Introduction

The Torah lists the communal festive offerings for the Sabbath, New Moon, Passover, Shavuot, New Year, Day of Atonement, Sukkoth, and Shemini Atzeret. These communal offerings are in addition to the daily offering described in Numbers 28:1-8 and in Hebrew are therefore called מוסף which means additional offering. The sages enacted an extra prayer on these days to correspond to this offering which includes the verses from the Torah describing these sacrifices.

The following table lists the names of the holidays in English and Hebrew with the relevant verses describing these offerings from the book of Numbers.

Holiday (English)	Holiday (Hebrew)	Verses
Sabbath	שבת	28:9-10
New Moon	ראש חדש	28:11-15
Passover	פסח	28:16-25
Shavuot	שבעות	28:26-31
New Year	ראש השנה	29:1-6
Day of Atonement	יום כפור	29:7-11
Sukkoth	סכות	29:12-34
Shemini Atzeret	שמיני עצרת	29:35-38

Type of Offering

Each of the offerings described in the above table are communal offerings which means one set of offerings for the entire nation composed of elevation and sin offerings. The following table shows the components of these offerings and the disposition to the altar and officiating priests.   

Offering	Altar	Priest
Elevation	Entire animal except skin	Skin of animals
Sin (Note 1)	Fats	Rest of animal
Grain with oil	Burnt on altar	None
Wine libation	Poured on altar	None

Note 1: In contrast to the other festive offerings the Sabbath offering does not include a sin offering.

The festive communal elevation offering, like all elevation offerings, is completely burnt on the altar with the skin distributed to the officiating priests. The festive communal sin offering is eaten by the officiating priests with the blood and fats offered on the altar (Maimonides Laws of Daily and Additional Offerings 7:2). The grain offering accompanying the communal festive offerings is completely burnt on the altar (Maimonides Laws of Offerings 2:1).  

The wine libation is completely poured into a receptacle on the top of the altar but not on the fire (ibid.) and hence no part of the wine is given to the priests.

Elevation Offering

The following table lists the types of animals for each elevation offering by holiday with explanatory notes. In addition to these elevation offerings, the Torah mandates additional elevation offerings for Passover, Shavuot, and the Day of Atonement as shown in the table below. The additional sin offerings for Shavuot and Day of Atonement are explained in the section of the sin offering.

Holiday	Bulls	Rams	Lambs
Sabbath	0	0	2
New Moon	2	1	7
Passover (Note 1)	2	1	7
Shavuot (Note 2)	2	1	7
New Year	1	1	7
Day of Atonement (Note 3)	1	1	7
Sukkoth (Note 4)	13 to 7	2	14
Shemini Atzeret	1	1	7

Additional Offerings 

The table below lists the additional elevation and peace offerings for these holidays.

Holiday	Bulls	Rams	Lambs
Passover – Barley Harvest	0	0	1
Shavuot – Elevation	1	2	7
Shavuot – Peace	0	0	2
Day of Atonement	0	0	1

The following notes explain the nature of these additional elevation offerings and the elevation offering on Sukkoth.

