Derasha 1 on Behaalosecha 8:8

Parashas Behaalosecha · Aliyah 1 · Passuk 8

The Complete Passuk

וְלָֽקְחוּ֙ פַּ֣ר בֶּן־בָּקָ֔ר וּמִ֨נְחָת֔וֹ סֹ֖לֶת בְּלוּלָ֣ה בַשָּׁ֑מֶן וּפַר־שֵׁנִ֥י בֶן־בָּקָ֖ר תִּקַּ֥ח לְחַטָּֽאת׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah discusses the order of the two bulls: the word “שני” teaches the relative precedence of blood and limbs of the chatas and olah, establishing the principle that the more sacred item precedes its fellow.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אִי ״פַּר שֵׁנִי״, יָכוֹל תְּהֵא עוֹלָה קוֹדֶמֶת לְחַטָּאת לְכׇל מַעֲשֶׂיהָ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וַעֲשֵׂה אֶת הָאֶחָד חַטָּאת וְאֶת הָאֶחָד עֹלָה״. הָא כֵּיצַד? דַּם חַטָּאת קוֹדֶמֶת לְדַם עוֹלָה – מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּרַצָּה; אֵיבְרֵי עוֹלָה קוֹדְמִין לְאֵימוּרֵי חַטָּאת – מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן כָּלִיל לָאִשִּׁים.

English: Why does the Torah say “a second”? … The blood of the chatas precedes the blood of the olah because it effects atonement; the limbs of the olah precede the emurim of the chatas because they are entirely for the fire. From here: whatever is more sacred than its fellow precedes its fellow.

Type of Learning

Gezerah / comparative sanctity — the sequence of the two animals encodes a general rule of priority among sacred acts.

What Is Learned

The consecration of the Levites models the broader halakhic principle that greater sanctity takes precedence in order of performance.