איבעיא להו טעה ולא התפלל מנחה מהו שיתפלל ערבית ב' את"ל טעה ולא התפלל ערבית מתפלל שחרית ב' משום דחד יומא הוא דכתיב (בראשית א, ה) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד אבל הכא תפלה במקום קרבן היא וכיון דעבר יומו בטל קרבנו או דילמא כיון דצלותא רחמי היא כל אימת דבעי מצלי ואזיל
The question was asked: How is it if one erred and omitted the afternoon Tefillah — shall he say it twice in the evening ? If thou thinkest thou canst answer [by quoting] "If one erred and omitted the evening Tefillah, he should say it twice in the morning," [that is different] because it is one day ; as it is written, "And there was evening and there was morning one day " (Gen. i. 5). But here the Tefillah is the substitute for the sacrifice, and the day having passed, the sacrifice becomes void. Or is it perhaps because Tefillah is supplication, and one may pray whenever he wishes?
There are five different types of offerings presented in our parasha. Three types of offerings are "gift offerings": the (1) burnt offering (olah), (2) grain offering (minchah), and (3) sacrifice of well-being (zevah hashleimim). And there are two types of "expiatory offerings": the (4) purification offering (chatat) and the (5) reparation offering (asham). The gift offerings are an expression of a worshiper's love and reverence for the Divine, voluntary sacrifices made at will. The expiatory offerings are responses to specific violations and wrongdoings, and they are obligatory for the one who transgressed. These sacrifices atone (kipper) for the wrongdoing, literally wiping away the sin which has metaphysically defiled the Temple and those objects within. If this defilement is allowed to "collect", it could threaten the community's collective physical existence.
- With a burnt offering, the entire offering is burnt such that none of the offering can be eaten. This makes the ultimate gift offering, since the bringer gets no tangible benefit from the sacrifice. The root of the Hebrew olah means to rise, and this was the distinguishing feature of this sacrifice as the smoke rose heavenwards. Examples of this offering in the Tanach include Noah's sacrifices of thanksgiving after the Flood, Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac, and Saul's sacrifices before battle.
- A grain offering consists of nothing more than flour, oil, and frankincense and is most likely brought by a very poor person. Because they extend themselves to bring an offering despite their poverty, it is as if they had given their own soul. In addition, the word mincha means tribute paid to a superior or ruler, and it expresses the basic notion that the Israelites are supposed to offer regular tokens to God symbolizing God's sovereignty over them. Examples of this sacrifice included Cain and Abel's offerings and the offerings at the Shiloh sanctuary.
- Well-being offerings are brought voluntarily by a person or a group of people who are moved to express their love of God and their gratitude of God's goodness, and to enhance their closeness to the Divine. This sacrifice was a communal experience. God, the priest, and the offerer, along with invited guests, would partake in different parts of the animal, with the offerer hosting a festive meal "in the Lord's presence". Ownership of the animal is first transferred to God, after which the portions eaten by the priest and the worshiper are considered to have been given to them by God - "much as a king is sustained by the tribute provided by his subjects, yet the subjects are nevertheless honored to be invited to dine at the royal table" (Jewish Study Bible, p. 200).
- For a deed that has been committed inadvertently, a purification offering (chatat) must be made. The more severe the contamination, the more deeply it penetrates the sacred sphere. The type of animal used varies in accordance with the social status of the individual. Here, inadvertent acts are just as harmful as deliberate ones, and the need to atone for them just as real. As Rambam points out, such deeds blemish the soul; for if the sinner had regarded them with the proper gravity, the violations would not have occurred.
- The reparation offering (asham) is offered when trespass against the sacred sphere, deliberate or unintentional, has taken place. These transgressions include misuse of sacred objects and of the sacred domain, as well as instances of false oath in property offenses, because the name of God is used in vain. This is the only sacrifice which can be substituted for a monetary amount. An animal need not be sacrificed.