1. The Torah (Leviticus 23:12) commands that the Israelites bring one lamb on the 16^th of Nissan in conjunction with the barley offering which marks the beginning of the barley harvest. Although the Torah (ibid. 23:11) only mentions “the next day after the day of rest”, the Talmud (Menachot 65b) interprets this day of rest as the 1^st day of Passover which is on the 15^th of Nissan.   
2. The Torah (Leviticus 23:18) commands that the Israelites bring 1 bull, 2 rams, and 7 lambs as elevation offerings on Shavuot in conjunction with a wheat offering of two loaves which occurs near the beginning of the wheat harvest. The Talmud (Menachot 45b) remarks that these offerings are in addition to the communal offerings in the book of Numbers because the number of bulls and rams are different (i.e. 1 and 2 vs. 2 and 1 respectively).  In addition the Torah (ibid. 23:20) commands that the Israelites brings 2 lambs as a communal peace offering which is the only communal peace offering in the Torah.
3. The Torah (Leviticus 16:3) mentions that the high priest shall bring at his expense, a ram for an elevation offering. Although the Torah also mentions a communal ram offering in verse 5, Maimonides (Laws of Service of the Day of Atonement 1:1) rules that this ram is the same as the one mentioned in Numbers 29:8 and included in the above table.
4. The bull offering on Sukkoth is unique in that the number of bulls decreases each day for the seven days of Sukkoth. For those with a mathematical bent the formula for the number of bulls offered per day is 14-N where N is the ordinal day number of Sukkoth (i.e. N runs from 1 to 7 and therefore the number of bulls decreases from 13 to 7). By contrast the Passover festive offering is the same for all seven days of Passover.   

The reader may ask, “What happens when two of these holidays coincide? For example when the New Moon occurs on the Shabbat?” In that case both sets of offerings are placed on the altar. The Torah refers to coinciding holidays through the New Year offering because the New Year (1^st of Tishri) is also the first day of the month (i.e. New Moon). The verse states (Numbers 29:6), “The New Year offering is besides the burnt offering of the new month and its meal offering.” In fact the only possible situations of overlap are:

• Sabbath with any of the other holidays.
• New Year which includes the New Moon.

Grain with Oil

The Torah specifies the amount of flour for each type of animal of the elevation offering as shown in the following table which lists the animal, amount of flour, and associated verse in Chapter 28 of Numbers. The total amount of flour is directly proportional to the type and number of animals offered. For example for the total amount of flour for the new moon offering is 15/10 or 1.5 ephah (3*2/10 + 2*1/10 + 7*1/10 = 15/10).

Animal	Ephah	Verse
Bull	3/10	12
Ram	2/10	12
Lamb	1/10	13

The ephah is between 2 to 3 liters depending upon the different views of the volume of an egg. Appendix 1 provides a detailed analysis of this measure.

Wine Libation

The Torah specifies the amount of wine for each type of animal of the elevation offering as shown in the following table which lists the animal, amount of wine, and associated verse in Chapter 28 of Numbers. The total amount of wine is directly proportional to the type and number of animals offered. For example for the total amount of wine for the new moon offering is 37/12 or 3.08 hin (2*1/2 + 1*1/3 + 7*1/4 = 37/12 of hin).

Animal	Hin	Verse
Bull	1/2	14
Ram	1/3	14
Lamb	1/4	14

The hin is between 3.5 to 5.0 liters depending upon the different views of the volume of an egg. Appendix 1 provides a detailed analysis of this measure. It is interesting to note that the amount of wine per animal (i.e. 1 to 2.5 liters) is similar to the wine consumed at a large family gathering when partaking of a meat meal showing the connection between man and the sacrificial system. The amount of wine for the libation is the same for an elevation offering, which is completely burned, and a peace offering which is consumed by the owner of the offering, his friends and family, and the officiating priests.  By contrast there is no meal offering or wine libation for a communal sin offering.

Sin Offering

For each of the holidays, with the exception of the Sabbath, the Torah records a sin offering of one goat as shown in the following table which lists the holidays (in English and Hebrew) and the associated verse in the book of Numbers. In addition to these sin offerings, the Torah mandates additional sin offerings for Shavuot and the Day of Atonement as shown in the table below

Holiday (English)	Holiday (Hebrew)	Verse
Sabbath	שבת	Not Applicable
New Moon	ראש חדש	28:15
Passover	פסח	28:22
Shavuot (Note 1)	שבעות	28:30
New Year	ראש השנה	29:5
Day of Atonement (Note 2)	יום כפור	29:11
Sukkoth	סכות	29:16
Shemini Atzeret	שמיני עצרת	29:38

Additional Sin Offerings

The table below lists the additional sin offerings for these holidays

Holiday	Goats
Shavuot	1
Day of Atonement	2

The following notes explain the nature of these additional sin offerings:

1. The Torah (Leviticus 23:19) commands that the Israelites bring 1 goat as a sin offering on Shavuot in conjunction with a wheat offering of two loaves.
2. The Torah commands the bringing of 2 additional sin offerings of goats on the Day of Atonement (i.e. the inner goat offering and the scapegoat) as explained below.

