1ST Day Tzav (Lev 6:2-3)

2 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

Bava Metzia 55a:4

The Gemara answers: It is as Rava says: “The burnt offering” (Lev 6:2), employing the definite article, indicates that the reference is to the first burnt offering. So too, when it is written: The non-kosher animal, the reference is to the initial consecration of the non-kosher animal, not the intermediate stage of consecration.

Berakhot 2a:5

Rabban Gamliel cites several cases in support of his claim, such as the burning of fats and limbs on the altar. Due to the quantity of offerings each day, the priests were often unable to complete the burning of all of the fats and limbs, so they continued to be burned into the night, as it is written: “This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall remain upon the pyre on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar burns it” (Lev 6:2). And, with regard to all sacrifices, such as the sin offerings and the guilt offerings that are eaten for one day and night; although the Sages state that they may be eaten only until midnight, by law they may be eaten until dawn. This is in accordance with the verse: “On the day on which it is offered must you eat. Do not leave it until the morning” (Lev 7:15). If so, why did the Sages say that they may be eaten only until midnight? This is in order to distance a person from transgression, as if one believes that he has until dawn to perform the commandment, he might be negligent and postpone it until the opportunity to perform the commandment has passed.

Chagigah 10b:6

The Gemara answers: However, if that is so, this verse indicates that it is only those fats that are brought during a feast that may not remain overnight. It may be inferred from here that fats which are brought throughout the year may remain all night. But it is written about burnt offerings: “On the hearth on the altar all night into the morning” (Lev 6:2). This shows that burnt offerings must burn on the altar all night.

Horayot 3a:1

“This is the law of the burnt offering, it is that which goes up on its pyre on the altar” (Lev 6:2); these are three exclusionary terms: “This,” “the burnt offering,” and “it is,” which serve to exclude three offerings concerning which the halakha is that even if they are placed on the altar they are subsequently removed: A burnt offering slaughtered at night, a burnt offering whose blood was spilled before it was sprinkled, and a burnt offering whose blood was taken outside the courtyard. Apparently, it is Rabbi Yehuda who interprets multiple exclusionary terms.

Jerusalem Talmud Yoma 8a:4

R. Manna questioned: And why did they not institute a lot for the removal of the ashes? Come and see: Slaughtering is valid with a stranger, and you say it has a lot; the removal of the ashes is prohibited [to be done] by a stranger, and you say, it has no lot? R. Manna the said again: Slaughtering is only valid by day, but the removal of the ashes is valid all night, if you say will cast a lot, even he will not arise on the doubtful [chance]. What did you see to say so? (Lev 6:2-3) “All the night and he shall remove [take up].” From here we learn that the removal of the ashes is valid all night. A stranger i.e. a non-priest who removed the ashes, what is the law? R. Yochanan said: He is guilty of death. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: He is exempt. What is the reasoning of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish? (Num 18:7) “A gift,” excluding this one which is a service of removal. What is the reasoning of Rabbi Yochanan? (Num 18:7) “For all that concerns the altar.”

Megillah 21a:3

It was taught in the mishna: All night is a valid time for reaping the omer,” as the Master said in tractate Menachot: The reaping of the omer and the counting of the omer must be performed at night, whereas bringing the omer offering to the temple must be done during the day. And for burning the fats and limbs of the offerings, it is derived as it is written with regard to them: “Shall be burning on the altar all night until the morning” (Lev 6:2).

Menachot 6b:15

The Gemara rejects this: The tanna of that baraita relies on the verse: “This is the law of the burnt offering” (Lev 6:2), from which it is derived that any item that ascends upon the altar shall not descend from it, even if it was disqualified. In other words, the verse is the source for the halakha of the baraita, whereas the case of a private altar is cited merely as a support for this ruling.

Menachot 26b:12

Ravin bar Rav Adda said to Rava: Your students say that Rav Amram said that it is taught in a baraita: I have derived only with regard to items whose usual manner is to be sacrificed at night, for example, the limbs of the burnt offering and the fats of the burnt offering, that the priest may bring them up and burn them after sunset and they are consumed throughout all night. This is derived from the verse: “This is the law of the burnt offering. It is that which goes up on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning” (Lev 6:2).

Rashi

Command Aaron—The expression צַו always urging on to carry out a command, implying too, that it comes into force at once, and is binding upon future generations (cf. Rashi on this passage in Kiddushin 29a). R. Simeon said: Especially must Scripture urge on the fulfilment of the commands in a case where monetary loss is involved (Kiddushin 29a; Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 1 1).

