ist, nicht aus der ja näher liegenden Stelle unseres Textes, sondern aus Chron. II. 35, 13 ויבשלו הפסח באש כמשפט erbracht.

ופנית בבקר והלכת לאהליך: hieran knüpft die Halacha den allgemeinen Satz: כל פינות שאתה פונה מן הבקר ואילך, dass man überhaupt, wenn man mit irgend einer Weihehingebung im Heiligtum erscheine, sei es selbst עופות ומנחות יין ולבונה ועצים, aus der Gottesstadt, dem Umkreis des Heiligtums nach vollendeter Darbringung nicht sofort heimkehren dürfe, sondern alle טעונים לינה, alle fordern, dass man über Nacht in dem Umkreis des Heiligtums bleibe und erst am Morgen heimkehre (ספרי). So will das göttliche Gesetz nie und nimmer schon in der objektiven Vollziehung einer Opferdarbringung die mit der Stiftung seines Heiligtums erstrebte Absicht vollendet, sondern sie erst in der Wirkung seines Heiligtums und seiner Vollziehungen auf uns, in seinem Einfluss auf unser Denken und Sinnen, auf unser Wollen und Handeln abgeschlossen finden, und fordert daher nach jeder Darbringung ins Heiligtum unser Weilen in dessen Umkreis, auf dass wir uns in seiner Nähe erst sammeln und in der Stille der Nacht die gesammelten Eindrücke reifen lassen, die wir dann mit hellen Morgengedanken geistig bereichert als den Segensschatz des Heiligtums in die Heimat zum häuslichen Herde tragen. —

(Nach einer Auffassung in ׳תוספו Rosch Haschana 5 a u. f. spricht für alle רגלים das ופנית בבקר die Heimkehr erst nach dem Schlusse des ganzen Festes, und nicht schon des ersten Tages aus; siehe daselbst.) לא מצאתי מצות לינה ברמב׳׳ם. כעת ראיתי אשר כבר .הגאון מעין חכמה תמה על זה שלא מצא מצות לינה ברמב׳׳ם רק בפ׳ד דהל׳ ביכורים וצ׳׳ע

ששת ימים תאכל מצות SIX DAYS THOU SHALT EAT UNLEAVENED BREAD — But in another passage it states, (Exodus 12:15): “seven days [ye shall eat unleavened bread]’’! But the explanation is: seven days ye may eat Mazzoth prepared from the old produce and six days (out of the seven. i.e. the last six days, after the Omer has been offered and the new crop has become permitted as food) ye may eat Mazzoth prepared from the new crop (Sifrei Devarim 134:5). Another explanation is: It teaches regarding the eating of unleavened bread on the seventh day of Passover that it is not obligatory; and from here (from this law concerning the seventh day) you may derive the law for the other six days. For the seventh day was included in the general statement (“seven days, thou shalt eat unleavened bread’’), and in the text: “six days thou shall eat unleavened bread” it has left the general statement, to teach ... eating unleavened bread on it is not obligatory but optional. Now, according to the well-known rule, it did not leave the general statement in order to teach this regarding itself alone but regarding everything that is included in the general statement. Now how is it with the seventh day? It is optional as regards the eating of unleavened bread (as explained in the earlier portion of this comment)! This, too, according to the rule, applies also to everything that was included in the general statement, and therefore all the other days are also optional in this respect, with the exception, however, of the first night of Passover, for which Scripture has fixed it (the eating of unleavened bread) as an obligation, as it is said, (Exodus 22:18) “at evening ye shall eat unleavened bread” (Pesachim 120a; cf. also Rashi on Exodus 12:15).

Now he said, And on the seventh day [of Passover] shall be a solemn assembly to the Eternal thy G-d; thou shalt do no work therein.³⁴⁸Verse 8. But he did not mention the prohibition of work on the first day [of Passover]; he likewise did not state such a prohibition for the Festival of Weeks, nor for Tabernacles, nor did he mention the commandment of the palm-branch [on the Festival of Tabernacles] and he likewise did not mention here the Day of Remembrance [i.e., the New Year] and the tenth of that month [i.e., the Day of Atonement] — the reason, as I have explained, is that now he came to mention only the [commandment to make an] appearance [in the Sanctuary] and the [commandment of] festivity, for all Israelites are obligated to make a pilgrimage on these three festivals to the place which G-d shall choose and celebrate there every man as he is able, according to the blessing of G-d which He hath given him,³⁴⁹Verse 17. to rejoice before Him, to thank for all the good which He hath bestowed on us according to his compassions, and according to the multitude of His mercies.³⁵⁰Isaiah 63:7.
He [Moses] added, and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly³⁴⁸Verse 8. meaning: Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread³⁴⁸Verse 8. and in addition to them is a solemn assembly on the seventh day, the purport being that they be further detained before Him to eat the unleavened bread. And because he said that [the seventh day] is Atzereth it might possibly mean that they be “restrained” only for the eating of the unleavened bread as on the [six] preceding days, therefore it was necessary to admonish [also in the same verse] that you are not to do work therein. Similarly He said with reference to the eighth day of the Festival of Tabernacles in the section on the festivals in the Book of Leviticus, Seven days ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal; on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal; it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no manner of servile work,³⁵¹Leviticus 23:36. meaning that [the eighth day] is restrained in addition to the first [seven] days with respect to the bringing of a fire-offering, and it has a further prohibition against [doing therein any manner of] servile work, [a prohibition shared only by the first day of Tabernacles, but not by any of the intermediate days].
And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala, the verse stating that the seventh day of Passover] Atzereth³⁴⁸Verse 8. is “the congregation of Israel,”³⁵²Here used as a Cabalistic term, alluding to the first seven Emanations. and the verse comes to each us the secret of the day. But it is not like Atzereth of the eighth day of Tabernacles, for the eighth day is a separate festival³⁵³Rosh Hashanah 4b. See Ramban to Leviticus 23:36 (Vol. III, pp. 392-394). and the offering brought then, is for the congregation of Israel, but it is unlike the offerings brought on the seven days [of the Tabernacles]. The seventh day of Passover, however, is part of the Festival [of Passover] and it is Atzereth, for, sometimes it is counted as the eighth³⁵⁴See Vol. I, p. 27, Note 64. It is thus considered “eighth” if the count of the Emanations begins with Kether (crown). See L’vush Ha’orah to Ricanti here. and sometimes it is included [as part of the seven]. Thus it is like the Sabbath in which there is the [commandment to] remember and [the commandment to] observe, the honor for the day and honor for the night.³⁵⁵See Vol. II, pp. 308-309. [Thus the offering on the seventh day of Passover is part of the festival], and therefore he said here, a solemn assembly to the Eternal thy G-d, while there [with reference to the eighth day of Tabernacles] it is said, and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal; it is a solemn assembly,³⁵¹Leviticus 23:36. meaning that the offering is the Atzereth and therefore “the meal” is small.³⁵⁶This is a reference to the fact that the Additional Offering on the eighth day of Tabernacles was smaller than those of the preceding seven days, and also smaller than the Additional Offering of the seventh day of Passover. The student learned in the mystic teachings of Cabala will understand.
He [Moses] did not mention here the eighth day of the Festival of Tabernacles, because it has already been mentioned, and [because] there is no obligation that we go up in pilgrimage to the Sanctuary another time [in honor of the eighth day].

וביום השביעי עצרת, on that day the Israelites are to be assembled together in communal worship of the Lord. They will sing the song sung by the Israelites after they had crossed the Sea of Reeds on dry ground. This is why this day has been given a special sanctity.

וביום השביעי עצרת לה' אלוקיך לא תעשה מלאכה, “and on the seventh day you will observe an assembly for Hashem; on that day no work is to be performed.” Nachmanides draws to our attention that Moses here has not referred to the prohibition to carry out work on the first day of Passover, neither did he refer to the work prohibition on Shavuot or Sukkot, just as he did not refer to the commandment of the four species to be used on the Sukkot festival. The New Year holiday and the Day of Atonement are similarly omitted altogether in this chapter. The reason is that Moses’ main concern in this chapter is to emphasise the commandment to make the pilgrimages to the Temple on the three festivals on which they are mandatory. The reason why the work-prohibition on the seventh day of Passover is highlighted, is that on that day matzah does not have to be eaten, it is eaten voluntarily only because leavened bread is prohibited, a law that had as yet not been sufficiently defined. The wording וביום השביעי, וגו' is a hint that though we might have thought that by eating matazh for 6 days, as mentioned in our verse, that this concludes the Passover festival, it is not so, but the seventh day is special, including a work prohibition. We might have thought it is special only in that we continue to eat מצה, but the fact is that it is a full-scale festival, no work is to be performed. It is distinguished as such by the presentation of another fire offering of a communal character in honour of the day. [It is, of course, the anniversary of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and the drowning of the Egyptian army in its waves and, being so, concludes the celebration of the Exodus. Ed.]

ששת ימים תאכל מצות, “for six days you shall eat unleavened bread.” How do we reconcile this verse with verse 3 earlier where the Torah commanded that in connection with the Passover we are to eat unleavened bread for seven days? Our sages in Pessachim 120 explained that the reason that the seventh day has been exempted from the general rule, meaning that eating unleavened bread on the seventh day of Pesach is not an obligation but is voluntary, derives from the fact that leavened bread is prohibited. The exemption is used as a model, teaching that just as it is not obligatory to eat unleavened bread on the seventh day, so what is written in our verse about eating unleavened bread during six days of the Passover holiday is also voluntary (though highly recommended). The only time the consumption of unleavened bread is obligatory is on the first evening when the Passover lamb is being consumed. This is why this legislation appears already in that connection in Exodus 12,18.

Elsewhere it is said seven days. See Re”m for further elaboration. But I have previously stated that I do not mention whatever is not necessary for the simple understanding.

V. 8. ששת ימים וגו׳. Es heißt im vorigen Verse ופנית בבקר וגו׳, und nach allgemeinster Auffassung ist, wie wir dort bemerkt, dieser Tag der Heimkehr der sechzehnte Nissan. Hier folgt nun, dass von diesem Tage an noch sechs Tage Mazzot gegessen werden, resp. kein Chamez gegessen werden darf, und am siebten Tage des Festes (es ist dies der sechste dieser sechs Tage) sei ein Azerettag, der (wie der erste) keine מלאכה gestattet. Dieser Auffassung entspricht die Menachot 66 a allegierte ברייתא des ספרי: ששה מן החדש שבעה מן הישן (so ist die Lesart in der מכילתא בא), dass nämlich, wenn hier von sechs Mazzottagen gesprochen wird, obgleich es oben V. 3 heißt שבעת ׳ימים וגו, hier die sechs Tage zu verstehen seien, an welchen die Mazzot bereits von חדש, von der neuen Frucht gegessen werden können (siehe Wajikra 23, 14). Es ist damit entschieden klar, dass diese ברייתא die sechs Tage unseres Textes von dem sechzehnten bis zum zweiundzwanzigsten inkl. zählt. Der sechzehnte Tag, eben der Tag der Heimkehr, ist auch der Tag der Omerdarbringung, mit welchem die neue Frucht zum Genuss gestattet wird, der Tag, an welchem ja auch das folgende שבעה שבועות usw. anknüpft. Vergegenwärtigen wir uns aber, wie die ganze Omerinstitution und der sich an sie knüpfende איסור חדש immer aufs neue zum Bewusstsein bringt, dass nicht nur die im פסח zu begehende persönliche Freiheit, sondern auch die durch das Land gewährte Selbständigkeit ein unmittelbares Geschenk aus Gottes Händen ist, und dieses Land noch Gottes Eigentum bleibt, so bleibt, dass kein Ackerbesitzer die Sichel an sein Getreide legen darf, bevor am sechzehnten Nissan mit dem Omer vom neuen Schnitt Gott die Huldigung dargebracht ist: so begreifen wir das Bedeutsame dieser ברייתא. Es ist der Omertag, an welchem die Heimkehr in die häuslichen Kreise gestattet ist; und wenn sie die Bekenntnismazza am Peßachabend und das Mazzabrot am ersten Tage des Mazzotfestes nur von der vorjährigen Frucht essen durften und erst die Omerhuldigung am sechzehnten, dem Heimkehrtage, ihnen die neue Frucht gestattet, so gibt ihnen eben diese Gestattung die Mahnung mit in die Heimat, und jedes Stückchen Mazza, das sie nun die sechs Tage von der neuen Frucht essen dürfen, wiederholt ihnen die Mahnung: dass sie auch mit Haus und Hof, zu denen sie nun zurückkehren, sich nur als Lehnsassen zu begreifen und zu bewähren haben, und nun in Haus und Hof und mit Haus und Hof das wahr machen sollen, was namens der Gesamtnation Gott, dem Lehnsherrn von Haus und Hof eines jeden, im עומר התנופה aufs neue angelobt worden.

ששת ימים תאכל מצות, “for six consecutive days you must eat unleavened bread;” this too is basically a repetition as the commandment to eat unleavened bread only during all the days of Passover has already been spelled out, so that this line adds only that whereas during six of these days the eating of bread is optional (unleavened bread only of course,) on the first day, when the Passover is being eaten to the accompaniment of the eating of matza, i.e. eating “bread,” is mandatory. The subject of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover therefore is to be understood as follows: you will go up to Jerusalem no later than so that you time your arrival to be not later than noon, and having gotten rid of any chametz, something leavened, you proceed to slaughter your Passover lamb, and prepare it for consumption in the evening, and in the meantime you have baked your which does not take long. When you have performed all the rituals on that evening, you are free to leave Jerusalem in the morning, [if you live within the distance that travel is allowed on a festival. Ed.] During the remaining six days, when you feel the desire to eat bread, you may bake fresh matzot every day.

עצרת לה' אלהיך [AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY SHALL BE] A RESTRICTION IN HONOR OF THE LORD — i.e., restrict yourself from work (Chagigh 18a). — Another explanation is that עצרת denotes a gathering for eating and drinking (a banquet), like the expression used (Judges 13:15) “Let us detain (נעצרה) thee [that we may make ready a kid for thee]”.

ולא תעשה מלאכה, if not for that, the seventh day would not be recognisable as holy at all, just as the seventh day of Sukkot is not called a מקרא קודש, holy convocation.

וביום השביעי עצרת, “and on the seventh day is a concluding festival.” The reason the Torah chose the word עצרת to describe this day is that the people are perceived as “detained” by G’d for another day. They are all gathered in the various synagogues and houses of study (compare Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 23,36). The people are detained in the sense of being unable to perform their regular activities, i.e. due to the work prohibition.”
Onkelos translates the word as כנישו, ”festive assembly.” We (author) have explained the deeper significance of the word (and the meaning of the day) under the heading: a kabbalistic approach on Numbers 29,38 [see translation there].

Seven from the old crop, six from the new. For on the sixteenth of Nisan the omer is brought, and that permits the new crop. But if one wishes to eat from the old crop all seven days, he is permitted [to do so].

In dieses Kompendium für die Zukunft der Dezentralisation gehört diese Mahnung in allererster Linie hinein.

וביום השביעי, “and on the seventh day;” this is the seventh day when you started counting from the night of the Seder.

לא תעשה מלאכה, “you are not to perform work.” Whereas in connection with the Sabbath the work prohibition is described as “you must not do “any” work, the word “any” does not appear here. It could not have appeared seeing that on festivals preparation of food and work connected with it is permitted (Ibn Ezra).

Another interpretation. This teaches that eating matzoh on the seventh day is not obligatory, etc. This has been explained in Parshas Bo (Shmos 12:15), see there.

Die Auffassung einer anderen ברייתא (Peßachim 120 a) ist schwieriger. Ihr zufolge wären die ששת ימים unseres Textes die ersten sechs Tage und wäre, obgleich der siebte Tag bereits (V. 3) hinsichtlich der אכילת מצה mit den sechs vorangehenden Tagen zusammen begriffen ist, שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות hier אכילת מצה nur von den sechs Tagen ausgesprochen, und für den siebten mit Übergehung derselben nur die עצרת-Pflicht geboten, um damit die אכילת מצה überhaupt für die ganzen sieben Tage mit Ausnahme des ersten Peßachabends als רשות und nicht als מצוה zu begreifen: מה שביעי רשות אף ששת ימים רשות. Wir glauben dieser ברייתא gemäß den Sinn unserer Stelle also zu verstehen: nach den positiven Pflichten des Peßachabends haben die folgenden sechs Tage nur das negative Gebot der אכילת מצה, das nur מצה-Brot mit Ausschluss des חמץ gestattet (siehe Schmot 12, 15); erst am siebten Tage tritt wieder ein positives Gebot: עצרת לה׳ אלהיך ein. Es konnte das Gesetz neben עצרת nicht auch תאכל מצות am siebten Tage aussprechen, weil der Pflichtwert dieser beiden Aussprüche ein völlig verschiedener sein soll. עצרת soll ein absolutes, positives Gebot, תאכל מצות aber nur ein relatives, nur אכילת חמץ verneinendes sein. Damit ist denn überhaupt dem שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות: nur der relative, חמץ versagende, רשות-Charakter vindiziert. Es ist dies infolge des hermeneutischen Kanons: דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל ללמד לא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא so war auch hier die אכילת מצה des siebten Tages mit derjenigen der übrigen Tage בכלל שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות, und wurde nun hier aus dem כלל besonders hervorgehoben, יצא מן הכלל ללמד um dadurch, dass das Gesetz sie nicht der עצרת-Pflicht zur Seite nennen konnte, den רשות-Charakter zu erhalten; dieser למוד ist damit nicht nur für die אכילת מצה des siebten Tages, sondern auch für die אכילת מצה aller übrigen Tage gegeben, לא ללמד על עצמו יצא וכו׳ (daselbst).

עצרת, “shall be a solemn an assembly;” on that day you will abstain from all the activities that you have abstained from during the preceding six days. [This translation of the word: עצרת is borrowed from the commentary of Rash’bam Ed.]

עצרת לה׳ אלהיך (siehe zu Wajikra 23, 36 und Bamidbar 29, 35). Der siebte Tag bringt uns die Aufgabe, alle die Erkenntnisse, Gesinnungen und Vorsätze, die die יציאת מצרים-Tage in uns aufs neue geweckt haben sollen, nun in Sammlung vor Gott, also zusammenfassend festzuhalten, dass wir sie als "bleibendes" Gut ins tätig schaffende Leben mit hinausnehmen. Bamidbar 29, 35 heißt es: עצרת תהיה לכם, hier עצרת לה׳ אלהיך, und wird daran Beza 15 b gelehrt: חלקהו חציו לה׳ וחציו לכם, dass wir diese innere Sammlung vor Gott sowohl ׳לה in rein geistiger Zuwendung zu Gott, als auch לכם, unserem leiblich irdischen Menschendasein zugewendet zu lösen haben, oder wie es im ספרי z. St. heißt: וביום השביעי עצרת לה׳ אלהיך יכול יהא אדם עצור כל היום כלו בבית המדרש ת׳׳ל עצרת תהיה לכם הא כיצד תן חלק לבית המדרש ותן חלק לאכילה ולשתיה. Es fließt dies ganz aus der jüdischen Wahrheit der Lebensaufgabe, die den ganzen Menschen mit Geist und Leib in das Bereich gottnahen sittlichgeistigen Strebens gehoben wissen will.