Day of Atonement

The following table defines the type of goat offering, manner of blood application, consumption of the meat, and related verses in the Torah for the sin offerings of the Day of Atonement. The outer goat offering, listed in the table above, is included in the table for comparison.

Goat	Blood Offering	Meat	Verse
Inner	Inner Altar	Burnt	Leviticus 16:15
Outer	Outer Altar	Consumed by priests	Numbers 29:11
Scapegoat	X	X	Leviticus 16:21

The Torah commands the Israelites to take two goats (Leviticus 16:5) and through a selection by lots (ibid. 8), one is offered to Hashem and the other for a scapegoat. The high priest slaughters the former goat and sprinkles its blood in the Holy of Holies where the Ark resided in the first temple or its empty space in the second temple (ibid. 15). In addition the high priest sprinkled the blood on the curtain (i.e. between the Holy and Holy of Holies) and the inner altar of incense, hence the name “Inner goat offering”. Due to its holiness the meat was burned and not eaten by the priests after the Day of Atonement (ibid. 27). The high priest also slaughters “the outer goat offering”, and throws the blood on the outer altar. This meat is consumed by the priests after the Day of Atonement (Zevachim 52b). The scapegoat is sent away from Jerusalem and driven off a cliff to its death (Leviticus 16:21-22). Therefore its blood is not offered on the altar and its meat is not consumed.   

Reason

Since the written Torah does not specify the purpose of these sin offerings, the reader may ask, “What is the purpose of these offerings and why one for each holiday?” The Talmud Shevuot (7b-10a) explains that this sin offering atones for unintentional violation of entering the temple or partaking of sacrificial foods when a person is ritually impure.  The Talmud Shevuot (2a) mentions 4 infractions and explains them (ibid. 3a) as follows:

The person was unaware that he was ritually impure and:

1. Entered the temple.
2. Or ate sacrificial food.

Or the person was aware that he was ritually impure but did not realize that this area was part of the temple or this food was sacrificial and:  

• Entered the temple.
• Or ate this sacrificial food.

Types of Offerings

The Talmud (ibid. 2a) further explains the need for different communal sin offerings depending upon the level of awareness of the transgression as shown in the following table. The table lists the offerings, level of awareness before and after the inadvertent transgression, associated verse(s) in the Torah, and relevant pages in the Talmud (Shevuot).

Offering	Before	After	Verse(s)	Talmud (Shevuot)
Variable offering	√	√	Leviticus 5:2-3	6b-7b
Day of Atonement (inner)	√	X	Leviticus 16:16	7b-8a
Day of Atonement (outer)	X	√	Numbers 29:11	2a
New Moon and Festival	X	X	Numbers 28:15 and 29:39	9a-10a

The following paragraphs detail the nature of these offerings. 

Variable Offering

In contrast to other sin offerings, the Torah mandates this personal variable offering only when the inadvertent transgressor was initially aware of the situation (e.g. impurity or status of the food/temple area), later forgot and transgressed, and afterwards was aware of the transgression. This situation corresponds to the requirement of awareness before and after the transgression.

