Topics Page: Korbanot

(1) Now the Human knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a person with the help of יהוה.” (2) She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. (3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to יהוה from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. יהוה paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering [God] paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And יהוה said to Cain,“Why are you distressed,And why is your face fallen? (7) Surely, if you do right,There is uplift.But if you do not do rightSin couches at the door;Its urge is toward you,Yet you can be its master.” (8) Cain said to his brother Abel … and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him.

(7) Then Moses said to Aaron: “Come forward to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering, making expiation for yourself and for the people; and sacrifice the people’s offering and make expiation for them, as יהוה has commanded.”

(1) (Lev. 22:29:) “And when you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord.” R. Pinhas, R. Levi, and R. Johanan said in the name of R. Menahem of Galilee, “In the future to come, all [other] offerings shall cease, but the sacrifice of thanksgiving shall not ever cease. All [prayers] shall cease, but the [prayer] of thanksgiving shall not ever cease. Thus it is stated (in Jer. 33:11), ‘The sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever”; [as they bring thanksgiving to the house of the Lord].’ ‘Give thanks to the Lord,’ this refers to the prayers; ‘as they bring thanksgiving,’ this refers to the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” And so David said (in Ps. 56:13), “Your vows, O God, are upon me; I will repay You with thanksgivings.” "Thanksgiving" (in the singular) is not written here, but “thanksgivings” (in the plural), [i.e., both] the thanksgiving prayer and the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

(8) And the laying down of this reason in the matter of the Temple obligates us also to make the matter of the sacrifices and the tribe of its workers and the precious well-known vessels rely on the very same reason, according to the simple understanding. Did we not say that the main [inclinations] of the heart follow after the actions? And, if so, the heart of a person will not be properly purified only with the word of the lips, that he say between himself and the wall, “I have sinned, I will not [do it] again.” But when he does a great act for his sin, to take “he-goats from his pens” and to exert himself to bring them to the prepared house to the priest, and [do] all of the procedure that is written about the sacrifices of the sinners — from all of this great action — he will fix the badness of sin in his soul, and it will be avoided by him the [next] time.

(9) And I found with Ramban, may his memory be blessed, [an explanation] on the [level] of the simple meaning, similar to this reason. As he wrote (Ramban on Leviticus 1:9) in the name of others, and this is his language: Since the deeds of people are determined by thought, speech and action, God, may He be blessed, commanded that when he sins, he brings a sacrifice and place his hands upon him corresponding to the deed, and confess with his mouth corresponding to the speech, and burn the innards and the kidneys, as they are the instruments of thought and desire. And the limbs [of the sacrifice] correspond to the hands and feet of a person that does all of his work. And he sprinkles the blood on the altar corresponding to the blood of his soul, so that a person think in doing all of this that he sinned to God with his body and his soul, and it is fit for him that his blood be spilled and his body burnt; were it not for the kindness of the Creator, Who took an exchange and ransom from him [in] the sacrifice — that its blood be instead of his blood and its soul be instead of his soul. And the central limbs correspond to his central limbs. And the portions with which to sustain the teachers of Torah [are so] that they will pray for him. And the daily sacrifice is because there is no saving the community from always sinning. And these words are tenable [and] grab the heart, like the words of classic homiletic teachings (Shabbat 87a). To here [are his words]. And he wrote at more length about the matter and wrote, “And in the way of truth (mysticism), the sacrifices contain a hidden secret, etc.,” as he wrote in his commentary on Parashat Vayikra.

(10) And we will add other things on the [level] of the simple meaning, and say that it is from this root that God commanded us to always sacrifice from things about which the heart of man covets, like meat and wine and bread, so that the heart be more aroused with this matter. And it [likewise] obligated the poor person to bring from his little [supply] of flour that his eyes and heart are upon all of the day. And there is another arousal of the heart with animal sacrifices from the angle of similarity, as human and animal bodies are similar in all of their matters — they are only differentiated that in this one, intellect was given into it, and not into that one. And when the human body goes out of the realm of the intellect at the time of the sin, he must know that he has entered the realm of animals at that time, as this is the only thing that differentiates [between] them. And therefore he is commanded to take a body of flesh like him and to bring it to the place chosen for the raising of the intellect and to burn it there, and to forget its memory — it shall be completely [incinerated], “it shall not be remembered and it shall not be thought of,” corresponding to his body — in order to form a strong image in his heart that any matter of a body without intellect is lost and completely null. And he should [thus] rejoice in his portion of an intelligent soul with which God has graced him, [and] which exists forever. And the body that cooperates with it will also exist in the revival [of the dead] on its account, in its following its counsel, meaning to say in its guarding itself from sin. And in his fixing this image in his soul, he will be very careful about sin. And the Torah promises that through this great act and through the obedience of its doer, this will [cause him to] regret his sin from his heart and from his soul, [that] his accidental sin will be atoned. But this similarity will not suffice to atone for volitional sins, as one who sins volitionally will not be chastised by similarities and words, but only by “the rod for the back of fools” (Proverbs 26:3).

(9) “Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took from every pure animal and from every pure bird, and offered up burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20). “Noah built [vayiven] an altar to the Lord” – vayaven is written; he contemplated [nitbonen] and He said: ‘Why did the Holy One blessed be He command me to increase the number of the pure animals beyond that of the impure ones, if not to sacrifice an offerings from them?’ Thereupon, “he took from every pure animal…” Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: It was on the great altar in Jerusalem, where Adam the first man sacrificed, as it is stated: “And may it please the Lord more than a bull with horns and hooves” (Psalms 69:32). “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, and the Lord said to His heart: I will not continue to curse the ground anymore on account of man, as the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will not continue to smite every living being anymore as I did” (Genesis 8:21). “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma” – Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, Rabbi Eliezer says: The descendants of Noah sacrificed [even] peace offerings. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: They sacrificed only burnt offerings. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “And Abel, too, brought from the firstborn of his flock and their fats” (Genesis 4:4) – referring to something whose fats are sacrificed? What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? [He explains it:] From the fattest among them. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “He sent the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered up burnt offerings and they slaughtered feast peace-offerings [shelamim]…”? (Exodus 24:5). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? They were whole, with their hides intact, as they did not undergo flaying and cutting. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “Yitro, father in law of Moses, took a burnt offering and feast offerings”? (Exodus 18:12). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? It is according with the one who said: Yitro came after the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Huna said: Rabbi Yanai and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great disagreed. Rabbi Yanai said: He [Yitro] came before the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great said: He came after the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥanina said: They do not disagree; the one who said that Yitro came before the giving of the Torah holds that the descendants of Noah sacrificed peace offerings. The one who said that Yitro came after the giving of the Torah holds that they sacrificed [only] burnt offerings. This supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, as it is written: “Awake, north, and come, south” (Song of Songs 4:16). “Awake, north” – this refers to the burnt offering that was slaughtered in the north. What is meant by “awake”? It is something that was dormant and was now re-awakened. “And come, south” – this refers to the peace offering that could be slaughtered in the south. What is meant by “come”? Something that was a new concept. Rabbi Yehoshua said in the name of Rabbi Levi: This verse supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: “This is the law of the burnt offering, that is the burnt offering…” (Leviticus 6:2) – [“that is”] what the descendants of Noah used to sacrifice. But when it comes to the peace offering it is written: “This is the law of the peace offering” (Leviticus 7:11) – “that they sacrificed” is not written here, but rather, “that one will sacrifice” (Leviticus 7:11); from here on. “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma” – He smelled the [future] aroma of Abraham our forefather emerging from the fiery furnace. He smelled the aroma of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya rising from the fiery furnace. This is analogous to a devotee of the king who sent him a tribute, a fine gift on a fine tray. His son succeeded him, but did not send him a tribute. His grandson succeeded him and did send him a tribute. He [the king] said to him: ‘How similar your offering is to your grandfather’s offering.’ “The Lord smelled” – he smelled the aroma of the generation of [the Hadrianic] persecutions. Rav Shalom said in the name of Rabbi Menaḥma bar Ze’ira: This is analogous to a king who sought to build himself a palace on the seacoast, but he did not know where to build it. He found a flask of balsam oil. He went over to it and smelled it, and built it [the palace] over it. That is what is written: “For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Psalms 24:2). By what merit? It is by the merit of: “The generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your countenance, Jacob, Selah” (Psalms 24:6).

