Comentários de Citação sobre Números 19:12

AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE DAY THAT MOSES HAD FINISHED SETTING UP THE TABERNACLE. “Scripture does not say ‘on the day that Moses set up’ [but it states ‘on the day that Moses had finished setting up’]. This teaches us that on each of the seven days of initiation [of the priests] Moses erected and dismantled the Tabernacle, and on that day [the eighth day] he erected it but did not dismantle it. Therefore it says, on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle, since it was on that day that he finished all his erections. This happened on the first of Nisan; on the second day the Red Heifer was burnt, on the third day they sprinkled [upon the Levites]¹²⁵Further, 8:7. the first sprinkling [of the water of purification in which the ashes of the Red Heifer were mingled],¹²⁶Ibid., 19:12. and on the seventh day [of Nisan, after having been sprinkled again]¹²⁶Ibid., 19:12. the Levites were shaven¹²⁵Further, 8:7. [and were ready to be initiated into their service].” This is Rashi’s language on the basis of the words of our Rabbis¹²⁷Sifre Naso 44. of blessed memory. But it is not a complete proof [that Moses set up the Tabernacle and dismantled it again on each of the seven days of initiation], for the expression on the day that he had finished is not connected only with the word l’hakim (setting up), but [its meaning is rather as follows]: “on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle and anointing and sanctifying it, and [doing likewise to] the altar and all the vessels thereof — the princes offered their offerings, when all this was done.” Nonetheless [however we explain the verse], it was [indeed] on the eighth day [of the initiation of the priests].
This section was written here because on the first day of the initiation He called unto Moses out of the Tent of Meeting and G-d spoke to him¹²⁸Leviticus 1:1. all the sections [of the Torah] from the beginning of the Book of Leviticus until the section of Vayehi Bayom Ha’shemini,¹¹¹Leviticus 9:1. The verse referred to is ibid., 22. which all deal with the laws of the offerings. From that eighth day on Moses was told all the sections beginning with These are the beasts which ye may eat,¹²⁹Ibid., 11:2. which contain the laws of forbidden and permitted foods, since they are all related to the subject of the offerings, and these topics continued in their correct order up to this place [before us], as I have explained.¹³⁰In Exodus 40:2, and Leviticus 25:1. Thus when He had completed the commandments which Moses was ordered to say to Israel, all of them being laws of the Divine Service and the offerings, the charge of the Tent of Meeting and its Service, He reverted here afterwards to tell of the freewill offerings of the princes, which took place from the eighth day until the nineteenth day of Nisan,¹³¹This is the opinion of Rabbi Akiba, who says that the first day of the initiation of the priests was the first of Nisan, and accordingly “the eighth day” [which marked the final erection of the Tabernacle] was on the eighth of Nisan. On that day the twelve princes began their offerings, and each one brought an offering on a separate day, so that they finished on the nineteenth of Nisan. or until the twelfth day of the month in accordance with the words of our Rabbis.¹³²This is the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael, and is also the finally agreed opinion of the Rabbis in general. Hence the language of Ramban [“in accordance with the words of our Rabbis”]. According to this opinion, the Tabernacle was first put up on the twenty-third of Adar, and “the eighth day” was therefore the first of Nisan, so that the princes completed their offerings on the twelfth of Nisan. See further on this matter in my Hebrew commentary p. 217, and in Ramban, Vol. II, pp. 616-622.