The Torah (Leviticus 5:5-6) specifies this variable sin offering, “When someone incurs guilt in any one of these cases (mentioned above Leviticus 5:1-4), he shall confess the sin which he had committed. He shall bring his guilt offering to Hashem … a female sheep or a goat.”The variability applies to the financial status of the transgressor as follows:

Person	Offering	Verse (Leviticus 5)
Well to do	Sheep or goat	6
Middle class	Two doves	7
Poor	Meal (1/10 of ephah)	11

 

Day of Atonement (Inner Goat Offering)

This communal offering atones when the person was initially aware of the situation (i.e. ritual impurity and knowledge of the sacrificial food or temple precincts) but forgot and later transgressed.  In this case the inner goat offering only provides temporary atonement. When the person finds out about his transgression he must bring a variable offering because he is now aware of the transgression.

Day of Atonement (Outer Goat Offering)

This communal offering atones when the person was initially unaware of the situation (i.e. ritual impurity and knowledge of the sacrificial food or temple precincts), later transgressed, and then became aware of his transgression. In this case the outer goat offering provides full atonement because the person was unaware of the situation at the outset. Hence he is not liable for a variable offering because he lacked initial knowledge of the transgression.

New Moon Sin Offering

This communal sin offering atones for an inadvertent transgression where the person did not have knowledge of the transgression both before and after the sin.

Other Festive Sin Offerings

The reader may ask, “Since all 4 possibilities of transgression have been discussed (i.e. awareness or lack of awareness and before or after the transgression) “What is the purpose of the other festive sin offerings?” The Talmud (Shevuot 10a) answers that these offerings are similar to the New Moon offering in that they atone for transgressions without awareness both beforehand and afterwards.

Analysis of Verses

The Talmud Shevuot derives these offerings from different verses in the Torah through a somewhat complex process which is beyond the scope of the main theme of this article. For the interested reader, Appendix 2 provides a detailed analysis of these verses and interpretation by the Talmud.  

 Prayer

The Talmud (Taanit 27b and Megillah 31b) states that after the temple was destroyed, when Israelites read verses of the Torah pertaining to these offerings Hashem will deem it as if they offered them. Therefore the Shulchan Aruch records the practice to mention the additional communal offerings in the musaf (מוסף) prayer. Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch, rules (Orach Chaim 591:2) according to the custom of Sephardic Jewry, to mention these offerings only in the musaf Sabbath and New Moon prayers. The Mishna Berurah (591:2) explains that since the other holidays occur infrequently people may not be able to recite them by heart. (In the 16^th century printed prayer books were not common in Sephardic countries.) By contrast Rabbi Moses Isserles (Rema) rules, according to the custom of Ashkenazi Jewry, to mention these offerings in all of the musaf holiday prayers (ibid. 488:3) and therefore does not need to specifically mention all of these offerings in the Shulchan Aruch. The following table lists the holidays (in English and Hebrew) and references in Shulchan Aruch or Mishna Berurah (MB), where applicable, which mention these prayers.

Holiday (English)	Holiday (Hebrew)	Reference
Sabbath	שבת	286:3 (MB)
New Moon	ראש חדש	425:14 (MB)
Passover	פסח	488:3 and 13 (MB)
Shavuot	שבעות	Not mentioned specifically.
New Year	ראש השנה	591:2
Day of Atonement	יום כפור	621:4
Sukkoth	סכות	Not mentioned specifically.
Shemini Atzeret	שמיני עצרת	Not mentioned specifically.

Appendix 1 – Volume of an Ephah and Hin

Ephah

Rashi (Exodus 16:36) writes that 1 ephah = 432 egg volumes. In turn the author in the article “Four Cups of Wine – Halacha” on this web site quoted different opinions about the volume of an egg in halacha, ranging from 57.6 cc to 103 cc. Using a measure of 69.3 cc or 2.35 fl oz for a large egg, we obtain the volume of a meal offering as follows:

1 ephah = 432 eggs in volume.

Therefore 1/10 of ephah = 43.2 eggs.

In terms of cc, 1/10 of ephah = 43.2 * 69.3 cc = 2.994 liters.

In terms of fl oz, 1/10 of ephah = 43.2 * 2.35 fl. oz = 101.5 fl oz.    