(9) The number of these prayers may not be diminished, but may be increased. If a person wants to pray all day long, he may.Any prayer that one adds is considered as a freewill offering. Therefore, one must add a new idea consistent with that blessing in each of the middle blessings. [However], making an addition of a new concept even in only one blessing is sufficient in order to make known that this is a voluntary prayer and not obligatory.In the first three [blessings] and the last three [blessings], one must never add, detract or change anything at all.

(10) The community should not recite a voluntary prayer, since the community does not bring a freewill offering. Even an individual should not recite the Musaf Prayer twice, once as the obligation of the day and the other as a voluntary prayer, because the additional offering is never a freewill offering.One of the Geonim taught that it is forbidden to recite a voluntary prayer on Sabbaths or holidays, since freewill offerings were not sacrificed on these days, but only the obligatory offerings of the day.

(2) The second part embraces those things which are desired by God. These come from His will and show that God has will. They go by the name of “statutes,” and embrace all those commandments whose reason is not known, such as the prohibition of swine’s flesh, or of wearing garments of wool and flax mixed, or of sowing divers seeds, or the commandment concerning the red heifer, and so on, which are royal fiats, things which God willed after He commanded them. Thus our Rabbis say: What difference can it make to God whether one slaughters an animal by cutting its throat or by breaking its neck? God simply takes pleasure in having His will carried out. Similarly in relation to the offerings, they comment on the expression, “A fire offering and a sweet smell,” saying, it is a pleasure to Me to have My will carried out.

(1) Four lotteries were conducted in the Temple each day in order to determine which priests would perform which of the Temple rites. After describing the first of the lotteries, for removal of the ashes, the tanna describes the second lottery. The priest appointed to oversee the lotteries said to the priests: Come and participate in the lottery to determine who is the priest who will slaughter the daily offering; and who is the priest who will sprinkle its blood; and who will remove the ashes from the inner, golden altar; and who will remove the ashes from the Candelabrum; and who will take the limbs of the daily offering up to the ramp to be burned afterward. The limbs of the daily offering taken up to the ramp were divided among the priests in the following manner: One priest took the head and the right hind leg up to the altar; and a second took the two forelegs; a third the haunch, including the lower spine and the tail, and the left hind leg; a fourth the breast and the cud, i.e., the neck and appended internal organs, including the windpipe, liver, and heart; and a fifth the two flanks; a sixth the innards; and a seventh the fine flour from the accompanying meal offering; and an eighth the griddle-cake offering; and a ninth the wine for the libation. They conducted the lottery to determine the thirteen tasks, i.e., slaughtering, carrying the nine items or pairs of items, sprinkling the blood, removing the ashes from the inner altar, and removing the ashes from the Candelabrum. And whoever won that lottery won the right to perform the slaughter, and the twelve priests standing to his right won the other privileges.

(2) The appointed one said to the priests: Go out and observe if it is day and the time for slaughter has arrived. If the time has arrived, the observer says: There is light. Matya ben Shmuel says that the appointed priest phrased his question differently, saying: Is the entire eastern sky illuminated as far as Hebron? And the observer says: Yes.

(3) The appointed priest said to the priests: Go out and bring me a lamb from the Chamber of the Lambs, where lambs that had been examined and found to be unblemished were kept. And the Chamber of the Lambs is located in the northwestern corner of the building of the Chamber of the Hearth. There were four chambers there, in that building: One was the Chamber of the Lambs; and one was the Chamber of the Seals, located in the northeastern corner, where the priest stored receipts given to those seeking to purchase animal offerings; and one was the Chamber of the Hearth, where there was a fire burning to warm the priests; and the last one was the chamber in which the priests prepared the shewbread.

(4) The priests entered the Chamber of the Vessels, where the service vessels required for the daily Temple service were stored. They took out from there ninety-three silver vessels and gold vessels. They then gave the lamb selected for the daily offering water to drink in a cup of gold. Although the lamb was examined and deemed unblemished earlier in the evening, the priests examine it now by the light of the torches.

(5) The priest who won the lottery to slaughter the daily offering pulled the lamb, and he would go to the slaughterhouse to slaughter it as the daily offering. And the priests who won the right to take the limbs up to the ramp would go with him. The slaughterhouse was to the north of the altar. Adjacent to it there were eight low stone pillars. And cedarwood squares were affixed upon them, and iron hooks were fixed in the wooden squares. And there were three rows of hooks on each and every one of those wooden squares, upon which the priests would suspend the animal after it was slaughtered. And they would flay the animal’s hide onto marble tables that were positioned between the pillars.

