Raboyseyee and Ladies,
Dead Bulls Walking:
Let’s start here:
It was mamish refreshing to hear from so many before, during, and after Yom Kippur, asking why there were no posts for Rosh Hashono and Yom Kippur. Not even the annual michila form? What’s pshat? Gishmak and good to know some mamish read cover to cover each week. The bottom line: The heylige Ois had been suffering from bad headaches for kimat three weeks, something he has never experienced before. Thankfully his davening and singing with such kavono seems to have worked and it appears that the worst is over. Let’s go veyter, but first this…
Over Yom Kippur, we read about the AVOIDO (the service) of the Koihen Godol (High Priest). A very busy beaver he was that day and taka as the Chazan was chanting the Avoida we find in our individual machzorim (holidays prayer books) I couldn’t stop thinking about the expanded role that animals play on Yom Kippur and on all other Jewish holidays. On that Day of Atonement, the ceremony was performed by the High Priest alone. Five animals were required: 1bull, 2 rams and two goats (Vayikro 16:1-5). The bull was a sin offering for the sins of the priest -seemingly his hands were not always clean either, and one of the goats was a sin offering for the sins of the people. The bottom line: koihanim are but humans.
What’s pshat here? Why were animal needed to help the Yiddin celebrate, or to help them repent? What’s pshat that the koihen Godol designated one animal to the Azozale. What’s pshat that he was able to magically transfer the collective sins of the Yiddin to the poor unsuspecting animal which was then taken out to the wilderness -approximately 10 miles outside the city limits where the poor animal was unceremoniously thrown off a cliff. So sad! What did this poor goat do wrong to have met such an ignominious fate? Not that the other goat fared any belter. That goat was sacrificed mamish on the altar and shoin, between the two goats and a few other animals, the Yiddin breathed a collective sigh of relief and broke fast knowing their slates were wiped clean.
This is mamish amazing! We sin all year long. We do all sorts of giferliche zachin -some of us even with animals, (a vilde chaya also counts)- charzerim that they are, and in the end, somehow, the koihen -by the powers vested in him by the RBSO- has the ability to give us a clean slate while the innocent behaymis get killed?! What a system. At times, it’s good to be Jewish!
Speaking of sacrificing animals for our misdeeds, let’s not forget to shout out the kapoirs ceremony where we regular people -non-priests- get to do the same with an unsuspecting chicken. In that ceremony, the actual words we chant state just that.
Males:
*This is my exchange, *this is my substitute, *this is my expiation. This rooster shall go to its death and I shall proceed to a good, long life and peace.
Females:
*This is my exchange, *this is my substitute, *this is my expiation. This hen shall go to its death and I shall proceed to a good, long life and peace.
The bottom line of the ceremony is this: This animal is going to die instead of me for my sins! Is the RBSO great or what? You are released! For some, those who spent time choking their own chicken, if you chap, during the year, also a no-no -so say many- this ceremony marked their final release.
As Sukkis approaches tomorrow evening mamish – yes, you will miss all three New York Mets home games- the yom tov that features even more animal sacrifices, and given that we already have clean slates, the question is this: What role do the myriad animals described in the heylige Toirah, in the heylige Gemora and elsewhere play? Why were more animals sacrificed? How many? What’s pshat here? Let’s find out. And not to worry as more than a handful will know the scores and more.
And before we answer that question, let’s also shout out Yona whose incredible miraculous story we read at Mincha on Yom Kippur. You all know the story -no need to repeat it here, ober, the bottom line is azoy: Another creature, this time a great giant whale -one that inspired many a book, show and movie- swallowed Yona who was on his way to excoriate the people of Ninvei to do tshuvah. Indeed, as the story goes, Yona spent three days inside the whale before being regurgitated and continuing his mission. Did all this happen or what this but a dream? A parable efsher, ver veyst? Who knows? Many a dream are recounted in the Novee; hec, isn’t that how the RBSO made contact with them. Isn’t it? It is! Of course, as kids, this story gave us the chills mamish, was an amazing read, and even today, who doesn’t get inspired yet depressed when reading about Yona’s adventure? Ober, did that mamish happen? The bottom line: Who are you to argue with this amazing whale of a story? You’ve bought into the miraculous plagues, the great exodus, revelation and so much other midbar magic, yet you question -even for a second the veracity of this fish sorry? Too fishy? The good news: the RBSO also gave us up until Hoishana Rabba to do more repentance. He knew that your slates would not stay clean much past Yom Kippur! Was he wrong? Not!