By contrast the Artscroll Siddur (Prayer book Nusach Ashkenaz, third edition page 42) uses 50 cc or 1.69 fl oz for measuring the ephah which is the medium size of an American egg.

Hin

The Talmud (Menachot 89a) states that 1 hin = 12 log. In turn 1 log = 6 eggs in volume (Rashi Menachot 89a and Rashbam on Bava Batra 90a).

Using a measure of 69.3 cc or 2.35 fl oz for a large egg, we obtain the volume of a libation as follows:

1 hin = 72 eggs in volume.

Therefore ½, ⅓, or ¼ hin = 36, 24, or 18 eggs respectively. 

In terms of cc, 36, 24, or 18 * 69.3 cc = 2.495, 1.663, or 1.247 liters, respectively.

In terms of fl oz 36, 24, or 18 * 2.35 fl oz = 84.6, 56.4, or 42.3 fl oz, respectively.

By contrast the Artscroll Siddur (Prayer book Nusach Ashkenaz, third edition page 42) uses 50 cc or 1.69 fl oz for measuring the hin which is the medium size of an American egg. 

Appendix 2 – Derivation of Offerings

Introduction

Since the Torah does not specify which transgressions are atoned by the communal sin offerings, the Talmud uses scriptural exegesis to derive:

• Type of transgression.
• Level of awareness of the transgression.

In addition the Talmud uses a two step level of derivation by comparing:

• Variable sin offering to intentional violation.
• The communal sin offering to the variable sin offering (both unintentional transgressions).

This two step derivation is required because the Torah was not explicit about the transgression atoned neither by the communal nor variable sin offering.

Type of Transgression

Excision – Transgression with Intent 

The Torah ascribes excision (כרת) to one who is ritually impure and with intent:

• Eats sacrificial food (Leviticus 7:20-21).
• Or enters the temple (Numbers 19:13 and 20).

The verses and explanation follow:

Sacrificial food

Leviticus 7:20: “A person (literally soul) that will partake of meat from a peace-offering … while impure will incur excision (כרת).”

Leviticus 7:21:  “A person (literally soul) who touches anything impure … and then eats of the flesh of a peace offering to Hashem, shall be cut off from his people (i.e. excision כרת).”

Although the Torah only mentions the peace offering, the Talmud (Keritot 2b) states that excision applies to eating sacrificial food of other types of offerings. The Talmud (Zevachim 43b) explains that the former verse refers to impurity that develops from the person (e.g. seminal discharge) while the latter verse refers to impurity through contact (e.g. animal carcass). 

Entering Temple

If an Israelite intentionally enters the temple while ritually impure he incurs excision. The Torah (Numbers 19:13) states this infraction in reference to contact with a corpse, “Whoever (i.e. an Israelite) touches a corpse and does not purify himself has defiled the tabernacle of Hashem (I.e. by entering the temple) that soul shall be cut off from Israel (i.e. excision).” Similarly the Torah states (Numbers 19:20),” If a person (i.e. Israelite) becomes impure (through contact with a corpse) and does not purify himself, he shall be cut off (i.e. excision) for he has defiled the Sanctuary of Hashem (by entering when impure).” The Talmud (Shevuot 16b) explains that the former verse refers to the Tabernacle while the latter verse refers to the temple in Jerusalem. Maimonides (Laws of Entering the Temple 3:12) quotes Leviticus 17:16 to extend this excision to other forms of ritual impurity, “If he does not purify himself he shall bear his sin (by entering the temple).”

Variable Offering – Transgression without Intent

Introduction

The Torah (Leviticus 5:2-3) mandates a variable sin offering for a transgression of ritual impurity. Since there is no transgression in becoming impure the transgression must be related in some manner to intentional transgressions where the Torah explicitly mentions impurity, the temple, and excision. The derivation of this relation will follow.

The verses follow:

Leviticus 5:2 – “If a person touched anything unclean (e.g. carcass of an animal) …, and it was hidden from him, he became impure and incurred guilt.”

