Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
On the second day of the dedication appeared the prince of the tribe of
Reuben and wanted to present his offering, saying: "Tis enough that
Judah was permitted to offer sacrifice before me, surely it is not time
for our tribe to present our offerings." But Moses informed him that
God had ordained that the tribes should present offerings in the order
in which they moved through the desert, so that the tribe of Issachar
followed Judah. This tribe had altogether good claims to be among the
first to offer sacrifices, for, in the first place, this tribe devoted
itself completely to the study of the Torah, so that the great scholars
in Israel were among them; and then, too, it was this tribe that had
proposed to the others that bringing of the dedication offerings. As
this was the tribe of erudition, its gifts symbolized things
appertaining to the Torah. The silver charger and the silver bowl
corresponded to the written and to the oral Torah; and both vessels
alike are filled with fine flour, for the two laws are not
antagonistic, but form a unity and contain the loftiest teachings. The
fine flour was mingled with oil, just as knowledge of the Torah should
be added to good deeds; for he who occupies himself with the Torah, who
works good deeds, and keeps himself aloof from sin, fills his Creator
with delight. The golden spoon of ten shekels symbolizes the two tables
on which God with His palm wrote the Ten Commandments, and which
contained between the commandments all the particulars of the Torah,
just as the spoon was filled with incense. The three burnt offerings,
the bullock, the ram, and the lamb corresponded to the three groups of
priests, Levites and Israelites, whereas the kid of the goats alluded
to the proselytes, for the Torah was revealed not only for Israel but
for all the world; and "a proselyte who studies the Torah is no less
than a high priest." The two oxen of the peace offering corresponded to
the oral and the written Torah, the study of which brings peace on
earth and peace in heaven. [390]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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