Exodus 29 commands the seven consecration days, whose exact execution appears in Tzav. It gives no command for the eighth. Shemini’s opening too suggests that its instructions originated with Moses.
Professor Yoni Grossman explains that commanding the eighth day would be inappropriate, turning the divine presence into an almost inevitable result of a magical seven-day process. Instead, it depends on the LORD’s free will: only finding His people worthy will He dwell among them.
The absence of a clear command indicates that Moses exercised judgment. This illuminates his dispute with Aaron about eating the sin-offering goat (Leviticus 10:16–20).
Moses was angry, believing that eating rather than burning it outside the camp would atone for the congregation. Aaron considered eating inappropriate after the tragedy. They disputed what the LORD required without an explicit command, rather than whether an original command suited present circumstances. Moses says not “ye should certainly have eaten it in the holy place as the LORD commanded,” but “as I commanded,” according to his understanding of the LORD’s will.
Perhaps Moses’ personal involvement, having commanded and expected obedience, prevented him from understanding that will. He failed to see that the LORD desired burning rather than eating, as Aaron understood and Aharei Mot implies: the goat’s blood goes inside, requiring burning like any inner sin-offering (see “The Eighth Day’s Mistakes”). Moses ultimately agreed after hearing Aaron (Leviticus 10:20).
Their dispute illustrates the complexity of interpreting and implementing the LORD’s will, which does not always have one clear, unequivocal path. Understanding it requires flexible thought and open dialogue between differing views.
