Rabbi Daniel: Thoughts on Torah

Dear friends,

Chapter 5 Mishnah 6 of Mishnah Sukkot speaks of the animal sacrifices that were done each day of the festival in the Temple.  In a famous explanation of this mishnah we are told that on the first day of Sukkot 13 bulls were sacrificed, 

then on the next day 12, then 11, and so on down to seven bulls on the seventh day..  The total number of bulls comes to seventy which is a symbol of the seventy nations of the world - the universal aspect of the holiday.  In contrast, on the 8th day,  Shemini Atzeret, only one bull was  sacrificed.  Whereas Sukkot 

carries significant characteristics of a universal holiday, that eighth day, symbolized by the single bull sacrifice, is considered an intimate day for God and the people of Israel
 
Chag Sameach!
Rabbi Daniel Victor