(1) Another interpretation: "Command Aharon [...]" (Leviticus 6:2) This is what is written (Psalms 51:20), "With Your will, do good to Zion," and afterwards (Psalms 51:21), "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." That is to say, if Israel does not offer a burnt-offering before the Holy One, blessed be He, Zion and Jerusalem will not be built. As they are only built through the merit of the burnt-offering which Israel would offer before the Holy One, blessed be He. And why is the burnt-offering different, [so that it is] better than all of the other offerings? Because it is called "sacrifices of righteousness," as it is stated, "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "On account of this, the burnt-offering is so beloved to Me. Hence, 'Command Aharon and his sons,' that they be careful with it, to offer it before Me." Why does it state, "This is the law (Torah) of the burnt-offering?" It means to say, the reading of the Torah. See how beloved the reading of the Torah is in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. As there is an obligation upon a man to give all of his money to teach Torah to himself and his sons, as it is stated, "Command Aharon and his sons, saying" - meaning, that they should say it to the Children of Israel, such that they occupy themselves with the reading of the burnt-offering. As even though they [actually] offer a burnt-offering, they would [also] be occupied with its reading, so that they would get merit in the sacrifice and in its reading. And so did Rav Shmuel bar Abba say, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'Even though the Temple is destined to be destroyed in the future and the sacrifices to be nullified, do not [allow] yourselves to forget the order of the sacrifices; but rather be careful to read about them and review them. And if you occupy yourselves with them, I will count it for you as if you were occupied with the sacrifices [themselves].'" And if you want to know [that this is so], come and see that when the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Yechezkel the form of the [Temple], what did He say? "Describe the [Temple] to the House of Israel; let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and measure the plan" (Ezekiel 43:10). Yehezkel [responded] to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Until now, we are put into exile in the land of our enemies; and You say to me to go and inform Israel [about] the form of the [Temple], and 'write [it] in their eyes, and they should preserve its form and all of its statutes [and do them]' (Ezekiel 43:11). And are they able to do [them]? Leave them until they emerge from the exile, and afterwards, I will go and tell them." [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yechezkel, "And because My children are in exile, the building of My [Temple] should be idle?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Its reading in the Torah is as great as its building. Go and say it to them, and they will occupy themselves to read the form of the [Temple] in the Torah. And in reward for its reading, that they occupy themselves to read about it, I count it for them as if they were occupied with the building of the [Temple]." And fortunate is the man who involves himself in Torah and gives his money to teach Torah to his son. As on account of the money that he gives to teach, he merits life in the world to come, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:20), "as it is your life and the length of your days" - your life, in the world to come; and length of your days, in the world that is long. And know that it is so. Rabbi Assia said, "Why do the infants of the master's schoolhouse begin by studying the book of Leviticus? Rather it is because all the sacrifices are written in it; and because [the infants] are pure until now and do not know what is the taste of sin and iniquity. Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let them begin first with the order of the sacrifices - let the pure ones come and occupy themselves with the acts of purification. Hence I count it for them as if they were standing and offering sacrifices in front of Me.' And He is informing you that even though the Temple is destroyed and sacrifices are not practiced, were it not for the infants that read the order of the sacrifices, the world would not stand." Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "My children, even thought the Temple is destroyed and the sacrifices are annulled and the sacrifice of the burnt-offering is not practiced, if you occupy yourselves and read the section of the burnt-offering and study the section about sacrifices, I count it for you as if you are offering a sacrifice of a burnt-offering in front of Me, as it is stated, 'This is the Torah of a burnt-offering'" - meaning to say, one who occupies himself with the Torah of the burnt-offering merits life in the world to come. What is written above? "A soul that sins and violates a violation of the Lord, and denies against his kinsman, etc." (Leviticus 5:21); and afterwards, "This is the law of the burnt-offering." Isaiah said (Isaiah 61:8), "Since I the Lord love justice, hate theft in a burnt-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Do not say, 'I will steal and extort, and [then I will] bring a burnt-offering and it will atone for me.' As I hate theft, even with a burnt-offering made for the theft. And if the world wants that I should accept a burnt-offering, return the theft to its master; and afterwards, if he bring up a burnt-offering for it, I will accept it, as it is stated, 'Since I the Lord [...] hate theft in a burnt-offering' - hate the burnt-offering when the theft is still in his hand." And one who reads the Torah of the burnt-offering is as if he brings up and offers a burnt-offering in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And therefore, fortunate is the one teaches himself Torah and gives his money to teach himself and his sons, as it is stated (Leviticus 7:11), "This is the law of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (here read as "This is the Torah of the sacrifice of payments"). Israel said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, behold You command us that we bring all of these sacrifices. When the Temple was still in existence, a man that sins brings a sacrifice and it is atoned for him. And so [too], he brings a meal-offering and it is accepted for him. But now that the Temple was destroyed, what can we do about our sins and about our guilt?" [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "If you want that they should be atoned for you, keep My laws, and I will count it for you as if you did a sacrifice in front of Me." And from where [do we know this]? "This is the law (Torah) for the burnt-offering, for the meal-offering, for the sin-offering, for the guilt-offering, for the induction-offerings and for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (Leviticus 7:37) - do not read it so, but rather, "This is the Torah; not for the burnt-offering, not for the meal-offering, not for the sin-offering, not for the guilt-offering, not for the induction-offerings and not for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings." Rather, occupy yourselves with Torah, and it will be considered in front of Me, as if you offered all of the sacrifices in front of Me. Hence, David stated (Psalms 119:97), "How much have I loved Your Torah, it is my speech all of the day." Since I know that occupation with Your Torah atones for iniquities - therefore I have loved Your Torah. What is [the understanding of] "upon its burning on the altar all of the night" (Leviticus 6:2)? This is that they would burn the fats and the limbs the whole entire night, and the prayers were instituted corresponding to the sacrifices. Now that we do not have burnt-offerings, nor sacrifices, nor meal-offerings, nor guilt offerings, they instituted them as prayers. And the evening prayer can be brought the whole night, just as we bring limbs and fats the whole entire night. But the forefathers instituted the prayers, and this means to say, its burning is on the altar all of the night. And why was the burning on the altar and not in another place? Rather the verse states (Exodus 20:21), "Make an altar of earth (adamah) for Me" - why of earth? Because man (Adam) was created from the earth, and his name was called Adam, because he was taken from the adamah. And we bring up burnt-offerings and sacrifices on that altar which is made of earth to atone for the body that is taken from the earth. And from where [do we know] that it atones for the soul? As it is written (Leviticus 17:14), "As the soul of all flesh, its blood is in its soul." And it also states (Leviticus 17:11), "as the blood atones for the soul." "And they shall throw the blood on the altar" (Leviticus 1:5) - meaning to say, they shall throw the blood - which is the soul - upon the altar - which is from earth like the body - and it shall atone for the soul. "A permanent fire shall burn upon the altar; you shall not extinguish" (Leviticus 6:6); but it [also] states (Isaiah 66:24), "They shall go out and gaze on the corpses of the men who rebelled against Me, their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, etc." [That is referring to] those that deny the Omnipresent. But the fire that is permanently burning on the altar atones for the sins of Israel. And what is [the understanding of] "altar" (mizbeach)? [It is an acronym:] Mem is mechilah (pardon), as it pardons their sins; zayin is zechut (merit), as it gives them merit for the world to come; bet is berakha (blessing), as the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them blessing [through it] in the deeds of their hands; chet is chaim (life), as they merit [through it] to life in the world to come. One who leaves all of these - pardon, merit, blessing and life - and goes and worships idolatry, is burned by His great fire, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:24), "As the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, He is a jealous God." How is He jealous? As it is stated (Hosea 2:22), "And I will betroth you in faith." [Hence,] just as a husband is jealous about his wife, so too is the Holy One, blessed be He, jealous, as it is stated (Isaiah 62:5), "and the joy of the groom towards the bride, etc." One who leaves all these will be burnt by His great fire, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:24), "as their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, and they will be a disgrace for all flesh." But if he repents, the fire burning on the altar atones for him and expiates the fire of Geihinnom. Moreover, every one of Israel that is circumcised enters the Garden of Eden, since the Holy One, blessed be He, places His name on the Israelite so that he can enter the Garden of Eden. And what is the name and the seal that He places upon them? It is Shaddai (the Omnipotent): The shin He placed in the nose; the dalet in the hand; and the yod in the circumcision. And therefore at the time that an Israelite goes to his final home, there is an appointed angel in the Garden of Eden who takes every son of Israel that is circumcised and brings him to the Garden of Eden. But those that are not circumcised; even though they have two letters of the name of Shaddai - as they have the shin of the nose and the dalet of the hand - they do not have the yod of Shaddai, [and so, the letters they have form] the expression, sheid (demon), meaning to say that a demon brings him to Geihinnom. And an Israelite who is circumcised but worships idolatry [also] goes to enter the Garden of Eden, but the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the angel, such that he pulls his foreskin and makes his foreskin appear as it it were never circumcised, such that he not enter the Garden of Eden but rather Geihinnom. And circumcision is a great thing and beloved in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And all the creatures of the world - whether people, beasts, animals or crawling things, all of them - fear an Israelite when he is circumcised. And so do you find with Yonah. As he fled from his God on the fifth day. And why did he flee? Rather the first time, [God] sent him to restore the border of Israel. The second time, He sent him to Jerusalem to destroy it; but the Holy One, blessed be He, worked up His great mercies and relented from the bad. And [so] they called him a false prophet. The third time, He sent him to Nineveh to destroy it. Yonah judged the case between him and himself - Yonah said, "I know that the [other] nations are close to repentance. Now they will repent and the Holy One, blessed be He, will [resultantly] send His rage towards Israel. Moreover, Israel will will call me a false prophet" (etc. in Midrash Tanchuma, Vayikra 8). "And the men feared a great fear" (Jonah 1:8) - [this] teaches that fear is greater than wisdom and understanding. As one who has wisdom and understanding, but does not have fear is not anything. As so did King Shlomo, peace be upon him, state (Ecclesiastes 12:13), "At the end of the matter when all is heard; fear God and observe His commandments, as this is all of man."

