Rabbinic JudaismSifrei Bamidbar 34HOLYMAP · SACRED TEXTS
Sifrei on NumbersSifrei Bamidbar 34

Sifrei on Numbers

Sifrei Bamidbar 34

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English · Shraga Silverstein

(Bamidbar 6:150 "And a basket of unleavened bread": general (any kind); "fine flour, cake mixed with oil": particular. general-particular (The rule is:) There obtains in the general only what is in the particular. For it would follow (otherwise), viz.: Since a thanksgiving offering requires bread and the Nazirite ram requires bread, then if I have learned that one thanksgiving offering requires four kinds, then the Nazirite ram should also require four kinds; it is, therefore, written "and a basket of unleavened bread": general; "fine flour, cakes mixed with oil": particular. general-particular (The rule is:) There obtains in the general only what is in the particular. "and their meal-offering and their peace-offerings": for the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings." — But perhaps also for the sin-offering and for the guilt-offering (of the Nazirite who has become tamei). And this would follow a fortiori, viz.: Since a leper shaves and brings an offering and a Nazirite shaves and brings an offering, then just as the sin-offering and guilt-offering of a leper require libations, so should those of a Nazirite require libations; it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 17) "And the ram shall he offer as a sacrifice of peace-offerings to the L-rd for the basket of unleavened bread, and the Cohein shall offer its (the ram's) meal-offering and its drink-offering." The ram was included in the general rule ("and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings,") and it departed from the general rule (for special mention) to teach something about the rule itself, viz.: Just as the ram, which is distinct in being offered for vow and gift requires drink-offerings, so, all offerings for vow and gift require drink-offerings — to exclude the sin-offering and the guilt-offering, which, not being offered for vow and gift, do not require drink-offerings. Variantly: Since it (the ram) was included in the general rule, and it departed (from that rule) to teach about the bread, Scripture returned it to its rule.

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Sifrei Bamidbar 34English
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Mechilta, Sifra and Sifrei, translated by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein. CC BY. Text from Sefaria (sefaria.org). · Source ↗

English translation: Sifrei Bamidbar, translated by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein, via Sefaria (sefaria.org). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Changes: footnotes and HTML formatting removed.

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