Today's Learning                                     Sponsored by
Shabbat 3:2-3                                     Mr. Moshe Cohen
Kitzur 192:10-193:4                            on the yahrzeit of
Bava Kama 24                                          his father,
Yerushalmi--                          R' Chaim ben R' Zvi haKohen
     Shabbat 77
                                          Young Israel of Potomac


                    HAMAAYAN/THE TORAH SPRING
                      Edited by Shlomo Katz

                        PARASHAT VAYIKRA
      Vol. VIII, No. 24 (359), 7 Nisan 5754, Mar. 19, 1994

   The Book of vaYikra is Torat Kohanim--it contains the laws of the
priesthood.  The first two parashot deal with the various classes
of sacrifices that could be brought in the mishkan--tabernacle--and
later in the bet hamikdash.

   Rambam (Maimonides) appears to state in Moreh Nevochim III:46
(Guide to the Perplexed) that animal sacrifices are a "second-class"
mitzvah.  The reason that Hashem commanded the Jews to bring animal
sacrifices was that our ancestors and their contemporaries were
accustomed to bringing sacrifices to idols, and Hashem knew that the
Jews would not easily be weaned from that practice.

   Rambam quotes many verses in Tanach which, according to Rambam,
prove that Hashem doesn't really want our animal sacrifices.  For
example, in Shmuel I 15:22 the prophet Shmuel asks Shaul
rhetorically, "Does Hashem want burnt offerings and sacrifices as
[much as He wants you] to heed the word of Hashem?  Behold, listening
is better than a good sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the
fat of rams."

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   Ramban (Nachmanides) takes very strong issue with Rambam's
position.  According to Ramban, sacrifices--as their Hebrew name
"korbanot" implies--bring us close ("karov") to Hashem.  How this
works is one of the secrets of the Torah. according to Ramban. 
(Commentary on the Torah: vaYikra 1:9)

   Ramban attacks Rambam's proofs, showing that, in context, the
verses which he cites do not support his view.  For example, the
verse quoted on the first page of this issue is the prophet's rebuke
of Shaul for sparing the animals of Amalek in order to bring them
as sacrifices.  Of that, not of korbanot in general, the prophet
said, "Does Hashem want burnt offerings and sacrifices as [much as
He wants you] to heed the word of Hashem?"  In addition, Ramban notes
that even Adam and his sons brought animal sacrifices.  Rambam's
understanding of korbanot would not explain how the practice started.


   Among those who comes to Rambam's defense is Abarbanel.  In the
fourth chapter of his introduction to vaYikra, Abarbanel explains
that Rambam speaks of two purposes behind animal sacrifices. 
Although Rambam offers his own explanation of the reason for
korbanot, he does not write that it is the only reason and that
sacrifices do not bring a person closer to Hashem.  Some mitzvot,
e.g., learning Torah and praying perform that function directly,
while others do so only indirectly or after accomplishing a secondary
goal.  Animal sacrifices fall into that second group--they bring the
offeror closer to Hashem by distancing him from idolatrous beliefs,
i.e., by channeling the very same energies which he had previously
used in the service of idolatry into the service of Hashem.

   Abarbanel himself is of the opinion that there are three types
of korbanot and a different reason behind each one.  There are olot--
burnt offerings, there are chataot and ashamot  --sin offerings, and
there are shelamim (see below).

   The sacrifices which Adam and his sons brought were olot.  The
purpose of this sacrifice is to bring a person closer to Hashem by
saying to him, "Just as this animal has died and is entirely burnt
on the altar, so, when you die, you will return completely to
Hashem."  This is why Chazal say that this sacrifice atones for
sinful thoughts; such thoughts are possible because a person loses
sight of his end.

   The purpose of sin offerings is to atone for unintentional sin. 
Because people are sometimes careless, though they do not wish to
sin, Hashem desires to punish them through their pocketbooks.  This
will surely induce them to be more careful in the future.

   Finally, the third class of korbanot are the shelamim.  These are
largely voluntary sacrifices which a person brings to express
gratitude to Hashem.  In particular, when a person invites family
and friends to help him eat the sheep or ram which he has slaughtered
as a korban shelamim, he will have the opportunity to speak to them
of Hashem's kindness to him.