(3) And the Rabbi of the Guide wrote in Part 3, Chapter 46 (Guide for the Perplexed 3:46): As most could not afford to offer a beast, the [Torah] commanded that birds also should be sacrificed. [...] Those who are too poor to offer a bird, may bring bread of any of the kinds then in use: baked in the oven, baked in a pan, or in a frying-pan. If the baking of the bread is too much trouble for a person, he may bring flour. [...] The idolaters did not offer any other bread but leavened, and chose sweet things for their sacrifices, which they seasoned with honey, as is fully described in their books: but salt was not brought in any of their sacrifices. God, may He be elevated, therefore forbade us to offer leaven or honey, and commanded us to have salt in every sacrifice - "with all your offerings shall you then offer salt" (Leviticus 2:13). And he wrote further: When the sacrifice is of flour, it is soaked in oil; for that is what is best and pleasant. And the frankincense was chosen because of the goodness of the smell of its smoke in its place, in which the meat is burnt. To here are his [words].

(4) And in the Book of the Zohar, brought down by the author of the Recanati (Parshat Vayikra 130a): Rabbi Eliezer said, "That which is not from an animal to arouse through a sacrifice like other sacrifices; that is fine flour and matzah in order to arouse joy to those holy chariots. That pure thought is called fine flour and is called matzah - why is it called mitzvah, with a vav; but when it is being nourished by the holy chariots, it is called matzah, without a vav? Because of that, all those sacrifices come from the side of flour and bread alone. And because of that, they bring fine flour with the secret of Israel, the Priests and the Levites, as you see." To here are his [words]. And the Recanati wrote further [there]: And the matter of the giving of oil and its secret, you can understand from the verse, "Oil and incense gladden the heart" (Proverbs 27:9), and you know the understanding of, "heart." And behold it is to find a place for the supernal fire to rest there. Also the frankincense, [you can understand] from the verse, "in clouds of myrrh and frankincense" (Song of Songs 3:6). To here are his [words].

(1) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings which one shall offer to the Lord: It does not state, "which one shall offer to the Lord," with any of the sacrifices besides the peace-offerings, which 'are desired without iniquity'- since they are closer to the Lord than all of the sacrifices that come for a sin. And for that reason, it is written adjacently (Leviticus 7:29:30), "Whoever shall bring the sacrifice of his peace-offering to the Lord, he shall bring his offering to the Lord [...]. His hands shall bring the fire-offerings of the Lord." It mentioned, "to the Lord," in all of [these verses], since, '"These are what I have desired," said the Lord.' And 'look to the right and see' that it did not mention that the owner should bring the portion for the Above with his hands with any [other] sacrifice. Only [here] with the peace-offerings, his hands shall bring it. That is because anyone who bears the king's anger and wants to atone and to wipe away the anger from his face, sends a gift before him with a messenger; in the way that Yaakov said (Genesis 32:20), "I will appease him with the gift that goes before me, and afterwards I will see his face." But someone who brings the king a present by way of a favor and show of honor; he would then bring his gift in his hands by himself, and not with a messenger. And that is the difference between the sin- and guilt-offerings that come from a sinful act, the burnt-offering that comes from a sinful thought and the peace-offerings. For it is not fitting that his hands should bring those sacrifices which come to remove God's face of anger, may He be blessed, as it appears like brazenness towards the Heavens. Hence he sends them through the priests. But his hands do bring the peace-offerings, which are a favor and a present. (2) And some explain the verse, "Whoever shall bring the sacrifice of his peace-offering to the Lord, he shall bring his offering to the Lord from his peace-offering" - that it is fitting that they should bless him and say, "May it be [God's] will that all of his sacrifices that He bring to the Lord should be from his peace-offerings; not from sin-, guilt- and burnt-offerings." But with the burnt-offering, it states (Leviticus 6:2), "This is the law of the burnt-offering; it is the burnt-offering." That is to say, it alone should he bring and not repeat his foolishness, to bring another burnt-offering for a sinful thought. Rather, he should only bring peace-offerings that contain peace between him and his Creator. (3) And from the angle of hinting (remez), it can certainly be explained as the five times that, "This is the law," that are mentioned in this parsha are corresponding to the five books of the Torah. For one who occupies himself with them is as if he offered these five types of sacrifices: The burnt-offering, the meal-offering; the sin-offering; the guilt-offering and the peace-offerings. However the induction-offerings were only temporary and not for [all] the generations. And we find in the same way, five [mentions of], "This is the law," in Parshat Metzora. For there too did our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, say (Arakhin 15b), "What is the remedy for evil speech? If he is a Torah scholar, he should occupy himself with Torah, etc." And if so, the Torah rescues one from evil speech, which causes these five types of tzaraat. So one who occupies himself with the five books of the Torah is rescued from them. In the way that [Yitzchak Arama] explained in the Akeidah, that in each book, the punishment of the sin of speech is mentioned; so too is it with these sacrifices - one who occupies himself with it is similar to one who has offered these five types of sacrifices: (4) As one who occupies himself with the book of Genesis is similar to someone who offers a burnt-offering. And that is, "This is the law of the burnt-offering," since the law of the the burnt-offering is explained there. As Abel offered a burnt-offering from the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:4). And likewise with Noah, it is written (Genesis 8:20), "and he brought up burnt-offerings on the altar." And likewise, Abraham (Genesis 22:13), "and he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt-offering instead of his son." And likewise, Jacob (Genesis 46:1), "and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. (5) And one who occupies himself with the book of Exodus is as if he offers a meal-offering. As all of the meal-offerings come as matzah (unleavened). And in this book, all the laws of matzah, its instruction and its connection to the Passover sacrifice - such that it is eaten with matzah - are all explained. And it is written (Exodus 34:25), "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened." (6) And one who occupies himself with the book of Leviticus is as if he offers a sin-offering. Even though all of the sacrifices are explained in this book, the essence of the book is nevertheless the law of the sin-offering. For once the Jewish people sinned with the [golden] calf, which was the beginning of all the sins, God made space for sinners to be able to come to atonement by way of the sacrifice. And alongside this, all of the sacrifices were mentioned, since there is an angle of sin in all of them except for the peace-offerings. (7) And one who occupies himself with the book of Numbers is as if he offers a guilt-offering. As the entire law of the guilt-offering is stated in it in Parshat Nasso - "When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, [...] and that person realizes his guilt, etc." And even though the law of the guilt-offering was already stated in Parshat Vayikra (5:14), it is nevertheless repeated there for a matter that is added there, as Rashi explains there. If so, by way of learning this section with the thing that was added, the whole law of the guilt-offering is completed there. (8) And one who occupies himself with the book of Deuteronomy is as if he offers a peace-offering. As in Parshat Ki Tavo, it states (Deuteronomy 27:7), "You are to slaughter peace-offerings and eat there, etc." And likewise in Parshat Reeh - all of the laws of the peace-offerings, of lighter holiness, are stated there. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 12:27), "and the blood of your sacrifices shall be spilled on the altar of the Lord your God and you shall eat the flesh." And the laws of the peace-offerings were completed there on account of the few things that were added to them. That is why these five [mentions of], "This is the law of," are stated. Since one who occupies himself with each book has a great particular reward, as if he offered that type of sacrifice that is explained in that book. And 'the knowledgeable among the people will make the many understand' this precious matter. For it is clear and correct.

