מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית. מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן, עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבָּאוּ בָנָיו מִבֵּית הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא קָרִינוּ אֶת שְׁמַע. אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם לֹא עָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר, חַיָּבִין אַתֶּם לִקְרוֹת. וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. הֶקְטֵר חֲלָבִים וְאֵבָרִים, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. וְכָל הַנֶּאֱכָלִים לְיוֹם אֶחָד, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. אִם כֵּן, לָמָּה אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיק אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעֲבֵרָה:
From which time may the Shema be recited in the evenings? From the time that the Cohanim have gone in to eat their terumah [Cohanim who became unclean and who immersed may not eat terumah until "their sun has set"; that is, until the stars have appeared. The reason "From the time the stars have appeared" is not stated is that we might thereby be apprised of an incidental learning, viz., if the Cohanim become defiled with the type of uncleanliness where their cleansing entails an offering (such as zav or metzora), the want of this expiatory offering does not prevent them from eating terumah, it being written (Leviticus 22:7): "And when the sun has set vetaher ('and the day has ended'), he may eat of the holy things" — the setting of the sun is a prerequisite for his eating terumah, but his expiatory offering is not], until the end of the first watch. [the first third of the night, the night being divided into three watches. From that point on, it is not considered the time of the recital of the Shema of reclining, and it does not satisfy (Deuteronomy 6:7): "…when you lie down." And before the stars come out, too, it is daytime, and not the time of lying down. And those who are beforehand and recite the evening Shema while it is still day, rely in this on R. Yehudah, who says (26a) that the Minchah prayer may be recited until midway through the afternoon, an hour and a quarter before the night. And it is ruled that one may follow R. Yehudah in this regard — that immediately upon the expiration of the time for the Minchah prayer, the time for the recital of the evening Shema begins.] These are the words of R. Eliezer. And the sages say: Until midnight. R. Gamliel says: Until the appearance of the morning star. [For the entire night is considered the time of lying down. And the halachah is in accordance with R. Gamliel, the sages, too, agreeing with him, having said "Until midnight" only to keep one far from transgression. However, ab initio, when the time of the recital of Shema of the Mishnah arrives —- that is, when the stars appear — one is forbidden to repast, and, it goes without saying, to sleep, until he recites the Shema and prays.] It once happened that his sons came late from a feast [The sons of R. Gamliel heard that the sages had said: "Until midnight," and this is what they said to him: Do the sages differ from you, saying: "Until midnight," specifically, and not afterwards? (and "one against many, the halachah is according to the many"), or do the sages hold with you, but say "until midnight" to keep one far from transgression? And he answered: The sages hold with me, and say: "Until midnight" to keep one far from transgression; and you are obliged to recite it.], and they said to him: We did not yet recite the Shema. He told them: If the morning star has not yet appeared, it is incumbent upon you to recite it. And not this alone [(This is still R. Gamliel speaking to his sons)] did they say, but wherever the sages say "until midnight," the mitzvah obtains until the appearance of the morning star. The mitzvah of burning the fats [of the offerings] and the pieces [of the daily afternoon burnt-offering — It is a mitzvah to offer up the pieces the entire night, viz. (Leviticus 6:2): "It is the burnt-offering upon its firewood on the altar all the night until the morning."] obtains until the appearance of the morning star. And the mitzvah of eating all of those offerings which must be eaten in one day [such as a thank-offering, a sin-offering, a guilt-offering, and the like, which are eaten a day and a night — the time for eating them is until the appearance of the morning star; and it is that which brings them to the status of nothar (left beyond the designated time and requiring to be burned)], ("the mitzvah, etc.") obtains until the appearance of the morning star. If so, why did the sages say: "Until midnight"? [in respect to the recital of the Shema and the eating of offerings. But they did not say "until midnight" at all in respect to the burning of the fats and the pieces, having mentioned this here only to apprise us that the mitzvah of all things designated for the night obtains the entire night.] To keep one far from transgression. [that he not come to eat them after the appearance of the morning star and incur kareth ("cutting-off"); and, similarly, with the recital of the Shema, that he not say "I still have time" and miss the designated time].
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
Bamidbar Rabbah
“He presented his offering: One silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering” (Numbers 7:19).
Why does it say in his regard: “Presented his offering [hikriv]”? (Numbers 7:18). It is because Reuben came and appealed. He said: ‘It is enough that Judah preceded me, just as he did on the journeys. I will present the [next] offering, in accordance with birth order.’ Moses reprimanded him and said to him: 'From the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He, it was stated to me: ‘Present the offerings [hakrev] in accordance with the journeys.’51Since the camp of Judah went first in the journeys, the tribes in that camp sacrificed first. Within each camp, the Torah orders the tribes. Thus, in the camp of Judah, the order is Judah, Issachar, Zevulun (Numbers 2:1–9.) Alternatively, hikriv, Moses brought him near [hikrivo], against Reuben’s will.