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   Many other commentators throughout the ages have written about
the ideas behind the sacrifices.  The Maharit (R' Yosef Trani; 1568-
1639) offers a reconciliation of Rambam's and Ramban's view which
is perhaps similar to Abarbanel's.  Rambam, he explains, is not
offering a reason for offering sacrifices.  That is, as Ramban
states, a complicated and mystical matter.  Rambam is merely stating,
however, what would happen if man had not been commanded to bring
sacrifices.  As we know, man needs outlets for his spiritual
yearnings.  [Ed. note: This is offered by many as an explanation for
why so many non-observant Jews are involved in the popular causes
of the day as well as in cults.]  If Judaism did not offer the
opportunity to bring sacrifices, Rambam is explaining, Jews would
very likely seek that opportunity elsewhere.  (Quoted in Tal Chermon
p.153)

   Other explanations behind animal sacrifices, at least those
connected with sins, are found among chassidic commentaries.  R'
Yaakov Leiner of Izbica explains that they symbolize that it is not
our true desire to sin.  Only because we too have "animal souls,"
i.e., a physical aspect, do we sin.  When the repentant person
performs smichahþresting his hands on the animal before it is
slaughteredþhe symbolically places all of the blame on his "animal
soul." (Bet Yaakov, vaYikra).

   R' Moshe Teitlebaum writes: "If a man sinned, did the animal sin?" 
Why then should an animal be slaughtered as an atonement for a
person?  He explains that bringing animal sacrifices is intended to
make a person ask that very question.  More specifically, he should
ask himself: "If animals, which were created solely to serve man,
but were not created by man, make such a sacrifice for me, then how
much more so should I, who was created solely to serve Hashem, and
was created by Hashem, sacrifice myself for Him!"

   Alternatively, R' Moshe offers the following explanation: As was
just noted, animals were created solely to serve man.  Imagine that
a high-ranking minister who had a seat in the king's throne room
sinned and was sentenced to death.  Surely the king will take that
minister's chair and remove it from the throne room!  Similarly,
every person "owns" a share of the world and its creatures, i.e.,
it was created to serve him.  When he sins, his share is destroyed. 
(Yismach Moshe).

   Finally, the medieval sage R' Yitzchak Arama writes that perhaps
we cannot find any rational explanation for animal sacrifice.  After
a person has dared to sin and contravene Hashem's will, however, the
most fitting atonement is that he do whatever Hashem commands,however
irrational it may appear.  (Akeidat Yitzchak)

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                             PESACH

   Why do we eat karpas?  The best known reason is that the Hebrew
spelling of karpas suggests "60 ferach" --i.e., "60 (x
10,000=600,000) Jews worked hard as slaves."  Some say that karpas
was the herb which Bnei Yisrael used to heal the sores they got while
working and through beatings.  Finally, the name karpas reminds us
of the "ketonet pasim"--Yosef's coat which played a role in bringing
about the enslavement of the Jews.
                                             (R' Yehuda Lebowitz:
                       Notes to Ritva's Hilchot Seder haHaggadah)

   R' Shlomo Luria (Maharshal) writes that one should wrap the matzah
in a sack, throw it over his shoulder, and walk around the room in
this manner saying, "This is how our ancestors left Egypt, their
belongings tied to their clothes, on their shoulders."  R' Shlomo
Kluger explains this custom as follows:

   Hashem told Moshe, "When Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt, they should
not leave empty-handed.  Rather, each woman should borrow items of
value from her neighbor, etc."  Isn't this verse redundant?  If each
woman is borrowing things from her neighbor, of course they will not
leave Egypt empty-handed!

   The Gemara says that after slaughtering the korban Pesach in the
bet hamikdash, each Jew would carry it home, thrown over his shoulder
the way an Arab carries his load.  Why is it important for the Gemara
to tell us that the Korban was carried like an Arab's load?   To
remind us that the reason the Jews ended up in Egypt in the first
place was that Yosef's brothers sold him to a caravan of Arabs.

   Did the Jews deserve to be paid for the work that they did in
Egypt?  Only if they were subjugated unfairly.  However, since we
now know that this exile was a punishment for the sale of Yosef,
apparently the Jews did not deserve to be paid.  This is why the Jews
could only borrow items from their Egyptians neighbors.  [Ed. note: 
R' Kluger does explain why the Jews were nevertheless allowed to keep
what they "borrowed," but that does not directly relate to our
question.]  To remind Bnei Yisrael of this, Hashem told Moshe, "The
Jews should not go empty-handed."  They should carry these items in
their own hands, and not place them on the animals or wagons.  More
explicitly, they should carry these items on their shoulders the way
an Arab carries his load, so that they would be reminded of the
reason that they went to Egypt in the first place.

   This is what Maharshal tells us to do:  We too should know why
our ancestors were enslaved in Egypt.  Carrying the Matzah around
the room on our shoulders reminds us of the reason.

                                                  (Yeriot Shlomo)

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