(8) And now [that] - due to our sins and due to the sins of our ancestors - we do not have sacrifices: If one sinned with the meditations of the heart or transgressed a positive commandment, he should read the section of the burnt-offering at the beginning of Parshat Vayikra and at the beginning of Parshat Tsav et Aharon. For the reading of the section of the sacrifice is in place of the bringing of a sacrifice for us - whether we read it from the written text or whether we read it by heart. [It is] like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 110a), “Anyone involved with the section of the burnt-offering is as if he brought a burnt-offering; with the section of the sin-offering is as if he brought a sin-offering; with the section of the guilt-offering is as if he brought a guilt-offering.” And if a person transgressed a negative commandment and repented, he should worry about his iniquity and long for and anticipate getting to Yom Kippur in order that he will be accepted by God, may He be blessed. For His desire is for the life of the soul and the body, and the life of all that has been created - as it is stated (Psalms 30:6), “life is in His will.” And therefore, our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 9a), “Anyone who fixes his meal on the eve of Yom Kippur is as if he had been commanded to fast on the ninth and the tenth [of Tishrei], and fasted on them.” For he has shown joy at the arrival of the time of his atonement; and it will be testimony for him, about his worry about his guilt and about his despondence about his iniquities.

(1) Even if one whom is not careful regarding non-Jewish bread [during the year], should be careful (during the ten days.) Note (Rema): And there is to every person to search and inspect in their deeds and return from them in t'shuvah (repentance) during the (Ten) Days of T'shuvah. And a doubtful aveira (sin) needs more repentance from a certain aveira, because one that knows regrets more than one who does not know (which is the case when one is unsure). And therefore the Conditional Asham Offering (Korban Asham Taluy - brought for certain sins possibly done via negligence) needs to be more valuable than a Guilt Offering (Korban Chatas - brought for sins knowingly done via negligence) [Rema's own thoughts and Rabbeinu Yonah, beginning of Brachos.]

And why did the Rabbis say that the additional prayer may be recited all day? Because the additional offering is brought throughout the entire day. However, Rabbi Yehuda says that the additional prayer may be recited until the seventh hour of the day, because the additional offering is sacrificed until the seventh hour.

(1) All are obligated on the three pilgrim Festivals in the mitzva of appearance, i.e., to appear in the Temple as well as to sacrifice an offering, except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor; and a tumtum, and a hermaphrodite, and women, and slaves who are not emancipated; and the lame, and the blind, and the sick, and the old, and one who is unable to ascend to Jerusalem on his own legs. Who has the status of a minor with regard to this halakha? Any child who is unable to ride on his father’s shoulders and ascend from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount; this is the statement of Beit Shammai. And Beit Hillel say: Any child who is unable to hold his father’s hand and ascend on foot from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount, as it is stated: “Three times [regalim]” (Exodus 23:14). Since the term for feet is raglayim, Beit Hillel infer from here that the obligation to ascend involves the use of one’s legs.

(7) The purpose of the Passover sacrifice is first and foremost to demonstrate G–d's superiority over all other deities both in Heaven and on earth. This is important; G–d had endowed many agents with different powers, and the impression that there were a number of primary sources of power in the universe had to be refuted. The discrediting of the strongest of these forces, the שר של מצרים, automatically brought about the discrediting of all other deities.

(8) The zodiac sign of the lamb is the first of the twelve zodiac signs and represents the senior power to which G–d delegated a variety of such functions. It was this symbol which had to be slaughtered to drive home the point that without the consent of G–d it represented impotence instead of power. Since the Egyptians had made it a symbol of their שר, counterpart in the Celestial Regions, it had to be slaughtered by the Jews. For the same reason it was important that the redemption take place in the month of the ascendancy of that sign, and on the day that symbolised the zenith of its orbit, i.e. its power at its supposedly strongest. The Torah's explanation in Genesis 46,34, that any shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians is logical. The mere suggestion that sheep needed human guardians -when they were viewed as a supreme deity- is an insult to their religion. When G–d said: החודש הזה לכם, "This month is for you," it is an announcement that Israel would be redeemed during the month of Nissan. G–d commanded that the lamb be taken in order to slaughter it and to humiliate by this single act the entire system upon which the Egyptians had built their position in this world. G–d performed judgments on the sheep, on the Egyptian deities, to demonstrate that He is not only a deity (like others, i.e. אלוקים) but that He is י-ה-ו-ה.

(9) The Zohar, commenting on 12,3: ויקחו להם איש ה לבית אבות שה לבית, "They shall each acquire for themselves a lamb per family or a lamb per household," comments that in effect G–d told the Jews to physically get hold of the Egyptians' deity, to keep it locked up for three days and to publicly excecute it on the fourth day. The Egyptians had to witness all this. This was a harder pill for them to swallow than all the other plagues that they had been subjected to previously, and this their idol was afterwards to be roasted on the fire as part of its execution. It was not to be boiled in water because the Torah's command to burn the idols (of the nations we conquered) in fire legislated in Deut. 7,25 would not have been carried out by boiling. If one were to boil the Passover lamb it would be equivalent to hiding it, covering it up, and one could not smell its fragrance. The distinctive smell of its roasting should permeate the house. The reason that it must be roasted whole with its legs and head is to prevent giving the impression that it is alive or that it is a pig, for instance. It must be prepared as food in such a way that everyone notices that it is an Egyptian deity that is being treated in this fashion. The Passover lamb must also not be eaten in a ravenous manner, but at a time when one has almost completed one's meal. No bone may be broken so that the skeleton can be viewed as whole, and its inability to save itself be demonstrated. For all these reasons the Torah speaks about ובאלוההים עשה שפטים "He executed judgments on their deities" (Numbers 33,4).

(1) ‘VAYIKRA’ (AND HE CALLED). This book is the law of the priests and the Levites. In it G-d explains matters concerned with all the offerings and watching over the Tabernacle [that it should not become defiled]. This is because one book [i.e., the second book of the Torah] was dedicated to the Egyptian exile and the redemption therefrom, and He completed it with an account of the building of the Tent of Meeting and the Glory of G-d which filled the Tabernacle, therefore He now commanded Moses about the offerings and about watching over the Tabernacle, in order that the offerings effect atonement for [the children of] Israel, and that their sins should not bring about the removal of the Divine Glory. Thus He commanded the priests that come near unto the Eternal that they sanctify themselves, warning them against defilement of the Sanctuary and its hallowed offerings, and also that they are not to break through to come up unto the Eternal, just as He said, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the ark-cover which is upon the ark, that he die not; for I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover, which is similar to the warning [given at the Revelation] lest they break through unto the Eternal to gaze, and many of them perish. After that He set limits to the Tabernacle, even as He had marked off Mount Sinai when the Glory of the G-d of Israel was there. (2) Thus the greatest part of this book deals with the offerings, the laws of the offering itself and of those who perform its rite and of the place where it is to be brought; some commandments are also mentioned incidentally to those dealing with the offerings. Thus at first He commanded concerning the freewill offerings, and prohibited the eating of fat and blood on account of [mentioning] them. Following that He commanded concerning the offerings that are to be brought upon committing a sin, and incidentally to these He mentioned the laws of forbidden foods; for they defile the person, and he who eats them or touches them must not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the Sanctuary, and if he does go in there [or eat of the hallowed things] while in a state of uncleanness, he has to bring the offering of higher or lower value which He had already mentioned. After that it was necessary to mention the law of the leper and the ordinances of the woman in childbirth and of the zav and zavah, in order to tell that they must bring an offering [at the end of the period of their uncleanness], and to warn them further concerning their uncleanness — as He said at the end [of these laws], Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile My Tabernacle that is in the midst of them. As a result of mentioning these laws, He warned afterwards about those persons with whom it is forbidden to have sexual relations, since association with them defiles, and their sin is called “defilement” and brings about the removal of the Divine Glory, and exile. Besides, he who commits any of these sins [of forbidden sexual relations] unwillfully, must bring the sin-offering which He mentioned already in the verse, And if anyone sin through error. Following that He mentioned the commandment of the Sabbath and the appointed seasons of the Eternal on account of the offerings [which are brought on those days], just as He said, These are the appointed seasons of the Eternal etc. to bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal. In most of the sections of this book He speaks with reference to the priests: Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons; Command Aaron and his sons. In the section of Kedoshim however, there are some commandments addressed to the children of Israel, but most of them are mentioned because of some connection with the offerings or matters similar to them. I will explain them in their place with the help of the Holy One, blessed be He.

(10) He then took a sharp knife and slaughtered the ox in the usual manner. He received the blood in a holy vessel and gave it to a priest who would stir it; thus keeping it liquid-like until the time came to sprinkle it. For if it became too hard to sprinkle, there could be no atonement. He stirred the coals on the outer Altar, scooped up some of the innermost coals with a reddish-gold shovel. The shovel was especially light, of very thin metal, and had an especially long handle. The shovel held three kavim of coals. He was then brought a ladle and a brimming vessel filled with incense. He took two handfuls of incense from the vessel and emptied them into the ladle. He quickly took the shovel of coals in his right hand and the ladle with incense in his left. His footsteps were heard as he walked between the curtains and approached [between] the poles of the Ark. The incense he placed between the poles and caused them to rise in smoke and he left. From the young boy priest who had been stirring the blood, he now took the vessel of blood. He quickly reentered the Holy of Holies and stood between the “two handles of the Ark.” He dipped his finger into the blood, and sprinkled the blood, with a count— one upper sprinkling and seven lower ones.

(5) “This is the statute of the Pesach offering ….” (Shemot, 12:43)It is written in the Midrash (Shemot Rabba, 19:2), “the Pesach offering is called a statute [choq], and the Red Heifer is also called a statute [choq], and you do not know which is greater. There is a parable of two queens who are walking together as one, and they seem equal. However, the greater one is the one whose companion seems to be accompanying her. Thus with the Pesach and the Red Heifer, each of which is called a choq, the ashes of the Red Heifer are greater because you cannot eat the Pesach offering without it, as it is written, ‘and the unclean person shall take of the ashes of the burnt offering.’” The statute of the Pesach offering corresponds to the first commandment of the Decalogue, “Anochi—I am Hashem your God,” which includes all of the positive mitzvot.The statute of the Red Heifer corresponds to the second commandment, “you shall not have any false gods before Me,” which includes all of the prohibitive mitzvot. And truly, the intellect would deem it that man is unable to understand the precious depth of first commandment, “Anochi—I am Hashem your God,” (henceforth Anochi) until his heart has first been undergone the birrur of “you shall not have any false gods before Me.” First he is to shun evil, and then afterwards to do good (see Tehilim, 34:15). So why does “you shall not have” not precede Anochi in the order of the mitzvot? In God’s great compassion and understanding our limitations he preceded “Anochi” before, “you shall have no false gods,” for if he had not, no one could ever come to an understanding of the declaration, “Anochi,” for who in the world can say, “I have refined my heart in all the prohibitive mitzvot?”Concerning this, David haMelech said (Tehilim, 138:2), “For You have made Your saying greater than Your name.” “Saying” always means in a whisper. This whisper is God saying that He will make it clear that the heart of Israel is clean. On this it says (in the same verse), “I will express gratitude to Your name,” meaning gratitude for the good and great kindness You did in first giving us the declaration of the commandment “Anochi” in order that afterwards our hearts could be refined with the declaration of the commandment “you shall not have.” Moshe Rabeynu corresponds to “Anochi,” and Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef corresponds to “you shall not have,” based on the principle that each and every one of the souls of Israel are rooted in the letters of the Torah. The function of Moshe Rabeynu, who corresponds to Anochi was to clarify all the Oneness of God in the world.The soul of Rabbi Akiva, who corresponds to “you shall not have,” served to refine out all the evil, dross, and refuse from the heart of Israel, and to distance it from evil, which is in the category of “you shall not have.” His innovation of many new boundaries and “fences” around the existing laws served to clean the heart of Israel further, for they became included in the category of “you shall not have.” Furthermore, all the halachot of the forbidden and the permitted, the invalid and the kosher, the impure and the pure, were to refine evil from good.This is explained in the Gemara (Menachot, 29b), “at the time when Moshe Rabeynu ascended to Heaven, he found the Holy One, blessed be He, attaching crowns to the letters of the Torah. He said, ‘Master of the world, who stays thy hand [why are you adding to the Torah, is it not already perfect]?’ He said to him, there will come a man after a few generation, and Akiva ben Yosef is his name. He will expound mountains upon mountains of laws from each crown on each letter of the Torah. (Moses descends into the future and finds himself sitting in the back row of one of Rabbi Akiva’s classes.) Moshe was rendered unable to understand anything until a student asked a question and Rabbi Akiva answered, “this is the law as it was delivered to Moshe at Mount Sinai.’”Since Moshe saw how much Rabbi Akiva expanded so many derivative laws from the commandment, “you shall not have any false gods,” he was rendered powerless to understand. Hassidut teaches that the root of everything is “Anochi—I am Hashem your God,” and, “you shall not have any false gods,” which is a special kind of security to prevent man from being pushed away from his Creator, and as a result of this Moshe’s mind became weak. This continued until he arrived at one law, in other words, Moshe then saw why all these boundaries are necessary; “he said to him, this is the law as it was delivered to Moshe at Mount Sinai.” This “one law” was “Anochi” and the entire principle of the Torah, as it says (Zohar, Devarim, 264b), “Shema Yisroel, Hear O Israel, Hashem is God, Hashem is One, this is a great principle in the Torah.” “You shall not have” is only to keep the house of Israel from straying from, “Anochi—I am Hashem your God.” Upon hearing this, Moshe’s power of understanding was returned as he then understood that the main principle was given to him.