This is the law of the burnt offering—This paragraph is intended to teach, with reference to the burning of the fat-portions and limbs of sacrifices that it is permissible during the whole night (Megillah 21a); and to teach regarding disqualified sacrifices, which of them, if already brought up on the altar,

already brought up on the altar, must be taken down, and which, if brought up, need not be taken down. The latter case may happen, because the term, תּוֹרַת wherever it occurs in Scripture as an introduction to a group of laws is intended as an all-inclusive term (to include all of the class mentioned); here it is intended to tell us: One law applies to all animals that may be brought up on the altar, even certain disqualified ones—that if these have once been brought up on the altar they shall not be taken down again (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 1 7; Zevachim 27b).

The burnt offering—Is intended to exclude the case of male and female cattle with which sexual sin had been committed and the like, because their disqualification did not occur in the Holy Place, since they were dis-qualified before they came into the forecourt (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 1 8).

3 And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” REV 7:13

John Gill

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying—This elder was not the apostle Peter, as some Popish interpreters have thought; and still less Pope Silvester, who lived in the times of Constantine; be is much more likely, according to others, to be Constantine himself, the first of the elders, or the chief magistrate when the church sprung out of its troubles, and enjoyed rest and peace; though some have thought of the prophet Isaiah, since many things said by this elder are to be found in his prophecy; compare Rev 7:14, 16-17; with Isa 1:18; 25:8; 49:10; but it is needless to inquire who the particular person was; it is enough to say, that he was one of the four and twenty elders about the throne, one that belonged to the church, perhaps the same as in Rev 5:5; who, in a visionary way, is represented as accosting John upon the above sight. The word “addressed me” is a common Hebraism of the New Testament, which is often used when nothing goes before, to which a return is made; and only signifies here, that the elder opened his month, began to speak, and called to John, and said as follows:

Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?—This he said, not as being ignorant of them, or of the reason of their being clothed in this manner, nor of the place and state from where they came, as appears by the account afterwards given of them by him; but to stir up John to take more notice of them, as being a body of men that were worthy of observation and contemplation, and were worth his while to consider well who they were, and from where they came; and also to try him whether he knew them or not, and to bring him to a confession of his ignorance; and that he might have an opportunity of giving him some hints about them, which might be useful to him, and to the churches, and for the explanation of this vision, and other parts of this prophecy.

8 it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. REV 19:8, 14

John Gill

And the armies of heaven—Not the angels, though they are God’s and are the armies of the heavens; they are in heaven, and dwell there, and follow Christ, attend upon him, and minister to him, and have been sometimes represented by horses and horsemen (2Ki 2:11; 6:17; Zec 1:8), and they are pure and holy creatures, and will come with Christ to judgment: but this vision refers not to the day of judgment; and besides, the saints are meant, as appears by their habit, for the fine linen, white and pure, is the righteousness of the saints (Rev 19:8), and the righteousness of angels and saints is not the same. Moreover, these are the same company described in (Rev 17:14). The saints are in a state of warfare, have many enemies to fight with, sin, Satan, and the world; they are enlisted as volunteers under Christ, the captain of salvation; they are provided with the whole armour of God, and are very numerous, and always more than conquerors through Christ: these are described by the place where they were, “of heaven”; not being glorified saints of heaven; with these indeed Christ will come to judgment, even with all his saints with him; but members of the church militant, said to be of heaven, because that is often called the kingdom of heaven; and because their names are written in heaven, and they are of heavenly extract; they are born from above, and are partakers of the heavenly calling; they belong to heaven, they are citizens of it, and are pressing on to it.

Arrayed in fine linen, white and pure—Not the horses, but the armies on them; which designs not their inward purity, which was very glorious; nor their outward conversation garments, washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; but the robe of Christ’s righteousness, which is pure and spotless: these have no armour on, for they are not to strike a blow, only their general, who has the bloody garment on, is to tread the winepress, and destroy antichrist with the breath of his mouth, or with his sword proceeding out of it, as follows.

Were following him—Christ, their leader and commander in the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of duty; having gone on in his ways through a train of sufferings, and cleaved unto him, and now attend him; not to assist in fighting, but to add to the glorious and triumphant appearance of their general; and therefore are said to be

On white horses—They had served Christ in his gospel, which some of them had preached, and all professed, and had maintained the purity of it in doctrine and practice, and now triumphed in Christ, and along with him, riding upon horses of the same colour with his, as being his princes and nobles, and whom he had made kings as well as priests; the former may be signified by their horses; see Jdg 5:10 and the latter by their following habit.