לא תעשה מלאכה (siehe Schmot 12. 16). Der עצרת-Charakter des Tages schließt עשית מלאכה aus.

מהחל חרמש בקמה [BEGIN TO NUMBER SEVEN WEEKS] FROM THE TIME THOU BEGINNEST TO PUT THE SICKLE TO THE CORN — i.e. from when the “Omer” has been cut (from the sixteenth of Nisan) which is the first produce to be harvested (Leviticus 23:10) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 136:2-3; Menachot 71a).

FROM THE TIME THE SICKLE IS FIRST PUT TO THE STANDING CORN. The meaning thereof is “from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing corn,” seeing that He has already mentioned when we are to begin to raise the sickle upon the standing corn in bringing the omer [a measure of the new barley brought as a meal-offering on the second day of Passover] which is the first-fruit of our harvest.³⁵⁷Leviticus 23:11. and the Midrash [of this verse] is:³⁵⁸Sifre, R’eih 316. “It teaches that the omer be reaped only with a sickle.”

מהחל חרמש בקמה, in the standing barley, which is to serve as the Omer offering. We know already from Exodus 9,31 that the barley crop ripens in spring (in the latitudes which include Egypt and the Land of Israel. Ed]. Seven weeks elapse between the beginning of the barley harvest and that of the wheat harvest. Hence you are to count these seven weeks.

תחל לספר שבעה שבעות, "you shall commence to count seven weeks." Why did the Torah repeat the need to count seven weeks? Perhaps the Torah meant that in the event that on the date in question the wheat had not yet advanced in growth to the stage when one could cut it with a sickle, and you may use left over wheat from last year's crop to present the new loaves (based on the word ממשבותיכם in Leviticus 23,17 (compare Menachot 83), you must still commence to count the seven weeks starting on the second day of Passover. This is how I have to explain the repetition according to the many authorities who hold that nowadays when we do not have the Temple the whole legislation is only a rabbinic decree. According to those who hold that the decree is biblical also in our times, the basis for such a ruling is the repetition of the words "seven weeks."

מהחל חרמש, as per Onkelos, for the Omer is known as the beginning of the harvest season. (Leviticus 23,10)

מהחל חרמש בקמה, “when the sickle is first out to the standing grain.” The precise date when this occurs has already been spelled out in Leviticus 23,15 as being the 16th of Nissan.

שבעה שבועות תספר לך, “you are to count for yourself seven weeks.” The Torah here lists the three pilgrimage festivals in their consecutive order, Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot. The holidays of New Year and Day of Atonement are not mentioned here as on those days the people did not assemble in the Temple. This is also why nowadays in our Mussaph prayers on those days we do not include the line: “we are unable to make the pilgrimage to the House of our Chosenness there to be seen, etc.”
The reason the Torah wrote: “count for yourself” in the singular, whereas in Leviticus 23,16 the same directive is written in the plural, תספרו חמישים יום, is simply that the Torah often alternates between the singular and the plural. We find this especially if originally the law was addressed to the multitude, in the plural. The idea is that an individual should not have an excuse to say that as long as the community has fulfilled the commandment in question that he is covered by this seeing he is part of the community. He might reason that he would escape punishment for non-performance. The Torah therefore repeats the commandment using the singular to disabuse such an individual of the idea that he could use the community as his shield. Another prominent example of this is found in Numbers 15,38 in connection with the law of tzitzit where the Torah wrote “they shall make as part of the fringes a tassle of blue wool;” subsequently in Deut. 22,12 the law appears as addressed to the individual, i.e. גדילים תעשה לך על ארבע כנפות כסותך, “make fringes for yourself on the four corners of your garment.” We find these switches from plural to singular and vice versa even within the same verse describing a single commandment. Leviticus 19,9 is one of numerous such examples.
There is another reason why the Torah switches from plural to singular. If the Torah would write the commandment only in the plural I might conclude that the commandment was addressed exclusively to the court. This is why the commandment also had to be formulated as addressed to individuals. We have an example of this in the commandment of using the four species of plants on the first day of Sukkot. The Torah writes in Leviticus 23,40 (using the plural) “take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the tree called Hadar,” etc., etc. Nowhere is mention made of this commandment in connection with an individual. I would have interpreted this commandment as subject to performance only by members of the Sanhedrin were it not for the fact that the Torah adds: “you shall be joyful in the presence of the Lord your G’d” (Deut. 16,12). Clearly, the commandment to be joyful cannot be meant for the members of the Sanhedrin only but must be meant for each and every individual Israelite. Moreover that part of the commandment has also been formulated in the singular in 16,14. If other commandments had been formulated only in the plural we would indeed have understood that they apply only collectively, to the Bet Din in its capacity as representatives of the people.
Concerning the commandment to count from Pessach to Shavuot, our sages in Chagigah 17 said that the fact that the Torah speaks both of counting days and of counting weeks means that there are actually two commandments (according to some authorities). Some hold (“Sefer HaMaor” end of Pessachim) that the “week” needs to be mentioned only after the previous week has been completed whereas others hold that as soon as the first week has been completed mention of the week is mandatory every evening, side by side with mention of the day of the count. The “weeks” are understood as an allusion to the seventh millennium and this is why it must be mentioned every evening (Ibn Ezra). [Bet Yosseph on Tur 489 brings an opinion quoted by Avi Haezri that only the weeks have to be counted. (mentioned in Rabbi Chavell’s glossary)]

From the time the omer is cut, etc. I.e., it does not depend upon the beginning of the harvest, but rather upon the time the omer is cut. But since the harvest begins with the omer, Scripture writes, “From the time the sickle begins felling the standing grain."

V. 9. שבעה שבעת. Die Bedeutung dieser Wochenzählung und des Wochenfestes, zu welchem sie führt und das von ihr seinen Namen hat, haben wir bereits ausführlich zu Wajikra 23, 10 — 21 besprochen. Hier, in dem Gesetzeskompendium für die Dezentralisation im Lande, wird von diesem Feste nur dasjenige hervorgehoben, was dem einzelnen zur Erfüllung an diesem Feste obliegt, sich mit seinen Einzelfestopfern — עולות ראיה שלמי חגיגה שלמי שמחה — in den nationalen Festkreis (חג) an der Gottesstätte einzufügen, und dort nicht nur selbst mit seinem Hause sich der Freude vor Gott zu freuen, sondern die minderbegüterten Genossen, den Leviten, den Fremden, die Waise und die Witwe des aus dem göttlichen Gesetze quillenden Segens an der Gottesstätte inne werden zu lassen, der jeden vor Gottes Angesicht im Angesichte seines Gesetzesheiligtums sich Freuenden zu einem Freude Spendenden an alle solcher Spende Bedürftigen gestaltet. Die die Bikurimzeit einleitende שתי לחם-Opferinstitution, die dieses Wochenfest charakterisiert, ist Gesamtheitsaufgabe, קרבן צבור, und wie sehr eben die von jedem einzelnen zu pflegende Fürsorge für die Existenz und Lebensfreude der unbegüterten Brüder Konsequenz und Verwirklichung eben des mit diesem קרבן צבור zum Ausdruck Gebrachten sein soll, das haben wir daselbst zu V. 22 entwickelt.

שבעה שבעות, “seven weeks;” the reason why this verse too is a kind of repetition, i.e. we had already heard that unleavened bread was to be eaten during the festival of Passover, after which seven weeks were to be counted, etc. in Leviticus 23,1422, is that there is a new element here, i.e. that the count is to begin when the first offering of the new barley harvest, the omer, is offered to G-d in the Temple. The validity of this law as a Biblical law is related to the Jewish people living on their own land at that time. (Compare verse 11)

מהחל חרמש בקמה תחל לספור, “you are to start counting from the time the sickle will begin cutting the standing crop.” This teaches that cutting the barley and beginning the count of the seven weeks is to occur simultaneously. Our sages (Sifri Re-ey 136) add that I might have thought that whereas the cutting and the counting have to occur simultaneously, offering of the “Omer” could take place whenever one wanted; to ensure that we would not understand the commandment in this way the Torah added מיום הביאכם, (Leviticus 23,15) that the day we start counting is to coincide with the day the offering is presented on the altar.
The meaning of the words מיום הביאכם could also be that reaping, counting and presenting on the altar should all take place simultaneously, and this is why the Torah does not write ביום, “on the day,” but מיום, “from the day.” The cutting and counting are to take place at night, whereas presentation of the offering on the altar takes place by day. The Torah wrote that “they shall be seven complete weeks” (Leviticus 23,15). They can only be complete if you start counting in the evening.
Our sages also explain that the word בקמה, “in the standing corn,” may be read as בקומה, ‘that the counting of the days and weeks has to be performed while one is standing. [Presumably the word בקמה was considered redundant otherwise as one always cuts standing corn, not “lying” corn. Ed.]
There are a total of four commandments which have to be performed while standing: עומר, ציצית, מילה, לולב. [The common denominator of these four commandments is the unnecessary word לכם. Seeing that we derive “standing” from the commandment of עומר, the Rabbis applied that rule to other commandments featuring that word לכם.]

שבעה שבעות תספר לך מהחל וגו׳ תחל לספר שבעה שבעות: Offenbar lässt uns das Gesetz hier diese Wochenzählung zweimal, in zwei getrennten Beziehungen denken: es ist eine Wochenzählung für uns, תספר לך, und eine Wochenzählung vom ersten Sichelschwung ׳יציאת מצרים .מהחל וגו hat uns persönlich frei gemacht, und hat seinen Abschluss in Gewährung der nationalen Selbständigkeit durch den Landbesitz gefunden. Von beiden Momenten vereint, haben wir die Wochen unserer Würdigmachung für den Anfang der Gesetzgebung (siehe Wajikra daselbst) zu zählen. Persönliche Freiheit ist nichtig ohne Gesetz, schlägt in unheilvolle Willkür um ohne Gesetz, die rechte Freiheit wohnt nur im Gesetz, vor allem Israel hat die persönliche Freiheit nur für seine Dienstunterordnung unter das Gesetz bekommen, Gesetzesvolk ist seine einzige Bestimmung, und es gehört die ganze Mannesarbeit eines frei gewordenen Mannes an sich selber dazu, um nun auch die Fesseln und das Joch der Begierden und Leidenschaften, den Trotz des Eigensinns und des Eigenwillens zu brechen, die ihn zum Sklaven der Sinnlichkeit und der Gesetzeshöhnung machen. Leicht ist es, die persönliche Freiheit als Gnadengeschenk aus Gottes Händen zu empfangen. Aber uns im Innern frei zu machen, so frei wie es die Gesetzesträgerschaft unseres Berufs verlangt, das fordert einen siebenfältigen, wiederholten Ansatz unseres inneren Vorwärtsstrebens: שבעה שבעות תספר לך!

Und ebenso materieller Wohlstand ohne jene geistige Erleuchtung und sittliche Veredelung, die die materiellen Güter des Wohlstandes nur in dem Dienst des sittlich Höchsten, Wahren und Guten zur Verwendung kommen lässt, materieller Wohlstand ohne Lehre und Gesetz, und vor allem Israels Gottesland ohne Israels Gottesgesetz, Israels, das sein Land nur dem mit seinem Ahn geschlossenen Bunde verdankt, der eben nichts anderes, als ברית התורה, als der Bund des Gesetzes, der Bund für das Gesetz ist, dem das Land und aller durch dasselbe gewährleistete Wohlstand nur wie das Mittel dem Zwecke untergeordnet sein soll: Israel das Land, ohne Israel das Gottesgesetz gegeben und erhalten, ist das positivste Mittel zu Israels Untergang. Israel ist verloren, hat sich auszustreichen aus dem Gottesbuche der Völkergeschichte, wenn es, wie die Masse der Völker, in dem nationalen Boden und dem aus demselben zu schaffenden Nationalwohlstand den höchsten Zweck der Nationen erblicken wollte, dem gegenüber alle geistigen und sittlichen Interessen ihren Selbstwert verlieren und sich ihm nur als Mittel unterzuordnen hätten. Israel würde seine eigentliche Mission unter die Völker verleugnen, wenn es nicht da erst zu zählen begönne, wo andere zu zählen aufhören, und eine siebenfältige Arbeit an sich selber gehört dazu, um sich in die Lichthöhe dieses Gegensatzes zu der Völkeranschauung dauernd emporzuarbeiten, auf welcher Recht und Sittlichkeit die einzigen Selbstwerte sind, auf welcher man nicht Recht und Sittlichkeit nur so viel Wert zuerkennt, als damit materieller Wohlstand erreicht und gesichert wird, sondern aller materieller Wohlstand nur so viel bedeutet, als damit Recht und Sittlichkeit, als damit Humanität im wahrsten, vollsten Sinne erreicht und sichergestellt bleibt, darum: מהחל חרמש בקמה לתחל לספר שבעה שבעות!

Zusammengefasst: wenn du bereits die Freiheit und zu dieser Freiheit sogar auch den die Freiheit materiell sicherstellenden Landbesitz erlangt hast, sollst du dich nicht am Ziele, sondern dann erst am Anfange deiner Bestimmung betrachten und die siebenfältige Arbeit an dir selber beginnen, dich fähig zu machen, zu der Freiheit und dem Landbesitz Gottes Gesetz immer aufs neue aus Gottes Händen hinzunehmen, um in dessen Dienst und Verwirklichung Freiheit und Besitz zu verwerten, und damit Freiheit und Besitz erst zu ihrem wirklichen Werte gelangen zu lassen. —

שבעה שבעת תספר לך und oben Wajikra 23, 16: תספרו חמשים יום, daher: מצוה למימני ימי ומצוה למימני שבועי (Chagiga 16 b; siehe Wajikra daselbst). — מהחל חרמש und Wajikra daselbst 15 מיום הביאכם, daher: Schnitt und Darbringung in einen Tag fallen müssen und zwar, da שבתות תמימות (daselbst) gezählt werden sollen, unsere Tage aber mit der Nacht beginnen, so muss Schnitt- und Zählungsanfang mit der Nacht des Tages eintreten, an welchem zur Tageszeit die Darbringung stattfindet: קצירה וספירה בלילה והבאה ביום (Menachot 66 a). — חרמש (siehe Bereschit S. 340).

שבעות steht hier und Verse 10 und 16 מלא, wohl um das תמימות dieser Wochenzählung und damit diese Zählung selbst, nach welcher das Fest, zu dem sie führt, genannt wird, in ihrer vollen Bedeutung hervortreten zu lassen. Es darf an dieser Vorbereitung nichts fehlen, sie nimmt unsere volle Zeit und unsere volle Kraft und den ganzen Menschen in Anspruch. Es ist die bedeutsamste Arbeit, die das Gesetz von uns erwartet (siehe Wajikra daselbst).

מסת נדבת ידך means sufficient (די) free-will offerings of thy hand (i.e. of thy possession) (cf. Targum on Deuteronomy 15:8, which renders די מחסרו by כמסת חסרונה); everything must be in accordance with the blessing which God has bestowed upon you (אשר יברכך): offer peace-offerings of rejoicing and invite guests for the meal.

מסת, sufficient and commensurate

The fullness of the gift of your hand, etc. For the word above (15:8) די (fullness) is translated by Onkelos as כמסת. The letter mem in מסת is a root letter, and the full root is מסס. The letter samech contains a dagesh [dot] to make up for the missing double samech.

V. 10. ועשית חג שבעות (Schmot 23, 16) heißt das Fest חג הקציר בכורי מעשיך, dem zur Seite hier: חג שבעות, zu lehren, dass, wenn auch im Drange der Zeiten kein Schnitt vom eigenen Boden mehr stattfindet, das Fest in seiner שבעותBedeutung doch bleibe, יכול אם יש לך קציר אתה עושה י׳׳ט ואם לאו אין אתה עושה י׳׳ט ת׳׳ל ועשית בין שיש לך קציר ובין שאין לך קציר אתה עושה י׳׳ט (Sifre).

ועשית חג שבועות, “you will keep the festival of weeks;” the author refers to his commentary on the significance of this festival in Leviticus chapter 23, where he explained why the Torah did not give us a date for when this festival is to be observed, as opposed to all the other festivals where the month and days they are to be observed have been spelled out.

נדבת ידך, according to the economic blessing you have received from G’d.

(Schmot 23, 15) ולא יראו פני ריקם wir haben schon zu מסת נדבת ידך וגו׳ erläutert, wie die von dem einzelnen zu bringenden Festopfer: שלמי חגיגה ,עולות ראיה שלמי שמחה, den drei Bestimmungen entsprechen, in welchen sich die Bedeutung unserer Feste ausprägt. Sie sind רגלים, sie rufen einen jeden Mann in Israel zu der Gottesstätte hinauf, um dort im Gesetzesheiligtum hingebungsvoll vor Gottes Angesicht zu erscheinen: der Ausdruck dieser erneuten Hingebung an Gott zur Erfüllung seines Willens auf Erden ist: עולת ראיה. Sie sind חגים, sie rufen einen jeden Mann in Israel auf, sich als Glied der Nation in den um das gemeinsame Gesetzesheiligtum zu sammelnden Gesamtkreis einzufügen, und nur in dieser Mithörigkeit zum nationalen Ganzen sich seiner trübungslosen Stellung auf Erden bewusst zu werden. Diese im Gesamtgefühle wurzelnde untrübbare Lebensheitere findet ihren Ausdruck in: שלמי חגיגה. Sie sind מועדים, von Gott bestimmte Vereinigungszeiten mit seinem Volke, in welcher Gott also zu uns kommen will, wie wir uns zu ihm erheben, in welchem Bewusstsein der Gottesgegenwart jedem gottnahen Menschen und Menschenkreise die Quelle der seligsten Freude springt, eine Festesfreude, deren Ausdruck in שלמי שמחה gegeben ist. Diese Opferdarbringungen, mit welchen dem לא יראו פני ריקם entsprochen wird, sind hier in dem Gesamtbegriff: מסת נדבת ידך gefasst. מסה von מסס, wovon מס: der auferlegte Tribut, bezeichnet eine Schuldleistung an einen Höhern, unter dessen Forderungsberechtigung das Vermögen des Verpflichteten gleichsam "flüssig" wird und einen Ein- und Herausgriff gestattet, wogegen נדבה die freiwillige, aus freiem Innern stammende Gabe ist, eine Freiwilligkeit, die ja durch das folgende: כאשר יברכך ד׳ אלקיך noch besonders ausgesprochen ist, indem damit dem zu Leistenden einen dem empfangenen Segen entsprechenden Umfang zu bestimmen, dem eigenen Ermessen anheim gegeben wird. Es wird also in der Erfüllung dieser Festopferanforderungen sowohl der חובה- als der נדבה-Begriff zur Betätigung kommen, und zwar, indem die Pflichtleistungen hier מס, מסה Tribut, Steuer genannt werden, ist nach Chagiga 8 a das als חובה zu Leistende aus dem Profanvermögen des Pflichtigen direkt dem schuldigen Zwecke zuzuwenden, während das, was über diese חובה hinaus als נדבה solchem Zwecke zugewendet wird, eventuell auch aus bereits Geweihtem, dem Pflichtigen zur Verfügung stehenden, z. B. מעשר שני hinzugefügt (טופלין) werden kann. Auf diesem Ausdruck: מסת יד für Pflichtopferleistung beruht der allgemeine Kanon: כל דבר שבחובה אינו בא אלא מן החולין (siehe Chagiga 7 b und 8 a).

