Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Levitico 3:6

לרצונכם, by ensuring the animal is unblemished and the procedure of semichah, placing one’s weight on it with one’s hands has been performed, as well as all the other details which have been spelled out in Leviticus 3,6.

you will sound the horn Opinion is divided over whether the universe was created in Nisan or in Tishrey [Rosh Hashana 10b–11a]. We need not dwell on the topic, since the Exegetes have established [Rosh Hashana 27a] that we recite “This day, the anniversary of the first day of creation” in the Rosh HaShana prayer [Musaf ‘Amida for Rosh HaShana]. Moreover, we see in the current verse that one blasts the horn of the jubilee year in Tishrey — namely, toward the beginning of the year. We also have the passage “Assemble the people…” [Deuteronomy 31:12] which tells us to read the Torah during the Sukkot festival. There the verse says “…that they may hear, and that they may learn” [Deuteronomy 31:12], and it is unlikely that this should take place after half of the year has elapsed. In addition, Scripture uses such phrases as “the harvest festival, at the end of the year” [Exodus 23:16] and “at the turn of the year” [Exodus 34:22]. The definitive proof, however, is the Sabbatical year, regarding which Scripture says, “Do not sow” [:11]. Now, the sowing season in the land of Israel begins in the month of Marḥeshvan. If the year were to begin in Nisan, then we could not harvest that which we planted in the sixth year. We could not plant on the following year (because it is the Sabbatical year), and since we could not harvest what was sown in the sixth year, it would be for all practical purposes as if we could not sow for two years in a row. Scripture, however, only tells us not to sow during the seventh year. Y e hudah HaParsi said that Israel used to follow a solar calendar. If this were true, then Moshe could not have taught us the exact length of a year, concerning which even today’s astronomers have been unable to reach an agreement. Not only do we rely on our tradition, but the very etymology of the word “month” also disproves HaParsi’s thesis. The Sadducees [a derogatory reference to Karaites — Translator] claim that a “year” in our religion is a lunar year; but the term “year” does not even apply to the moon (just as the term “month” does not apply to the sun). Rather, by dividing the length of a month into the length of a year, people figured out that a year is approximately 12 months long. The remainder from this division was divided into the length of a lunar month, in order to calculate the fraction of a month left over, so that our months would be lunar months while our years would eventually conform to the solar year. Our Sages, of blessed memory, have accordingly transmitted to us a tradition, dating back to the times of Moshe, that the Sanhedrin must decree seven leap years in every 19-year cycle (even though the months themselves were proclaimed upon observing the new moon). The mysteries of the 19-year cycle can be derived from the science of astrology [cf. comment on Exodus 12:2].

ואם כבש יביא קרבנו, And if he bring a lamb for his offering, etc. Why did the Torah have to make two separate paragraphs out of verses 27-31 and 32-35? Why did the Torah not simply state in the previous paragraph that the individual inadvertent sinner who is the subject in both paragraphs has the choice of bringing either a ewe or a she-goat to serve as his sin-offering? This would have eliminated the need for the entire paragraph commencing with verse 32? I believe that the reason why the Torah chose to write a separate paragraph is the same as why the Torah saw fit to write the paragraph starting with 3,6-11 and a separate paragraph commencing with 3,11-17 when the peace-offering consists of a she-goat. Torat Kohanim on 3,12 (item 185) explained all that. In our instance when the Torah speaks of sheep and goats as sin-offerings rather than as peace-offerings as in chapter three, the Torah (4,31) speaks of separating and burning up on the altar all of the fat of the she-goat sin-offering, comparing it with 3,9 where the fat-tail of sheep is included in the parts to be burned up as a peace-offering. In the case of a sin-offering consisting of a sheep, all of the fat parts are to be offered on the altar (4,35) including the fat-tail. We could not have derived the legislation pertaining to voluntary peace-offerings from legislation describing what is to be done with the same kind of animal when it is offered as a mandatory sin-offering.