Mitzvah —
383
To bring additional offerings on Passover
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וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֨ם אִשֶּׁ֤ה עֹלָה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה פָּרִ֧ים בְּנֵי־בָקָ֛ר שְׁנַ֖יִם וְאַ֣יִל אֶחָ֑ד וְשִׁבְעָ֤ה כְבָשִׂים֙ בְּנֵ֣י שָׁנָ֔ה תְּמִימִ֖ם יִהְי֥וּ לָכֶֽם׃ וּמִ֨נְחָתָ֔ם סֹ֖לֶת בְּלוּלָ֣ה בַשָּׁ֑מֶן שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה עֶשְׂרֹנִ֜ים לַפָּ֗ר וּשְׁנֵ֧י עֶשְׂרֹנִ֛ים לָאַ֖יִל תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃ עִשָּׂר֤וֹן עִשָּׂרוֹן֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה לַכֶּ֖בֶשׂ הָאֶחָ֑ד לְשִׁבְעַ֖ת הַכְּבָשִֽׂים׃ וּשְׂעִ֥יר חַטָּ֖את אֶחָ֑ד לְכַפֵּ֖ר עֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ - פָּרָשַׁת פִּינְחָס
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Numbers 28:19-22 - "You shall offer up a fire offering, a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year they shall be unblemished for you. Their meal offerings [shall be] fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths for each bull and two tenths for the ram you shall offer up. And you shall offer up one tenth for each lamb, for all seven lambs. And one young male goat for a sin offering to atone for you."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Holidays – חֲגִים
On each day of Passover, Israel must bring additional offerings — two bulls, one ram, seven lambs, and one goat — in addition to the daily tamid.
This mitzvah establishes the korban musaf for the days of Pesach. The musaf sacrifices include bulls, a ram, lambs, and a goat, together with their meal and drink offerings. Unlike the Paschal Lamb (korban Pesach), which is eaten in family groups, the musaf offerings are communal korbanot, emphasizing national service in the Mikdash.
The musaf of Pesach reflects its dual meaning: freedom from Egypt and ongoing dependence on Hashem. The bulls represent power and abundance, the ram symbolizes dedication, the lambs reflect humility and purity, and the goat serves for atonement. Rambam codifies this structure in Hilchot Temidin uMusafin, stressing the precise order. The Talmud (Pesachim 59b) links these offerings to Israel’s covenantal renewal each year. Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 403) explains that musafim elevate the festival beyond remembrance, turning it into active sanctification.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Temidin uMusafin 7:2–3): Codifies the Pesach musaf offerings and their sequence.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 403): Teaches that the offerings sanctify Pesach as a covenantal renewal, beyond the Seder night.
- Talmud (Pesachim 59b): Discusses the musaf offerings as distinct from the korban Pesach, highlighting their communal role.
- Rashi (Num. 28:19): Notes that the goat is a sin offering to secure atonement, even during celebration.
- Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 15:20): Interprets the festival offerings as a song of Israel, linking redemption to continued service.
Contrast with Rosh Chodesh Musaf (Mitzvah 382):
- Rosh Chodesh musaf centered on cosmic renewal and sanctification of time.
- Pesach musaf emphasized national redemption and Israel’s emergence as Hashem’s people.
- Rosh Chodesh goat atoned for the moon’s diminishment; Pesach goat atoned for Israel’s shortcomings amid redemption.
- Rambam stresses that while Rosh Chodesh depended on Israel’s sanctification of months, Pesach was Divinely fixed — a historical commemoration renewed annually.
Parallel to Shavuot and Sukkot Musafim:
- Pesach musaf inaugurates the Shalosh Regalim cycle of pilgrimage festivals, with Shavuot and Sukkot continuing the pattern.
- Shavuot (Mitzvah 386) echoes Pesach’s structure but adds the two loaves, symbolizing agricultural gratitude.
- Sukkot (Mitzvah 390) expands the musaf with seventy bulls over seven days, symbolizing universal blessing, contrasting with Pesach’s national focus.
- Ramban (Num. 29) explains that together the three musafim form a covenantal arc: redemption (Pesach), revelation (Shavuot), and Divine shelter (Sukkot).
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
Applying this Mitzvah Today
Notes on this Mitzvah's Fundamentals
Festivals – מוֹעֲדִים
- Rambam (Temidin 7:2) establishes the Pesach musaf as one of the yearly cycle of festival offerings. Mishnah (Pesachim 6:4) teaches that festivals are marked not only by abstaining from labor but also by communal korbanot.
Pesach – פֶּסַח
- Sefer HaChinuch (403) explains that Pesach musaf offerings commemorate redemption from Egypt in a collective, Temple-centered act. Talmud (Pesachim 59b) underscores the musaf as distinct from the korban Pesach, showing two layers of observance.
Temple – בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ
- Rashi (Num. 28:19) stresses that these offerings were brought specifically in the Mikdash, rooting Pesach’s memory in Temple ritual. Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 15:20) teaches that without the Mikdash, Pesach’s full sanctity was incomplete.
Sacrifices – קָרְבָּנוֹת
- Rambam highlights the bulls, ram, and lambs as olot, and the goat as chatat. Sefer HaChinuch explains each category symbolized a dimension of Israel’s relationship with Hashem: devotion, strength, humility, and atonement.
Mizbeach – מִזְבֵּחַ
- Ramban (Num. 28:19) interprets that the altar on Pesach renewed Israel’s covenant of service. The smoke of the musafim rose as testimony that freedom is tied to responsibility at the Mizbeach.
Community – קְהִלָּה
- Mishnah (Shekalim 4:1) rules that musaf offerings came from communal funds, making Pesach a national covenant. Midrash Rabbah adds that the offerings unified all Israel in shared worship during the festival.
Faith – אֱמוּנָה
- Talmud (Pesachim 116b) links Pesach offerings with emunah, recalling Israel’s faith at the Exodus. Sefer HaChinuch teaches that renewing these korbanot renews faith that redemption and Divine providence continue.
Gratitude – הוֹדָיָה
- Rashi and Midrash interpret the Pesach musaf as thanksgiving for redemption. Ramban adds that gratitude was expressed not only through Hallel at the Seder, but also through offerings at the Mizbeach.
Reverence – יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם
- Rambam emphasizes strict precision in bringing Pesach musaf, reflecting awe for Hashem’s command. Sefer HaChinuch teaches that reverence deepens when Israel remembers freedom is bound by responsibility.
Bein Adam L’Makom – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם
- Ramban notes that Pesach musafim expressed Israel’s devotion directly to Hashem, with no human intermediary. Midrash links this mitzvah to the covenant “between Me and the children of Israel forever.”
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