Ascent-Offerings of Cattle
God’s first communication to Moses from the newly erected Tabernacle, on the 1st of Nisan, 2449, was as follows: “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘The central feature of the Tabernacle’s operation is the sacrificial rites. There are numerous types of sacrifices, which may be categorized in various ways: individual and communal, voluntary and obligatory, animal and non-animal, etc.
The procedures followed when offering up voluntary and obligatory ascent-offerings are identical, so the following instructions will apply to both.
An ascent-offering expresses the desire of the offerer to ascend to a higher level of closeness to God, either (a) in order to atone for having intentionally neglected to perform an active commandment (which it is no longer possible to perform), or (b) in order to atone for having intentionally neglected to perform the active commandment that compensates for having transgressed a passive commandment (and it is no longer possible to perform the active commandment).
When a man or woman from among you brings a voluntary ascent-sacrifice to God, you must bring your sacrifice only from domestic animals that you own, i.e., from cattle or from the flock. You may not offer a stolen animal, one that was used for bestiality, one that was worshipped as an idol or even designated as such, one that has fatally gored someone, or one that is suffering from a fatal disease. Two or more people—or even the entire community—may bring a voluntary offering in partnership.
A Closer Look
Communal sacrifices: Some communal sacrifices were indeed offered up on the 1st of Nisan: the two daily offerings and the additional offering for the first of the month (Rosh Chodesh). However, in all these cases, Moses performed the rites himself; there was therefore no need for the regular priests to officiate at that time.
