ויקרא

Shimon the Righteous was from the remnants of the Great Assembly. He would say, "On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the service and on acts of lovingkindness."

"on the [Temple] service": The service of the sacrifices. For such have we taught in tractate Taanit, "Were it not for the groupings [involved in the sacrifices] the heavens and the earth would not have endured (Taanit 27b)." And we have found that on account of the sacrifices that Noah brought, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that He would never bring a flood. So it is that the world stands upon the sacrifices.

He is saying that with wisdom, and that is the Torah; and with enhancement of [good] traits, and that is acts of lovingkindness; and with the fulfillment of commandments, and that is the sacrifices [referred to in the mishnah as service] - there will be a continuous refinement of the world and ordering of its existence in the most complete way.

Its entrails and legs shall be washed with water, and the priest shall turn the whole into smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.

Speak to the Israelite people, and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the LORD, he shall choose his offering from the herd or from the flock.