Abraham then said before Him: Master of the Universe: “By what shall I know this?” God said to him: “Take Me a heifer of three years old” (Genesis 15:9). With this, God intimated to Abraham that even if his descendants will sin, they will be able to achieve atonement through sacrificing offerings. Abraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, this works out well when the Temple is standing and offerings can be brought to achieve atonement, but when the Temple will no longer be standing, what will become of them? God said to him: I have already established for them the order of offerings, i.e., the verses of the Torah pertaining to the halakhot of the offerings. Whenever they read those portions, I will deem it as if they sacrificed an offering before Me, and I will pardon them for all of their iniquities.

(4) Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Great is peace for all blessings are sealed with peace: The reading of the Shema — "spreads the shelter of peace." The [standing] prayer — "He who makes peace." The Priestly Blessing — "and grant you peace" (Numbers 6:26). But I only know this regarding blessings; so where do we derive this for sacrifices? We learn to say, "This is the Torah of the burnt-offering, of the grain-offering, etc. and the sacrifice of the peace-offering" (Leviticus 7:37). But I only know this in general; so where do we derive this in detail? We learn to say, "This is the law of the burnt-offering" (Leviticus 6:2), "This is the law of the grain-offering" (Leviticus 6:7), "This is the law of the sin-offering" (Leviticus 6:18), "This is the law of the guilt-offering" (Leviticus 7:1), "This is the law of the peace-offering" (Leviticus 7:11). But I only know this for individual sacrifices; so where do we derive this for communal sacrifices? We learn to say "Do these for the Lord on your set times, etc.," [yet it finishes with "peace-offerings" (Numbers 29:39). I only know this in this world; so from where do we derive this in the next world? We learn to say, "I will extend to her peace like a river" (Isaiah 66:12). The Rabbis said: Great is peace, for when the messianic king will come, he will only open with peace, as it is written, "How pleasant on the mountains are the feet of the messenger proclaiming peace" (Isaiah 52:7). And why did they see fit to say the Priestly Blessing after the blessing of thanksgiving (in the silent prayer)? As it is written, "And Aharon lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from sacrificing the sin-offering" (Leviticus 9:22). And why did they see fit to says the blessing of "Grant peace," after the Priestly Blessing ? As it is stated, "And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27). The blessing of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is peace, as it is stated, "The Lord blesses His people with peace" (Psalms 29:11). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires the Priestly Blessing? As it is stated, "So shall they put My name upon the Children of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27).

(1) As the essence of the tabernacle is the aspect of completing the Torah, the aspect of the tablets of stone that sat in the ark, from which all of the holiness of the tabernacle and the Temple [derives]. For they dedicated it for this - in order to rectify the damage of the mixed multitude who made the [golden] calf, by way of their damaging faith in the sages. For they did not have faith in Moshe our teacher and Aharon, etc. And because of that, the tablets were broken. And now the tabernacle was built for the sake of this rectification, like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said. That is why they dedicated it according to the plan of the Children of Issachar, who were experts in the secret of intercalation (sod haibur). For this is the aspect of the rectification of faith in the sages, in order to bring down through these sacrifices the aspect of the rectification of the proliferation of holy books which complete the Torah. That is to be in the aspect of the complete tablets of stone, to rectify the damage of the breaking of the tablets. For it was in the tabernacle that Moshe our teacher received the Torah, as Rashi explains. As from the day the Tent of Meeting was established, He only spoke with him from there. And that was the entire essence of the holiness of the Tent of Meeting with the sacrifices that were offered there: It was all in order to atone for the Jewish people and to have them merit repentance for the damage to faith in the sages. For the entire sin of the calf came from that, as mentioned above. And because of this, the twelve chieftains dedicated it with the plan of Netanel, who was an expert in the secret of intercalation, as mentioned above. That is why we read all of this on Chanukah. For we then need to subdue the denial of true sages by the aspect of Greek wisdoms; and to draw forth the rectification of faith in the sages, through the great light of the Torah, which shines with the proliferation of holy books, as mentioned above.

(1) The Talmud (Maseches Menachos 110a) states: Rabbi Isaac asked, “Why does it say (Leviticus 6:18; 7:1) This is the law of the sin-offering, this is the law of the guilt-offering? To teach us that when one studies the law of the sin-offering, it is considered as though he had actually brought it on the Altar, and when one studies the law of the guilt-offering, it is as though he actually brought it on the Altar.” Rather than merely recite the following portions, study them and attempt to learn about the laws and significance of the various sacrifices.

(2) (Exodus 30:17-21)And Adonoy spoke to Moses to say: Make a copper laver and a copper base, for washing; and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and their feet from it. Upon entering the Tent of Meeting they will wash with water that they not die, or whenever they approach the Altar to serve, to burn a fire-offering to Adonoy. They will wash their hands and feet that they not die; and this is a perpetual statute for them, for him [Aaron], and his descendants for all their generations.

(10) The chieftains also brought the dedication offering for the altar upon its being anointed. As the chieftains were presenting their offerings before the altar, (11) יהוה said to Moses: Let them present their offerings for the dedication of the altar, one chieftain each day.