Moshe Al-Sheikh (16C Turkey) notices that the Torah emphasizes that the priest places his hands on ראש העולה, “the head of the burnt offering,” not the head of the “animal” or the “sacrifice.” He interprets this moment as symbolic of the purification of thought, which is “the beginning of ascent,” another plausible translation of ראש העולה. Actions express thought, whether positive or negative, and so the sacred service begins with a quiet moment of encounter before the dramatic action that will follow. It is easier to focus on action than intention, but it is intention that determines the course of events and imbues them with significance.
When the sacrifice is burned on the alter, the Torah describes the smoke as רֵֽיחַ־נִיח֖וֹחַ לַֽיקֹוָֽק, “a pleasing fragrance for the Lord.” I remember chanting that recurring line in Jerusalem in 1979. I didn’t understand much of what was occurring, but I was especially puzzled by the notion of God enjoying the smoke, like a person might enjoy a barbecue. This image of God did not inspire me, but I later discovered a line of rabbinic interpretation that emphasized the value of human intention, not of acrid smoke. The final Mishnah in Tractate Menahot (110a) notices that this phrase, “a pleasing fragrance to the Lord” is used whether the sacrifice is of a mammal, a bird or of some grain. The difference in financial value between such offerings is enormous. Think $3-$30-$300—yet all are considered pleasing to God. The sages say, “whether the [value] is great or minor it is the same—so long as his intention is for heaven.”
Just as the high holiday season is a time for introspection, so too are the weeks leading to Passover and on to Shavuot. Egyptian enslavement caused spiritual damage, and our ancestors needed to purify their minds before they could receive the Torah and begin to serve God in purity. We also benefit from slowing down the action of our busy lives to confront the ultimate issues—slavery and freedom, virtue and vice, death and life. As we enter the month of Nisan, enjoying the start of spring and all of its promise, we pause to purify our thoughts. May all of our actions, great or small, be for the sake of heaven, showing gratitude and generosity, kindness and compassion, responsibility and love.
Most contemporaries understand the demand for the return of sacrifice metaphorically. It may mean, as William James offered, "the sacrifice of the heart, the sacrifice of the inner ego." Even traditionalists who believe in the efficacy of sacrifice might say that atonement for sin and the soul's purification, the aim of sacrifice, can be achieved through the overcoming of arrogance and the diminution of the ego. As Martin Buber expressed it, "Truly there is no cosmos for the human being except when the totality is made home, a temple in which one offers one's sacrifice."
Parshat Tzav opens up by going into detail regarding one of the offerings: the burnt-offering. As we said, the burnt-offering was to be brought by one seeking to raise their spiritual level, whether by proactive action or to make up for a momentary lapse of recognition of the Divine in daily life. Now, we find out something deeper:
“It is the burnt-offering [that stays] on the flame, on the Altar, all night until the morning, and the fire of the Altar should be kept aflame on it… The fire on the Altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not be extinguished; and the Kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning; he shall prepare the burnt-offering upon it… A permanent fire shall remain aflame on the Altar; it shall not be extinguished.” (Vayikra 6:2, 5-6)
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in Likkutei Torah (Devarim 78d), explains “that the altar is the heart of the Jew. And corresponding to the two altars of the Sanctuary, the outer and the inner, are the outer and inner levels of the heart, its surface personality and its essential core. The altar on which the continual fire was to be set was the outer one. And for the Jew this means that the fire of his love for God must be outward, open and revealed. It is not a private possession, to be cherished subconsciously. It must show in the face he sets towards the world.”
Our God and God of our ancestors, may You be pleased with the gifts of our hearts, the words on our lips, our songs and our meditation; may You lovingly accept them as proper offerings. May they fulfill Your commandment to us in Your Torah: "Do not appear before Me empty-handed, but each person offer up a gift according to the blessings that Adonai your God has bestowed on you" (Deut 16:16-17).