לוי גר יתום ואלמנה THE LEVITE THE STRANGER, THE FATHERLESS, THE WIDOW — these four are Mine, corresponding to four that are yours, viz., בנך ובתך ועבדך ואמתך THY SON, THY DAUGHTER, THY MAN-SERVANT AND THY MAID-SERVANT; if you gladden Mine, I will gladden yours (Midrash Tanchuma, Re'eh 18).

He mentions here [that you are to rejoice] in the place which the Eternal thy G-d shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there,³⁵⁹Verse 11. and likewise he said, Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Eternal thy G-d in the place which He shall choose.³⁶⁰Verse 16. Now, I do not know whether this is to state that after the Sanctuary will be built we should not assemble to bring the festival-offerings except in that place which G-d has chosen, similar to what he said, Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover-offering within any of thy gates,³⁶¹Verse 5. And as the following verse continues but at the place which the Eternal thy G-d shall choose etc. or that he is explaining here that they are not obligated to go up in pilgrimage on the festivals until such time as G-d will have chosen the place to dwell there.³⁶²This would thus exclude the periods of Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon — before the building of the Sanctuary in Jerusalem — when the people were not obligated by law of the Torah to go up in pilgrimage on the festivals.

והגר והיתום והאלמנה, they shall rejoice on the festival of cutting (the wheat). Their rejoicing will take the form of their collecting the portions of this harvest set aside for them by the Torah, i.e. the פאה, corner of the field with standing grain; the gleanings, what the farmer had overlooked, etc. These have been enumerated in connection with the festival in Leviticus 23,22.

You are to rejoice. The Torah does not associate rejoicing with Pesach, when the crops are still in the fields. With regard to Shavuos, when the grain has been harvested but the grapes are still on the vine, it mentions rejoicing only once. With regard to Sukkos, when everything has already been brought in from the fields, it mentions rejoicing twice.

במקום אשר יבחר ה' אלוקיך לשכן שמו שם, “in the place that the Lord your G’d will choose to rest His name there.” Nachmanides explains that the message of our verse is that once the Temple will be erected, the communal sacrifices on the festivals will not again be presented in any other location. This has already been hinted at once before in verse 5 where the Torah (Moses) stated that once in the Holy Land, the Israelites would not be allowed to sacrifice the Paschal lamb (an individual offering) in any of the towns that they dwelled in. It is also possible that the meaning of our verse is that the previously legislated pilgrimages on these festivals will not become applicable until the permanent Temple has been built in that location.

ושמחת לפני ד׳ אלקיך (Dewarim 27, 7) heißt es: וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ד׳ אלקיך und findet nach ספרי auch die ׳שמחה לפני ,ד unseres Textes ihren Ausdruck in der Freude des שלמים-Opfermahls vor Gott.. So auch Peßachim 109 a. Es ist dies die Quelle der שלמי שמחה der Feste überhaupt, und da hier die Anforderung nur als ושמחת ausgesprochen ist, sich somit direkt nur auf die Opfermahlfreude, nicht auf die Opferdarbringung bezieht, so ist die Darbringung der שלמי שמחה an sich nicht חובה und kann eventuell durch מעשר בהמה und גדרים ונדבות zur Erfüllung kommen, während עולת ראיה ושלמי חגיגה als חובה nur von חולין darzubringen sind (Chagiga daselbst).

והלוי וגו׳ der Levite wird bezeichnet: אשר בשעריך, er lebt zerstreut in der Mitte der anderen Stämme, deren jeder ein geschlossenes Gebiet erhalten soll, worauf wir bereits oben Kap. 12, 12 hingewiesen. Es müssen die Levitenstädte nicht eine Konzentrierung der Leviten beabsichtigt haben. Diese Städte selbst waren ja durchs ganze Land zerstreut, und muss es in der Absicht gelegen haben, dass die Leviten auch außerhalb ihrer Städte unter der anderen Bevölkerung wohnen sollten. Von גר יתום ואלמנה heißt es אשר בקרבך, sie entbehren des Familienanschlusses und sollen diesen durch die Aufnahme in eurer Mitte finden. Was wir oben von dem Leviten bemerkt, das muss auch hier von Fremdling, Witwe und Waise verstanden werden. Sie müssen von den zur Gottesstadt wandernden Familien zur Festfeier mit hinaufgenommen worden sein. Deren Mitfreude gehört wesentlich mit zur Festfeier, und bezieht sich hierauf wohl ganz speziell das folgende וזכרת וגו׳.

וזכרת כי עבד היית וגו׳ AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THAT THOU WAST A SERVANT [IN EGYPT] — Only on this condition did I deliver you from Egypt: that you keep and do these statutes.

AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THAT THOU WAST A BONDMAN IN EGYPT. Rabbi Abraham [ibn Ezra] said that this phrase is connected with the expression and thy manservant, and thy maidservant³⁶³Verse 11. [mentioned in the first part of the preceding verse]. The correct interpretation is according to the plain meaning thereof, that you are to observe these statutes³⁶⁴In Verse 12 before us. which the Lord Who redeemed thee out of the house of bondage³⁶⁵Above, 13:6. commanded you. We also proclaim in the Kiddush of that [festival] day, “It is a memorial of the exodus from Egypt.” He stated these statutes³⁶⁴In Verse 12 before us. with reference to the Festival of Weeks [an expression not used with reference to the other festivals] because the reason for the counting of seven weeks, and the observing of only the fiftieth day as the only solemn assembly is not mentioned in the Torah [and hence they are accounted as chukim — “statutes,” commandments for which we do not know the reasons, and therefore he warned us to observe and do these statutes]. I have already mentioned their secret.³⁶⁶Leviticus 23:36.
Shoftim

וזכרת כי עבד היית, where you did not own any money of your own, seeing that whatever is in the hands of a slave is owned by his master. (Pessachim 88)

ושמרת ועשית את כל החוקים האלה, “You shall observe and perform all these decrees.” Nachmanides says that the reason why Moses applied the term חוקה, decree, to these festivals, is because the Torah did not offer a rationale for the observance of the festival of Shavuot, and it did not offer a rationale why this festival is to be observed 50 days after the offering of the Paschal lamb. Some commentators answer the question simply by saying that seeing this is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, and its observance does not depend on G’d offering His reasons for the legislation, it deserves to be described as a חוקה, legislation by decree.

V. 12. וזכרת וגו׳ (siehe zum vorigen Verse). In dieser durchs Gesetz den überall sonst Verlassenen gesicherten Lebensfreude spricht sich am hervorragendsten der Charakter der dem aus der Knechtschaft erlösten Gottesvolke erteilten Bestimmung aus (siehe zu Wajikra 23, 22).

וזכרת כי עבד היית במצרים, “you are to remember that you used to be a slave in Egypt.” It is noteworthy that this festival, as opposed to Passover, New Year’s Day fasting on the day of Atonement, and Sukkot, is not accompanied by specific rituals which are to serve as such reminders. This is why it was necessary for the Torah here to tell us that we must remember the significance of this day without visible reminders of its significance.

ושמרת ועשית את החקים האלה, by leaving behind gleanings, the peyah, etc., as a goodwill gesture for your G’d Who has taken you out from there and given you wealth and landed property.

כי עבד היית במצרים; “the Torah reminds you that your preoccupation with bringing in the wheat harvest at this time is not to be considered as more important than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for if the Lord had not taken you out of bondage in Egypt you would not have a crop to harvest. While you had been in Egypt you did not have an opportunity to rest and enjoy a festival, so doing once you have taken up residence in your own country is by itself a fitting reminder of how your status has changed.

באספך [THOU SHALT KEEP THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES …] AFTER THAT THOU HAST GATHERED IN THE PRODUCE — i.e. at the usual harvest time, when thou bringest into the house the summer fruits. Another explanation is: באספך מגרנך ומיקבך teaches that one should cover the Succah only with the פסולת (lit., the chips, — that which falls off) of the barn and the wine-press [i.e. with vegetable matter] (Rosh Hashanah 13a; Sukkah 12a).

ומיקבך ,when you gather in the harvest into your houses and your barns from the grain presses and wine presses.

באספך מגרנך ומיקבך, I have already explained the connection between the word באספך and חג האסיף etc., in my commentary on Leviticus 23,43.

Another interpretation ... the sukkah should be covered with the husks and skins left in the threshing area and wine cellar. The refuse of the threshing area is the husks, and the refuse of the wine cellar is the skins. [These come] to exclude anything that is attached to the ground or is susceptible to contract ritual impurity. The reason Rashi says, “Another interpretation, etc.” is because the simple meaning of the verse is problematic: Why does it need to say, “The festival of Sukkos,” and also, “When you harvest”? One or the other is sufficient. Therefore Rashi says, “Another interpretation, etc.”

V. 13. חג הסכת וגו׳ (siehe über das Hüttenfest ausführlich zu Wajikra 23, 34 bis 43). Wir haben schon einleitend bemerkt, wie wohl das Hüttenfest erst mit dem Eintritt ins Land zur ersten Erfüllung gekommen sein werde und darum dessen wiederholte Anordnung eine Stelle in dem Kompendium für den Landeseinzug zu finden hatte. War doch die Hüttenwanderung in der Wüste, deren Gedächtnis dieses Fest feiern soll, bis dahin noch der konkrete Zustand der Gegenwart.

חג הסוכות, “the festival of huts;” this has also been repeated on account of the words: “in the place that the Lord will choose, i.e. Jerusalem.” (verse 15)

תעשה ולא מן העשוי :חג הסכת תעשה לך (sihe Wajikra 23, 34-43). — באספך מגרנך ומיקבך:: du machst dir das Fest der Hütten, indem du aufliesest von deiner Scheuer und deiner Kelter. Nicht aus dem, was als מחובר noch der Natur angehört, was du als Segen deiner Ernte und als Sicherung deiner Zukunft in dein Haus eingebracht: vielmehr aus dem, was du als wertlos in Scheuer und Kelter zurückgelassen hast, מפסלת גרנך ויקבך, das nicht wie jenes den Stempel der Menschenherrlichkeit tragend der טומאה unterliegt, konstruierst du dir das an den Gottesschutz mahnende Dach deiner Festhütte (Sucka 12 a; — siehe Wajikra S. 544 f.).

באספך מגרנך, “when you have gathered in from your threshing grounds;” into your house;

ומיקבך, “and from your winepress,” into the storage vats.”

והגר והיתום והאלמנה, they will rejoice over finding the various gleanings of the tree fruit harvested at that period.

V. 14. ׳ושמחת בהגך וגו. Obgleich alle Wanderfeste nach dem um Gott und sein Gesetzesheiligtum sich sammelnden nationalen Kreis חג genannt werden, so ist doch das Hüttenfest, wie bereits Wajikra S. 527 bemerkt, ganz besonders als חג charakterisiert und soll gerade in der dem Sondersein Vorschub leistenden Zeit der Ernte das Bewusstsein der von dem gemeinsamen Gesetze getragenen nationalen Zusammenhörigkeit am lebendigsten wecken und am lautesten zum Ausdruck bringen. Ebenso ist aber auch שמחה, das Frohwerden des Einzeldaseins vor Gott und das freudige Empfinden seiner beglückenden Nähe, obgleich ebenfalls Mizwaangebinde aller Feste, ganz besonders das Strebeziel des Hüttenfestes. In dem Festkapitel des dritten Buches ist "Freude" nur bei dem Hüttenfeste ausgesprochen, und auch hier steht die Aufforderung zu שמחה wiederholt beim Hüttenfeste (Verse 14 und 15), während sie beim Wochenfest nur einmal (V. 11), beim Mazzotfeste aber überhaupt nicht ausdrücklich ausgesprochen und nur unserer Stelle analog, aus ושמחת בחגך, das jedes חג zu שמחה auffordert, auch auf das חג המצות übertragen ist (siehe הל׳ קרבן הגיגה ,סמ׳׳ג). In der Tat beginnt ja auch mit dem Wochenfeste recht eigentlich die bis zum Schlusse des Hüttenfestes dauernde Zeit der שמחה (siehe zu Kap. 26, 11). Diese von unserer Stelle gegebene enge Verbindung von שמחה und חגיגה ist aber von hoher Bedeutsamkeit, sie spricht den Gedanken aus, dass die reine Einzelfreude nur auf dem Boden des nationalsten Gesamtgefühls gefunden werden soll, ebenso wie das nationale Gesamtheil nur in der beglückten Lebensfreude aller einzelnen seine Wirklichkeit zu suchen hat (vergl. Wajikra S. 537).

ושמחת בחגך, “you shall rejoice on your festival;” “rejoicing” has been mentioned already in connection with the festival of weeks (verse 11); The reason why it was mentioned there is that it is the period of harvesting a major part of the grain harvest. (Isaiah 9,2.) At the time of Sukkot, such joy is increased greatly as everything that the fields and orchards produce is now being gathered in. Joy is not mentioned in connection with Passover as the season of ingathering produce has not yet started. Furthermore” we have been taught in the Mishnah Rosh hashanah 16,1 that one of the four days on which the world is being judged concerning the produce for the coming year is Passover. In other words, the fate of the harvest still hangs in the balance, and it would be premature to rejoice therefore.

Wie bereits zu V. 13 bemerkt, findet בזמן המקדש diese Festesfreude zunächst im häuslichen שלמים-Opfergenuss ihren Ausdruck. Indem es aber hier nicht wie dort heißt: ושמחת לפני ד׳ אלקיך וגו׳ sondern allgemein: ושמחת בחגך, so geht diese Anforderung über Ort und Zeit des Tempels hinaus und spricht für alle Zeit und überall die Verpflichtung aus, sich und den Seinen am Feste reine Genussesfreuden zu bereiten (Peßachim 109 a), und dürfte sodann durch den Schluss אשר בשעריך hier auch für die Zeit des Tempels die Verpflichtung gegeben sein, dem nicht mit hinaufgewanderten Angehörigen und Pflegebefohlenen אשר בשעריך, zu Hause, es nicht an Festesfreude fehlen zu lassen.

Moed Katan 14 b und Chagiga 8 b wird sowohl das ושמחת als das בחגך nach einander betont: du sollst dich freuen an deinem Feste, und: du sollst dich mit deinem Feste freuen, und daran die Sätze gelehrt: du sollst dich freuen an deinem Feste, daher: אבל אינו נוהג אבילותו ברגל, der Trauernde hält seine Trauer nicht am Feste, אבילות דמעיקרא: vorhandene Trauer wird mit Eintritt des Festes aufgehoben, אבילות דהשתא: am Feste durch Verwandtentod einfallende Trauer beginnt erst nach dem Feste (siehe חורב Kap. 43 § 317 und vergleiche zu Wajikra 21, 12). Und eben so du sollst dich mit deinem Feste freuen, daher: אין נושאין נשים במועד, am Feste findet keine Hochzeit statt. Beides fließt aus dem Begriff חג, des am Feste vorherrschenden nationalen Gesamtgefühles. In ihm findet ebenso ein jeder Einzeltrauerschmerz seine Aufhebung und Milderung, als es kein besonderes Einzelfreudenfest verträgt. אבילות und שמחת חתונה sind beide gleichmäßig eine Beeinträchtigung des -חגBewusstseins.

והיית אך שמח ONLY BE REJOICED — According to its plain sense this is not the expression of a command but expresses an assurance: “thou will be rejoicing”. But according to the Halachic interpretation they (the Rabbis) derived from here that the night before the last day of the festival (that preceding the eighth day) is to be included in the obligation of rejoicing (Sukkah 48a; cf. Sifrei Devarim 142:4).

כי יברכך, so that you will have a great deal of gathering in to do, and as a result, the poor will also find much to collect.

שבעת ימים תחוג לה' אלוקיך, For seven consecutive days you shall celebrate to the Lord, your G’d;” this imperative is directed at the entire community, or Moses exhorts every individual to offer up his burnt offerings and his peace offerings.

The last evening of the festival is included, etc. As we learned in tractate Sukkah (48a): “You shall experience only joy,” includes the last evening of the festival [i.e., the eve of the eighth day]. Or perhaps it only includes the first evening of the festival? The Torah therefore says, “only,” in order to differentiate. Why do you see fit to include the last evening and to exclude the first evening? [The answer is:] I include the last evening because it is preceded by rejoicing — i.e. the festival. Therefore it must be included with the seven days. But this is not so regarding the first evening.

V. 15. שבעת ימים תחוג וגו׳ (siehe zu Wajikra 23, 39). Hier ist nur, dem Zwecke dieses Festkompendiums für die bevorstehende Dezentralisierung gemäß, wie auch bei den beiden vorangehenden Festen der Hinweis auf den von Gott zu bestimmenden Zentralort hervorgehoben.

והיית אך שמח, “you shall have nothing but joy.” When discussing the festival of Sukkot, the Torah uses the expression שמחה, “joy,” three separate times, twice here and once in Leviticus 23,40. The word שמחה occurs only once in connection with the festival of Sh’vuot, and not at all in connection with the festival of Passover. Seeing that at Passover time no part of the harvest had been collected yet the time had not come to rejoice over the harvest. By the time of Sh’vuot the barley and wheat harvest had been collected, so that there was partial rejoicing. Sukkot signaled the end of the harvesting season, so that at that time the farmer’s heart was full of joy. This is reflected in the Torah using the word “joy” three times in connection with that festival.

שבעת ימים תחוג, “you are to celebrate for seven days;” seeing that in the days before Passover you have been very preoccupied with its preparations, as well as the harvesting of the barley crop, and in the days preceding Pentecost you have been preoccupied with harvesting the wheat crop, I bothered you with an interruption of only one day. By the time Sukkot arrives, your harvests have all been brought safely under a roof so that you did not have much to distract you, you can afford to enjoy this festival for seven days without having concerns of a secular nature. An alternate interpretation: seeing that you have to bring a lot from your home to Jerusalem, you had already gathered it all into your house in preparation for the journey. It will take you seven days to consume all this, as opposed to Passover and Shavuot when you do not bring so much with you to Jerusalem. Still another interpretation: Seeing that the mussaph offerings are different each day, this festival is actually like seven festivals of one day each. This is why this festival is different from the seven days known as חג המצות, “the festival of unleavened breads.”

והיית אך שמח, you will be completely joyful; no sadness will intrude on your happy frame of mind.

כי יברכך ה' אלוקיך, “for the Lord your G’d has bestowed blessings on you;” the seven days of jubilation are in respect of all the blessings Hashem has bestowed upon you. Some commentators hold that the blessings referred to are in the future [just as the word יברכך is in the future tense Ed.] At that time, instead of rejoicing for only seven days, your life will be one of ongoing joy. It is noteworthy that the expression שמחה does not appear in conjunction with the holiday of Passover, seeing that the stalks of the crop are still in the ground and it is premature to rejoice in a harvest that has not yet been brought in. By Shavuot, when part of the crops of the field and orchards have been reaped, but have not yet been stored, the rejoicing is for one day only. By the time Sukkot has rolled around it is time to rejoice in thanksgiving for a full week. The Torah therefore, repeats the word שמחה, joy, in that connection

כי יברכך וגו׳ והיית אך שמח. Diese Motivierung dürfte, wie wir glauben, im Zusammenhang mit dem Vorhergehenden also aufzufassen sein: Aus dem Abfall deiner Scheuer und deiner Kelter machst du dir die Hütten deines Festes, freust dich in solchen Wanderhütten national gehoben mit allen Deinen in deinen Städten, ja, verlässest in der Erntezeit Acker und Feld, Scheuer und Kelter und sammelst dich in nationaler Vereinigung in der gotterwählten Stätte um sein Gesetzesheiligtum: denn es liegt nicht in deinen Städten, nicht auf deinen Ackern und Feldern, nicht in deinen Scheuern und Keltern der Quell deines Segens und deiner Freuden; Gott, dein Gott, ist es, der dir von der Stätte seines Gesetzes aus und durch dasselbe, wenn du dich treu um es scharst, den Segen spendet, und in diesem Anschluss an Gott und sein Gesetz, und nicht an Stadt und Land, an Scheuer und Kelter, והיית אך שמח, sollst du heiter, sollst du freudig werden und bleiben.

שבעת ימים תחוג, “you shall celebrate for seven days; but the eighth day is a special day, the final day; it does not need to be spelled out here. It is as if with the conclusion of the seventh day the eighth day commences automatically. [Our author mentions this as in Leviticus chapter 23 the eighth day has been given special mention as if it were part of the first seven days. Ed.] The fact is that that day has not been mentioned either in connection with the pilgrimage festivals in Exodus chapter 23 or in Exodus chapter 34. [The simplest reason is that the people observing that day have already been in Jerusalem for seven days and do not have to travel there now again. Ed.] On every occasion when the mussaph offerings are mentioned, the eighth day is mentioned also, as it has a different offering, (as in Leviticus 23,36. and Numbers 29,35.)

ובכל מעשה ידיך, “and in all your handiwork.”.

והיית שמה ist ein viel Höheres als ושמחת .ושמחת ist eine zeitliche Betätigung, eine zeitliche Äußerung der Freude. והיית ,שמח macht die Freude zur Eigenschaft, zum bleibenden Charakter des ganzen Wesens, und אך שמח setzt die Dauer dieser Heiterkeit selbst unter Umständen, die sie zu trüben geeignet wären oder eine andere Stimmung einmischen könnten: du bleibst "doch" heiter, "nur" heiter. So gewiss שמחה die höchste Blüte und Frucht ist, die an dem von Gottes Gesetz gepflanzten jüdischen Lebensbaum reifen soll, so gewiss ist dies eine Freude, die nicht auf Festzeiten und Festversammlungen beschränkt bleiben, die über die Festeszeit hin und von ihr aus ins alltägliche Leben, die über rauschende Volksversammlungen hin und von ihnen aus in die stille Heimat geleiten und unverlierbar durchs ganze Leben mit all seinem Wechsel und Wandel begleiten soll. Das ist aber eine Freude, die nicht בשעריך, nicht bei גרנך ויקבך gefunden wird. Auf dem Terrain der Scheuern und Keltern kann man wohl auch Freudenfeste veranstalten, aber והיות שמח "freudig sein und bleiben" lernt man nur bei Gott und seinem Gesetz. Um daher mit dem durch "Scheuer und Kelter" gewährten materiellen Segen die dauernde unverlierbare Freude zu gewinnen, verlässest du Scheuer und Kelter und wanderst erst hinauf zu der von Gott erwählten Stätte, um dort im Gesamtverein um Gott und sein Gesetz erst den Geist zu schöpfen, der zu solcher wahren, wirklichen, durchs ganze Leben geleitenden Lebensfreude befähigt. Du lernst nicht nur das "Sich freuen", sondern das "i>Doch freudig Sein" והיית אך שמח. — (In היה selbst liegt der Begriff eines dauernden Seins, הוא אמר ויהי [Ps.33, 91]. שקדתי ואהיה ich war wach und blieb [Ps.102, 81]. So auch in der Auffassung der Weisen יהי רקיע יתחזק הרקיע :4,2 ,ב׳׳ר כל מי שנאמר בו היה מתחלתו וער סופו הוא צדיק daselbst 30 u. f.)

והיית אך שמח, “and you shall be altogether joyful.” According to Rashi, we learn from this formulation that also the night of the eighth day is included in the time for active enjoyment. In other words, although days begin at nightfall, in this instance the last day is perceived as an extension of the seven previous days. On the other hand, the period of such joyfulness is not part of the evening of the first day as it has not been preceded by an especially joyful day. This has been spelled out in the Talmud. The plain meaning of the text, however, is that seeing that by now all the produce produced by the fields and the orchards have been harvested and put into storage your joy is complete. This is also why in connection with Passover, when none of this is the case, the Torah permits the pilgrims to return home on the day following the first day of the festival, i.e. the 16th day of Nissan. This is in spite of the fact that the duration of that festival is seven days.

Diese Gedanken dürften denn auch die unseren Satz erläuternde Halacha dem Verständnis näher bringen. Peßachim 71 a und Sucka 48 a heißt es: והיית אך שמח לרבות לילי י׳׳ט האחרון לשמחה אתה אומר לילי י׳׳ט האחרון או אינו אלא לילי י׳׳ט הראשון תלמוד לומר אך חלק מה ראית לרבות לילי י׳׳ט האחרון ולהוציא לילי י׳׳ט ראשון מרבה אני לילי י׳׳ט האחרון שיש שמחה לפניו ומוציא אני לילי י׳׳ט ראשון שאין שמחה לפניו. Es lehrt somit die Halacha, dass durch den Ausspruch והיית אך שמח die zunächst durch שלמי שמחה-Genuss zu begehende שמחה-Pflicht auch auf die von dem siebten Hüttenfesttage zu dem achten, dem Tag des Azeretfestes führende Nacht ausgedehnt werde, durch die Beschränkung אך jedoch die zu dem ersten Hüttenfesttage führende Nacht von dieser Pflicht ausgeschlossen bleibe, und zwar wird diese Unterscheidung dadurch motiviert, dass der Nacht des Azerettages שמחה vorangegangen war, nicht aber der Nacht des ersten Tages. תוספו׳ (Peßachim daselbst und ebenso Raschi Sucka daselbst) ist damit die שמחה-Pflicht nicht auf die Azeretnacht beschränkt, sondern erstreckt sich umsomehr auch auf den ganzen Azerettag, während Raschi in Peßachim die Pflicht lediglich auf die Nacht des Azeretfestes begrenzt auffasst. Jedenfalls sind sämtliche Nächte des Hüttenfestes ebenso wie die Tage, mit Ausschluss der ersten Nacht, in die שמחה-Pflicht begriffen.

Vergegenwärtigen wir uns noch einmal den ganzen Text unseres Hüttenfestabschnittes, so fehlt doch, wie wir dies bereits wiederholt bemerkt und als charakteristisch für dieses Festkompendium begreifen zu können geglaubt, שמיני עצרת gänzlich. Nur von den sieben סוכת-Tagen ist die Rede. Erwägen wir jedoch, wie sich uns bereits Wajikra S. 524 f. aus dem Begriff עצרת selbst die Bedeutung dieses achten Tages als das Fest des Verharrens, Behaltens und Festhaltens aller am Feste vor Gott gewonnenen Gedanken, Stimmungen und Gesinnungen für den nun anzutretenden Wandel durchs gewöhnliche Jahresleben mit allem seinen Wechsel, ergeben hat, und sich dieser עצרת-Tag auch schon durch sein Opfer (Bamidbar 29, 35) als ein Tag des stillen Sammelns vor Gott für solches ungetrübtes Stillleben nach den Tagen der lauten öffentlichen Hüttenfestfreuden charakterisiert: so spricht ja das והיית אך שמח, wie wir es soeben zu verstehen geglaubt, nichts als eben diesen עצרת-Gedanken aus, indem es uns auffordert, uns nicht nur am Hüttenfeste zu freuen, sondern freudevoll zu bleiben, zu bleiben trotz allem, was unser nunmehr in dem nun festlich eingeleiteten Jahresgange harren möge, und der Sinn des והיית אך שמח ist buchstäblich nichts als: לרבות י׳׳ט אחרון לשמחה! Wenn aber nach Raschi in Peßachim in der Tat sich dieser Übergang der שמחה-Pflicht nur auf die עצרת-Nacht, nicht aber auf den עצרת-Tag erstrecken sollte, so würde dies sich vielleicht als eine spezielle Hervorhebung der allgemeinen לינה- Bestimmung für die besondere Pflicht der Festes-שמחה begreifen lassen (siehe zu V.7). Nach allgemeinster Auffassung erstreckt sich aber umsomehr diese שמחה-Pflicht auch auf den עצרת-Tag und nennt die Halacha nur לילי י׳׳ט האחרון im Gegensatz zu לילי י׳׳ט הראשון, für welche in der Tat das שמחה-Gebot nicht eintritt. Wenn aber diese Unterscheidung des letzten Festabends von dem ersten dadurch motiviert ist, dass jenem bereits שמחה vorangegangen, diesem aber nicht, so dürfte dies überhaupt die שמחה der Festabende nur als Folge und Fortsetzung der am vorhergehenden Festtage gewonnenen שמחה begreifen lassen, und dieser Begriff für die ganze Auffassung unserer שמחה von wesentlicher Bedeutung sein.

Die ihren vollen Ausdruck im שלמי שמחה-Genuss findende Freude ist ja wesentlich das freudig gehobene Gefühl des Einzel- und Familiendaseins vor Gott. Dieses individuelle שמחה-Gefühl soll aber nie den Ausgangspunkt unserer Festempfindungen und Gedanken bilden, vielmehr soll es selbst nur auf dem Boden der von dem Feste gepflegten nationalen Gesamt- und Gesetzesangehörigkeit erwachsen, die vorzugsweise an den Tagen der Festzeiten zum Bewusstsein kommen und ihren Ausdruck in den den Tagen angehörigen שלמי חגיגה und עולות ראיה (siehe zu V. 9) zu finden haben soll. Sie bilden die Basis der שלמי שמחה, und ist es, wie uns scheint, sofort klar, wie die שמחה-Bestimmung erst mit dem ersten Tage des Festes eintreten kann, der erste Abend aber ausgeschlossen bleibt. Fanden sich doch die zum Feste Gewanderten erst am ersten Tage mit ihren Festopfern im Gesetzesheiligtum allvereint vor Gott zusammen, während der Festantritt am Abend seine Feier nur in Familienvereinigungen hatte. Im Jeruschalmi Sucka IV, 5 wird dieser Gegensatz in der שמחה zwischen dem ersten und letzten Festabend denn auch geradezu also motiviert: ושמחת בחגך משאתה מתחייב בחגיגה אתה מתחייב בשמחה dass das שמחה-Gebot noch nicht am ersten Abend eintritt, weil erst die חגיגה-Pflicht eingetreten sein müsse, diese aber erst an dem folgenden Tag beginnt (vergl. zu V. 14).

ולא יראה את פני ה׳ ריקם AND THEY SHALL NOT APPEAR BEFORE THE LORD EMPTY, but — bring the burnt offerings that are obligatory when one appears before the Lord, and the peace offerings of the festival.

Rather, bring olah- pilgrimage-offerings, etc. Although the commandment of, “Are all your males to be seen,” only refers to olah-pilgrimage-offerings, Rashi needed also to explain, “Festive shelamim-offerings.” For [in the next verse] it is written, “Everyone according to the gift appropriate to his means,” which refers to the above verse (v. 10), “To the fullness of your open-handed gift,” and there it is also written (v. 14), “You are to rejoice during your festival — you and your son, etc.” and this alludes to the festive shelamim-offerings, for there is no rejoicing without [eating] meat.

V. 16. שלוש פעמים וגו׳ וגו׳ (vergl. Schmot 23, 17 u. 34, 23; siehe daselbst). Hier bei diesem alles zusammenfassenden Schluss des letzten Festkapitels, lässt die volle Schreibart שלוש den Gedanken auf dieser Dreizahl ruhen und vindiziert allen dreien Festen eine volle gleiche Beachtung. Während es bei den früheren Anordnungen dieser Festwanderungen allgemein: אל פני האדון ד׳, näher: את פני האדון ד׳ אלדי ישראל heißt, lautet hier, der Tendenz dieses Gesetzeskompendiums für die bevorstehende Dezentralisation gemäß, der Ausspruch: יראה כל זכורך את פני ד׳ אלקיך במקום אשר יבחר. כל זכורך sind ja alle die einzelnen Nationalgenossen, und אלקיך ist Gott, der allen gemeinsame Eine, במקום אשר יבחר: die eine einzige Stätte, die Er für das eine gemeinsame Heiligtum des einen gemeinsamen Gesetzes erwählt hat. Es sagt somit der Satz: dreimal im Jahre sollen aus aller Vereinzelung heraus alle einzelnen Glieder der Nation sich unvermittelt vor dem Angesichte des einen Gottes der Gesamtheit in dem Umkreis des einen gemeinsamen Heiligtums erblicken und damit der Zusammenhörigkeit eines jeden einzelnen mit allen, mit Gott und seinem Gesetze bewusstvoll inne werden.

שלש פעמים בשנה, “three times annually;” why did this have to be repeated? In order that you should not say that seeing that when the Torah writes about the festival of Shavuot in verse 11: “you shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your G-d, you, your son and your daughter, your male servant as well as your female servant;” that one must take along one’s domestic animals also, whereas on the Passover festival when no mention has been made of joy, the father need not take along his family, and the Torah had spoken of “all your males,” the sons have to be taken along on each of these festivals. A different interpretation: the instruction had to be repeated as we might have thought that the commandment not to appear before G-d emptyhanded which is written only here and in connection with Passover, also applies on the third pilgrimage festival.

בחג המצות וגו׳ drückt nochmals jedem der drei Feste den Charakter der nationalen Vereinigung, der nationalen Kreisbildung: חג auf, und soll das "Brot der Abhängigkeit" in aller Händen am Feste der Freiheit und Selbständigkeit, das "Wochenzählen" in aller Mund am Feste der Vorbereitung zum Gesetze, und das "in Hütten Wohnen" aller am Erntefest, dem betreffenden Nationalfeste die jüdisch-nationale Würdigung der drei Nationalgüter: der Freiheit, des Gesetzes und des Wohlstandes von dem Zentralpunkte des gemeinsamen Heiligtums aus sichern.

כל זכורך, “all of your males;” the law applies to all those who are able to make the journey with your males, i.e. not including people whose vocation is such that their very presence is so offensive due to the way they smell, for instance, that they would not be allowed to present themselves before a temporal king either, far less before the King of Kings. The details of these restrictions have been spelled out in the Talmud, tractate Chagigah 4,1.

Die hier allen drei Festen vindizierte gleiche Würdigung weist nach Chagiga 17 a auch dem eintägigen Wochenfeste einen über seine wirkliche Dauer hinausgehenden Bereich von sieben Tagen hinsichtlich der תשלומין also zu, dass die עולות ראיה und שלמי חגיגה, deren Darbringung an dem Festtage verabsäumt worden oder, wenn derselbe auf einen שבת fiel, nicht möglich war, innerhalb dieser sieben Tage nachzuholen waren (siehe Wajikra zu Kap. 23, 37 u. 39).

בחג המצות ובחג השבועות, on the festival of unleavened breads and the festival of Shavuot; the Torah compares these two festivals to one another as both allow for offering the specific gift offerings at a later occasion if the party who has to offer it has been prevented from doing so through circumstances beyond his control. This period lasts for seven days. (Talmud tractate Rosh Hashanah 4,2.)

ולא יראה את פני ד׳ ריקם (siehe zu Schmot 23, 15 u. 34, 20). Wir haben schon zu Wajikra. 23, 39 bemerkt, wie jedes Moed zugleich eine Mahnung zur Lösung aller unserer Gott und seinem Heiligtum gegenüber eingegangenen Verpflichtungen bringt. Dem außerhalb der Gottesstadt Wohnenden liegt die Erfüllung eines im Heiligtum zu lösenden נדר הקדש am ersten eintreffenden רגל ob, und dem Sinne unserer Stelle gemäß: שלוש פעמים וגו׳ ולא יראה וגו׳ ist das Verbot לא תאחר לשלמו (Dewarim 23. 21; — siehe daselbst) übertreten, sobald drei רגלים vorübergegangen, ohne dass das Weihegelübde seine Erfüllung gefunden (R. H. 4 b רשי ד׳׳ה ש׳׳מ).

ובחג הסוכות, “and on the festival of huts;” the reason that it has been named here separately is only to show that it is the last of the string of festivals. Parshat Shoftim

איש כמתנת ידו EVERY MAN [SHALL BRING] ACCORDING TO THE ABILITY OF HIS HAND TO GIVE — i.e. one who has a large household (lit., many eaters) and great possessions brings many burnt offerings and many peace offerings (Sifrei Devarim 143:10; Chagigah 8b).

איש כמתנת ידו, not that he has to give away all that he owns so that as a result he will become a charge on public charity; an interpretation offered by foolish gentiles. Our sages have long ago postulated that even the most generously inclined person should not give away more than one fifth of his wealth. (Ketuvot 50)

V. 17. איש כמתנת ידו וגו׳, nicht nach dem, was einer hat, nach dem, was er für Gott wohlgefällige Zwecke spendet, "nach der Spende seiner Hand" wiegt der Mann vor Gott in seinem Heiligtum, in seinem Volke. Und nicht nach der objektiven Größe hat die Spende Wert, ihr Verhältnis "zu dem von Gott empfangenen Segen" bestimmt ihre Bedeutung. Jeruschalmi Chagiga l, 5 lehrt zu unserer Stelle: עני וידו רחבה קורא אני עליו איש כמתנת ידו עשיר וידו מעוטה קורא אני עליו כברכת ד׳ אלקיך אשר נתן לך, d. i.: ein Armer mit freigebiger Hand, von dem brauche ich das Schriftwort: Schätzt den Mann nach seiner Gabe! Ein Reicher mit karger Hand, dem sage ich das Schriftwort: gib doch nach dem Segen, den Gott dir gegeben!

שפטים ושטרים JUDGES AND BAILIFFS — שופטים are the judges who pronounce sentence, and שוטרים are those who chastise the people at their (the judges’) order [beating and binding the recalcitrant] with a stick and a strap until he accepts the judge’s sentence (Sanhedrin 16b and Rashi thereon; cf. Sifrei Devarim 144:6).

