Positive Mitzvah 43: The Additional Passover offering
Leviticus 23:8 "And you shall offer an offering made by fire to the L-rd for seven days"

On the seven days of the holiday of Pesach, sacrifices are to be brought in addition to the daily burnt offering.

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Positive Mitzvah 44: First Harvest offering
Leviticus 23:10 "And you shall bring an omer of the first-fruits of your harvest"

For people who live and work on a farm, the arrival of Spring means much more than bike riding and kite flying!

After a cold winter, the first produce of the season has finally grown.

As they reap their harvest, they can appreciate HaShem's blessing which makes the crops grow.

In the Beit HaMikdash, we showed our gratitude to HaShem for providing us with food.

On the second day of Pesach, the spring festival, the season's first sheaves of barley are offered before any other grain could be harvested (see negative Mitzvah 190).

A lamb was also sacrificed to complete this offering of thanks to HaShem.

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Positive Mitzvah 45: The Additional Shavuot offering
Numbers 28:26-27 "Also on the day of the first-fruits... you shall bring a burnt offering for a pleasant fragrance"

On the holiday of Shavuot, sacrifices are to be brought in addition to the daily offering.

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Positive Mitzvah 46: The bringing of Two Loaves on Shavuot
Leviticus 23:17 "You shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth measures"

Shavuot is the festival celebrating the time when the Torah was given to us. The Torah is compared to bread.

They are both "the staff of life."

While bread sustains us and nourishes our bodies, the Torah is the life of our souls. On Shavuot, we are commanded to bring two breads as an offering to HaShem.

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Positive Mitzvah 47: The Additional Rosh HaShanah Offering
Numbers 29:1-2 "And on the first day of the seventh month... you shall offer a burnt offering"

On the first day of the New Year, sacrifices are to be brought in addition to the daily offering.

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Positive Mitzvah 48: The Additional Yom Kippur Offering
Numbers 29:7-8 "And on the tenth day of the seventh month... you shall offer a burnt offering"

The tenth day of Tishrei (the seventh month when counting from Nisan), is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

On Yom Kippur, we are commanded to bring sacrifices in addition to the daily offering.

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Positive Mitzvah 50: The Additional Sukkot Offerings
Numbers 29:12-13 "And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month... you shall offer a burnt offering"

On every day of the Sukkot holiday, sacrifices are to be brought in addition to the daily offering.

Each day has its own designated sacrifices.

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Positive Mitzvah 51: The Additional Shemini Atzeret offering
Numbers 29:35-36 "On the eighth day... you shall offer a burnt offering"

The eighth day of the Sukkot holiday is the festival of Shemini Atzeret.

On this day, sacrifices are to be brought in addition to the daily burnt offering.

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Man is G-d's needle to sew the many patches of Creation into a single garment for His glory.

At one end, the needle must be hard and sharp, to squeeze through the ordeal. But the other end must have a vacant hollow, a nothingness with which to hold the thread.

With the world, we are firm and sharp. Within, we know we are nothing before the Infinite.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com