Chapter 28 conveys laws concerning the daily sacrifices brought in the Temple; we speak of daily burnt
offerings. Abravanel questions the placement of these verses here. Better, he writes, had they been
taught elsewhere in the Torah, where the subject is broached (Exodus 28). Further, Abravanel wonders,
if our chapter delves into burnt offerings, why not make it inclusive of sin offerings and guilt offerings?
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Command the Children of Israel and
say unto them. My food which is presented unto Me for offerings made
by fire, of a sweet savor unto Me…This is the offering made by fire which
you shall bring unto God: day by day, for a continual burnt-offering…in
the morning, and the other you shall offer at dusk.”
Systematically, for Abravanel, context matters. In the end of the last chapter, we read about Moses’
imminent demise. “And God said to Moses. Ascend Mount Abarim, and behold the land which I give to
the Children of Israel. And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered unto your people…” What
does the death of Moses have to do with daily sacrifices brought in the Temple?
Because God foreshadowed Moses’ imminent demise, He saw fit to bring His forceful providence to bear
at this transitional juncture. At root, the Maker foresaw how the prophet’s death would plunge the
nation into dark places. Hence, providence sought an antidote.
Learning about sacrifices was the first line of defense to prop up a despondent people, sorely missing
their beloved leader. When Moses was alive, by dint of his constant, prophetic readiness, he could
restore faith in his co-religionists. After his death, though, that lifeline would be gone. Prophecy, in
general, would be considerably harder to come by.
That is when Moses learned of the commandment to offer sacrifices, twice daily, besides the additional
ones offered on special occasions. Here’s the thing. The power of sacrifices lays in its ability to stir within
man the prophetic impulse. To wit, the Torah’s early tzaddikim like Adam, Noah, and Abraham offered
sacrifices to their Maker Who appeared to them in hopes of meriting fresh divine communiqués. The
other patriarchs conducted themselves in the same manner. It may be that Balaam had it in mind when
he bid Balak to “Build for me seven altars…”
Specifically, something about daily burnt offerings invigorated prophetic juices, a most potent prophecy-
enhancing tonic. Actually, all burnt offerings possessed those same super-charged stimulants. In Exodus
27, we find that God upon issuing the commandment to bring daily sacrifices proclaimed this. “Daily
burnt offerings for your generations at the Tent of Assembly’s courtyard before God where I convene
with you there, and I will convene there for the Children of Israel.”
For Moses, the Tent of Assembly was his go-to place, his sanctuary. Literally and figuratively. Daily, he
entered the hallowed compound. Wee morning hours especially found the prophet ensconced there.
Priests, upon showing up, would hear Moses urging them to take great care in the daily burnt offerings.
That meant paying close attention to offer them punctually at the appointed times. Moses would credit
that particular group of sacrifices with an uncanny potential to bring down God’s bounty from above to
the people.
In Moses’ absence, who would goad the priests, the Almighty worried, in a manner of speaking. For that
reason, He requested Moses to command the Children of Israel concerning sacrifices. “And God spoke to
Moses saying. Command the Children of Israel and say unto them. My food which is presented unto Me
for offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Me…” Since daily sacrifices were public property, the
Hebrews eagerly donated funds, earmarked to buy them. The prophet, for his part, made a point to
infuse the priests with a sense of promptitude. It was paramount, they heard, to sacrifice precisely at
the designated times.
For Abravanel, this is the import of our verses’ placement in our chapter. We better appreciate the
segue from earlier verses regarding Moses’ upcoming death, and their lead in to our verses pertaining to
daily, burnt sacrifices in the Temple.