JUDGES ‘V’SHOTRIM’ SHALT THOU MAKE THEE IN ALL THY GATES WHICH THE ETERNAL THY G-D GIVETH THEE. He has commanded in the Torah, the word of both parties shall come before ha’elohim (the judges);¹Exodus 22:8. Ha’elohim indicates that “the judges” had received ordination. and he shall pay as the judges determine.²Ibid., 21:22. If so, He commanded [by implication] that Israel is to have judges, and here he [Moses] explained that they are to appoint judges in all their cities when G-d will give them the Land. For outside of the Land they are not required to appoint a court for themselves; rather, when an aggrieved party complains, people qualified to judge are to arise for him and according to their ordinances shall they judge it.³Ezekiel 44:24. Or the parties are to go up to the Land in the proper time [i.e., when there are courts of ordained judges functioning in the Land of Israel],⁴Thus, when there are courts of ordained judges functioning in the Land of Israel, Jews living outside of the Land are not obligated to appoint judges, for, if there is some litigation between them they can appear before the judges in the Land. — On ordination, see further Note 8; also, Vol. II, p. 339, Note 20. and there, they will adjudicate it in the place of righteousness. He added here [that it is obligatory to appoint] shotrim, who are the ones that execute the judgment.
Accordingly, Israelites living outside of the Land are not commanded to appoint for themselves judges in the cities. And so wrote Harav Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon.⁵Mishneh Torah, Shoftim, Hilchoth Sanhedrin 1:2. But in Tractate Makkoth the Rabbis have taught:⁶Makkoth 7a. “And these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.⁷Numbers 35:29. This teaches that the laws of Sanhedrin are binding both within and without the Land. If so, why is it stated Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates? In the Land you are to appoint [judges] in every district and in every city; outside the Land you are to appoint [judges] in every district, but you are not obligated to do so in every city.” From this text it would appear that we are required to appoint a Sanhedrin outside the Land — not in every city as in the Land of Israel, but in every district. If so, this commandment is binding at all times in civil cases and in matters that may be adjudicated outside the Land. Nowadays, however, that ordination has ceased,⁸Ordination was the process of investiture with judicial rights and functions which had continued in an unbroken chain from Moses our teacher. Since ordination was valid only if both the ordainers and the ordained were in the Land of Israel, this process of investiture ceased to exist sometime in the middle of the fourth century [Common Era] because the severe Roman persecutions of the Jews in the Land of Israel forced them to migrate to Babylon and elsewhere. According to Rambam, if all Sages in the Land of Israel would agree to reinstitute ordination, they are empowered to do so (Mishneh Torah, Shoftim, Hilchoth Sanhedrin 4:11). Such an attempt was made by Rabbi Yaakov Beirav of Safed in the middle of the sixteenth century in the days of Rabbi Yoseph Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch. The attempt failed for various reasons, one of them being that Rambam concluded his statement with the equivocal phrase “and the matter needs yet a final decision.” since, according to Torah-law, all judicial functions are void — for it is written, “[And these are the ordinances which thou shalt set] before them,⁹Exodus 21:1. and not before commoners ”¹⁰Gittin 88b. and we [not being ordained,] are commoners, and would not be empowered to adjudicate outside the Land except for the Rabbinical ordinance that we “carry out the commission of the former ones [who had received ordination]”¹¹By this principle judges are empowered nowadays to adjudicate matters which are common occurrences and involve monetary losses, such as loans, Kethubah (marriage contract), inheritance, damages, etc. But matters not of common occurrence [such as one animal damaging another] or not involving a monetary loss [such as the additional amount levied as a fine upon returning stolen goods] are not enforceable. See Choshen Mishpat, I, for further clarification of this principle. — we are not at all bound, according to Torah-law, by the commandment to appoint judges.

שופטים ושוטרים, after Moses had addressed a number of commandments to the people at large, he now turned to instruct the leaders of the people in commandments of special concern for them. By paying especial attention to observing these laws, the leaders, especially the judges, kings and prophets, would be able to maintain the spiritual level of the people at large, and thus ensure the people’s continued tenure of the Land of Israel. In the words of the prophet: “when the lion roars who does not tremble?” (Amos 3,8) Tzefaniah phrased it somewhat differently, providing degrees of reactions to people in varying degrees of authority. (Tzefaniah 3,3 describes the princes, leading authorities as being feared like roaring lions, whereas the judges who have no executive powers are feared in the manner one is afraid of wolves.)

שופטים ושוטרים, "Judges and law enforcers, etc." The Torah positions this commandment adjacent to the commandment to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Temple three times a year to teach us that although there is a Supreme Court in Jerusalem situated at the entrance to the Temple precincts, we must not merely rely on that court but must appoint a nation-wide judiciary. The reason is that judgment should not be delayed until the time of the respective pilgrimages.

ושוטרים, the judges issue orders to the enforcers (Shotrim) to see that recalcitrant convicted persons will obey the judgments handed down by the judges.

שופטים ושוטרים, “Judges and enforcement officers,” Moses appended this portion immediately after that dealing with the festivals involving pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to tell us that although he commanded us to make the pilgrimages to the place where the priests perform their service and you have an opportunity to consult with them on any matter that is of concern to you, be it of a legal or ritual nature, this is not sufficient, and you must appoint the appropriate mechanism in every city, i.e. judges and enforcement officers. Nachmanides writes that actually, already in Exodus 21,6 and 22,7 the Torah clearly presumed the existence of a judiciary, i.e. אלהים, as well as פלילים; the addition here is the command to appoint enforcers of the judgments handed down. Here we also learn that such institutions must be established in all towns in the land of Israel. When someone feels that he has been wronged, it is up to him to cry out, i.e. to demand that the judges meet to hear his complaint. (Compare Ezekiel 44,24) According to what is written here, Jewish communities in the Diaspora do not require permanent courts, etc., but these are convened on an ad hoc basis. This is also the view of Maimonides (hilchot Sanhedrin 1,2).

By administering corporal punishment with cudgels, etc. [Rashi specially defines this word] because we find שוטרים [applied also] to those who are appointed in battle as [in the verse], “The officers (שוטרים) will address” (below 20:5) which Onkelos translates as סרכיא (officers) will address.

V. 18. שופטים וגו׳. Die bisherigen Gesetze gruppierten sich um den gemeinsamen Gedanken der zentralisierenden Anziehungskraft, welche die von Gott erwählte Stätte seines Gesetzesheiligtums auf die in das Land hin verteilten Söhne seines Volkes zu üben bestimmt ist. Die folgenden Gesetze sind nun Institutionen gewidmet, vermittelst derer von diesem Zentralpunkte aus Vertreter dieses Gesetzes durchs ganze Land hin bestellt werden und damit die Wirksamkeit dieses Gesetzesheiligtums in jeder Heimatsstätte des Volkes ihre Sicherung findet. שופטים ושוטרים (siehe Schmot. 5, 6). Wie dort bemerkt, sind שוטרים Exekutivbeamte, welche die Ausführung eines Urteils oder einer Verfügung überwachen und eventuell bewirken. Dort waren es die, welche nach den Bestimmungen der נוגשים das Volk zur Arbeit antreiben sollten.

שופטים ושוטרים, “Judges and officials to execute the judgments;” shoftim are the judges who do the legal work, shotrim are the officials who see to it that the judgments handed down are executed. (Compare Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin folio 16). In Samuel II 8,15-16 we find a practical illustration of this system when the prophet records: “David ruled over all Israel, and David executed true justice among all his people. Yoav, son of Zeruiah was commander of the army;” the paragraph lists additional civil servants and their respective assignments.” The reason why these details are recorded there is to show that there were separate departments for the legal problems and for executing judgments once they had been formulated.

שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך, “Judges and policemen shall you provide for yourselves in all your gates;” this paragraph has been inserted in the Torah at this point in order to tell you that although you are obligated to travel to the place where the priests and Levites reside all year three times a year and you can submit all your legal problems to them on those occasions, this is not sufficient, but you must have judges and enforcers in all your towns (Ibn Ezra)

בכל שעריך IN ALL THY GATES — i.e. in each town (Sifrei Devarim 144:3).

Judges and officers. The explanation is that this verse is a command to those who have the authority and power to appoint judges, that they should appoint them in order that they will judge. The judges should not show favoritism even to those who appointed them. This is the meaning of the phrase, “appoint for yourself,” as if to say, “over yourself”. It follows a fortiori that the judges should judge all the people justly.

נותן לך לשבטיך, in the gates (cities) He is about to give to you. You are to divide the judges to districts, i.e. each of your cities must have a judiciary. This restriction does not apply to land conquered outside the traditional boundaries of Israel; there, seeing the land was not divided into tribal parcels, the judiciary appointed also did not have to adhere to this pattern. Examples of such regions were Syria, etc.

לשבטיך, “according to your tribes.” Rashi explains this to mean that every tribe must establish such courts in each of its cities. This means that a city populated by members of different tribes has to establish at least two separate courts. Nachmanides writes that it is possible to understand our verse to mean that there should be a tribal high court for each tribe. The members of that high court, as one of their tasks, have to oversee the appointment of lower courts in each city under their authority. Litigants are not free to choose a court other than that in the city where they live. This applies even if two litigants resident in the same city agree to take their case to a court in another city, this is also forbidden. The local court can force any litigant belonging to that tribe to appear before it, even if the litigants themselves prefer to appear before that tribe’s supreme court instead. The tribal high court, however, can demand that certain litigants have their case dealt with by that court (instead of the local court). If the need arises to rectify some impropriety or deficiency in the tribal courts’ set up, the problem must be dealt with by the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court. Details about the functions of this Supreme Court are discussed in tractate Horyot. The local courts are obligated to operate on the basis of the instructions they receive from the Supreme Court. The plain meaning of our verse is “you have to appoint judges that are members of your respective tribes, so that members of a certain tribe will be judged by judges belonging to that tribe, in the various cities.”

In each and every city. Rashi is answering the question: If one has to appoint judges in each and every gate [of every house], if so who will they judge? They would all be judges! He answers, “In each and every city.”

The reason why the Torah demands the appointments of law-enforcement officers is explained in Pessikta by Rabbi Eleazar ben Shamua who says once you have law enforcers you will have effective judges; if there are no law-enforcers the law to appoint judges is not operative. Whenever the Israelites realise that the common people ignore the rulings of the judges, and the judges in turn are unable to enforce their decisions there is no point in making such decisions. On the other hand, when the common people accept law-enforcement the law to appoint judges is applicable.

THROUGHOUT THY TRIBES. “This refers to the expression [at the beginning of the verse] shalt thou make thee. This teaches that courts are to be set up in each and every tribe, and in each and every city.” This is Rashi’s language, and so it is also stated in Tractate Sanhedrin.¹²Sanhedrin 16b. But I know not the meaning of this text, for, since we have appointed courts in each and every city, there are many courts in every tribe [thus making it redundant to specify “throughout thy tribes”]! Perhaps the intent of the verse is to state that if there is a city belonging to two tribes, such as Jerusalem in which there is a share for [the tribe of] Judah and [for the tribe of] Benjamin,¹³See Ramban further 33:12. that we are to seat two courts therein. And so the Rabbis concluded in Chapter Cheilek¹⁴“Portion” — “All Israelites have a portion in the World to Come.” — Sanhedrin 111b. that they may divide one city among two tribes, and so, indeed, was Jerusalem shared by Judah and Benjamin.
And it is possible to explain that Scripture obligated [the nation] to appoint a court [exercising authority] over the whole tribe and it is to judge all [its people], and then we are to appoint a court for each and every city that is to judge that [particular] city. Now, although all these courts were alike in number of judges, consisting of twenty-three in criminal cases and three in civil cases, [people] most superior in wisdom among them were appointed over the whole tribe, while those inferior to them [were designated for the courts] of each and every city. Parties to a suit could force one another to adjudicate only before the court in their city, not before the court of another city. Even if both parties happened to be in another city one could still say, “Let us go before the court of our own city.” But the [supreme] court of the tribe could force any of the people of that tribe to stand trial before it. And even if the litigants are in their own city one can still say, “I want to go to the Great Court of the tribe.” Similarly, if the courts of the cities are in doubt [concerning the law], they are to come before the Great Court of the tribe and request [its decision]. Thus just as a Great Sanhedrin [of seventy-one judges] was appointed over all courts of all Israel, so one [supreme] court was to be appointed over each and every tribe. And if [the judges of that court] found it necessary to ordain or decree any matter for their own tribe, they were empowered to so decree and ordain and, to that tribe, their word was equivalent to the decree of the Great Sanhedrin over all Israel.¹⁵This corroborates what Ramban has written on the affair of Gibeah (see Vol. I, p. 253): The obligation of making “the fence” lay upon the tribe of Benjamin etc. This is “the court” mentioned in Tractate Horayoth wherein we are taught, “If the court of one of the tribes rendered a decision [that was unwittingly contrary to a negative commandment, punishable by excision] and that tribe acted according to their word, that tribe is obligated [to bring the prescribed offering], but the rest of the tribes are not liable.”¹⁶Horayoth 5a. See Leviticus 4:13-21 for the particular sin-offering. — It should be noted that this, however, is the opinion only of Rabbi Yehudah. The Sages say that the special sin-offering for the erroneous decision of a court applies only to the Great Sanhedrin of all Israel. Ramban’s intent in citing this part of the Mishnah was only to indicate that the Great Court of a tribe is mentioned in the Mishnah.
And by way of the plain meaning of Scripture the sense of the verse is [to be inverted as follows]: “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee throughout all thy tribes in all thy gates,” the verse stating that they are to appoint judges over their tribes, and they are to judge in all their gates. Thus the judges of the tribe are to judge in all its cities.

:תתן לך der Angeredete ist die nationale Gesamtheit, die bereits ihre Repräsentanz in dem einundsiebziger Kollegium (Bamidbar 11, 16) hatte, und diese soll "sich", also als ihre Delegierte, שופטים ושוטרים in allen Städten des Landes בכל שעריך bestellen, die aber selbst nach der Verteilung noch "שעריך": unmittelbar der Gesamtheit zuständig bleiben, אשר ד׳ א׳ נתן לך לשבטיך und in Zwischenunterordnung einer Stammeseinheit angehören. Es ergibt dies die Anordnung einer aus Richter und Exekutive bestehenden Gerichtsbarkeit an der Spitze der Gesamtnation, בית דין הגדול ,סנהדרין גדולה של שבעים ואחד, und von ihr aus eine aus Richter und Exekutive bestehende Gerichtsbarkeit an der Spitze eines jeden Stammes und in jeder Stadt. Daher (Sanhedrin 16 b): מניין שמעמידין שופטים לישראל ת׳׳ל שופטים תתן שוטרים לישראל מניין ת׳׳ל שוטרים תתן שופטים לכל שבט ושבט מניין ת׳׳ל שופטים לשבטיך שוטרים לכל שבט ושבט מניין ת׳׳ל שוטרים לשבטיך שופטים לכל עיר ועיר מניין ת׳׳ל שופטים לשעריך שוטרים לכל עיר ועיר מניין ת׳׳ל שוטרים לשעריך. Was hier שבט heißt, ist wohl dasselbe, was (Mackot 7 a) wahrscheinlich, nachdem zur Zeit des zweiten Tempels die Verteilung nach Stämmen alteriert war: פלך Kreis genannt wird (vergl. ל׳׳מ zu הל׳ סנהדרין l, 1). Die Beziehung der Stammes- resp. Kreisgerichte zu den Ortsgerichten ist nicht ganz klar. Nach רמ׳׳בן z. St. wäre diese Beziehung ein Kompetenzverhältnis gewesen und hätte sich das ב׳׳ד של כל שבט zum Stamme wie ב׳׳ד הגדול zu כל ישראל verhalten. Faktisch gab es einen höchsten Gerichtshof סנהדרין גדולה von einundsiebzig in der לשכת הגזית des Tempelvorraums, עזרה, ein סנהדרין קטנה von dreiundzwanzig im Eingang der עזרה und im Eingang des Tempelberges הר הבית, ein solches סנהדרין קטנה von dreiundzwanzig in jeder größeren Stadt, in jeder kleineren aber ein Gericht von dreien, ב׳׳ד של שלשה (Sanhedrin 2 b).

לשבטיך THROUGHOUT THY TRIBES — This is to be connected with תתן לך, thus: judges and bailiffs shall you make yourself for your tribes in all all your cities that the Lord, your God, gives you.

משפט צדק, the manner in which the complaints of the litigants were heard should be such that the resulting decisions could be expected to be fair, צדק, righteous. The judges were not to discriminate in their treatment of either of the opposing litigants.

This continues from “You shall appoint for yourself.” Judges, etc. Because you cannot say that it [“for your tribes”] is connected with [the] adjacent [term] “giving you,” because once it says “that Adonoy, your God, is giving you,” the term “for your tribes” is included in the word “you.” [Therefore Rashi explains]: “This continues etc,” and it is as if the verse had written “and in [all] your gates,” and the וי"ו is missing from בכל שעריך. Rashi further explains that if so, why write both terms, “in your gate” and, “for your tribes”? And he explains, “This teaches that judges are to be seated, etc.”

תתן לך, "you shall give (appoint) for yourself;" This is an appeal to the people who appoint the judges and enforcers not to think that seeing they have appointed them they are themselves not subject to their authority. The meaning of לך then is equivalent to עליך, "over yourself."

In all of your cities. The court for each tribe was appointed first, and was more important. However in this verse the court of each city is mentioned first because that is where most judgment occurs. The court of the tribe has greater authority in that they can force litigants to appear before them, as Ramban explains, and if the city court is in doubt they come to ask the court of the tribe.

ספרי) בעל כרחם .ושפטו את העם), als Delegierte der Gesamtheitsrepräsentanz erhalten sie die Befugnis beim Kriminalprozess auf Grund von Zeugen, beim Zivilprozess auf Grund einer Klage den Angeklagten vor ihr Forum zu zitieren und nötigenfalls dessen Erscheinen zu erzwingen. ספרי) זה מינוי חדיינין :משפט צדק) und ebenso ferner: שלא תאמר איש פלוני נאה איש פלוני קרובי :לא תטה משפט, und ausführlicher zu Kap. 1, 17: לא תכירו פנים במשפט זה הממונה להושיב דיינים שמא תאמר איש פלוני נאה אושיבנו דיין איש פלוני גבור אושיבנו דיין איש פלוני הלווני אושיבנו דיין איש פלוני יודע בכל לשון אושיבנו דיין נמצית מזכה את החייב ומחייב את הזכאי לא מפני שהוא רשע אלא מפני שאין יודע מעלה עליו כאלו הכיר פנים בדין. Nach dieser Auffassung sprächen unsere Sätze nicht sowohl von den Pflichten des Richters, als vielmehr von der Pflicht der mit Bestellung der Gerichte betrauten Gesamtautorität, solche Männer zu Richtern zu bestellen, dass durch sie nur das Recht, das ungebeugte Recht zum Ausspruch gelange, und sich bei solcher Bestellung nächst der Rechtschaffenheit des Charakters nur von der erforderlichen Rechtskunde und Rechtseinsicht leiten zu lassen. Eine Forderung, die durch keinerlei sonstigen persönlichen, sozialen und wissenschaftlichen Eigenschaften ersetzt werden kann. Es bietet aber ganz besonders unsere Stelle eine Berechtigung zu dieser Auffassung, da hier ja ganz eigentlich die Einsetzung von Gerichten im ganzen Lande der nationalen Gesamtheit zur Pflicht gemacht wird. Demgemäß wäre ׳ושפטו וגו eine Zweckbestimmung des vorangehenden Gebotes: שופטים ושטרים וגו׳. Die nationale Gesamtheitsrepräsentanz soll im ganzen Lande Richter und deren Exekutivbeamte, und zwar in solcher Weise bestellen, dass durch sie das Recht und nur das Recht zu Ausspruch und Geltung komme. Die folgenden, ebenfalls an die nationale Gesamtheitsrepräsentanz gerichteten Warnungen: לא תטה משפט usw. machten eben diese Gesamtheitsvertretung für jede im Lande vorkommende Rechtsbeugung, Parteilichkeit und Bestechlichkeit verantwortlich, wenn die Gesamtheit und ihre Vertreter durch Bestellung ungeeigneter Männer zu Richtern solche Gerichtsvergehen verschuldet. Die von ungeeigneten Richtern verübte Rechtsbeugung etc. etc. fällt auf die zurück, die sie zu Richtern bestellt. Also: לא תטה משפט, du sollst durch die von dir bestellten Richter das Recht nicht beugen usw.