Another matter, “presented [his offering] – it is as though he presented his offering first. Why was it so? Because he was privileged to counsel the princes, the verse ascribes to him as though he presented his offering first. Abba Ḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: Because he was privileged to counsel, he merited that understanding was granted to his tribe, as it is stated: “From the children of Issachar, possessors of understanding of the times” (I Chronicles 12:33), and it is stated: “Princes of Issachar were with Deborah” (Judges 5:15). Likewise, the verse speaks his praise as he sat on the tribunals in Egypt, as it is stated: “[Descendants of Issachar…] of Yashuv, the Yashuvite family” (Numbers 26:23–24), and yashuv is nothing other than courts,52Since Yashuv was in Egypt, and it is a term which refers to tribunals, we learn that there were tribunals in Egypt. as it is stated: “They will come to you as a people comes, and…will sit [veyeshvu] before you” (Ezekiel 33:31). “Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27),53“Tents” is expounded as a reference to the study halls of Shem and Ever. and it says: “And Issachar in your tents” (Deuteronomy 33:18).54This teaches that the tribe of Issachar studied a lot of Torah.
“He presented [hikriv] his offering…” (Numbers 7:19), Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair said: Why did it add hikriv,55In the sacrifices of the other tribes, the word hikriv is not used. and it is lacking a yod? Rather, it was corresponding to the red heifer that they prepared on that day; that is why he added hikriv lacking a yod, establishing the word with four letters, corresponding to the four matters that the heifer required: Red, complete, unblemished, without having borne a yoke, just as it says: “They shall take to you a completely red heifer [in which there is no blemish, and upon which a yoke was not placed]” (Numbers 19:2).
“One silver dish” (Numbers 7:19), the prince of Issachar came and presented an offering in the name of the Torah, because they loved the Torah more than all the tribes did, as it is stated: “From the children of Issachar, possessors of understanding of the times, [to know what Israel should do; their leaders were two hundred, and all their brethren at their command]” (I Chronicles 12:33). What is “of the times”? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: To perform matters in a timely fashion. Rabbi Yosei says: For intercalations. “To know what Israel should do” – on what day they should observe the festivals. “Their leaders were two hundred” – these are the two hundred heads of the Sanhedrin that the tribe of Issachar produced. “And all their brethren at their command” – as others would agree to the halakha in accordance with their opinion. And it says: “[Issachar….] He bent his shoulder to bear” (Genesis 49:14–15), as they would bear the yoke of Torah. “And he became an indentured servant” (Genesis 49:15), as anyone who would err in halakha, they would ask the tribe of Issachar regarding it, and they would explain it to them.
“Silver dish,” corresponding to the Torah, that is called bread, as it is stated: “Come, partake of my bread” (Proverbs 9:5). And it is stated regarding the showbread: “You shall craft its dishes and its ladles” (Exodus 25:29), and we learned: The dishes were molds, as they would shape the showbread with molds.
“Its weight one hundred and thirty” (Numbers 7:19), go out and calculate twenty-four books of the written Torah, and eighty of mishna, that begin with mem: “From when [me’ematai] does one recite shema…” (Berakhot 1:1), and ends with mem: “The Lord will bless his people with peace” (Okatzin 3:12). Mem is forty and mem is forty, that is eighty;56Since the sum of the first letter in the Mishna and the last letter in the Mishna is 80, the number 80 represents the oral law. that is one hundred and four, the result of the tally of the written Torah and the Oral Torah. Alternatively, the beginnings of the six orders of Mishna, the tally of the first letters total eighty. Go out and calculate: mem of “me’ematai” (Berakhot 1:1), from the order of Zera’im; yod of “yetziot haShabbat” (Shabbat 1:1), from the order of Moed; ḥet of “ḥamesh esre nashim” (Yevamot 1:1), from the order of Nashim; alef of “arba’a avot nezikin” (Bava Kama 1:1), from the order of Yeshuot;57Also known as Nezikin. kaf of “kol hazevaḥim” from the order of Kodashim; alef of “avot hatuma” from the order of Teharot, equals eighty.58Mem – 40, + yod – 10, + ḥet – 8, + alef – 1, + kaf – 20, + alef – 1 = 80. From here [we see] that the written Torah and the Oral Torah total a tally of one hundred and four. The Torah was given after the twenty-six generations that were from Adam until Moses, by means of whom the Torah was given. That is one hundred and thirty; therefore, the weight of the dish was one hundred and thirty.