Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Levitico 1:8

When the Torah in our paragraph wrote: “command Aaron and his sons,” this is very unusual as throughout the Portion of Vayikra we find Aaron’s sons mentioned instead of their father such as: “the sons of Aaron shall throw, etc.” (Leviticus 1,14), or “the sons of Aaron will (arrange) prepare” (Leviticus 1,8.). The reason that in these instances Aaron was ignored is still the fallout from his part in the making of the golden calf. When Moses became aware of this he said to G’d: “how can a well be hated whereas the water it produces is well beloved?” If You G’d have honoured the wood (to be used on the Altar) on account of its offspring as we know from Tamid 2,3 that all kinds of logs are suitable to be used as kindling on the Altar with the exception of olive wood and the wood of the grape vine, surely Aaron should be admitted on the Altar if only on account of the fine sons he had produced!” When our portion starts with the words: “command Aaron and his sons,” etc., this reflects G’d’s response to Moses’ plea on behalf of his brother.

AND HE SHALL FLAY … AND HE SHALL SEVER … AND THE SONS OF AARON THE PRIEST SHALL PUT FIRE UPON THE ALTAR.⁹⁰Verse 7. This is not the correct order of these actions, for the right way is that the priests should first put fire upon the altar, and only then should they sever the limbs. Such indeed was the order of the arrangement of the Daily Offering.⁹⁶Yoma 33. Similarly, the verse stating, And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall set the pieces, the head and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire,⁹²Verse 8. and afterwards, But its inwards and its legs he shall wash in water⁹¹Verse 9. — does not mean to command that it be done in that order, for “the setting” [mentioned in Verse 8] refers to “the burning” of the pieces which He commanded further on [in Verse 9]: and the priest shall cause all to ascend in fumes. If so, the correct order of performance cannot be that he should bring up the pieces, and the head and the fat, and set them upon the fire that is upon the altar, and only afterwards should he wash the inwards and the legs and burn them! Rather, he first severed it and washed it, and then he brought everything up and set them on the fire to be burnt. The reason [for the order] of the verses is thus as follows: First He mentioned the sprinkling of the blood⁸⁹Verse 5. in order to teach that this comes before everything else. Then He gave the commandment concerning the burning of the limbs, stating [in Verse 6 before us] that he should flay [the animal] and sever it in order to set the pieces upon the fire after washing the inwards and the legs, and then he should burn them all at one time, this being the sense of the expression and the priest shall cause ‘all’ to ascend in fumes.⁹¹Verse 9. The reason why Scripture repeated [the commandment] concerning the limbs, stating, and they shall set them…upon the fire,⁹²Verse 8. and the priest shall cause all to ascend in fumes,⁹⁷Verse 9. — That is to say, in view of the fact that the expression and they shall set the pieces in order … [Verse 8] means the burning thereof, as explained above, the question appears why in Verse 9 it repeats the command concerning the limbs, and they shall set them upon the fire? is in order to teach us that after he arranges them upon the fire, he should not depart until the fire has taken hold of them and consumed them so that the fumes thereof ascend. Similarly, the reason why He preceded to mention the flaying and severing to that of making the fire, is in order to teach us that in a freewill burnt-offering [discussed in this section], there is no obligation to set the fire upon the altar before [these activities] as is the case with the Daily Offering, concerning which we were commanded, and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning,⁹⁸Further, 6:5. this being the first thing of all that was done in everything that pertaineth to the altar⁹⁹Numbers 18:7. Actually the removal of the ashes from the altar (see further, 6:3) preceded the kindling of the wood. But Ramban’s intent here is obviously to everything that pertaineth to the altar as far as the burning of the offering is concerned. as is explained in Tractate Yoma.⁹⁶Yoma 33.

your burnt offerings that you offer up completely it would be better for you to add them to your peace-offerings and sacrifice them as peace-offerings and eat the flesh, for they are not acceptable before Me. Why, then, should you lose them?