To bring additional offerings on Passover

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).