(1) All slaughtered offerings that were slaughtered not for their own sake, i.e., during the slaughtering the slaughterer’s intent was to sacrifice a different offering, are fit, and one may continue their sacrificial rites and partake of their meat where that applies. But these offerings did not satisfy the obligation of the owner, who is therefore required to bring another offering. This is the halakha with regard to all offerings except for the Paschal offering and the sin offering. In those cases, if the owner sacrificed them not for their own sake, they are unfit. But there is a difference between the two exceptions. The Paschal offering is unfit only when sacrificed not for its sake at its appointed time, on the fourteenth day of Nisan after noon, while the sin offering is unfit any time that it is sacrificed not for its sake. Rabbi Eliezer says: The guilt offering too is unfit when sacrificed not for its sake. According to his opinion, the correct reading of the mishna is: The Paschal offering is unfit only at its appointed time, while the sin offering and the guilt offering are unfit at all times. Rabbi Eliezer said in explanation: The sin offering is brought for performance of a transgression and the guilt offering is brought for performance of a transgression. Just as a sin offering is unfit when sacrificed not for its sake, so too, the guilt offering is unfit when sacrificed not for its sake.

(9) “Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took from every pure animal and from every pure bird, and offered up burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20). “Noah built [vayiven] an altar to the Lord” – vayaven is written; he contemplated [nitbonen] and He said: ‘Why did the Holy One blessed be He command me to increase the number of the pure animals beyond that of the impure ones, if not to sacrifice an offerings from them?’ Thereupon, “he took from every pure animal…” Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: It was on the great altar in Jerusalem, where Adam the first man sacrificed, as it is stated: “And may it please the Lord more than a bull with horns and hooves” (Psalms 69:32). “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, and the Lord said to His heart: I will not continue to curse the ground anymore on account of man, as the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will not continue to smite every living being anymore as I did” (Genesis 8:21). “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma” – Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, Rabbi Eliezer says: The descendants of Noah sacrificed [even] peace offerings. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: They sacrificed only burnt offerings. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “And Abel, too, brought from the firstborn of his flock and their fats” (Genesis 4:4) – referring to something whose fats are sacrificed? What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? [He explains it:] From the fattest among them. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “He sent the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered up burnt offerings and they slaughtered feast peace-offerings [shelamim]…”? (Exodus 24:5). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? They were whole, with their hides intact, as they did not undergo flaying and cutting. Rabbi Eliezer raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “Yitro, father in law of Moses, took a burnt offering and feast offerings”? (Exodus 18:12). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? It is according with the one who said: Yitro came after the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Huna said: Rabbi Yanai and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great disagreed. Rabbi Yanai said: He [Yitro] came before the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great said: He came after the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥanina said: They do not disagree; the one who said that Yitro came before the giving of the Torah holds that the descendants of Noah sacrificed peace offerings. The one who said that Yitro came after the giving of the Torah holds that they sacrificed [only] burnt offerings. This supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, as it is written: “Awake, north, and come, south” (Song of Songs 4:16). “Awake, north” – this refers to the burnt offering that was slaughtered in the north. What is meant by “awake”? It is something that was dormant and was now re-awakened. “And come, south” – this refers to the peace offering that could be slaughtered in the south. What is meant by “come”? Something that was a new concept. Rabbi Yehoshua said in the name of Rabbi Levi: This verse supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: “This is the law of the burnt offering, that is the burnt offering…” (Leviticus 6:2) – [“that is”] what the descendants of Noah used to sacrifice. But when it comes to the peace offering it is written: “This is the law of the peace offering” (Leviticus 7:11) – “that they sacrificed” is not written here, but rather, “that one will sacrifice” (Leviticus 7:11); from here on. “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma” – He smelled the [future] aroma of Abraham our forefather emerging from the fiery furnace. He smelled the aroma of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya rising from the fiery furnace. This is analogous to a devotee of the king who sent him a tribute, a fine gift on a fine tray. His son succeeded him, but did not send him a tribute. His grandson succeeded him and did send him a tribute. He [the king] said to him: ‘How similar your offering is to your grandfather’s offering.’ “The Lord smelled” – he smelled the aroma of the generation of [the Hadrianic] persecutions. Rav Shalom said in the name of Rabbi Menaḥma bar Ze’ira: This is analogous to a king who sought to build himself a palace on the seacoast, but he did not know where to build it. He found a flask of balsam oil. He went over to it and smelled it, and built it [the palace] over it. That is what is written: “For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Psalms 24:2). By what merit? It is by the merit of: “The generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your countenance, Jacob, Selah” (Psalms 24:6).

On a similar note, Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who relieves himself, washes his hands, dons phylacteries, recites Shema, and prays, the verse ascribes credit to him as if he built an altar and offered a sacrifice upon it, as it is written: “I will wash in purity my hands, and I will encircle the altar of the Lord” (Psalms 26:6). Rava said to him: Do you not maintain, Master, that one who does so, it is as if he immersed his entire body, as it is written: “I will wash in purity,” and it is not written: “I will wash my hands”?

(2) Rabbi Chagai opened and said: That which is written (Numbers 28:2), "My sacrifice, My food of My fires, etc." "My sacrifice" - that is the sacrifice of the flesh that is offered to atone, blood for blood, flesh for flesh. [That is] because all sacrifices are only sacrificed for flesh to atone for flesh.

(3) And this is what I heard: If a man sinned, what was the sin of the animal? It is that the Holy One, blessed be He, said (Leviticus 1:2), "If any one of you bring an offering, etc." Why? The Holy One, blessed be He made the spirit of people the spirit of animals, and separated this from that. And because of that, "it is the spirit of man that ascends on high and the spirit of the animal that [descends], etc." (Ecclesiastes 3:21). Certainly, this is separate from that.

(4) Before man sinned, what is written? "Behold, I have given you all seed-bearing plant, etc." (Genesis 1:29). And it is written, "to you it shall be for food." But nothing more. Once he sinned and the evil impulse was absorbed into his body and those of all his descendants, He executed judgement upon them.

(5) And then Noach came and saw that the body was built from the place of the evil impulse, he offered a sacrifice, like Adam had sacrificed. What is written? "And the Lord smelled the sweet savor, etc." (Genesis 8:21). And it is written, "for the impulse of man’s heart is evil from his youth." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "From now on, since the body has absorbed that evil impulse, let the body enjoy as much as it sees fit, let it eat meat" - "as with the green plants, I now give you all" (Genesis 9:3).

(6) When he eats meat, his flesh enjoys [the animal's] flesh, one becomes mixed with the other and his body grows from it. And due to this pleasure, the body sins several sins. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "The atonement for the body is flesh. It ate flesh and his flesh grew from it and sinned through it. Because of that, let the flesh atone for his body!" And the flesh that he ate, [that] flesh made blood for the body. (Because of this, the blood that remained from that meat that he ate, [that] flesh made blood for the body.) Because of this, the blood that remained from that meat outside is destined for atonement for the blood that was made from that flesh from it, as it is written (Leviticus 17:11), "for it is the blood that will achieve atonement for the soul."

(9) What was a sacrifice of wood? Certain families had a fixed time on which they would go out to the forests and bring wood for the arrangement [on the altar]. On the day designated for this family to bring their sacrifices, they would bring voluntary burnt offerings. This was called the sacrifice of the wood. It was like a festival for these families and they were forbidden to have eulogies delivered, fast, and perform work on that day. This was a custom.