The book of Leviticus contains 243 of the 613 mitzvahs, more than any other book in the Chumash. They cover all aspects of the faith. It would be reasonable to expect it to start with those concerning good character with everything else a development of these concepts. Instead it starts with the sacrifices and spends many words about them implying that they are of real importance.
One can understand the sacrifices through various perspectives. From the side of morality they can be celebrations, requests for forgiveness, and expressions of dedication. Concerning their execution some are entirely burnt, others are primarily eaten by the cohanim, and many are for a banquet. They can take the form of meat or rich bread and often come with wine. Understanding the peace offering (קרבן שלמים) helps to the understand all of them and their importance.
There is something about the joy and camaraderie of a luxurious, proper meal with wine that is not present in a gift of a garment, book, or cash. This is seen in the final departure of Jacob from Laban. Laban wanted to have all the money that Jacob earned. When Jacob put a stop to it, Laban’s attitude became bad in deed. Even so at the end they patched things up, had a nice meal together, and separated in peace. The festive meal made a difference.
This is in contrast to the sons of Eli the High priest. The book of Shmuel reckons them as unscrupulous and ignorant of Hashem, and to illustrate the point describes their horrible behavior when a peace offering was brought. When the meat about to start cooking, the servant of the priest would come with a fork, stick it in the pot and take a portion. By doing this the sons of Eli violated the custom of waiting to take the meat until after the fats had been burnt on the altar. When questioned the reply was that they would not accept cooked meat from the host, rather it must be given to them raw. If the host protested, they would threaten to take it by force. The prophet concludes, “the sin of the boys was very great in the sight of Hashem, for these people treated the offering of Hashem with contempt”, (1 Shmuel 2:17).
The Midrash Tanhuma expounds that every person who brings a peace offering brings peace to the world. This is because it makes peace between a man and the Omnipresent, the priests, and his fellow man. The Gemara (Brachos 55a) expounds on the virtue of prolonging one’s mealtime at the table explaining perhaps a poor person will come and the host will be able to give him food immediately. The Sages elsewhere praised a person who acts appropriately at a meal, as it is written concerning the altar, “This is the table that is before Hashem”, (Ezekiel 41:22). The altar in Temple is compared to the table a person eats at. As long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel’s transgressions. Now that it is destroyed, a person’s table atones for his transgressions.
In essence the sacrifices are about peace and friendship. This is one of the central goals of the Torah because without them a person really has nothing. If a good thing happens to a person, he desires that others share in his joy. For example a marriage, Bar Mitzvah, and birth of a child are very happy events. A large party with family, friends, teachers, and rabbis adds to the joy. One can even perceive the presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu there too. All of these relationships are strengthened. If a person has good relationships with his surroundings and is at peace with the Torah then its natural for him to develop good character, observe the holidays, eat kosher food, and keep all of the mitzvahs as well.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment