Festival Offering

The Jewish people have been commanded to observe three positive commandments on each of the three pilgrimage festivals. They are: a) to appear before the Divine presence, as Exodus 23:17 states: "All of your males shall appear"; b) bringing a festive offering, as Deuteronomy 16:15 states: "You shall bring a festive offering to G-d your Lord"; and c) celebration, as ibid.:14 states: "And you shall rejoice in festivals." The Torah's charge to appear before G-d mandates that one should appear in the Temple Courtyard on the first day of a festival and bring with him a burnt-offering, whether from fowl or from domesticated animals. One who comes to the Temple Courtyard on the first day of a festival without bringing a burnt-offering has not only failed to perform a positive commandment, but has violated a negative commandment, as Exodus 23:15 states: "You shall not appear in My presence empty-handed." One is not liable for lashes for the violation of this prohibition, because he did not perform a deed. The Torah's charge to bring a festive offering mandates that one offer a peace-offering on the first day of the festival when one comes to appear before the Divine presence. It is a known matter that peace-offerings are brought only from domesticated animals. Women are not obligated in these two mitzvot of appearing before the Divine presence and bringing a festive sacrifice. The Torah's charge to celebrate on festivals mandates that one offer peace-offerings in addition to the festive peace-offerings. These are called the festive celebratory peace-offerings, as Deuteronomy 27:7 states: "You shall rejoice before G-d, your Lord." Women are obligated in this mitzvah.

According to Scriptural Law, there are no fixed measures with regard to the sacrifices brought when appearing before G-d or the festive offerings, as Deuteronomy 16:17 states: "Each person according to what he gives." According to Rabbinic Law, however, limits were established. One should not bring a burnt-offering to mark one's appearance worth less that a silver me'ah, nor should one bring a festive peace-offering worth less than two silver me'ah. It is a mitzvah to bring these sacrifices proportionate to one's wealth, as implied by the phrase: "according to what one gives...."

Our Sages did not establish a minimum measure for the celebratory peace-offerings. When a person will ascend to Jerusalem for the festival, if he is in possession of the sacrifices required when presenting oneself, he should bring them or he should bring sufficient silver to purchase a sacrificial animal. If he does not possess silver, he should not bring articles of value equivalent to silver. Even if he is in possession of articles worth several gold pieces, it is forbidden for him to ascend to Jerusalem empty-handed without silver or a sacrificial animal. Why was one forbidden to ascend while bringing articles worth money? Perhaps he will not be able to sell them or perhaps he will find impurities in the money he receives.

One who did not offer the burnt-offering marking his appearance and his festive peace-offering on the first day of the festival should offer them on the remaining days of the festival, as implied by Deuteronomy 16:15: "For seven days you shall celebrate unto G-d your Lord." This teaches that all of these days are fit for offering festive sacrifices. They are all compensation for the first day.

It is a mitzvah to be early and to offer these sacrifices on the first day. If, either inadvertently or intentionally, one did not offer them on the first day, they should be offered on the second day. Whoever delays is deserving of reproach. Concerning such a person is applied the words of censure, Tzefaniah 3:18: "I will gather in and break those who delay the festive prayers and offerings."

If the festival passed without one bringing these festive offerings, he is not obligated to bring them afterwards. Concerning such a situation and the like is applied the verse Ecclesiastes 1:15: "A wrong that cannot be righted."

When one did not bring the festive sacrifices on the first day of the Sukkos holiday, he may bring them throughout the entire festival and on the final holiday, which is the eighth day. For even the eighth day can serve as compensation for the first. Similarly, one who did not bring the festive offerings on the holiday of Shavuot may bring them for seven days, i.e., he may compensate during the six days that following the festival of Shavuot. This concept - that the festival of Shavuot is similar to the festival of Pesach with regard to compensation - was communicated through the Oral Tradition.

The burnt-offerings brought when appearing before G-d and the festive peace-offerings do not supersede either the Sabbath prohibitions or the restrictions against ritual impurity, because there is no fixed time when they are required to be brought like the communal offerings. For if one does not bring his festive offerings on one day, he may bring them on the next, as we explained. They do, however, supersede the prohibitions of the holidays. Although sacrifices which one has vowed or pledged to bring are not offered on holidays, the burnt-offerings brought when appearing before G-d, the festive peace-offerings, and the celebratory peace-offerings are offered. The rationale is that these are not vows or pledges, but rather obligations.

When one brings the burnt-offerings brought when appearing before G-d, the festive peace-offerings, and the celebratory peace-offerings on a festival, he should lean on them with all his power as he does when bringing offerings on other days. Even though leaning on the animals is not an indispensable element of their sacrifice, as we explained in Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot, the Sages did not institute a decree forbidding this as a shvut.

When a person sets aside a burnt-offering brought when appearing before G-d and dies, his heirs are obligated to offer it. It is permitted to offer sacrifices which one has vowed or pledged during the intermediate days of a holiday, as Numbers 29:39 states: "You will offer these to G-d on your festivals aside from your vowed and pledged offerings." It can be understood from this that those offerings are brought during the festivals. That verse continues "for your burnt-offerings, your meal-offerings, and your peace-offerings." "For your burnt-offerings" includes a burnt-offering brought by a person afflicted by tzara'at and a woman after childbirth." "Your meal-offerings" include the meal offering brought by a sinner and the meal-offering brought by a woman whose husband accused her of adultery. "Your peace-offerings" includes the peace-offering brought by a nazirite. All of these are offered on the intermediate days of a festival, but are not offered on the sacred days.

When a person who ascended to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage festival had many members of his household to partake of the offerings, but limited means, he should bring many festive peace-offerings, and few burnt-offerings brought when appearing before G-d. If he has few members of his household to partake of the offerings, but ample means, he should bring many burnt-offerings brought when appearing before G-d, and few festive peace-offerings. If he has few of both, concerning that our Sages said: "One should not bring less than a meah for a burnt-offering and two silver meah for a peace-offering." If he was blessed amply with both, concerning this, our Sages applied the verse Deuteronomy 16:17: "According to the blessing of G-d your Lord which He granted you."

Women and servants are exempt from the obligation to appear before G-d on festivals. All men are obligated to appear with the exception of a deaf person, a mute, one who is emotionally or intellectually incapable of controlling himself, a minor, a blind person, one who is limp, one who is impure, one who is uncircumcised, and similarly, one who is old, sick, very dainty and spoiled to the extent they cannot ascend by foot. All of these eleven persons are exempt. All other men are obligated to appear before G-d. To explain these categories in greater detail: A deaf person is exempt even if he can speak. Even if he is deaf in only one ear, he is exempt from appearing. Similarly, one who is blind in one eye or limp in one leg, is exempt. A mute even though he hears is exempt. A tumtum and an androgynus are exempt, because there is a doubt whether they are female. A person who is half-servant and half-free is exempt, because of the side of him that is a servant. What is the source that all the above are exempt from appearing before G-d? Exodus 23:17 states: "All of your males shall appear"; this excludes women. And any positive commandment for which women are not obligated, servants are not obligated. Moreover, Deuteronomy 31:11 "When all Israel come to appear"; this excludes servants. The phrase "When all Israel come to appear" implies that just as they come to appear before G-d, so too, they come to see the glory of His holiness and the house where His presence rests. Thus it excludes a blind person who cannot see; he is exempt even if only one eye is blinded, because his sight is not perfect. That passage continues: "So that they will hear." This excludes one whose hearing is not perfect. And it states: "So that they will learn." This excludes one who does not speak, because everyone who is obligated to learn is also obligated to teach. Exodus 34:24 states: "When you ascend to appear before the presence of G-d." The command is directed to one who can ascend by foot and thus excludes one who is limp, old, sick, or very dainty. And we have already explained in Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash that a person who is impure is not fit to enter the Temple. And one is uncircumcised is loathsome like one who is impure.

A scraper, i.e., one whose task is to gather the excrement of dogs and the like to use for the processing of hides or for medicinal purposes, one who quarries copper in its mine, and a leatherworker, even though they are loathsome because of their profession, should purify their bodies and their garments and ascend to Jerusalem together with the Jewish people as a whole to appear before G-d.

Whenever a child can hold his father's hand and ascend from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount, his father is obligated to have him ascend and appear before G-d to train him in the observance of the mitzvot, as implied by the phrase: "All your males shall appear." If the minor was limp, blind, or deaf, even in one of his organs, his father is not obligated to train him, even if his infirmity could be healed. The rationale is that if he was in this state when he was past majority, he would be exempt, as we explained.

All who are obligated to appear are obligated to bring a festival offering and all who are exempt from appearing are exempt from the festival offering and all are obligated for the offering of celebration except for the deaf-mute, the mentally incompetent, the minor, the uncircumcised, and the ritually impure. The deaf-mute, mentally incompetent, and the minor because they are never held to be obligated and so they are exempt from all commandments explicitly stated in the Torah. The uncircumcised and the impure because they cannot eat sanctified food and cannot appear and enter [the Temple] like we have explained in the Laws of Entry into the Sanctuary and the Laws of Sacrificial Acts.

If one was limp or blind on the first day of a festival and was healed on the second day, he is exempt from appearing before G-d and bringing the festive offering, because all of the remaining days of the festival are compensation for the first day, as we explained. Similarly, if he became impure on the night of the first day of a festival, he is exempt, even though he purifies himself on the following day. If, however, he became impure on the first day of the festival, he is obligated to bring his festive offering and the burnt-offering brought when appearing before G-d during the remaining days of the festival when he regains ritual purity.

One who enters the Temple Courtyard during the days of a festival is not obligated to bring a burnt-offering whenever he enters, for the charge, "You shall not appear in My presence empty-handed," applies only on the fundamental celebration of the festival, the first day or the day which compensates for the first day. If he brings such a sacrifice at any time, we accept it, and offer it as a burnt-offering brought when appearing before G-d, for there is no limit to these offerings.

When a person set aside ten animals for his festive offering, sacrificed some of them on the first day, and made an interruption, he should not offer the others, for he left them over. If he did not make an interruption, but instead, the day was pressing and he was not able to offer them all that day, he should offer the remainder on the following day.

The burnt-offering brought when appearing before G-d may be brought only from ordinary funds like other sacrifices for which a person is obligated.The festive peace-offerings, by contrast, may be brought from funds from the second tithe that are intermingled with ordinary funds. He may purchase an animal with the intermingled funds and offer it as a festive peace-offering, provided that the minimum measure which one must eat first could be purchased with the ordinary funds. The rationale is that the festive peace-offerings are an obligation and any obligation must be satisfied with ordinary funds.

A person may fulfill his obligation for festive peace-offering with animals designated as tithe-offerings. He should not, however, bring such an offering on the holiday. This is a decree, lest he tithe on the holiday.

An Israelite fulfills his obligation for celebratory peace-offerings with vowed and pledged offerings and with tithe-offerings. Priests may also do so with their portions from the sin-offerings and the guilt-offerings, a firstborn offering, and the breast and fore-leg from a peace-offering. For this mitzvah involves rejoicing by eating sacrificial meat in G-d's presence and he has done that. Priests cannot fulfill their obligation by partaking of sin-offerings of fowl or of meal-offerings. For they are not meat that brings joy. We already explained in the laws of the Paschal sacrifice, that the festive offering brought on the fourteenth of Nisan is a matter of choice. Therefore he does not fulfill his obligation for the festive offering with it. He does, however, fulfill his obligation for the celebratory peace-offering.

When a person who had peace-offerings which he vowed or pledged to bring, slaughtered them on the day before a festival, even though he partakes of them on the festival, he does not fulfill his obligation for the festive offering, because it may only be brought from ordinary animals. He may, however, fulfill his obligation for celebratory peace-offerings with them.

Even though he slaughtered them before the festival, since he partakes of them on the festival, he may fulfill his obligation with them, for he does not need to slaughter the celebratory peace-offerings at the time of celebration.

A person should not bring a thanksgiving offering on the day of the fourteenth of Nisan, because of the leaven it includes, for we do not cause sacred foods to be disqualified. If one brought such an offering, he may fulfill his obligation for celebratory peace-offerings through it, as explained.

If one says: "I vow to bring a thanksgiving through which I can fulfill my obligation to bring a festive offering," he is obligated to bring a thanksgiving offering, but he does not fulfill his obligation for the festive offering. For a festive offering must be brought from ordinary funds. When a person sacrifices festive and celebratory peace-offerings, he should not eat while secluded, together with his children and his wife and think he is performing a perfect mitzvah. Instead, he is obligated to bring joy to the poor and unfortunate. Thus Deuteronomy 16:14 mentions: "the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow." One should grant them food and drink according to his wealth. If one partook of his sacrifices and did not bring joy to these together with him, to him are applied the words of censure, Hoshea 9:4: "Their sacrifices will be like the bread of those aggrieved for them, of which all who partake of it become impure. Instead, let their bread be for themselves." The mitzvah is to give the Levite takes precedence over all the others, because he is not granted a portion and an ancestral heritage, nor is he given portions of the sacrificial meat. Therefore one must invite Levites to one's table and have them celebrate or give them presents of meat together with the tithes that are given to them, so that all their needs are met. Whoever forsakes a Levite, refrains from bringing him joy, and delays giving him the tithes during the festivals violates a negative commandment, as Deuteronomy 12:19 states: "Beware lest you abandon the Levite."

