Comentários de Citação sobre Números 9:9

Introduction The first four mishnayot of our chapter deal with what is called “Pesah Sheni”, the second pesah. The laws of Pesah Sheni are taught in Numbers 9:9-13. Pesah Sheni is observed on the fourteenth of Iyyar, one month after the first Pesah.

קהל עדת ישראל it speaks here of קהל assembly, עדה congregation, ישראל Israel, whilst one of these terms alone would have sufficed; hence they (the Rabbis) said: the paschal-lambs of the congregation (a term used in contrast to that which was sacrificed by an individual on the 14th of the second month; cf. Numbers 9:9—14) are to be slaughtered in three groups, one after the other — the first group entered and the doors of the court were closed, etc. as is to be found in the Talmud, Treatise Pesachim (64a).

ואתנפל לפני ה' כראשונה ארבעים יום, “I threw myself down before the Lord as the first time, forty days;” The meaning of the word ואתנפל is that he fell on his face on the ground. Our sages derived from this wording the mode of our prayers which includes three positions, i.e. standing, sitting, and prostrating oneself. Moses mentioned all three of these positions when he referred to his sojourn on Mount Sinai. In verse 9 he referred to “sitting” on the mountain; in Deut. 10,10 he refers to his standing on the mountain, whereas in our verse he mentions prostrating himself.