וטעם ואל בני ישראל תדבר לאמר שיאמר להם אהרן כן כי רצה שיהיה אהרן המצווה בשם ה' והוא המקריב הקרבנות לגדלו בעיני העם והנכון שטעמו ואל בני ישראל תדבר אתה והזקנים הנזכרים כי לכך קראם שידברו לישראל כדרך ויקרא משה לכל זקני ישראל ויאמר אליהם משכו (שמות יב כא) או אמר לכל אחד מן הזקנים ואל בני ישראל תדבר ושיעור הפרשה ויאמר אל אהרן קח לך ואל הזקנים אמר ואל בני ישראל תדבר לאמר כי המדבר לרבים יאמר סתם לכל אחד מצותו כדרך ואצו אתכם בעת ההיא לאמר וגו' חלוצים תעברו (דברים ג יח) וכן רבים במשנה תורה ור"א אמר (אבן עזרא על ויקרא ט׳:ו׳) (אבן עזרא על ויקרא ט׳:ו׳) כי טעם ויאמר משה זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' תעשו (שם) שכבר אמר להם משה זה הדבר ואם כן יתכן שיהיה שיעור הפסוקים האלה כך קרא משה לאהרן ולבניו ולזקני ישראל ויאמר משה זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' אותי תעשו וירא אליכם כבוד ה' ויאמר אל אהרן קח לך עגל וגו' ואל בני ישראל תדבר לאמר קחו לכם שעיר עזים והנה קצר בתחילה ופירש בסוף ואיננו נכון אבל אחר שהזכיר להם הקרבנות ויקחו את אשר צוה משה חזר ואמר להם זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' תעשו שיקריבו הקרבנות על הסדר שיצום ואחר כך יראה להם הכבוד ובעבור שאמר כי היום ה' נראה אליכם חזר ואמר שיראה להם בכבודו והנה הקרבנות האלו לא הוזכרו בפרשת וזה הדבר אשר תעשה להם לקדש אותם לכהן לי (שמות כט א) כי שם לא צוה רק על המלואים ובשבעת הימים וקרבנותיהם מלאו ימי מלואיהם כי עתה ביום השמיני הם עצמם יקריבו הקרבנות והנה הקרבנות הללו כחנוכה להם כענין מנחת חביתים לדורות ביום המשח אותו (לעיל ו יג יד) ויתכן כי לכפר על מעשה העגל הוסיף להם עתה הקרבנות הללו כי כאשר צוה וזה הדבר אשר תעשה להם לקדש אותם עדיין לא נעשה העגל כאשר פירשתי (שם ח ב) לכך לא הזכירם שם ולא כדברי רש"י שאמר שם (שמות כט א) כי הפר לכפר על מעשה העגל אבל היו הפרים ההם לחטא על המזבח ועל אהרן ועל בניו ולקדש אותם והעגל הזה ביום השמיני לכפר על מעשה העגל והנה קרבן אהרן כקרבנו ביום הכפורים בשוה וחטאת העם כחטאתם ביום הכפורים שעיר עזים אחד לחטאת וכך אמר בתוספתא של פרשת מלואים בת"כ (שמיני מלואים ד) שהעגל הזה לכפר על מעשה העגל ודרשו וכי מה ראו ישראל להביא יותר מאהרן אלא אמר להם יש בידכם בתחילה ויש בידכם בסוף יש בידכם בתחילה שנאמר (בראשית לז לא) וישחטו שעיר עזים ויש בידכם בסוף שנאמר (שמות לב ח) עשו להם עגל מסכה יבא שעיר ויכפר על מעשה שעיר יבא עגל ויכפר על מעשה עגל ונראה כי בעבור היות טעם החטאת של אהרן כטעמו ביום הכפורים שרף אותו כאשר ישרף של יום הכפורים אף על פי שהיה זה חטאת חיצונה כי לא פירש משה שיעשה כן ואולי נצטוה בכך והכתוב לא חשש להאריך כי לא יעשה רק מה שיאמר משה ולא יאמר משה רק מה שצוה ה': And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak. This means that Aaron is to speak to them thus, as it was His wish that Aaron should be the one who commands in the name of G-d, and that he should be the one who would bring the offerings, in order to elevate him in the eyes of the people. The correct interpretation is that the expression and unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, means you [Aaron] and the elders mentioned [in Verse 1], since it was for that purpose that he called them,5As Verse 1 states: And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. so that they should speak to the children of Israel, as in the verse, And Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them: Draw out [and take you lambs].6Exodus 12:21. Or it may be that [Moses] said to each of the elders, and unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak [the singular word thou thus referring to each one of the elders]. Accordingly, the meaning of the section is as follows: and he [Moses] said to Aaron: Take thee etc., and to [each of] the elders he said, and unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak. For one who speaks to many people usually addresses his command to each person individually, something like that which it is said, And I commanded you at that time, saying etc.: Ye shall pass over armed before your brethren.7Deuteronomy 3:18. There are many such cases in the Book of Deuteronomy [where Moses speaks to the whole congregation, when his message is actually addressed to each person individually].
Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the verse, And Moses said: This is the thing which the Eternal commanded that ye should do,1Verse 6. means that “Moses had already told them, this is the thing.” If so, it is possible that the meaning of the verses be as follows: Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, and Moses said: This thing which the Eternal has commanded me ye should do, that the Glory of the Eternal may appear unto you;1Verse 6. and he said unto Aaron: Take thee a bull-calf etc.; and unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying: Take ye a he-goat for a sin-offering etc.8Verse 3. — Ibn Ezra thus transposes the contents of Verse 6, and explains that it was said immediately in Verse 1, as an introduction to the specific commands following. Thus [Moses] spoke briefly at first [as in Verse 6] and then explained himself at the end [in Verses 2-4].
