Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day

Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 39) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 401) count this as one of the Torah’s 613 mitzvot. The Ramban (at the conclusion to his Hosafos to the negative commandments) argues that they should be considered as two separate mitzvot.

For “the eager hurry [to perform] mitzvot” (Pesachim 4a).

I.e., when the rays of the sun are already visible, but the orb of the sun has not appeared.

In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Ediot 6:l, based on the Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 1:4), the Rambam explains that once during the Greek occupation of the Holy Land, the Temple was besieged. Each day, the priests would exchange two baskets of gold coins for two lambs. One day, however, the Greeks refused to make the exchange. The people were forlorn. Later that morning, they miraculously found two lambs in the ‘Chamber of the Lambs and R. Yuda bar Bava ruled that the morning sacrifice could be offered if the fourth hour of the day had not passed.

The Radbaz derives two points from the Rambam’s statements: a) only in a pressing situation may the offering of the sacrifice be delayed until after daybreak; b) even in a pressing situation, the sacrifice may not be offered after four hours of the day have passed.

At noon, the sun is directly overhead and does not cast a shadow. By 12:30, the sun will have already passed to the western portion of the sky and will thus cast a shadow to the east.

I.e., the sacrifice could have been offered directly after noon. Nevertheless, since the time of noon is not obvious to everyone, it was delayed slightly.

I.e., to allow all of the other sacrifices to be offered, as the Rambam proceeds to explain.

The Radbaz asks: Why isn’t its sacrifice delayed any longer? He responds that the Sages did not desire that there be any time pressure at all regarding its offering. Also, they wanted - at least partially - to fulfill the charge (Pesachim 4a): “The eager hurry [to perform] mitzvot.”

See Hilchot Korban Pesach 1:4 for more details.

As stated in Hilchot Mechusrei Kapparah, ch. 1, this term refers to certain individuals—a zav, a zavah, a person afflicted with tzara’at, and a woman after childbirth—who are not permitted to partake of sacrifices until they offer certain sacrifices.

This leniency is granted because a person who does not offer the Paschal sacrifices is liable for karet (Pesachim 59a).

For every member of the Jewish people would have to partake of a Paschal sacrifice. Thus there would be a multitude of animals to slaughter and have their blood offered.

At all other times, the Paschal sacrifices could be roasted at night. Hence, as long as they were slaughtered before nightfall, there was no difficulty. The roasting of the Paschal sacrifices did not, however, supersede the prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath. Hence, the slaughter had to be performed earlier so that they could be roasted on time.

This represents the division of the halachot in the authentic manuscripts and early printings of the Mishneh Torah. A printing error appears to have crept into the standard published text.

The fats and inner organs of the animal that are offered on the altar.

As stated in Hilchot Ma‘aseh HaKorbanot 4:2, this is a Rabbinic safeguard.

So that they will be consumed by the fires faster and more completely.

Although our Sages decreed that the limbs not be offered on the altar after midnight as mentioned above, if they were offered before midnight, they may be turned over the entire night.

I.e., communal sacrifices may be offered in a state of ritual impurity. If the offering itself was offered in this manner, the limbs may be offered in this manner at night.

I.e., during the day and not during the night.

I.e., an animal sacrificed as a communal offering may be slaughtered and offered on the altar on the Sabbath.

The offering of the limbs and fats which were not offered on the pyre on Friday.

If there was no opportunity to offer the fats and the limbs on Friday, they should be brought up to the top of the altar on Friday night, but not offered on the pyre. On the top of the altar, they are not disqualified because of the passage of the night and they should be offered on Saturday night (Kessef Mishneh in the name of the Ritba).

According to the fixed calendar followed at present, Yom Kippur can never fall Saturday night. Moreover, even when the new moon was sanctified based on the testimony of witnesses, an effort was made not to have Yom K. ippur fall directly after the Sabbath (Rosh HaShanah 20a). Nevertheless, it is possible for the two holy days to follow in succession. See Hilchot Eruvin 8:10.

And Yom Kippur is also called “a Sabbath.”

Which is offered on the Sabbath.

I.e., on Saturday night which is the first night of the festival.

I.e., even though they were not offered because of the Sabbath, since their blood was offered on the Sabbath, the offering of their fats supersedes the festival prohibitions (Radbaz).

To make sure that they are free of physical blemishes [the Rambam’s Commentary to the Mishnah (Arachin 2:5)].

This was one of the sub-chambers in the Chamber of the Hearth (Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 5:10).

In his Commentary to the Mishnah (loc. cit.), the Rambam writes that the source for this practice was the Paschal sacrifice brought by the Jews in Egypt. They were commanded to take the lambs four days before they were offered.

The torches were necessary, because the offering was slaughtered before daybreak and more light was necessary for a careful inspecti:on.

This was a sign of the wealth and prosperity of the Jewish people, as appropriate for the Temple [the Rambam’s Commentary to the Mishnah (Tamid 3:4)].

The commentaries note that the rationale the Rambam gives here is different from that which he initially gave in his Commentary to the Mishnah (Beitzah 5:6). Afterwards, he emended that text to include the rationale mentioned here (Rav Kappach’s notes to that mishnah).

Chapters 6 and 9.

Rashi, Tamid 31b, states that thus refers to pagan idolaters who would bind all four feet of their sacrifices.

Tamid 31b states that the sacrifice would be bound like the binding of Isaac the son of Abraham. Although some commentaries explain that this means that one of the animals forefeet and one of its hindfeet would be bound, the Rambam does not accept that interpretation and maintains that none of the legs were bound. Tosafot Yom Tov (Tamid 4:1) brings support for this interpretation, noting that our Sages state that the priest who would offer the limbs on the altar would hold them during the slaughter. Thus each of the limbs was held by a different priest.

In this way, if it defecated, its rear would not be facing the altar or the Temple Building.

The area on the northern side of the Temple Courtyard where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered and cut up. See Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 5:13-14.

There were rings implanted into the floor of the Temple Courtyard into which were inserted the legs of the sacrificial animals to hold them in place during the slaughter. See ibid.:14; the Rambam’s Commentary to the Mishnah (Tamid 4:1). Others maintain that the animal’s head was inserted into the rings.

The sun rises in the east. Hence if the sacrifice was slaughtered on the eastern corner in the morning, it is possible that the wall of the Temple Courtyard would block its rays. Conversely, since it sets in the west, the afternoon sacrifice was slaughtered in the east so that the sun’s rays would not be blocked.

Note the contrast to the Golden Altar, as stated in Chapter 3, Halachah 1.