לשבטיך THROUGHOUT THY TRIBES — This teaches that judges must be appointed for each tribe separately and each city separately (Sifrei Devarim 144:4; Sanhedrin 16b).

This teaches that judges are to be seated for each and every tribe, etc. I.e. “for your tribes” teaches that if [the territory of] two tribes was located in one town, one needs judges for each tribe. “And in all your gates” teaches that if two towns [are located in the territory] of one tribe, one needs [to seat] judges in each town. You may ask, even if it [לשבטיך] were not connected to תתן לך (“appoint for yourself”), one could still explain the same way; because it is written נותן לך לשבטיך (“giving you for your tribes”), לשבטיך is connected to the adjacent לך [and the verse means that לך means לשבטיך]? The answer is that regarding the לך written next to נותן, once the Torah writes there, “אשר ה' אלקיך נותן לך (that Adonoy, your God, is giving you)”, this includes all your tribes [and if so] the original question returns, why does one need [the word] לשבטיך (for your tribes)? But [when the Torah writes ]תתן לך (“you shall appoint”), it is as if it wrote תתן לשבטיך (you shall appoint for your tribes), and the word לך written in the verse is similar to [the לך] of “לך לך (Go from your land) (Breishis 12:1),” and like “עשה לך (make) (Ibid 6:14),” where (לך is) a grammatical formality [and does not really imply anything]. The same also applies here. But regarding לך written next to נותן, the word לך refers to the entire Jewish people and is not a grammatical formality; rather, it is an explanation of נותן. Because it is written, “That Adonoy your God is giving,” and to whom is He giving? To “you,” and it is explaining that this [you] is the Jewish people. Because one cannot say that “He is giving to your tribes” [because] was the land given to the tribes [and not to individuals]? But regarding תתן לך, once לשבטך is connected with תתן we no longer need the explanation of [the word לך] and perforce it is a grammatical formality.

בכל שעריך, "in all your cities." The reason the Torah writes כל, "all," is to tell us that every single city and town in the land of Israel must have its own judiciary. Yalkut Shimoni on our verse states that our verse draws a comparison between the Supreme Court and the regional courts; just as the Supreme Court has the authority to deal with capital offences and to hand down death sentences so do the regional courts [if composed of a minimum of 23 judges. Ed.] The exegesis appears to be based on the word בכל which includes all the various סנהדרין as having the same authority.

ושפטו את העם וגו׳ AND THEY SHALL JUDGE THE PEOPLE [WITH JUST JUDGMENT] — This means, appoint judges who are expert and righteous to give just judgment (cf. Sifrei Devarim 144:7).

Appoint competent, righteous judges, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Scripture should have said, “And you shall judge the people righteous justice” as a direct command, just as afterwards it writes as a direct command, “Do not pervert justice,” “Do not show favoritism,” “Do not accept bribery.” And he answers, “Appoint, etc.” I.e. “Judges and police officers you shall appoint for yourself, etc.,” and what sort of judges should you appoint? The verse explains, “Who will judge the people righteous justice.” I.e. this is a command to Yisroel that they should appoint judges who know how to judge righteously, that they must be expert and righteous.

אשר ה׳ אלוקיך נתן לך, "which the Lord your G'd is about to give to you, etc." We are taught in Makkot 7 that the legal requirement to establish such a judiciary applies only to the towns within the land of Israel.

תתן לך, “you shall appoint for yourself.” Seeing that Moses had risked his life in order that justice be performed on earth, the Torah associates the establishment of a judiciary with Moses personally, i.e. לך (Tanchuma Beshalach 10). He had killed the Egyptian who had slain a Hebrew man in Exodus 2,11-12. On another occasion Moses risked his life for the Torah and the Jewish people when he spent 40 days on the mountain trying to get forgiveness for the people and linking his survival on earth to the people being forgiven (Exodus 34,28; 32,32.). As a result of these various acts of selfless devotion the prophet Zecharyah speaks of remembering the Torah of “My servant Moses” (Maleachi 3,22) and G’d describes the Jewish people as Moses’ people in Exodus 32,7 when He said to Moses: “your people have become corrupt.” Here the judges also are described as belonging to Moses, hence the wording תתן לך, “appoint for yourself.”

ושפטו את העם משפט צדק, “they shall judge the people with fair judgment.” This may be either a warning to the individual judge or to every individual Israelite not to appoint a judge who is not righteous as well as competent. If they fail to do so each Israelite will be an accessory to perversion of justice if and when it occurs.” The judgment is to be absolute. It is to correspond to Leviticus 15,15 בצדק תשפוט עמיתך, “you are to judge your fellow with righteousness.” Sanhedrin 6,2 phrased this as יקוב הדין את ההר, “let the judgment bore a hole into the mountain.” Rabbi Akiva adds that one does not mix mercy with justice (Ketuvot 84). [The aforementioned quotes mean that the time for possible arbitration is before a matter comes to court; once it has come to court only legal considerations are relevant. Ed.]. The wordמשפט implies something “in the middle,” i.e. a clear-cut decision between opposing claims. Compare Psalms 112,5: ”he conducts his affairs with equity.” Jeremiah 30,11 speaks of ויסרתיך במשפט, “He will discipline you with justice.” These applications of strict yardsticks are valid in the dispensation of justice by a human tribunal.
The expression צדק which also appears in our verses is reserved for application by G’d. G’d combines both attributes when He sits in judgment. This is why we find David say in Psalms 99,4: משפט וצדקה ביעקב אתה עשית, “justice and charity You applied in judging Yaakov.” משפט is known in kabbalistic terms as the קו האמצעי the “middle” line on the diagram of the emanations, and Yaakov is the patriarch who represents this line [to the left of חסד on the right, Avraham’s attribute, and to the right of גבורה ,דין Yitzchak’s attribute. Ed.].
This enables us to understand Jeremiah 10,24: יסרני ה' אך במשפט, אל באפך פן תמיעטני, “chastise me o Lord, but in measure; not in Your wrath, lest You reduce me to naught.” The prophet says that the attribute of Justice which is part even of the tetragrammaton should not be applied to him as otherwise he would not survive the chastisement. [The prophet utters a prayer by his people who are aware that the enemy army is close to capturing Jerusalem. Ed]. משפט as distinct from דין, is perceived as the mild aspect of justice at work, whereas אפך is the harsh aspect of justice at work. Tzedek is the attribute of Justice applied to the world, as we know from Psalms 9,9 והוא ישפוט תבל בצדק, “and He will judge the universe by employing צדק.” This attribute receives its input from a higher source known as elohim. This is the meaning of Psalms 58,12 אך יש אלו-הים שופטים בארץ, “there is indeed divine justice on earth.” The word שופטים in that verse in Psalms and the word שופטים in our verse here are mystically linked together. The Torah’s instructions here are to establish the mechanism demonstrating that there is divine justice on earth. If it sounds as if justice is to be tempered with mercy in a court of law, this is misleading. The truth is if the guilty receives sentence the innocent is exonerated and feels that righteousness has been done for him whereas justice has been done to the other litigant.

לשבטיך, "for your tribes, etc." According to Sifri these words belong to the previous words, i.e. שופטים לשבטיך, "judges for your tribes." If that is so, why did the Torah not simply write תתן לך לשבטיך בכל שעריך, "you shall appoint for your tribes in all your towns, etc.? Perhaps the Torah wanted to ensure that the word לשבטיך appears next to the words ושפטו את העם משפט צדק, "and they will then be able to judge the people with righteousness." In this way the Torah provides the rationale for the legislation. If a city is inhabited by people of more than one tribe it requires two courts in order to satisfy the Torah's demand for fair judgment, משפט צדק. The Torah was careful to write את העם, to instruct us that two courts should not apply different yardsticks but that the whole people must be judged according to a uniform system of laws. [The author may mean that although Israel is comprised of 12 tribes this does not mean that there are twelve states each having its own set of laws, as in many countries where there is both Federal and state law or Federal and provincial law. Ed.] This helps us understand why the Torah writes ושפטו in the third person instead of ותשפטו in direct speech just as the words תתן לך, or when the Torah continues לא תכיר פנים addressing the judges directly. Rashi explains that the words את העם are an instruction that the judges must both be experts in their field and that they must be known to be righteous. [Rashi also quotes the Sifri. My edition has neither the last statement nor the one which says that the same law must be applied equally in all cities regardless of which tribe. Ed.] The various statements prove that when there are no law enforcers there is no rationale for having judges. As a result of such considerations we may equate שופטים with שוטרים. Seeing that their functions depend on one another so do their titles. Rashi also explains that we have here a warning to those who do the appointing to appoint only righteous people. I believe that if that were so, the Torah should have written: שופטים ששופטים בצדק תתן לך. "Judges who judge fairly you must appoint." According to our approach the present wording of the paragraph makes perfect sense.

I have seen in Maimonides' treatise Hilchot Sanhedrin chapter one that he ignores the ruling that each tribe must have its own judiciary. He refers only to each city having to have its own court, etc. Perhaps Maimonides understood the comment of our sages who said that each tribe must have its own Sanhedrin as applying only as long as each city did not have its own judiciary. Once each city had its own court and law-enforcers there would be no more need for a tribal court. The wording of the Baraitha in Sanhedrin 16 is as follows: "whence do we know that we must appoint judges in Israel? The Torah wrote "You shall give (appoint) judges." How do we know this rule applies to each tribe individually? The Torah wrote: "Judges for your tribes." How do we know that you have to appoint law-enforcers correspondingly? The Torah wrote: "you shall appoint law-enforcers." How do we know that we must appoint them in each city? The Torah wrote "Judges for your cities." Thus far the Baraitha. The difficulty here is why the author of this Baraitha interpreted the words: "for your tribes" which appear in the text at the end of the sequence before he interpreted the words: "in all your cities" which occur earlier in that same verse? The reason may be that the obligation to appoint a judiciary for the tribe is applicable only as long as no judiciaries had been appointed for each city. This would account for the fact that Maimonides did not mention this law at all, as he described a situation when there was no longer any need for this temporay legislation. The Baraitha viewed the Torah's verse as saying: "You have to install a judiciary in every tribe regardless if it comprises 10 cities or only a single city.. In the event that the tribe comprises numerous cities you have to have courts and enforcement officers in every single city."

You may ask that if every city has to have its own judiciary, why does the Torah speak about a judiciary for the tribes altogether? The answer is that if the Torah had not mentioned "your tribes," I would not have interpreted the words בכל שעריך, to mean "in each one of your cities," but as referring both to your cities on the West Bank and your cities on the East Bank of the Jordan. Once the Torah wrote the words: "for your tribes," it became clear that the words: "in all your gates" must refer to individual cities. This is why once Maimonides ruled that every city has to have its own judiciary he did not need to mention the subject of tribes at all. His ruling is analogous to the Baraitha in Sanhedrin we have quoted that if a city is shared by two different tribes that city must have two courts.

משפט צדק. "righteous judgment." The Torah did not write בצדק as it did in Leviticus 19,15 where it legislated something similar. In our verse -which is addressed to the judges- the Torah teaches the judges something of great importance. If the judge is truly interested in handing down true judgment, he must dissociate himself from the persons, i.e. the litigants before him and weigh only legal considerations. He must not say to himself that according to the arguments of litigant A, B must be guilty, whereas according to the arguments of litigant B, A must be guilty. He must research only the halachah on the subject matter in dispute. If he were to approach the matter differently he could not help but develop some bias in favour of one of the litigants. As a result the judgment would not reflect true righteousness, צדק. When the judge follows the procedure the Torah suggests then he first forms judgment, משפט, which turns out to be צדק, righteousness. [You will observe that in the quotation from Leviticus 19,15 the Torah describes the reverse sequence, i.e. your interest in righteousness obliges you to pronounce judgment. In that instance a variety of considerations ultimately demanded that you resort to law rather than mediation, etc. Ed.]

If we are to read the verse as a moral/ethical lesson we could apply a teaching based on what Moses said in Psalms 96,13: ישפט תבל בצדק, "He judges the universe with equity." Kabbalists (Zohar volume 3 page 198) understand the word צדק in this verse as referring to the Celestial Court. According to Beytzah 16 this court decides on Rosh Hashanah each individual's livelihood for the coming year. Accordingly, if a terrestrial judge decides between two litigants on the basis of Torah law he merely publicises a decision already made in the Celestial Court, as any decision not based on Torah law would upset the judgment made by the Celestial Court concerning this individual's livelihood. The words ושפטו את העם משפט צדק mean that these judges hand down to the people the decisions made by the Heavenly Tribunal.

לא תטה משפט means what it literally implies: THOU SHALT NOT PERVERT JUDGMENT.

לא תטה משפט, "Do not pervert justice, etc." This commandment is not only addressed to the judges but to all those who by failing to appoint the proper judiciary contribute to unfair judgments being handed down by unauthorised sources.

Not even during the arguments, etc. I.e. since [Rashi said that] לא תטה משפט is [interpreted] “according to its obvious interpretation,” meaning that one should not pervert justice, if so, why do we need [the command], “Do not show favoritism”? He answers, to teach you “not even during the arguments, etc.” I.e. even before the [actual] judgment [begins], one should not pervert justice and not ruin [it], “he should not be gentle, etc.” Therefore Rashi also had to explain that “Do not pervert justice” follows the obvious interpretation.

V. 19. ספרי .לא תטה משפט erläutert: לא תטה משפט בממון ולא תכיר פנים ממון .כדין ist das Streitobjekt, דין das Schöpfen des Urteils. משפט ist der Urteilsspruch. Das Recht kann zwiefach gebeugt werden. Der Richter kann sich ein ganz richtiges Urteil gebildet haben, aber er spricht gegen seine Rechtsüberzeugung das Streitobjekt: ממון, dem Unberechtigten zu, und es ist dies ein Beugen des Rechtsspruches: מטה משפט בממון. Oder er bildet sich das Rechtsurteil, דין, nicht nach rein objektiv sachlichen Gründen, sondern räumt Rücksichten auf die Persönlichkeit der Parteien einen Einfluss auf seine Rechtsbeurteilung ein, er ist מכיר פנים בדין (siehe Kap. 1, 16 u.17).

לא תטה משפט ולא תקח שוחד, “do not pervert judgment, nor accept any bribe;” earlier in Exodus 23,6 the subject of not perverting judgment when destitute people are before the court has already been discussed; now it is addressed to the people as a whole. [The people addressed are primarily the judges. Ed.].

ולא תכיר פנים AND THOU SHALT NOT RESPECT PERSONS — not even if it be only during the pleadings of the parties. This is an admonition addressed to the judge that he should not be lenient to one and harsh to the other, e.g. letting one stand and the other sit; because as soon as he (the party treated harshly) observes that the judge shows more respect to his fellow his ability to plead is hampered (i.e. he loses self-confidence and cannot present his case with assurance) (cf. Shevuot 30a).

Even to adjudicate fairly. Because one cannot explain [that one should not take bribery] in order to not adjudicate fairly, [because] it is already written, “Do not pervert justice,” and if so, why do I need [the command], “Do not accept bribery”? Therefore [it must mean] that it is forbidden to take bribery even to adjudicate fairly. Alternatively, Rashi himself goes on to explain [his rationale]. I.e. the verse “for bribery blinds” is the reason for “Do not accept bribery.” And the explanation of this is that “once he has accepted his bribe it is impossible for him not to be partial, and subvert the verdict in his favor,” because he only took bribery from him in the first place in order to rule in his favor and to pervert the justice of his opponent. Therefore this implies, “‘Do not accept bribery,’ even to adjudicate fairly.”

ולא תקח שחד וגו׳ (siehe zu Schmot 23, 8).

ולא תקח שוחד, do not even accept a bribe in order to pass fair judgment. Bribing judges in order for them not to pervert justice has already been forbidden.

ולא תקח שחד NEITHER TAKE BRIBERY — even if you mean to give a just judgment in favor of the giver (Sifrei Devarim 144:10; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:8).

ולא תקח שוחד, “and do not accept bribes.” Even in order to hand down a true verdict. The reason is that once one has received the bribe one can no longer be neutral, objective, or as the Torah calls it: “the bribe blinds even the eyes of the wise.” Our sages in Ketuvot 105 dissect the word שחד into שהוא חד, meaning once one accepts a bribe the giver and the recipient become as one. After that the judge cannot recognise incriminating argu-ments against the giver. The recipient is called a רשע, a wicked person, as we know from Proverbs 17,23: “a wicked man pulls a bribe out of his bosom.” We also have another verse in Proverbs 21,14: “a bribe in private (bosom) pacifies strong rage.” A third verse compares bribes to stones; Proverbs 17,8 reads: “a bribe seems like a charm, אבן חן, to its owner.” The reason the bribe is compared to a stone, אבן is that whenever it falls it breaks (Tanchuma Toldot 8).

Once he has accepted his bribe, it is impossible for him not to be partial, etc. You might ask that in parshas Mishpatim (Shmos 23:8), Rashi explained [differently], that “For it blinds the clear-sighted,” [means that] even if he is wise in the Torah but he takes a bribe, his mind will ultimately become muddled, etc.” The answer is that there it is written “blinds the clear-sighted,” and that certainly refers to his clear-sightedness, i.e. his clear-sightedness will be blinded because his mind will become muddled, etc.

ויסלף, “nor pervert,” we find this root used in the same sense in Proverbs 11,3: וסלף בוגדים ישדם, “but the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.”.

Blinds the eyes of the wise [chachamim]: Yet in Shemos (23:8) the parallel verse states, “Blind the eyes of the pikchim. The word “wise” means wise in Torah. Pikchim means in worldly affairs, so that they will be able to cross-examine the witnesses. A judge must be proficient in both types of knowledge.

כי השחד יעור FOR BRIBERY DOES BLIND — As soon as he (the judge) has accepted a bribe from him (from one of the parties) it is impossible for him not to incline his heart to him trying to find something in his favor (Ketuvot 105b).

Words that are justified, true justice. I.e. it [the term צדיקים] does not refer to the judges, but to the Torah which is [composed of] words that are justified and are called truth, and those words of the Torah he perverts because he fails to rule according to Torah law. The word דברי has the same meaning as דברים and it is not that דברי is juxtaposed [to צדיקים and means “words of the righteous”]. Rather, it is similar to “חלוני שקופים (transparent windows) (Melochim I 6:4)” which is the same as [if it said] חלונים, [and it is similar to] נטעי נעמנים, “beautiful plants” (Yeshayah 17:10), which is the same [as if it said] נטעים.

דברי צדיקים, “the words of the righteous.” Here the Torah refers to the litigants, not the judges. Compare Deuteronomy 25,1: והצדיקו את הצדיק, “by justifying the righteous.”

דברי צדיקם means, the words which have been described by the term “righteous” viz., the judgments of truth uttered on Sinai (cf. Rashi on Exodus 22:8 and Note thereon).

צדק צדק תרדף JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALT THOU PURSUE — go to (search after) a reliable court (Sifrei Devarim 144:14; Sanhedrin 32b).

JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALT THOU PURSUE. “Go to seek a reliable court. THAT THOU MAYEST LIVE, AND INHERIT THE LAND. The appointment of qualified judges is of sufficient [importance] to sustain Israel and to settle them upon their Land.” This is Rashi’s language quoting from the Sifre.¹⁷Sifre, Shoftim 144. The reason for the repetition [of the word “justice”] is to indicate that the judges should judge the people with righteous judgment,¹⁸Verse 18. and you must also pursue justice constantly by going from your place to the place of the great Sages: “after Rabban¹⁹The title “Rabban” indicates that he was the chief of the Sanhedrin. Rabban Yochanan ben Zaccai served as the chief of the Sanhedrin immediately following the destruction of the Second Temple. It was he who obtained permission from Vespasian to be “given Jabneh and its Sages.” It was there, in Jabneh, that the centrality of Jewish spiritual authority was reaffirmed after the destruction. See Note 90 further. Yochanan ben Zaccai to Jabneh; after Rabbi [Yehudah Hanasi] to Beth Shearim.”²⁰This city in the Lower Galilee served as the center wherein “Rabbi” and all the Sages of the generation compiled the entire Mishnah.
And Rabbi Abraham [ibn Ezra] commented: “Justice, justice. It is mentioned twice in order to indicate that one should pursue justice whether it would be to his advantage or loss. Or [it may be mentioned] one time after another for emphasis.” But in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah²¹Sefer Habahir 74. See Vol. I, 24, Note 42. the Rabbis interpreted it by way of a secret. They said: “Justice — this is His attribute of justice in the world, as it is said, Justice, justice shalt thou pursue. After that it is written, that thou mayest live, and inherit the Land. If you will judge yourself [knowing whence you came, and whither you are going, and before Whom you are about to give account and reckoning]²²So explained by Abusaula. you will live. If not, He will judge you and affirm [His judgment over you] against your will. And why is justice mentioned twice? Because it is written, from the brightness before Him.²³II Samuel 22:13. The verse continues: coals of fire flamed forth. The two terms brightness and fire thus refer to these two aspects of justice (Abusaula). The first justice refers to actual justice, this being the Divine Glory, as it is written, righteousness lodges in her.²⁴Isaiah 1:21. And what is the second justice? It is that which frightens the righteous” [making them fearful that perhaps they do not merit the World to Come].²⁵Abusaula. See also Vol. I, p. 401 that such is the nature of the righteous. And there [in that Midrash] it is further explained:²⁶Sefer Habahir 75. “Justice is the helmet of salvation upon His head.²⁷Isaiah 59:17. The ‘head’ denotes only truth, as it is said, The beginning of Thy word is truth,²⁸Psalms 119:160. and ‘truth’ is peace, as it is said, Is it not so, if peace and truth shall be in my days?²⁹II Kings 20:19. etc.” If so, Scripture is stating here, “You are to judge in your court [to attain] justice, and pursue therein justice and [try to] achieve it, that thou mayest live in the World to Come with the second justice [which alludes to Him]³⁰Abusaula. Who is the Higher Justice, this being the great light hidden for the righteous for the Time to Come, and this is also the Might of the Holy One, blessed be He; and thou shalt inherit the Land, the Land of Israel, with the first justice.”

צדק צדק תרדוף. When you are about to put this legislation into practice, the party in charge of appointing such judges is told by Moses to select only those who are already known for their sense of fair play and righteousness. He will have to look for such people all over the tribe. If potential judges do not have all the qualifications which are desirable in a judge, this qualification of fairness is the overriding quality all must possess. This is what the prophet Samuel was told by G’d when he had to look for a replacement of King Sha-ul among the sons of Yishai. (Samuel I 16,7) He was specifically told to ignore external appearances.

צדק צדק תרדף, "Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue, etc." This is a warning to you that if in one city there can be found two exceedingly wise men and two other men also ordained but not as brilliant as the first two, you should not say that seeing both are competent you will not bother the brilliant ones with your little problem but instead submit it for judgment to the lesser sages. You should always seek out the most renowned judge (scholar) to act as judge in any litigation you are involved in.

צדק, צדק תרדוף, “Righteousness, righteousness, you shall pursue!” According to Nachmanides the reason why Moses repeated the word צדק here is to exhort not only the judges to pursue righteousness but also the ordinary citizen to pursue every avenue to ensure that public affairs are run on a basis of righteousness. Judges appointed to a court must be people possessed of a blameless reputation. [Sodom also had judges, but what judges! Ed.] Ibn Ezra writes that the reason the word appears twice is to teach that righteousness must be pursued regardless of whether it results in one’s advantage or even if it is liable to result in one’s disadvantage. Alternately, Moses repeated the word to encourage you to make this pursuit something that is not restricted to a one-time effort, but to urge to keep striving for righteousness.

צדק צדק תרדוף, “Righteousness, righteousness, you shall pursue.” According to the plain meaning of the text the Torah warns (by repeating) that one must strive to be righteous both in word and in deed. These are the two ways in which one may potentially inflict harm upon both oneself and upon others. Everyone who speaks righteously reflects the fact that his deeds are most likely righteous also; this is why it behooves every Jew to be both righteous in his speech and in his deeds. This sentiment is reflected in Tzefaniah 3,13 when he said of the remnant of the people of Israel that “they shall do no wrong or speak falsehood; a deceitful tongue shall not be in their mouths.”
Alternatively, our verse addresses the people who are subject to litigation and exhorts them to strive for righteousness regardless of whether this will be financially beneficial or harmful to them. This is why the Torah repeats the exhortation.

Follow after the pre-eminent tribunal. Explanation: even though any tribunal can judge a defendant against his will, nevertheless, it is a mitzvah for the claimant to go after a pre-eminent tribunal. Because you cannot define [the verse] according to its simple meaning [that the judges must pursue justice], because if so it should have said “judge [absolute justice].” Also, why is צדק written twice, [whereas now the verse means, pursue justice that is righteous]. And also it is already written, “Do not pervert justice.” Rather, “Go after, etc.”

V. 20. צדק צדק תרדף. Als höchstes einziges, rein um seiner selbst willen anzustrebendes Ziel, dem alle anderen Rücksichten sich unterzuordnen haben, soll der nationalen Gesamtheit צדק, das "Recht", die Gestaltung aller Einzel- und Gesamtverhältnisse nach den Anforderungen des göttlichen Gesetzes vorschweben. Dieses Ziel unablässig mit aller Hingebung zu verfolgen, ist Israels einzige Aufgabe, למען תחיה וירשת usw. damit hat er alles getan, um seine physische (תחיה) und politische Existenz sicher sich stellen. Indem hier das durch die Rechtshuldigung und (וירשת) Rechtspflege zu schaffende politische Glück selbst nach der bereits vollzogenen Besitznahme des Landes — und von einer solchen Zeit spricht ja offenbar der Text — immer noch וירשת ירושה genannt wird, ist damit wohl die bedeutsame Wahrheit niedergelegt, dass der Besitz des Landes in jedem Augenblick in Frage gestellt und es in jedem Augenblick durch die vom jüdischen Staatsganzen dem Rechte zu zollende Huldigung und Verwirklichung aufs neue in Besitz zu nehmen ist. Sanhedrin 32 b wird die Wiederholung des צדק צדק in unserem Satze noch dahin erläutert, dass damit einer jeden richterlichen Tätigkeit, auch der nicht entscheidenden, sondern ausgleichenden, das unparteiliche Recht als Richtschnur gegeben wird. צדק צדק תרדף אחד לדין ואחד לפשרה. Auch bei פשרה, bei dem Vergleich, den zu versuchen Sanhedrin 6 a מצוה לבצוע, bei jeder zivilrechtlichen Streitsache Mizwa ist, soll der vermittelnde Richter keine der Parteien bevorzugen.

צדק צדק תרדוף, “Justice, Justice, you are to pursue;” here too the Torah addresses the litigants.

למען תחיה וירשת [JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALT THOU PURSUE] THAT THOU MAYEST LIVE, AND INHERIT [THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE] — The appointment of honest judges is sufficient merit to keep Israel in life and to settle them in security in their land (Sifrei Devarim 144:15).

למען תחיה וירשת, such qualities are of even greater importance in the Land of Israel, as a failure to comply would result in the ancestral right to that country being denied to you. Compare Isaiah 57,17 who quotes G’d as telling him that a corrupt judiciary [getting away with sinful greed? Ed.] was a primary cause for G’d’s anger at the people.

A kabbalistic approach, based on Nachmanides: the reason for repeating the word צדק is that the Torah reminds you that righteousness emanates from the emanation צדק. It promises the judge that if he strives to dispense the kind of justice which reflects righteousness, he in turn will be the recipient of input from that emanation. It is something like Exodus 15,16 where Moses prayed (in the song) תפול עליהם אימתה ופחד, “may fear and trepidation fall upon them” (the Gentile nations). The letter ה at the end of the word אימתה which is not really necessary, is an allusion to the final letter ה in the tetragrammaton, the source of this fear in the part of the tetragrammaton which represents the attribute of Justice. [Being imbued with such fear of the attribute צדק is not a threat but a promise in this instance. It is as if judges who practice righteousness will be rewarded with יראת שמים as a result. Ed.]. You will find this approach echoed in the Sefer Habahir items 74-75 where the author, in commenting on the sequence of צדק צדק תרדוף למען תחיה וירשת, explains that the repetition of the word צדק reflects what is written in Psalms 18,13 מנגה נגדו, i.e.[a repetition of נגה and גחלי אש which are two different forms of intense heat, the latter one a weaker reflection of the former one] that the first time the word appears it refers to true righteousness, whereas the second time it is like an echo of the original righteousness practiced. He who strives to perform righteousness will find that it echoes all around him. The reason we call a proselyte who has sought to place himself under the כנפי השכינה, the protective wings of G’d’s presence, a גר צדק is that he has acquired the trepidation for this attribute of Justice which we normally refer to as יראת שמים, “awe of heaven.” [Perhaps this point must be emphasized especially with the convert as he may think that conversion bestows only the welcome acceptance by the attribute of Mercy without simultaneously submitting to G’d as the attribute of Justice. Ed.]. By submitting to that attribute one has embraced Judaism in the full meaning of the word.

There is adequate merit in the appointment of ethical judges, etc. Rashi is answering the question: “Pursue absolute justice,” [meaning] follow after the pre-eminent tribunal, is commanded only to someone who has litigation with his fellow, so just for this the entire nation of Yisroel will [merit to] live and inherit the land?! He answers that “so that you may live” does not refer to “Pursue absolute justice” but to “Judges and police officers you shall appoint for yourself, etc.”

לא תטע לך אשרה THOU SHALT NOT PLANT THEE AN ASHERA — This is intended to make one liable to punishment regarding it from the very moment that he plants it (the Ashera); even though he does not worship it he transgresses a negative command by the mere planting of it (Sifrei Devarim 145:1).

THOU SHALT NOT PLANT THEE AN ASHEIRAH. Any tree planted at the entrance of a house of G-d is called asheirah. Possibly because it ordereth the way aright,³¹Psalms 59:23. — That the meaning definitely is not an idolatrous place of worship, may be gathered from the reading here in the Tur, where Ramban’s language is quoted as follows: “Any tree planted at the entrance of a house of your G-d is called etc.” Ramban’s further language about the prohibition of planting a tree near the altar of G-d, clearly shows that he is speaking here of a House of G-d. directing people’s “steps” [to worship], it is called [asheirah] from the word ‘ashurai’ (my steps) have held fast to Thy paths.³²Ibid., 17:5. Scripture thus admonishes not to plant a tree beside the altar of G-d for beauty and to think that it is an honor and glory to G-d’s altar. He prohibited it because it was a custom of the idolaters to plant trees at the entrances of their idol’s temples, as it is written, further, and throw down the altar of Baal that belongs to thy father, and cut down the asheirah that is by it.³³Judges 6:25.
Now Rashi wrote: “Thou shalt not plant thee an asheirah. This is intended to make one liable [to punishment] from the very moment of planting; and even if he does not worship it, he transgresses a negative commandment for planting it. And thou shalt not plant any kind of tree beside the altar of the Eternal thy G-d. This is an admonition against planting [trees] or building a [wooden] house on the Temple mount.” If so, Scripture is stating: “thou shalt not plant thee an asheirah ‘nor’³⁴Ramban’s point is as follows: According to Rashi’s interpretation it is as if there is a vav missing in the word kol (any) which should be v’kol (nor any). Thus, Rashi interprets the verse: we may not plant a tree for an idolatrous purpose anywhere, “nor any” tree, even for beauty’s sake, beside the altar of G-d. Ramban agrees to all that. However, Rashi adds that “building a [wooden] house on the Temple mount” is likewise prohibited; Ramban points out that this is forbidden only by law of the Rabbis. any kind of tree beside the altar of the Eternal.” But building a [wooden] house on the Temple mount is [prohibited by] Rabbinic ordinance based on Scriptural support, for Scripture prohibited only the “planting” — “thou shalt not plant thee an asheirah [prohibiting the planting anywhere of trees intended for idol-worship], nor shalt thou plant thee any tree [for whatever purpose] beside the altar of the Eternal thy G-d.”

לא תטע לך אשרה, in this verse the Torah lists three items whose common denominator is that they appeal to the senses, are desirable, but at the same time are all spiritually negative, harmful.
The first one is האשרה, something beautiful and decorative for buildings, but at the same time something ugly from the vantage point of holiness as it is usually a conduit leading to idolatrous practices. Seeing that this is so, we are commanded whenever faced with such choices to give preference to that which leads to spiritual righteousness at the expense of physical perfection or beauty. By the same token, we are to prefer spiritual qualities possessed by someone chosen as a judge to external features, impressive though they may be.
The second item is המצבה, even though such a kind of altar was welcomed by G’d as an outlet for someone who wanted to bring an offering to G’d, this was before the Torah had been given. Consider, for example, Exodus 24,4 where the Torah welcomed 12 such monuments erected by Moses, where these monuments symbolised the fact that the person offering a sacrifice considered himself as constantly in the presence of the divine. (compare Psalms 16,8 שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, “I feel myself constantly in the presence of the Lord.”) The Jewish people had not been able to maintain this spiritual level after they had committed the sin of the golden calf. Even when such a מצבה is dedicated to heaven it had become hateful in the eyes of the Lord, i.e. G’d had expressed His distaste in Exodus 33,3, after having provisionally “forgiven” the people by appointing an angel to lead them to the Holy Land, but refusing to lead their ascent by His presence being among them. We encounter a similar concept described as the difference between an old man whose beard proclaims his respectability, as opposed to the old man whose beard is disheveled, i.e. reveals traces of a youth which was spent irresponsibly. We look for people whose exterior testifies to their blameless interior, character. [This metaphor is used by the Chazzan in his private introductory prayer on Yom Hakippurim. Ed.]
The third item, also reminding us of the rejection of an externally basically beautiful animal as a sacrifice, is a series of blemishes, some quite minor, not affecting the value of the animal in question in the market place at all. Such a blemish in an animal worth 1000 dollars disqualifies it as an offering, whereas another similar animal worth one single dollar, but without such a blemish, is given preference over the far more expensive animal, which is rejected. The Torah gives us three examples to teach us basically the same lesson. What is true of the blemished animal for presentation on the altar, is equally true for the venerable old scholar who is afflicted with some character fault. We are to look further in order to find a less impressive individual not afflicted with such character fault.

Asherah tree. The numerical value of this term (506) is the same as the value of the phrase, “a judge who is not fitting” [dayan she’aimo hagon]. For anyone who appoints a judge who is not fitting is considered as if he planted an Asherah tree near the altar.

לא תטע לך אשרה, "Do not plant for yourself a 'sacred' tree, etc." Our sages in Sanhedrin 7 have said that if one appoints an unsuitable judge this is similar to violating the commandment of this verse. According to the sages then the word לך in our verse means that the appointment of an unfit judge is objectionable only if it was made deliberately in order for those who appointed him to benefit from perversion of justice. If, however, a judge was appointed in all innnocence, and it turned out that this judge was not competent, no sin accrues to those who appointed him. The people who appointed said judge would certainly not be comparable to people who plant an אשרה.

אצל מזבח, for this is where they usually planted these asherot. We are told in Judges 6,25 that G’d told Gideon in a dream to destroy the asherah next to the altar of the Baal belonging to his father. Jeremiah 17,2 laments the fact that his own people had taken to planting such asherot near every green tree.

לא תטע לך אשרה, “Do not plant for yourself a tree that symbolises idolatry.” Nachmanides writes that any tree planted at the entrance of the Temple is described as אשרה, suggesting that a reason for this might be the fact that in Psalms 50,23 the words ושם דרך אראנו, instead of using the conventional translation, could be read with the letter ש having the dot on the right, so that it would mean “and there I will show him the way.” When Bileam (Numbers 24,17) speaks about visions he has, he describes them also as אשורנו, the same as אראנו, “I will see it.” If in the popular parlance of the gentiles, such trees are spiritually symbolic, the Torah does not want us to employ idolaters’ symbols in connection with our spiritual Center. [Moreover, we must not confuse the holiness of beauty (in nature) with the beauty of holiness. [My version of the concept. Ed.]

לא תטע לך אשרה, “do not plant for yourself an idolatrous tree.” How can a tree be idolatrous? The meaning is that the tree is intended to serve as a focus of worship. The new twist of our legislation here is that the Torah prohibits already the planting of such a tree on pain of the penalty of 39 lashes even if the tree had never served as an object of idolatry (compare Rashi). Isaiah 66,17 severely condemns people who engage in sanctifying themselves before entering such groves (in order to worship the trees). [In other words, the practice of worshipping nature in such a manner was quite widespread.]

This makes him liable from the time that it was planted, etc. Otherwise [its worship] would be included in [the command], “You must not have any other gods” (Shmos 20:3). Furthermore, why does Scripture make mention of planting? Therefore [perforce], “This makes him liable, etc.”

V. 21. לא תטע לך וגו׳. Wir haben bereits Schmot 34, 13 erläutert, wie אשרה ein der besonderen Obhut einer Gottheit unterstellter Baum sei, in dessen gesegnetem Gedeihen (אשר) die wirksame Gegenwart der Gottheit erblickt und verehrt wurde. Es entspricht dies ganz dem heidnischen Götterwesen, dessen Gottheiten vor allem Naturmächte waren, deren Walten sich vor allem in der Entwicklung und den Erscheinungen der physischen Welt bekundete. Dazu steht aber das jüdische Gottbewusstsein in vollem Gegensatz. Nicht nur die physische Welt, in noch viel höherer, innigerer und unmittelbarer Weise bildet die geistig-sittliche Menschenwelt das Waltungsbereich seines Gottes, und nur durch Unterstellung seines ganzen geistigen Seins, Wollens und Vollbringens unter das Machtgebot seines Gottes hat der jüdische Mensch auch seinen Anteil an dem physischen Gedeihen zu gewinnen. Er hat keine אשרה, überhaupt keinen Baum, כל עץ, neben den Altar seines Gottes zu pflanzen, den er "sich" errichtet. Seine Altäre hat er "i>sich", seiner Unterstellung und Weihe und Erhebung zu Gott zu errichten, und mit dieser Unterstellung, Weihe und Erhebung seines sittlich freien Menschenwesens zu Gott hat er auch seine sinnlich physische Welt der segnenden und schützenden Gotteswaltung unterstellt. Er hat keinen "Baum" neben seinen "Altar" zu pflanzen. Mit der sittlichen Altarweihe und Hingebung seines Menschenwesens an Gott hat er alles, ohne diese hat er nichts. Es ist dies die reine Konsequenz des vorangehenden: צדק צדק תרדף למען תחיה, und gewinnt damit der an diese Aufeinanderfolge sich knüpfende Satz der Weisen: כל המעמיד דיין שאינו הגון על הצבור כאלו נוטע אשרה בישראל שנאמר שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך וסמיך ליה לא תטע לך אשרה (Sanhedrin 7 b) mehr als bloß äußere Beziehung. Die nationale Autorität, die die Rechtspflege einem Untauglichen in die Hand gibt, spricht ebenso eine Gleichgültigkeit des nationalen Pflichtlebens für das nationale Gedeihen aus, wie das Pflanzen einer אשרה physisches Gedeihen ohne gewissenhaftes Pflichtleben anstrebt.