But this is not correct. Rather, after Moses had mentioned to them the offerings [which they were required to bring on that day], and they brought that which Moses commanded,9Verse 5. he said to them again, This is the thing which the Eternal commanded that ye should do,1Verse 6. meaning that they should bring the offerings in the order that he would command them, and afterwards the Glory of the Eternal would appear to them. Now since he had said, for today the Eternal appeareth unto you,10Verse 4. he went back and said that He would appear to them through His Glory.
Now these offerings [which were brought on the eighth day after the completion of the seven-day consecration of the priests], were not mentioned in the section of And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto Me,11Exodus 29:1. for there He only gave the command about the consecration, and their days of consecration were completed with the seven days and their offerings, but now on the eighth day, they themselves brought the offerings [whereas on the seven days of the consecration, the offerings were brought by Moses]. Thus these offerings [brought on the eighth day] were a kind of initiation for the priests, as was the meal-offering of the baken cakes12Above, 6:13-15. command for future generations [which were brought] on the day when he is anointed.13Ibid., Verse 13. I.e., on the day that the ordinary priests are installed into the priestly service. The High Priest, however, brought this meal-offering every day. Ramban thus suggests that the offerings brought on the eighth day [as explained in this section] were a sort of initiation, comparable to the meal-offering brought in future generations by the ordinary priest once in his lifetime, and by the High Priest every day.
It is possible that it was in order to atone for the incident of the golden calf that He now gave them these added offerings, for at the time when He commanded the section of And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto Me,11Exodus 29:1. the golden calf had not yet been made, as I have explained,14See Ramban above, 8:1: “By way of the proper interpretation of Scripture etc.” and therefore He did not mention them [these offerings] there. It is thus not as Rashi wrote there,11Exodus 29:1. that the bullock [offered on each of the seven days of consecration] was to atone for the incident of the golden calf, but these bullocks were to purify the altar,15See Ramban above, 8:15. and for Aaron and his sons in order to hallow them,11Exodus 29:1. and it was this calf [brought] on the eighth day that was to atone for the incident of the golden calf. Thus Aaron’s offerings [on this eight day] were the same as his offerings on the Day of Atonement,16Further, 16:3: Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. [namely, the bull-calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, as mentioned in the verse before us], and the people’s sin-offering [on this eighth day] was the same as their sin-offering on the Day of Atonement, namely, one he-goat for a sin-offering.17Verse 3 here, and further, 16:5. — On the Day of Atonement there were actually two he-goats for a sin-offering, but only one was brought as an offering in the Sanctuary (see further, 16:8-22). So also have the Rabbis said in the Tosephta of the section of consecration, in the Torath Kohanim,18Torath Kohanim, at the beginning of Shemini 4. that this calf [brought on the eighth day] was to atone for the incident of the golden calf. Thus they interpreted: “For what reason did Israel bring more offerings [on this day] than Aaron?19Israel’s sin-offering on that day was a he-goat, while Aaron’s was a calf. As a burnt-offering Israel brought a calf and a ram, while Aaron’s was only a ram. The Torath Kohanim suggests a reason why the people’s offerings had to be more than those of Aaron, and also why their sin-offering was a he-goat, unlike that of Aaron which was a calf. It was on account of what He said to them: ‘You [the people] have in your hands [sin] at the beginning, and you have in your hands [sin] at the end.’ You have sinned at the beginning, as it is written [when the brothers sold Joseph], and they killed a he-goat,20Genesis 37:31. and you have sinned at the end, as it is said, they have made them a molten calf.21Exodus 32:8. Therefore let them bring the he-goat [for a sin-offering] to atone for the incident connected with that of the he-goat, and let them bring a calf [as a burnt-offering] to atone for the incident of the golden calf.”
It would appear that because the reason for Aaron’s sin-offering [on this eighth day] was the same as that of his sin-offering on the Day of Atonement, therefore he burnt it [outside the camp]22Further, Verse 11. Rashi wrote that this was done at the express command of G-d. But Ramban at this point suggests that this procedure was adopted on the basis of a similar law on the Day of Atonement, since the reason for both offerings was identical. as the one of the Day of Atonement is burnt,23Further, 16:27. even though this sin-offering [of the eighth day] was “an outer sin-offering”24See in Seder Tzav, Note 52. Ramban’s concluding thought here — “for Moses did not explain that he should do so” — is thus to be understood as follows: Since Scripture does not relate that Moses commanded Aaron to burn his sin-offering outside the camp although it was not “an inner sin-offering,” the question arises why did Aaron do so [as stated in Verse 11]? It must be, Ramban suggests, because the reason for Aaron’s sin-offering on this eighth day of the initiation was the same as that of his sin-offering on the Day of Atonement, which being “an inner sin-offering” is rightfully burnt outside the camp, and hence Aaron on this eighth day did similarly. In the text following, Ramban will suggest that Aaron actually received this command from Moses, and the reason why Scripture did not mention it is explained in the text of Ramban. [while that of the Day of Atonement was “an inner sin-offering”], for Moses did not explain that he should do so. But perhaps Aaron was indeed so commanded, and [it is not mentioned because] Scripture did not want to prolong the matter, it being known that Aaron would only do what Moses said, and that Moses would only say what G-d had commanded.
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