......the laws around how the priests should offer sacrifices are super strict, not unlike the protocols found in hospitals, prisons, schools, asylums, army bases, or highly dangerous mountaineering expeditions.
At least officially, one thing that defines priestly behavior is that it is compliant, obedient, procedural. When priests start to follow their hearts or their own inspiration it's usually bad news, as in the case of Nadav and Avihu, who we will read about later in the year. Priests keep to the script, or risk death, contamination, idolatry, and more. Prophets write or challenge the script. Priests administer "the system," prophets, like Isaiah, who is often seen questioning the value of the sacrifices (see Isa. 61:8-9), disrupt, redefine, or expand it. ....
As anyone who has ever tried to follow an instruction manual and failed knows, some situations do call for dispassionate objectivity, and bringing one's feelings into it may only prolong or endanger the process. We don't want our surgeons to start crying or laughing while operating on us. When it comes to our airplane pilots we care more about whether they can fly a plane than whether they are good parents, spouses, friends. I don't care what my barber's politics are so long as he cuts my hair the way I ask him. There is something impersonal and cold about authority based on competence, but there is also something liberating about having one clear set of standards determining whether a job is complete, not some wishy-washy world of arbitrary and inherently unverifiable opinions.
From, Before Enlightenment Sweeping Ash, After Enlightenment Sweeping Ash, Parshat Tzav, by Rabbi Dr. Zohar Atkins, March 23rd, 2019
Purposes of korbanot
Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of korbanot is not simply to obtain forgiveness from sin. Although many korbanot have the effect of expiating sins, there are many other purposes for bringing then and the expiatory effect is often incidental, and is subject to significant limitations.
The purposes of korbanot are much the same as the purposes of prayer: we bring qorbanot to praise God to become closer to God, to express thanks to God, love or gratitude. We bring them to celebrate holidays and festivals. Others are used to cleanse a person of ritual impurity (which does not necessarily have anything to do with sin: childbirth causes such impurity, but is certainly not a sin). And yes, many korbanot, like many prayers, are brought for purposes of atonement.
The atoning aspect of korbanot is limited. For the most part, korbanot only expiate unintentional sins, that is, sins committed because a person forgot that this thing was a sin. No atonement is needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge, and for the most part, korbanot cannot atone for a malicious, deliberate sin. In addition, they have no expiating effect unless the person making the offering sincerely repents his or her actions before making the offering, and makes restitution to any person who was harmed by the violation.
Major Types of Korbanot
Olah: Burnt Offering
Perhaps the best-known class of offerings is the burnt offering. It was the oldest and commonest sacrifice, and represented submission to God's will. The Hebrew word for burnt offering is olah meaning ascension. An olah is completely burnt on the outer altar; no part of it is eaten by anyone. Because the offering represents complete submission to God's will, the entire offering is given to God (i.e., it cannot be used after it is burnt). It expresses a desire to commune with God, and expiates sins incidentally in the process (because how can you commune with God if you are tainted with sins?). An olah could be made from cattle, sheep, goats, or even birds, depending on the offerer's means.
Zevach Sh'lamim: Peace Offering
A peace offering is an offering expressing thanks or gratitude to God.. The Hebrew term for this type of offering is zevach sh'lamim (or sometimes just sh'lamim), which is related to the word shalom, meaning "peace" or "whole." A representative portion of the offering is burnt on the altar, a portion is given to the kohanim, and the rest is eaten by the offerer and his family; thus, everyone gets a part of this offering. This category of offerings includes thanksgiving-offerings, free will-offerings, and offerings made after fulfillment of a vow. Note that this class of offerings has nothing to do with sin; in fact, the Talmud states that in the age of the messiah (when there is no more sin), this will be the only class of offering that is brought to the Temple.
Chatat: Sin Offering
A sin offering is an offering to atone for and purge a sin. It is an expression of sorrow for the error and a desire to be reconciled with God. The Hebrew term for this type of offering is chatat, from the word chayt, meaning "missing the mark." A chatat could only be offered for unintentional sins committed through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious sins. The size of the offering varied according to the nature of the sin and the financial means of the sinner. Some chatatot are individual and some are communal. Communal offerings represent the interdependence of the community, and the fact that we are all responsible for each others' sins. A few special chatatot could not be eaten, but for the most part, for the average person's personal sin, the chatat was eaten by the kohanim.
Asham: Guilt Offering
A guilt offering is an offering to atone for sins of stealing things from the altar, for when you are not sure whether you have committed a sin or what sin you have committed, or for breach of trust. The Hebrew word for a guilt offering is asham. When there was doubt as to whether a person committed a sin, the person would make an asham, rather than a chatat, because bringing a chatat would constitute admission of the sin, and the person would have to be punished for it. If a person brought an asham and later discovered that he had in fact committed the sin, he would have to bring a chatat at that time. An asham was eaten by the kohanim.
Food and Drink Offerings
A meal offering (minchah) represented the devotion of the fruits of our work to God, because it was not a natural product, but something created through human effort. A representative piece of the offering was burnt on the fire of the altar, but the rest was eaten by the kohanim.