Ein. Zum besseren Verständnis dieser Mischna seien hier die wichtigsten Bestimmungen zusammengestellt über den Abschluss bezw. die Unterbrechung des Nasirats sowie über die Opfer, die nach der Heilung des Aussatzes zu bringen sind: 1) Der Nasir muss am dritten und siebenten Tage nach erfolgter Verunreinigung sich sprengen lassen (Num. 19, 12), am siebenten Tage noch baden (ibid. 19) und sich scheren; am achten Tage bringt er zwei Turteltauben oder zwei junge Tauben als Sünd- und Ganzopfer und ein Lamm als Schuldopfer; er beginnt sodann ein neues Nasirat, das von gleicher Dauer sein muss wie das, welches er ursprünglich gelobt hatte. s. Einleit. S. 249 B. 2) Hat der Nasir sein Nasirat in Reinheit beendet, so muss er drei Opfer darbringen, nämlich ein weibliches Schaf als Sündopfer, ein Schaf als Ganzopfer und einen Widder als Friedensopfer sowie die dazugehörigen Speise- und Gussopfer; sodann muss er sich scheren. Damit ist sein Nasirat beendet, s. Einleit. 249, A. 3) Der vom Aussatz Geheilte muss zunächst zwei Vögel darbringen, die jedoch nicht als Opfer gelten und von denen man den einen ausserhalb des Heiligtums schlachtet, den anderen hingegen fliegen lässt (Lev. 14, 4 ff.). Er lässt sich dann scheren, nimmt ein Reinigungsbad und zählt sieben Tage, die er ausserhalb seiner Wohnung verbringt, schert sich am siebenten Tage, nimmt wieder ein Reinigungsbad und bringt am achten Tage ein Lamm als Schuldopfer, ein weibliches Schaf als Sündopfer und ein Lamm als Ganzopfer; ist er jedoch arm, so kann er als Ganz- und Sündopfer zwei Tauben bringen; Lev. 14, 22. 4) Der vom Aussatz geheilte Nasir unterscheidet sich von dem unrein gewordenen dadurch, dass jener als מחוסר כפרה, der Sühne bedürftig (Ker II, 1) erst dann Heiliges essen darf, wenn er nach zweimaligem Scheren die vorgeschriebenen Opfer gebracht hat (Negaim XIV, 3), der Nasir dagegen schon durch die Sprengung am siebenten Tage nach erfolgter Verunreinigung Heiliges geniessen darf und die erforderlichen Opfer ihm erst den Genuss von Wein u. s. w. gestatten. 5) Die Verunreinigung durch einen Toten hebt das Nasirat völlig auf und verpflichtet den Nasir zu einem neuen Nasirat (Nas. VII, 2); die Verunreinigung aber durch Aussatz hat nur aufschiebende Wirkung, und der Nasir hat nach dem Ablauf der Zählungsperiode sein Nasirat mit dem sovielten Tag fortzusetzen als er es durch Eintritt des Aussatzes abgebrochen hatte. 6) Das Gesetz üder das Scheren beim Aussatzschaden hebt das Gesetz über das Scheren des Nasir nur dann auf, wenn der Aussatz festgestellt, aber nicht, wenn er nur zweifelhaft ist (s. N. 2).

A Midrashic approach: The “be holy for I am holy,” with which our portion commences reflects the fact that the concept of a nation such as Israel inspired G’d to create the universe in the first place. Expressed differently: Israel shared G’d’s holiness already before the universe or the people were created. At this time G’d decided that the time had come for the people of Israel to demonstrate this latent holiness in actual visible fashion (compare Tanchuma Kedoshim 2). If we were to illustrate this concept in a parable the matter is similar to a king who has become engaged to a bride, i.e. she has become designated for him exclusively. This prompts the king to say: “seeing that I am the king and you are going to become my queen you ought to share my glory. Seeing that my glory is my title “king,” you ought to share this glory of mine.” Applied to G’d and Israel respectively, G’d’s glory being His being holy, He is now (immediately prior to the revelation at Mount Sinai) desirous of His fiancee the Jewish people sharing this holiness. The way to achieve this is to observe the laws of the Torah, plus. This is precisely what happened prior to the revelation at Mount Sinai when G’d told Moses to “sanctify” the people (Exodus 19,10), whereas G’d Himself sanctified the people when He said: “you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19,6).
Rabbi Levi (Vayikra Rabbah 24,5) claimed that the entire Ten Commandments are recorded in this portion. Whereas in the Decalogue we read אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “I am the Lord your G’d,” in our portion (19,4) we read אני ה' אלוקיכם. Whereas in the Decalogue we are told לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים, “do not have any other gods and do not make yourselves a hewn image, etc.,” we are told here (verse 4) “do not make yourselves a molten image.” Whereas in the Decalogue we are told not to utter the name of the Lord in vain, we are told here not to swear a false oath using the Lord’s name (verse 12). Whereas we are told in the Ten Commandments to observe the Sabbath, we are told here to observe the Lord’s Sabbath days (verse 3). Whereas we are told in the Decalogue to honour father and mother, we are told here to revere mother and father (verse 3). Whereas we are told in the Ten Commandments not to commit murder, we are told here “not to stand idly by when we see someone being murdered.” (19,16). In the Ten Commandments we are told not to commit adultery, whereas in our portion here we are being told: “do not desecrate your daughter to make her a harlot” (verse 29). The Decalogue commands us not to steal, whereas here we are told: “do not steal” (19,11). In the Decalogue the Torah warns against bearing false witness against someone, whereas in our portion we are warned: “do not commit character assassination, defamation” (19,16). In the Decalogue we are exhorted not to covet other people’s possessions, especially his wife, whereas here the Torah commands us to: “love what is your neighbor's just as what is yours,” i.e. not to covet what is his” (19,18).