לא תטע לך אשרה, “do not plant for yourself an asherah; (tree to serve as something to be worshipped.) The wording of the Torah makes it plain that even the mere planting of such a tree is a culpable offense. The Canaanites used to surround the altars for the baal with trees. We know this from Judges 6,28 where Gideon is reported with uprooting those trees and destroying the altar. It appears that when these idolaters sacrificed on their altars the sacrifices were in honour of these trees.

לא תטע לך אשרה, “do not plant for yourself an asherah; even if that asherah was not meant to be used as a place of worship. When conflicting claims face a judge, and he has to decide with which claims to deal with first, he is to deal with any matter that involves idolatry first. The term describes trees at the entrance to house of worship. Rashi understands the verse as prohibiting the planting of a tree or house on the Temple Mount. The words: לא תטע, would refer to the former, and the words: כל עץ, would refer to someone building a house, i.e. even from wood that is not fit to become a tree, having been cut and then reassembled.

לא תטע לך אשרה כל עץ אצל מזבח ה' אלהיך THOU SHALT NOT PLANT THEE AN ASHERA, ANY TREE NEAR UNTO THE ALTAR OF THE LORD THY GOD — This is a prohibition addressed to one who would plant a tree or build a house on the Temple mount (הר הבית) (Sifrei Devarim 145:1).

Asherah or any tree near the altar. The numerical value of this phrase (894) is the same as the value of the phrase, “wicked near righteous” [rasha etzel tzadik]

לא תטע לך אשרה, כל עץ, no tree must be planted in the courtyard of the Temple as its proximity to the altar was liable to lead the people to perform some kind of worshipful gesture as they were familiar with having observed the Canaanites do so.

This prohibits planting a tree, etc. Even though the verse does not write, “Do not plant for yourself any tree near the altar,” nevertheless, we are forced to say that “Do not plant” also refers [separately] to “any tree,” because if not, you might ask, how is it that Scripture writes, “Do not plant an Asherah for yourself any tree near the altar”? Is serving idolatry only forbidden next to the altar and permitted when not next to the altar? Rather, this is what the verse is saying. “Do not plant an Asherah for yourself” at all in the entire world. “And do not plant for yourself any tree near the altar” specifically, but not next to the altar you are permitted.

Ein "Baum" neben dem jüdischen "Altar" ist eine solche Trübung der jüdischen Wahrheit von Gott und der Heiligung des Menschen, dass eine Erweiterung דרבנן sogar jedes sichtbare Holzwerk aus dem baulichen Umkreis des Altars im מקדש fern hält, אין עושין אכסדראות בעזרה (Tamid 28 b; — siehe הל׳ ע׳׳ז רמב׳׳ם VI, 10).

אצל מזבח, “next to an altar;” it was a common practice for the pagans to do this. This has been explained in Judges 6,25. Furthermore, the purpose of not allowing such trees in such locations was to prevent people seeing someone going there from thinking that that individual was on his way to worshipping an idol. Jeremiah 17,2, describes such worship of an asherah as a widely accepted practice.

Or building a structure on the Temple mount. Re”m writes, “This is only a Rabbinic inference [which is hinted in the verse] as Scripture does not explicitly write “Do not plant for yourself any tree” but only the word tree [without a verb attached to it; and עץ can also mean plank]; [this indicates that] it makes no difference [whether this is done] through planting or through building. However, according to the plain meaning of the verse it refers only to planting, because “Do not plant” in the verse refers to both of them, either [planting] an Asherah [anywhere] or [planting] any tree near the altar of Adonoy.” Also, I found that in parshas Balak (Bamidbar 24:6), Rashi comments on the verse “כאהלים נטע ה' (like the tents Hashem stretched taut),” and that, “The expression of נטיעה is found in relation to tents as it is written, “ויטע אהלו אפדנו (he stretched taut his palatial tents) (Doniel 11:45).” Here too, [we can say that] the expression נטיעה relates to a structure. Another answer is that we include the building of a structure because it is written [the seemingly extra word] “any,” which comes to include even the building a structure.

...because it was the custom of idolaters to plant trees by the entrances of their houses of idolatry....

ולא תקים לך מצבה NEITHER SHALT THOU RAISE ANY MONUMENT — i.e. a monument of one stone (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:3), not even in order to sacrifice on it to Heaven (to God).

NEITHER SHALT THOU SET THEE UP A PILLAR — “a pillar of one stone, even for the purpose of sacrificing to Heaven upon it. WHICH THE ETERNAL THY G-D HATETH. An altar of earth³⁵Exodus 20:21. and an altar of stones³⁶Ibid., Verse 22. has He commanded you to make, but He hates this [one-stone pillar] because it was an ordinance of the Canaanites [for idol-worship]. Although it was pleasing to Him at the time of the patriarchs,³⁷See Genesis 28:18 and 22; 35:15. He hates it now, because these [Canaanites] have made it an ordinance in the worship of the idols.” This is Rashi’s language. If so, Scripture prohibited [the planting of] an asheirah [anywhere], it enjoined against planting [trees] on the Temple mount although the intent be to Heaven, and it prohibited a pillar [erected] for Heaven — both [prohibitions, against trees and against pillars,] on account of the ordinances of the Canaanites. But I have not understood this ordinance, for the Canaanites used altars as well as pillars since Scripture states, And ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars;³⁸Above, 12:3. for ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars³⁹Exodus 34:13. and similarly in all places; [hence all altars should have been prohibited even for the worship of G-d]! Perhaps we may say that the Canaanites were primarily devoted to pillars, and they had no idolatrous temple without a pillar upon which to sacrifice and pour oil upon its top,³⁷See Genesis 28:18 and 22; 35:15. similar to what is stated with reference to Baal, And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal.⁴⁰II Kings 10:26. However, only a few of their temples also had altars upon which to sacrifice [hence Scripture did not prohibit altars built to be used for Heaven].
It appears to me that the Canaanites, who were engrossed in idolatry, used to make in all temples of their gods an altar on which to bring sacrifices, erected a large stone at the entrance of the temple for the priests to stand upon, and planted a tree outside it to point the way for those who come there. They still do so to this day. Now the Glorious Name⁴¹Further, 28:58. hates and despises all their deeds and He prohibited the pillar and the asheirah. He left only the altar because it is a necessity for the offerings concerning which He commanded. They were a source of pleasure before Him — because He ordained them and His Will was done — even prior to the existence of idol-worship on earth.⁴²See Ramban to Leviticus 1:9 on the significance of this final phrase.

ולא תקים לך מצבה, even in honour of G’d, to offer incense upon it at a time when private altars had already been banned. This prohibition went into effect after the Israelites had settled in the country and a permanent altar had been established to serve the whole nation such as in Shiloh, which served for over 300 years before the Temple of Solomon. (compare also what is written in Deut. 12,8) [Sadly, the commandment to do away with private altars was not even enforceable during the reign of Torah-observant Kings of Yehudah with the exception of King Yoshiyahu. Compare Kings II chapter 23. These altars had been used only to sacrifice to G’d, not to idols. Ed.]

ולא תקים לך מצבה, “neither are you to erect a pillar for yourself;” Rashi explains that even if that pillar is not in honour of idolatry but in honour of Hashem, this is not an acceptable venue for honouring Hashem. Nachmanides writes that if Rashi were correct then Moses should also have prohibited the erecting of altars, seeing that this is also a cultural symbol of all idolaters and we are commanded not to copy their cultural mores (Leviticus 18,3). Moreover, the Torah expressly commanded us to destroy all such altars, not only not to erect them. (Compare Deut. 12,3) Perhaps we need to understand what is written here in light of historical facts. The Canaanites, i.e. every one of them, owned a pillar used for idolatrous purposes, whereas only a minority of them actually built altars to offer sacrifices to their deities. Hence, Moses draws a distinction between the two types of idolatrous symbols. Personally, (Nachmanides continuing) I believe that the Canaanites erected altars in each one of their temples for the purpose of offering sacrifices thereon; at the entrance to each temple they had erected a tall pillar on which their priests stood. Beyond that, at the entrance they had planted decorative trees in order to serve as landmarks for the people approaching the temple. The local Christian population in that country does so even in our time. Hashem hates all their “cultural” displays and He outlawed every pillar and every tree located in an entrance of a temple, house of worship. He did not outlaw altars altogether, as they are needed for facilitating the Jewish way of presenting sacrifices to Hashem. In Yaakov’s time this prohibition was not yet in force, as the general principle of ובחוקותיהם לא תלכו, “do not adopt any of their religious or cultural mores,” had not yet been legislated. This is why Yaakov had been free to anoint pillars, erect altars, and the like in order to worship Hashem Nowadays, after the revelation, all of this has been outlawed as it would create the impression that we are not so different from other religions. Or, we would even stoop as low as to bow down to a אבן משכית, a flooring stone. (Leviticus 26,1) [Mosaic flooring with or without images as part of the pattern]

For sacrificial offerings, even for the sake of Heaven. Rashi’s proof is that it is written, “That Adonoy, your God, detests” [in the present tense]. This implies that originally it was pleasant in His eyes when people erected a monument, but now He detests it. But if [the verse only forbade the erection of a monument] to sacrifice upon it for the purpose of idolatry, He would have hated it originally as well.

V. 22. ולא תקים לך מצבה אשר שנא וגו׳. Wir haben schon zu Bereschit 28. 18 und 33, 20 das Verhältnis von מצבה zu מזבח entwickelt, und bemerkt, wie מצבה, ein aus Gottes Schöpfung genommener Stein, ein Gedenkstein war für das, was Gott für uns in Natur und Geschichte getan, während מזבח, ein aus mehreren Steinen vollendeter Menschenbau, die Bestimmung hat, die Hingebung der Menschentat an Gott zu vermitteln. Eine Unterscheidung, in welcher wir das Motiv der gesetzlichen eben in unserer Stelle sich aussprechenden Tatsache zu erkennen glaubten, dass מצבה, die אהובה לאבות gewesen, שנואה לבנים geworden. Vor מתן תורה war es vor allem die Gotteswaltung in Natur und Geschichte, die in ihrer Ausschließlichkeit sich dem Menschenbewusstsein einzuleben hatte, und es war noch nicht ein ganzes Einzel- und Volksleben durch seine Unterordnung unter Gottes Gesetz zu einer Manifestation der Gotteshuldigung vorhanden: Es fand daher noch מצבה neben dem מזבח ihre Stätte. Mit מתן תורה geht nicht nur מצבה in מזבח auf, sondern מצבה wird geradezu Sünde. Eine bloße Anbetung Gottes in seiner Allmacht und Größe ist nicht nur nicht eine Gott wohlgefällige Huldigung, sondern, wie unser Text sich ausdrückt, Gott "hasst" fortan eine jede Anbetung seiner Allmacht und Größe, die nicht in der sittlichen Unterordnung des ganzen Menschenwesens unter sein Gesetz ihren Ausdruck sucht. Unser Gehorsam soll der Ausdruck unserer Gotteserkenntnis und Gotteshuldigung sein. An dem Maße unserer Hingebung an seinen Willen ermisst Gott unsere Erkenntnis und Huldigung seiner Allmacht und Größe, und er verwirft jede Huldigung in Natur und Geschichte, die Himmel und Erde seiner Herrschaft unterstellt, sich selber aber, das eigene Herz, das eigene Sinnen und Wollen und Vollbringen, dieser Herrschaft versagt. Nicht Gotteserkenntnis, Gottes Anerkenntnis ist die jüdische Aufgabe und der Weg zum jüdischen Heil, מזבח, nicht מצבה das Symbol der jüdischen Aufgabe. מצבה-Andacht ist Ertötung des jüdischen Geistes. לא תקים לך מצבה אשר שנא ה׳ אלהיך (siehe Bereschit zu Kap. 33, 20). Somit ist לא תקים לך מצבה nichts als eine fernere Konsequenz aus dem vorangehenden צדק צדק תרדף למען וגו׳ וירשת. Nur eine rückhaltlose Gestaltung unseres Einzel- und Volkslebens nach den Diktaten des göttlichen Willens gewinnt uns das segnende und erhaltende Walten Gottes in unserem sozialen und politischen Geschicke, ein Bewusstsein, das geradezu durch ein מצבה-Gedenken der Großtaten Gottes gefährdet wäre, und צדק צדק תרדף למען תחיה וירשת negiert in sprechendster Weise אשרה und מצבה.

אשר שנא WHICH [THE LORD THY GOD] HATETH — An altar of stones and an altar of earth He has commanded you to make; this, however, He hates, because it was a religious ordinance amongst the Canaanites. And although it was pleasing to Him in the days of our Patriarchs (cf. Genesis 28:18), now He hates it because these (Canaanites) made it an ordinance of an idolatrous character (cf. Sifrei Devarim 146).

An earthen altar is what He commanded, but He detests this. And the explanation of “that He detests” is, that it is detested now by “Adonoy your God.” But do not explain that “Adonoy… detests” means to not erect that [detested] monument, whereas a monument that Hashem does not detest you may erect. That is incorrect because Hashem detests all monuments as Rashi goes on to explain.

WHICH THE ETERNAL THY G-D HATETH. The purport thereof is that he is explaining that G-d had commanded, an altar of earth shalt thou make unto Me,³⁵Exodus 20:21. And if thou make Me an altar of stones,³⁶Ibid., Verse 22. and so, Moses explained, He desires these [altars] excluding the pillar. He hates it because, all their deeds being detestable before Him, He commanded Israel not to copy their deeds. In the days of Jacob, however, the prohibition Neither shall ye walk in their statutes⁴³Leviticus 18:3. had not yet been ordained and he, therefore, used the pillar in worshipping G-d³⁷See Genesis 28:18 and 22; 35:15. as was the custom of those who worshipped [the True G-d in the days of Jacob]. This commandment is thus understood as proceeding from the verse, And if thou make Me an altar of stones.³⁶Ibid., Verse 22. But what He said in the Torah, Neither shall ye erect a graven image, or a pillar⁴⁴Ibid., 26:1. refers to a graven image and a pillar in order to place the graven image upon the pedestal for idol-worship, for there Scripture is speaking of idol-worship. He says [there], however, Neither shall ye place any figured stone in your Land to bow down unto it⁴⁴Ibid., 26:1. — even to Heaven, because he would appear to worship the mosaics themselves, for the same reason that an asheirah [is prohibited], because it is among the [idolatrous] statutes of the peoples.
Know that an altar is a high structure of stones having four horns, a base, and a circuit above its base, and offerings are burnt between its horns. A pillar is a single large stone which they raise up upon which to burn [incense] or bring offerings, or for the priests to stand upon. A bamah (a high place) is like a mountain — they make it of assembled earth and, upon it, an altar is built upon which to sacrifice. Everything which is lofty and high is so named: I will ascend above ‘bamathei’ (the heights of) the clouds;⁴⁵Isaiah 14:14. upon ‘bamathei’ (the high places of) the earth.⁴⁶Further, 32:13. The back of a human being is also called bamah, as it is said, upon ‘bamatheimo’ thou shalt tread.⁴⁷Ibid., 33:29. See in Megillah 16a where this verse is used when Mordecai stepped upon Haman in order to mount the king’s horse. Similarly Scripture states, And the king [Solomon] went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great ‘bamah’ (high place); a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.⁴⁸I Kings 3:4. Thus a bamah is distinguished from an altar, for, as explained above, an altar was erected on “the high place (bamah).”

Because it was in the canon of the Canaanites, etc. You might ask that for this same reason altars too should be forbidden, because altars too are included in the canon of the Canaanites as it is written above in parshas Re’ey (12:3), “You are to break apart their altars”! The answer is that this is why Rashi writes, “Since they included it in the idolatrous ritual,” meaning that there is no idol in the world for which they would not make a pillar (מצבה) [and] therefore Hashem hates them, but the altars are not such a [strict] canon as they did not make altars for all idols. Therefore the Holy One does not hate them. (Re”m)

And that is that He commanded us to appear [at the Temple] on festivals. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying "Three times a year all your males shall appear" (Deuteronomy 16:16). And the content of this commandment is that a man should ascend to the Temple, with every male son that he has who is able to walk on his own feet, and offer a burnt-offering upon his appearance - and this is called a sight-offering. And we have already mentioned their saying (Chagigah 6b), "Three commandments are practiced, etc." And the regulations of this commandment - meaning the commandment of appearance - have already been explained in Tractate Chagigah. And also this do women not practice, and they are not obligated in it. (See Parashat Re'eh; Mishneh Torah, Festival Offering 1.)

That is that He commanded us to rejoice in the the festivals. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "You shall rejoice in your festival" (Deuteronomy 16:14). And this is the third of the three commandments that are practiced on the festival. And the first matter that is hinted to us with this command is that we offer a peace-offering no matter what. And these peace-offerings, that are in addition to the holiday peace-offerings. are called peace-offerings of joy. And they said (Chagigah 6b) that women are obligated in these. And Scripture has already appeared [about it], "And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings, etc." (Deuteronomy 27:7). And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in Chagigah. And included in, "You shall rejoice in your festival," is what they said to also rejoice on them with various types of joy. And among them are to eat meat, to drink wine, to wear new clothes, to distribute types of fruits and sweets to children and women, to play with musical instruments and to dance specifically in the Temple - and that is the joy of the house of water drawing (simchat beit hashoevah). All of this fits into His saying, "You shall rejoice in your festival." And that one is specifically obligated in the drinking of wine is because it is uniquely associated with joy. And the language of the Gemara (Pesachim 109a) is that one is obligated to rejoice his sons and daughters on the festival with wine. And there, they said, "It is taught in a bereita: Rabbi Yehuda says, 'When the Temple is standing, rejoicing is only through meat, as it is stated, "And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings [and you shall eat there and you shall rejoice]." But now, rejoicing is only with wine, as it is stated (Psalms 104:15), "And wine that gladdens the heart of man."'" And they also already said (Pesachim 109a), "Men, with what is fit for them; and women, with what is fit for them." And the language of the Torah is that we include the weak, the poor and converts in this joy - when He, may He be blessed, says, "the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow" (Deuteronomy 16:14). (See Parashat Re'eh; Mishneh Torah, Festival Offering.)