But wait, we are not quite done. Another holiday begins Wednesday night, the festive holiday of Sukkis which we celebrate for either seven or eight nights. And while we men are busy concentrating on the sukkah itself, the purchase of our “sets” of the required Arba Minim and other mandated items, wait until you read how the kohanim kept themselves busy over Yom tov and of course Chol hamoed? Were they off in Great Adventure? In Hershey Park efsher? Not! Instead, for the koihanim it was prime time as they were busy shechting (slaughtering and sacrificing) many dozen of more behaymis (animals).
As if not enough unsuspecting animals were sacrificed over the high holy days to gain forgiveness for the collective of the Yiddin, along with millions of chickens’ -rooster and hens- who gave up their lives because of our sins, the heylige Toirah itself specifically delineates the mass sacrifices that took place every single day of Sukkis. That’s right, more than on any other holiday, Sukkis features the sacrifice of 70 bulls plus many other animals. Mamish more animals gave up their lives over Sukkis? More than over Pesach which featured so many more open miracles? Of course, you’re surpassed to read this because you never pay attention to the Toirah reading, oy vey. Ober, vus (why specifically) epes 70? Was 70 some lucky number? Though you spent many years in yeshiva learning about Sukkis, did you at all remember -even for a minute- that the kohanim were busy sacrificing these many animals? What for? Nu, because the heylige Toirah does not tell us why 70 were offered over Sukkis, others did and let’s find out.
Let’s quickly review the schedule. On each of the seven days of Sukkis, the number of lambs brought to the altar was twice the complement of other festivals, fourteen rather than seven. Similarly, the profusion of bulls dwarfed the token fare for the rest of the year. No more than one bull was offered for Rosh Hashono or Yom Kippur and only two for Pesach, Shovuis and the Rosh Choidesh (new moon) celebration. In contrast, the schedule for Sukkis called for thirteen on the first day, and thereafter one less for each succeeding day down to seven on the seventh and last day. Shoin, if you lost count, here are the grand totals for Sukkis:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| 13 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
12 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
11 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
10 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
9 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
8 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
7 bulls 2 rams 14 lambs 1 goat |
The heylige Gemora (Sukkis 55b) noticed that the strangely decreasing number of bulls added up to a total of 70, or the equivalent. So what? Nu, it so happens this number added up to the number of gentile nations on earth. And just like that, henceforth, the profusion of bulls constituted a fervent prayer on behalf of the non-Jewish world. You hear this? We sacrificed bulls over Sukkis to daven for the goyim! One more time: We Yiddin sacrifice 70 bulls over Sukkis on behalf of the goyim so that the RBSO should forgive them for their sins. Well, blow me down. Yes, the bulls were meant to atone for gentile malfeasance. How did all that work out for us Yiddin? Did the goyim appreciate these efforts on their behalf? Did this benevolent act lead to a reduction in antisemitic acts? A nechtiger tug, or in English, fuhgeddaboudit.
Farkert: Over time, this act of goodwill, the so-called rabbinic connection of the 70 bulls to the goyim went by the wayside. By the ninth century, the medrish Tanchuma gave the heylige Gamora’s interpretation a bitter twist. The goyim were ingrates. Instead of loving us for the seventy sacrifices offered on their behalf, they responded with hatred, an experience foreshadowed by these words we read in Tehillim: “They answer my love with hatred (Psalm 109:7).” And if that weren’t enough, Rashi, who came along a few centuries later, had this to say about the 70 bulls and descending number of bulls sacrificed over Sukkis:
Says Rashi In his commentary to the heylige Toirah (Bamidbar 29:18), azoy: It is taka the case that we sacrifice 70 bulls over Sukkis, however, what is of import is not the total but rather the descending order. Says Rashi that the descending order represent diminution and destruction. It’s taka emes that the total of seventy refers to the seventy gentile nations of the world. Ober, the pattern of daily reduction implies their eventual departure from the human stage. When will that happen, ver veyst?
On the other hand, says the Pesikta de-Rav Kahna, (whomever he was), azoy: The seventy bulls were indeed meant for the gentile nations of the world so that they too might dwell in peace. For peace he writes, is indivisible. If not shared by all, it will not be enjoyed by anyone.
And now you know the emes; this ain’t no bull!
Chag Somayach!
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
Yitz Grossman