Leviticus 5:3 – “Or if he touched the uncleanness of a human … and became impure and it was hidden from him and later he knows, he has incurred guilt.”

Using the above analysis for excision, the verses for the variable offering may be explained in a similar manner.  The Torah mandates a variable offering for an Israelite who transgresses inadvertently when ritually impure by:

• Eating sacrificial food.
• Or entering the temple.

The inadvertent transgression can occur in one of two ways:

• Unaware of ritual impurity but aware that the food is sacrificial or this area was part of the temple.
• Or aware of ritual impurity but unaware that the food is sacrificial or this area was part of the temple. 

The Torah mandates this variable offering only when the inadvertent transgressor was aware of the situation (e.g. impurity or status of the food/temple area), later forgot and transgressed, and afterwards was aware of the transgression.

Derivation of Relation

The following approaches identify the source of the infraction based upon:

• Comparison to excision – (Maimonides Laws of Inadvertent Transgressions 10:5).
• Scriptural exegesis – (Rashi on Shevuot 7a).
• Similar words שוה גזרה (Shavuot 7a).

Maimonides (Laws of Inadvertent Transgressions 10:5)

Maimonides compares the factors of excision to those of the variable offering, “The Torah explicitly states that an impure person who partook of consecrated food or who entered the Temple intentionally incurs the punishment of excision (כרת), based upon Leviticus 7:20 and Numbers 19:20 respectively. It is understood that a sin offering must be brought after an inadvertent violation of these prohibitions (as explained in ibid. 1:1).” In this case one brings a variable sin offering.

 (Although Maimonides takes the most direct approach, the Talmud (ibid. 7a) notes that the above verses (i.e. Leviticus 5:2 and 3) may refer to the gifts to the priests (called terumah) which is also called holy by the Torah (Leviticus 22:6-7) and not necessarily temple offerings.)  

Rashi (Shevuot 7a)

Rashi (on Leviticus 7:20) quotes the Talmud (ibid. 7a) which cites 3 verses mentioning excision for one who partakes of offerings while impure:

• Leviticus 7:20, “A person (literally soul) soul that will partake of meat from a peace-offering … while impure will incur excision (כרת).”
• Leviticus 7:21 – “A person (literally soul) who touches anything impure … and then eats of the flesh of a peace offering to Hashem, that soul shall be cut off from its people (i.e. excision כרת).
• Leviticus 22:3 – “Any man (Israelite) … who comes near to the holy offerings … when impure …his soul shall be cut off. “ The Talmud (Yevamot 75a) explains the expression to “come near” means to eat of the offering.

The reader may ask, “Why are 3 verses necessary to deal with the same subject of impurity?” The Talmud (ibid.) explains as follows:

• General prohibition – the 1^st verse would include all offerings to Hashem whether or not placed upon the altar. 
• Specific prohibition – the 2^nd verse limits the prohibition to offerings on the altar.
• Offering for impurity – the 3^rd verse is now free to teach the requirement to bring an offering for inadvertently entering the temple while impure. (Another verse establishes the requirement to bring an offering for partaking of an offering while impure as explained below.) 

 (Although Rashi takes this approach to explain these 3 verses, the Talmud (ibid. 7a) notes that the 3^rd verse could be used to extend the prohibition of consuming offerings which are destined to be burnt and not eaten (e.g. bull and goat offering on the Day of Atonement – Leviticus 16:27). Hence from a precise analysis of the verses another approach is required.) 

Similar words – שוה גזרה

Based upon the above objections, the Talmud (ibid. 7a) establishes the transgression leading to the variable offering using the 2^nd principle of the 13 principles of Rabbi Yishmael expounding the Torah (i.e. similar words in different contexts to clarify a law – שוה גזרה). In addition the Talmud (ibid. 7a) uses separate derivations for inadvertent transgression when partaking of the offerings or entering the temple when impure.

