Texts: Leviticus 1:1-5:26 || Isaiah 43:21-44:23
NOTE: Kol HaTor, in its commentaries on the weekly Parashot, endeavours to search for and accentuate the Torah Messages contained in the Parashot as applicable to the main Theme of Tanach of the Return of the House of Israel, i.e. the Lost Ten Tribes of Northern Israel and their Reconciliation with Judah to form the reunited 12-Tribed Kingdom of Israel.
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DISCLAIMER – The authors whom we quote from for this Commentary are not associated with KOL HA’TOR and need not agree with our views expressed herein or in our other publications. While we publish their views for its relative value to the interpretation of the Parashah, KOL HATOR does not necessarily agree with the views expressed by these authors.
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The last five parashot of the Book of Exodus explained the structure of the Tabernacle and its vessels, and Exodus concluded with an account of how the completed Sanctuary was finally erected and arranged by Moses on the 1st of Aviv, almost one year after the Exodus from Egypt. This was all done according to the Instructions of HaShem. With the dedication of the Sanctuary, the Cloud of G-d’s Glory (His Shechinah) covered the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 40:34, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the Glory of HaShem filled the Tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the Glory of HaShem filled the Tabernacle.”
We have contemplated how one of the main purposes for the Tabernacle was, that “in this way the omnipresent Spirit Being, the G-d of Israel, could dwell amongst His People, guiding them by day in a Pillar of Cloud, and by night in a Pillar of Fire.” We have also considered the possibility that HaShem, similarly, wishes to “indwell the physical bodies (tabernacles) of His People individually. In the same manner, ultimately, He would “completely fill” such a person.
Now that the Sanctuary was complete, the next step is for us to learn what is to be done in it – what our responsibilities are. The book of Va’yikrah (Leviticus) begins with the detailed Commandments relating to the sacrifices, since these were to be the main activity in the Sanctuary and in the Temple throughout the generations.
Our Haftarah, Isaiah 43:21 proclaims:
“The people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My Praise.”
But, in the succeeding verses He complains:
Isaiah 43:23, “You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings (‘Korban Olah’ – elevation offerings),
nor honored me with your sacrifices.
24. You have not bought any fragrant calamus for Me,
or lavished on Me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened Me with your sins
and wearied Me with your offenses.”
Clearly, He requires our thanksgivings and praises. Sins, He forgives… but where are the Praises and exultations?
Almost the complete book of Va’yikrah is about sacrifices, offerings and libations. When we search it in the spirit of finding our responsibilities in regard to our “living Tabernacles dedicated to HaShem”, we are bound to turn what otherwise presents the “driest” section of the entire Bible, the book of Va’yikrah (Leviticus) into “a Fountain of Living Waters.”
VAYIKRA opens with an explanation of the various korbanot. And like many other Hebrew words and ideas, the concept of a korban loses its true meaning and essence when translated into the English language. While some might mistakenly translate the term korban as “sacrifice” the word actually comes from the Hebrew root karov (near), indicating that a more literal translation into English might be “that which brings near.” Korbanot brought to the Mishkan (and later to the Temple in Jerusalem) essentially serve the purpose of enhancing a person’s overall closeness to the Divine.
Selected Commentaries on Parashat Vayikrah
Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, Azamra Institure, www.azamra.org writes in his commentary on Va’yikrah:
“G-d’s challenge to ALL of the Children of Israel was to be ‘a kingdom of PRIESTS and a holy nation.’ (Ex. 19:6). While only the Cohen-priest may officiate at the offering of sacrifices, they could be brought by all. Many of the other Commandments in Leviticus relating to ‘holiness’ apply not only to the Cohen-Priests but to all of us. At the very heart of Leviticus is Parshas KEDOSHIM, ‘Be holy.’ (ch’s 19-20), which contains the fundamental laws governing man’s behavior to his fellows. This is explicitly addressed to all of the Children of Israel (Lev. 19:2). The book of VAYIKRA also contains Commandments that apply to Gentiles. These include the laws of sacrifices with which our present parshah of VAYIKRA, opens: the first commandment is that of KORBAN OLAH, the ‘elevation’ or whole-burned offering, which both Israelites and Gentiles are eligible to bring.”
Rabbi Billy Dreskin – Woodlands Community Temple, White Plains, New York, writes:
“Leviticus, the third book of the Torah, is not the most compelling by a long shot … Leviticus’ limitations aside, it’s my favorite book of the Torah, not because it’s a page-turner, but because it’s about human responsibility. Its words have God challenging us, saying, “You want to have a relationship with Me? Then there’s stuff you need to do. You want blessings in your life? You’re going to have to work for them.”
“The Torah has a way of working things out through purgation offerings. But with the fall of the Jerusalem Temple, we had to find an alternative path to taking care of our shortcomings. So now, the sacrificial offerings have become a symbol of our efforts in life to make things right.
“We need a pathway to return. We may find it in prayer, in relationship, or in brave yet difficult action. However we proceed, that path is likely to be far more constructive (and healing) than running from the problem. Leviticus is about sticking things out. While yes, we make mistakes – and plenty of them – we don’t run away but, to the contrary, we try to make things right. For our ancestors, a goat or a ram offering did the trick. For us, there are offerings of the heart that accomplish the needed repair.
