Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

The commandment of the additional sacrifices all of the seven days of Pesach: To sacrifice the additional sacrifice on all of the seven days of Pesach, as it is stated (Leviticus 23:8), “And you shall offer a fire-offering to the Lord seven days.” And it is like the sacrifice of Rosh Chodesh (the new moon): two bulls; one ram; seven sheep — all of them burnt-offerings, and as it is written explicitly about all of them in the Order of Pinchas (Numbers 28:19), “a fire-offering, a burnt-offering,” and I have already explained the statute of a burnt-offering above (Sefer HaChinukh 115) — [and one goat as a sin-offering, and it is eaten].

From the roots of the commandment is like the matter that we wrote above regarding the sacrifice (Sefer HaChinukh 95) — that a man is acted upon according to his deeds. As since he is a physical being, his thought only clings through actions. And from this root, blessed be He, commanded us to do a specific action for the sake of the day, in order that we be impacted by this to put our hearts to the greatness of the day and its holiness, and [to] the miracles and the goodnesses that God, blessed be He, has bestowed upon us at that time.

The laws of the commandment: That which they, may their memory be blessed, said in the fourth chapter of Menachot 49a that the daily offerings do not impede the additional offerings and the [different] additional offerings do not impede one another. And so [too,] that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 44b), “‘The bulls, the rams and the sheep do not impede one another; and the bull, the ram and the sheep do not impede the bread’” — meaning the offering of fine flour, as that is the bread — “‘and the bread does not impede the sheep.’ These are the words of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Shimon ben Nannas said, ‘No, rather these sheep impede the bread, but the bread does not impede the sheep — as so did we find when Israel was in the wilderness forty years that they offered sheep without bread; so too here, they offer sheep without bread.’ Rabbi Shimon said, ‘The law is like the words of Ben Nannas, but the reason is not like his words, as everything that is stated in Chumash Pekudim’” — meaning in the Book of Numbers — “‘they offered in the wilderness; and that which is stated in Torat Kohanim’” — meaning in the Book of Leviticus — “‘they did not offer in the wilderness. When they came to the Land they offered these and those. And because of what do I say that they offer sheep without bread? As the sheep permit themselves, but bread without sheep does not have [what] to permit it.’” And so [too,] that which they said there, [in] the ninth chapter (Menachot 89a), “We mix the libations of the bulls with the libations of the rams, but we do not mix the libations of the sheep with the libations of the bulls and the rams.” And they also said there further (Menachot 87b), “Seven liquid measurements were in the Temple: a hin; a half hin, etc. Rabbi Eliezer beRebbi Tsadok says, ‘There were markers in the hin [measurement]: up to here for the bull; up to here for the ram; and up to here for the sheep.’” And the rest of its details are explained there and in [other] places in Kedoshim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 4.)

And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by the males of the priesthood. And if the priests transgressed this and did not sacrifice the additional sacrifice at its appointed time, they violated this positive commandment and they will carry their sin. But the Israelites are clean [of sin] — as the obligation of the sacrifices is more upon [the priests]. And if perhaps the Israelites sensed the thing, the transgression will also be upon them. As the entire matter of the Holy House — and, all the more so, the daily offerings and the additional offerings — is upon the community, and it is impingent upon them all.