Our God and God of our ancestors, may You call to mind our ancestors as they appeared in the Your holy Temple, in ancient times: how deep their love of You as they brought their offerings to You each Shabbat. Please, Adonai our God, grant us a similar spirit to be in relation to You and in awe of You. May we fulfill our duty toward the rebuilding of Your holy land, renewing the wellsprings of our lives, that we may ever be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth.
(א) ואת הדם יצק אל יסוד המזבח. לכפר על נפש האדם שקיומה בדם, כי כן כתיב (ויקרא יז) כי נפש כל בשר דמו בנפשו הוא, וכתיב (שם) כי הדם הוא בנפש יכפר,
ועל כן היה מקטיר שלשה דברים הללו, החלב והכליות ויותרת הכבד, לפי ששלשתן מסכימים בחטא ומטים העם מדרך טובה לדרך רעה, וזהו שאמר ואת החלב ואת הכליות ואת היותרת מן הכבד מן החטאת הקטיר המזבחה,
החלב הוא השומן המביא את האדם לידי גסות הרוח, והוא הסבה שטבע של אדם גס ומתגאה, כאמרו (דברים לב) וישמן ישרון ויבעט שמנת עבית כשית ויטוש וגו', וכתיב (איוב טו) כי כסה פניו בחלבו.
הכליות הן מקור העצה, הוא שאמרו כליות יועצות, (תהלים סו) צרפה כליותי ולבי, (שם טז) אף לילות יסרוני כליותי.
הכבד משם הנפש המתאוה המתפשטת באדם והיא המולידה החמה והכעס והמבקשת השררה ותענוגי הגוף, וכל זה היה מקטיר לצפון כי משם תפתח הרעה, והכל בא לכפר על חטא האדם היוצא משומן הלב ומחשבת הלב ומתאות הכבד.
(1) ואת הדם יצק אל יסוד המזבח, “and he poured the blood upon the foundation of the Altar.” He did this in order to achieve atonement for man whose existence is dependent on blood. This is the meaning of Leviticus 17,14: “for the life-force of all flesh resides within its blood.” It is also written (Leviticus 17,11) “for he atones for the blood which resides in the נפש, ‘life-force.’”
This then was the reason that the High Priest was burning up the following three items, “the fat parts, the kidneys, and the tissue attached to the liver.” All of these parts of man had to partake in order for the sin to be carried out (golden calf) and they were instrumental in turning the people away from the path of goodness to the path of evil.
This is the deeper meaning of “and the fat-parts, the kidneys and the tissue adjoining the liver of the animal which was the sin-offering he made go up in smoke on the Altar” (verse 10). The part called חלב is the fat which causes man to become gross, arrogant; it is responsible for man’s inherent pride and arrogance. Moses alluded to this when he said (Deuteronomy 32,15) “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked, you became fat and gross and coarse;” we also have a verse in Job 15,27 depicting something similar: ”his face is covered with fat and his loins with blubber.” [The speaker refers to a king rebelling against the Lord. Ed.]
The kidneys are the source of what is called עצה, “counsel,” in the language of our sages (Berachot 61); they base this on Psalms 26,2 “ונסני צרופה כליותי ולבי, “and try me, test my heart and kidneys (mind).” Another verse (Psalms 16,7) carries a similar message, i.e. אף לילות יסרוני כליותי, “my kidneys (conscience) admonish me at night.”
The reason the tissue adjoining the liver had to be burned up is that desire, carnal and other kinds of greed which permeate man, have their origin in that region of the body. It is also the region which is the (physical) cause of anger and rage. All the negative virtues in man are connected to the liver. All of these parts the Priest burned up in the northern part of the Altar as the north is the region from where all evil originates, (compare Jeremiah 1,14). In other words, evil is consigned back to where it originated (symbolically speaking). All these procedures have one purpose, to achieve atonement for man’s sins which originate in the fatness of his heart and the planning of his ego which originates in the liver.