Rabbi David Kaufman (on the same Web Page) puts it this way:
“What do we do to make things right? With what have we replaced these offerings? Certainly, we replace them with prayers and songs, but words alone hardly do justice to the actions and intentions symbolized by the ancient sacrifices. Actions must accompany our words. I am reminded of the passage from Isaiah, Chapter 58:6-9: ‘This is the fast I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, … ; it is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin. Then shall your light burst through like the dawn … Then when you call out, the Eternal will answer; when you cry, G-d will say: Hineini, Here I am.'”
Mark Kirschbaum, Tikkun Daily, concludes the following in regard to the Sacrificial system of the Torah:
“Once we are ‘trained’ in recognizing sacred otherness in our spiritual lives, we have the capacity to recognize that every person has their own unique set of needs and drives, their needs are not our needs, and we find ourselves living properly in community (perhaps this is what is meant when Avraham is congratulated for not holding back his son from God at the Akedah – that Avraham reached the point where he truly allowed another living being to individuate, that is the sacrifice, the sacrifice of the illusion that one has control over another). Thus the true moment of atonement comes when one realizes that the world is not narcissistically absorbed in one’s own sins, etc., but rather, when one realizes that all living beings, in their own unique and free way, are part of a whole community of life, each with their own specific needs and desires, where the truest atonement (and sacrifice) is the recognition of the Other’s existence and autonomy.”
Consider this concise delineation of the main purpose of the Tabernacle or Temple in the light of our previous discussion (Parashat Va’yakhel) regarding the related root meanings of Shechinah, viz. dwell, neighbourhood, neighbour). Thus: the indwelling Spirit of HaShem in our human tabernacles requires the corrective attitudes and actions towards our neighbours (community) in life. This underlies our whole duty and purpose in life – towards our fellow earthlings and towards our Maker. This is what Torah is all about.
The interpretation of Torah has been Divinely mandated to Judah until Mashiach ben David comes who will rule over the nations (Gen. 49:10; refer to our enlightening study on this Topic). The ancient northern Ten Tribes of Israel rebelled against this authority of Judah for which they were exiled into oblivion by HaShem, cut off from His Covenant. Their reconciliation, however, and Return to the Land was foretold by Divine Oath, filling the major part of Biblical Prophecy – a process which now is in fulfillment as millions of souls across the world are turning to Torah in search of their original Hebraic Roots.
Rabbi Yehuda HaKohen – Giving Gratitude and Drawing Close to the Creator
VAYIKRA’s fourth aliyah specifically features the korban shlamim, which Sforno explains as korbanot voluntarily brought when one feels personally motivated to express gratitude to HaShem. This korban, brought from a sense of love and appreciation, is an expression of recognition for the Kadosh Barukh Hu’s [the Holy One, blessed is He] constant generosity and eternal connection to the Children of Israel.
[Note: the weekly Reading (Parashah) is divided into 7 daily sections. On the Shabbat concluding that week, the reading in the synagogue is divided into 7 sections (each being an aliyah for which a congregant is called up to the Reading pulpit}. The 4th of these in this Parashah deals with korban shlamim – voluntary offering].
According to Rashi, the name shlamim is derived from the word Shalom, because the shlamim has the ability to increase peace in our world. Living in a generation without a Mishkan or Temple makes it difficult to understand how bringing korbanot – a seemingly primitive act by Western standards – could have any meaningful impact on the universe. When judged by the wrong yardstick, mitzvot like the ritual slaughter of animals can appear insignificant or even barbaric. But while Western thought measures things according to the present reality as perceived through our limited senses, Israel’s Torah views life according to the standard of our reality’s deeper inner workings, as well as where we understand the world to be heading. Only by viewing reality through a pure Hebrew lens can one attain the necessary vision to appreciate how each korban serves to release Divine energies that flow into this world and uplift Creation to a higher plane of existence.
[Emerging Torah observers – who form the major part of our reading audience here – should present and prepare themselves as the guiding channels by which to direct hidden Ephraimites and exiled Ten Tribers out there, to the correct Mechoqeck Torah channel – i.e. Judah and the Land of Israel, the Kingdom to be].
Torah concepts of mitzvoth [commandments], especially those pertaining to the Temple in Jerusalem, come from a higher dimension of reality that our world is meant to exist on and will certainly reach as history progresses towards a more advanced state. The individual stages that bring about this higher goal can only be perceived when one achieves a broader view of the amazing reality mankind is currently approaching. In order for a person to appreciate the significance of an individual piece of any given puzzle, he must first have an idea of what the entire picture should look like. Only then can he realize the necessity and value of each piece – each phase of the process leading up to the complete picture.
[Ephraim should achieve this insight for himself firstly and then share it with the non-Jewish world out there and direct them to the Mechoqeck (HaShem’s mandated Lawgiver) and the Land].