It is a positive commandment to assemble all of Israel - men, women and youngsters - at the end of every sabbatical year, when they come up for the pilgrimage [on Sukkot], and to read sections from the Torah in their ears; sections, which enthuse them about the commandments and strengthen them in the true religion. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 31:10-12), "At the end of seven years at the time of the sabbatical year on the festival of Sukkot. When all of Israel come to appear, etc... Assemble all of the people, the men, the women and the youngsters and your stranger that is in your gates, etc."

Anyone who is exempt from appearing [on the holiday] is exempt from the commandment of hakhel (assembly), except for the women and the youngsters and the uncircumcised [who are obligated]. But the impure are exempt from the commandment of hakhel, as it is stated (Ibid.), "When all of Israel come" - and this one is not fitting to come. And it is a clear matter that those of indeterminate sex and the hermaphrodites are obligated [in the commandment], since, behold, the women are obligated.

When would they read? At the end of the first-day holiday of the festival of Sukkot, which is the beginning of [the festival's] intermediate days, on the eight year [of the sabbatical cycle]. And the king would be the one to read in their ears, and they would read in the women's courtyard. And he would read while sitting, but if he read while standing, behold, this is praiseworthy. From where would he read? He would read from the beginning of the [book] of Deuteronomy until the end of the Shema section (6:9) and skip to "Vehaya eem shamoa, etc." (11:13) and [then] skip to "aser te-aser" (14:22) and read from "aser te-aser" in order, until the end of the blessings and curses - until "beside the covenant which He made with them at Horev"(28:69) and stop.

How would he read? They would blow trumpets in all of Jerusalem in order to assemble the people and bring a large pedestal and it was [made] of wood. And they would place it in the middle of the women's courtyard and the king would go up and sit upon it so that they could hear his reading, and all of Israel that would go up [on the festival pilgrimage] would gather around him. And the sexton of the [Temple] synagogue would take the Torah scroll and give it to the head of the synagogue, and the head of the synagogue would give it to the Assistant [High Priest], and the Assistant [would give it] to the High Priest, and the High Priest to the king, in order to enhance it with the multitude of people [involved]. And the king would receive it while standing and, if he wanted, he would [then] sit, and [then he would] open and see [it] and bless in the way that every reader would bless in a synagogue. And he would read the sections that we stated, until he finishes and rolls [it] and blesses after it, in the way that we bless in synagogues. And he adds seven [other] blessings and these are them: Accept, Lord our G-d, Your people Israel, etc.; We thank You, etc.; You have chosen us from all of the nations, etc. until, Who has sanctified Israel and the [special] times - in the way that we bless in prayer, behold these are three blessings according to their [usual] structure; the fourth is [that] he prays for the Temple, that it should stand, and concludes it, "Blessed are You, Lord, Who dwells in Zion;" the fifth is [that] he prays for Israel, that their kingdom should stand, and concludes it, "Who chooses Israel;" the sixth is [that] he prays for the priests, that the Power should accept their service, and concludes it, "Blessed are You, Lord, Who sanctifies the priests; the seventh is that he supplicates and prays within it, according to what he can, and concludes it, "Save, Lord, Your people, Israel, since Your people needs to be saved, Blessed are You, Lord, Who hears prayer."

The reading and the blessings should be in the Holy Tongue, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 31:11), "and you shall read this Torah." [Implying that it be] in its language, even though there are those that speak [other] languages present.

And converts who do not recognize that they are obligated to direct their hearts and to attune their ears to hear with fear and reverence and joy trembling like the day on which [Torah] was given at Sinai. Even great sages that know the Torah completely are obligated to listen with exceptionally great concentration. And one who is unable to listen should direct his heart to the reading, that Scripture is established to strengthen true faith. And he should see himself as if now he is commanded and from G-d he heard it, that the king is an agent to cause the words of G-d to be heard.

When the day of hakhel falls out on Shabbat, we push it off to after Shabbat, because of the blowing of trumpets and the supplications, [both of] which do not preempt the Shabbat. We have finished the laws of the festival offering, with Heaven's help.