Partaking of the offering

The verses follow:

Leviticus 5:2 – “If a person touches anything impure, whether the carcass of a non-kosher (literally impure)  wild animal or non-kosher (literally impure) domestic animal … and it was hidden from him, he became impure and incurs guilt.”

Leviticus 7:21 – “A person (literally soul) who touches anything impure … (for example) non-kosher domestic animal and then eats of the flesh of a peace offering …, that soul shall be cut off from its people.”

The Talmud (ibid.) applies the similar words “non-kosher domestic animal” in both verses to explain that one must bring a variable sin offering when partaking of an offering when impure and the offence was unknown to him. The former verse refers to the sin which obligates bringing the offering involving impurity and the latter verse refers to the action which defines this sin (i.e. partaking of an offering when impure). The Talmud (ibid.) notes that the expression “non-kosher domestic animal” in the former verse is free for this comparison because this verse first mentions “a non-kosher wild animal (חיה)”. The word חיה can refer to a wild or domestic animal hence the domestic animal is in effect mentioned twice.

Entering the temple

The verses follow:

Leviticus 5:3 – “If a person touches the impurity of a human, in any manner of its impurity (טמאתו) he becomes impure. If it is hidden from him and later he knows, he has incurred guilt.”

Numbers 19:13 – “Whoever touches the corpse of a human … and does not purify himself has defiled the Tabernacle of Hashem. Since the sprinkling water was not placed upon him, he remains impure and therefore his impurity (טמאתו) remains upon him.

The Talmud (ibid.) applies the similar word “impurity” in both verses to explain that one must bring a variable sin offering when entering the Temple complex when impure and unaware of the offense. The former verse refers to the sin which obligates bringing the offering involving impurity and the latter verse refers to the action which defines this sin (i.e. entering the temple). In both verses the word “impurity” is free for this comparison because the Torah could have left out these phrases without affecting the literal meaning of these verses.

Levels of Awareness

After the Talmud identifies the transgression atoned by the variable offering, the Talmud proceeds to determine the transgression atoned by the communal sin offerings based upon level of awareness of the transgression. To organize this topic of awareness, the table below lists the different types of offering, level of awareness, related verses, and source from the Talmud.

Offering	Before	After	Verse(s)	Talmud (Shevuot)
Variable	√	√	Leviticus 5:2-3	6b-7b
Day of Atonement (inner)	√	X	Leviticus 16:16	7b-8a
Day of Atonement (outer)	X	√	Numbers 29:11	2a
New Moon and Festival	X	X	Numbers 28:15 and 29:39	9a-10a

Variable Offering

In the case of a variable offering, awareness means that the person was aware that he was ritually impure and knew that this food was sacrificial or this area was part of the temple. He later forgot that he was impure and ate this food or entered the temple knowingly. Conversely he knew that he was impure but forgot that this food was sacrificial or the area that he entered was part of the temple. Later he found out about his inadvertent transgression and brings the variable sin offering because Leviticus 5:2 mentions that he forgot the transgression “i.e. hidden from him” and the next verse mentions “later he knows” implying knowledge before and after the transgression. 

Day of Atonement (Inner Goat Offering)

This communal offering atones when the person was initially aware of the situation (i.e. ritual impurity and knowledge of the sacrificial food or temple precincts) but forgot and later transgressed.  In this case the inner goat offering provides temporary atonement because when the person finds out about the transgression he must bring a variable offering.

Talmud (ibid. 7b-8a) quotes and interprets Leviticus 16:16 to prove that the inner goat atones for this type of inadvertent sin.

The verse follows:

 Leviticus 16:16 – “He (high priest) shall provide atonement upon the Holy (הקדש) (literally the Sanctuary) from the impurities of the children of Israel (including) their rebellious and unintentional sins.”