Each korban brought to the Temple in Zion has a ripple effect that adds incredible blessing to the world – curing diseases, alleviating suffering and influencing random acts of kindness across the globe. Jerusalem’s chain reaction of Divine goodness demonstrates how all of existence is connected at the source.
Korban Aharon [Jewish comentator] supports Rashi’s understanding of the shlamim by explaining that the peace expressed through its name is the harmony between the heavenly world of the spirit and the earthly material world. Bringing a korban shlamim to the Temple works to unite the spiritual and material facets of existence. Israel is meant to serve as a national bridge between the holy and seemingly mundane spheres of life. The Jewish people is tasked with revealing kedusha [holiness, righteousness – by the Torah] in every aspect of this world in order to uplift existence to its highest potential. This Divine mission necessitates Israeli self-determination in Eretz Yisrael, as only by existing as an independent nation in our homeland can we reach and elevate every facet of life to its highest ideal. And only through a Hebrew Kingdom in the Land of Israel can we bring mankind to the awareness of HaShem as the timeless ultimate Reality without end that creates, sustains and empowers all with His love.
{Nothing else but the Kingdom message].
The Ramban offers a special explanation for the word shlamim, teaching that it is derived from the Hebrew word shleimut (completeness). He further explains that a person who brings this offering is not motivated by a need to atone for past sin [which is forgiven and past tense for the repented] , but rather by a sense of completeness and free-willed desire for universal perfection. He is not apologizing for any wrongdoing but expressing an idealistic drive to elevate the world. His service to HaShem stems from an active Torah that aspires him to revolutionize human civilization and bring history to completion. Instead of living an individual “Judaism” of personal reward and punishment, he is involved with a macro-level Torah of cosmic proportions that harmoniously connects him to all of Creation.
Due to the terrible persecution [Jewish] Israel suffered throughout nearly two thousand years of exile from our soil, many Jews have turned inward and developed a warped sense of our collective national mission. Some have come to genuinely believe that the goal of the Jewish people is to merely serve G-D quietly without distractions or the threat of outside aggression. The very concept of the korban shlamim clearly exposes the error of this perspective. The mission of the Hebrew Nation is to revolutionize the world, bringing it to perfection as determined by the Kadosh Barukh Hu. Israel is to serve as HaShem’s instrument in leading mankind to a lofty state of total blessing and everlasting peace incomprehensible to the leading thinkers of contemporary Western civilization.
[Jewish outgoing evangelizing was rampant in Roman times. It has stopped due to persecution of Jews for converting Gentiles to Judaism. 10% of the Roman citizens were converts to Judaism due to active Jewish proselytizing! Resultant death penalty made them self protective, concentrating just on their own improved spirituality by more defined law abidance. Non-evangelizing became the Jewish tradition, almost forbidden – which caused Judah to fail its Mandate to be the Light unto the Nations. This now gives Ephraim the opportunity to be the Light by prospecting amongst the nations and directing the prospects to Judah for proper Torah guidance. This will provoke Judah’s attention, approval of and recognition of ‘Yosef being Alive’! – i.e. Ephraim fine tuning a successful universal Yosef managerial proclamation system]
Israel [with the help of Ephraim] is to bring humankind to its highest state of universal perfection [with the help of Judah’s Torah guidance – until Shiloh comes, Judah is in that driving seat].. If properly trained, we can learn to perceive the realization of this objective in our own generation through events bringing history closer to its ultimate goal. The redemption process is currently materializing with the rebirth of a sovereign Hebrew state in portions of our homeland, a still yet to be completed ingathering of our exiles and a spiritual revolution reacquainting many Jews with our Torah. After centuries of bitter oppression and exposure to external cultural influences, a decolonization of Jewish identity is taking place. Our generation has been Divinely chosen and blessed with the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the present stages of redemption – to recognize the miraculous developmental process unfolding and to facilitate the building of HaShem’s Divine Kingdom in our world.”
[This is the ONLY way in which “Ephraim can hope to provoke the jealousy of Judah”, as Scripture proclaims. Ephraimites today are seeking this factor and hoping that it will be their ‘Messianic Gospel’ which will ‘provoke Judah to jealousy’. They refuse to believe that this intention of theirs is fuelling the division. The guidelines as presented in our comments above have been deeply contemplated by our leadership and confirmed by simultaneous but independent convictions just recently. The above Parashat commentary has come at the right moment to serve as yet another confirmation].
Conclusion
There can be no greater commitment in these Times, by BOTH the Houses of Judah and 10-Israel, then to dedicate our human ‘temples’ to the original Divine Intent, i.e. as a Dwelling Place for HaShem; A sincere study of Va’yikrah (Leviticus) will assist the sincere seeking soul to find it’s responsibilities to ensure the ultimate full habitation of the Shechinah of HaShem (as in the Tabernacle of old).
Read more about the Founders of Kol HaTor:
* Rabbi Avraham Feld
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March 20, 2021 @ 11:26 pm
This Parashah had me crying, too much kedushah written! To understand the divine energies linked to each korban is astronomical! Oh, the PURITY OF IT ALL!!!!! No words to describe!!