The Talmud (Shevuot 7b-8a) shows that this verse refers to an offering involving:

• Inadvertent transgression of partaking of an offering or entering the temple when impure.
• Knowledge before the transgression (e.g. impurity) but not afterwards.

Type of Inadvertent transgression

Since the above verse does not explicitly indicate the transgression, the Talmud (ibid.) uses different techniques as follows:

• General principle – בנין אב (3^rd rule of Rabbi Yishmael 13 rules of Torah interpretation).
• Interpretation of the verse using its context. 

General principle

With this rule a verse which states a law (e.g. variable offering of Leviticus 5:2 for transgressions of impurity ) may be applied to similar contexts (e.g. inner goat of Leviticus 16:16 for implied transgression of impurity) even though the latter verse is not explicit.  Hence the inner goat offering atones for a similar transgression as the variable offering (i.e. impurity involving the temple).  

Interpretation of verse

Since the word Holy (הקדש) implies both offerings and the temple, the verse refers to a sin involving either of these items. According to the 1^st view the verse may only refer to purification of the temple using the blood of the inner offering.

Level of Awareness

According to either opinion, the verse does not indicate the degree of awareness of the transgression. The Talmud (ibid. 7b) notes that the verse mentions both rebellious and inadvertent sins implying that this offering somehow relates to both of them. The Talmud (ibid.) therefore deduces that this offering atones for a transgression with knowledge at the beginning which could lead to the personal variable offering when the person eventually realizes his transgression. However it is similar to a rebellious sin (i.e. intentional) for which there is no personal offering if the person does not realize his transgression later.

Day of Atonement (Outer Goat Offering)

This communal offering atones when the person was initially unaware of the situation (i.e. ritual impurity and knowledge of the sacrificial food or temple precincts), forgot, transgressed, and later remembered the transgression. In this case the outer goat offering provides full atonement because the person cannot bring a variable offering because he did not have knowledge of the situation before transgressing.

The Talmud (ibid. 2a) quotes and interprets Numbers 29:11 to establish that the outer goat (i.e. the additional communal offering for the Day of Atonement) atones for this type of transgression. The verse follows, ““(You shall bring on the Day of Atonement) a young male goat for a sin offering, besides the atonement sin offering (i.e. inner goat offering) and the continual burnt offering.” The Talmud notes that the Torah mentions the inner goat offering to establish a connection between the inner and outer goat offerings on the Day of Atonement. As the inner offering atones for a transgression with knowledge (i.e. beforehand) so does the outer offering atone for a transgression with knowledge (i.e. afterwards). The Talmud states that each of the Day of Atonement goat offerings atones for a particular transgression and therefore there is no overlap between the two offerings.

New Moon

The New Moon communal sin offering atones for an inadvertent transgression where the person did not have knowledge of the transgression both before and after the sin as the verse states (Numbers 28:15), “One young male goat for a sin offering to Hashem.” The Talmud (Shevuot 9a) notes that of all of the communal offerings, only the New Moon is called by the Torah as an offering to Hashem. Since all offerings are for Hashem, the Talmud explains that this transgression is only known to Hashem and not by the person.

Other Festivals

 The reader may ask, “Since all 4 possibilities of transgression have been discussed (i.e. awareness or lack of awareness and before or after the transgression) “What is the purpose of the other festive sin offerings?” The Talmud (Shevuot 10a) answers that these offerings are similar to the New Moon offering in that they atone for transgressions without awareness both beforehand and afterwards. The Talmud (ibid.) quotes the verse in Numbers 29:39, “These you shall offer up to Hashem on your festivals”, to establish that all communal festive sin offerings atone for the same transgression except for those of the Day of Atonement.

Conclusion

This article discussed the different types of communal offerings listed in the Book of Numbers Chapters 28 and 19 with particular analysis of the different types of sin offerings. Appendix 2 of this article analyzed the related verses of communal sin offerings, as expounded by the Talmud, showing the depth of the Torah and Talmudic analysis.