There are also offerings of undiluted wine, referred to as nesekh
(taken from Judaism 101 jewfaq.org)
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ כׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וְאֵ֥שׁ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ תּ֥וּקַד בּֽוֹ׃ (ג) וְלָבַ֨שׁ הַכֹּהֵ֜ן מִדּ֣וֹ בַ֗ד וּמִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִלְבַּ֣שׁ עַל־בְּשָׂרוֹ֒ וְהֵרִ֣ים אֶת־הַדֶּ֗שֶׁן אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאכַ֥ל הָאֵ֛שׁ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וְשָׂמ֕וֹ אֵ֖צֶל הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ (ד) וּפָשַׁט֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְלָבַ֖שׁ בְּגָדִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֶת־הַדֶּ֙שֶׁן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָהֽוֹר׃ (ה) וְהָאֵ֨שׁ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַ תּֽוּקַד־בּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א תִכְבֶּ֔ה וּבִעֵ֨ר עָלֶ֧יהָ הַכֹּהֵ֛ן עֵצִ֖ים בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וְעָרַ֤ךְ עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ הָֽעֹלָ֔ה וְהִקְטִ֥יר עָלֶ֖יהָ חֶלְבֵ֥י הַשְּׁלָמִֽים׃ (ו) אֵ֗שׁ תָּמִ֛יד תּוּקַ֥ד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֹ֥א תִכְבֶּֽה׃ {ס}
..... it appears that the removal of the ashes is not just a good thing to do, but somehow intrinsic to the act of the sacrifice itself. When it comes to the burnt offering, a sacrifice where the entire animal is burned and nothing is left except for a pile of ash, the offering isn't considered complete, the purging of the entire animal not effective, until the ash, the residue of the sacrifice is itself removed.
Atkins, Ibid
אלהי הנשמה שנתת בי היא עשן
משרפית תמיד של זכרונות אהבה
אנו נולדים ומיד מתחילים לשרוף
עד שהעשן כעשן תכלה
My God, the soul you gave me is smoke -- from never-ending burnings of memories of love. The minute we are born we start burning them and so on until the smoke dies, like smoke.
-- Yehuda Amichai, "Time"
(א) אֱלֹהַי נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַֽתָּ בִּי טְהוֹרָה הִיא אַתָּה בְרָאתָהּ אַתָּה יְצַרְתָּהּ אַתָּה נְפַחְתָּהּ בִּי וְאַתָּה מְשַׁמְּ֒רָהּ בְּקִרְבִּי וְאַתָּה עָתִיד לִטְּ֒לָהּ מִמֶּֽנִּי וּלְהַחֲזִירָהּ בִּי לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהַנְּ֒שָׁמָה בְקִרְבִּי מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי רִבּוֹן כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲדוֹן כָּל הַנְּ֒שָׁמוֹת: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַמַּחֲזִיר נְשָׁמוֹת לִפְגָרִים מֵתִים:
(1) My God! the soul which You bestowed in me is pure; You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me and You preserve it within me. You will eventually take it from me, and restore it in me in the time to come.5This statement refers to the time when the dead will be resurrected. So long as the soul is within me I give thanks to You, Adonoy my God,6Thus it is said, “I will praise Adonoy with my life, I will sing to my God with my being” (Psalms 146:2). and God of my fathers, Lord of all creatures, Master of all souls. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who restores souls to dead bodies.7This is a reference to God’s restoring of the soul each morning following its departure while the person sleeps.
(ב) קָם סָבָא חַד מִבָּתַר טוּלָא (כותלא), וְאָמַר רַבִּי רַבִּי בּוֹצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, קוּם אַדְלֵיק שְׁרַגָּא דְאִיהִי מִצְוָה, שְׁכִינְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא, דַּעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר (ויקרא ו ו) אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא תִכְבֶּה, וַעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר (שמות כז כ) לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד, נֵר ה' אִתְקְרִיאַת וַדַּאי, אוֹר דְּנָהִיר בֵּיהּ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם, קוּם אַדְלֵיק בָּהּ.
(2) One older person stood up from behind a wall, and said: Rebbe my teacher, The Holy Light, come and light candles, for that is a Mitzva (commandment), on that it is said: An everlasting fire shall be kept burning on the altar, it should not be extinguished. And, on that it is also said: To light the eternal flame. This is surely the light of the divine, the light that shines within the soul of every person. Come, light it with her.
Rabbi Corey Helfand, "The Eternal Flame of Jewish Tradition is the Light Within"
...Rav Kook suggests that the fire alluded to here is a metaphorical flame that burns within each person, a spiritual fire that is lit within the hearts of every Jew. The idea of the fire being perpetual helps me to appreciate the notion that this fire continues to remain lit within each person throughout every generation. So long as the values and teachings of Judaism continue to guide all that we do, in word, thought and deed, we can preserve our meaningful traditions.
...As a part of telling the narrative at our seder tables, we also are commanded to see ourselves as though we are perpetually leaving Egypt in every generation, in search of freedom. The eternally burning fire serves as a reminder to everyone, the individual and the Jewish people as a whole, that we must fight to never let the light go out.
§ The verse states: “And in every place offerings are presented to My name, and a pure meal offering; for My name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.” Does it enter your mind to say that it is permitted to sacrifice offerings in every place? Rather, Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: These are Torah scholars, who engage in Torah study in every place. God says: I ascribe them credit as though they burn and present offerings to My name.
"Fire on the Altar: Aish Tamid" by Rabbi Shefa Gold: https://www.rabbishefagold.com/fire-on-altar-aish-tamid/
Inside our hearts is a flame that must be kept burning. That fire is our passion for Life, our yearning for God, our curiosity about the mysteries, our sparkle of humor, our enthusiasm for the Work. We keep that fire burning by engaging in spiritual practice, by surrounding ourselves with beauty, by giving and receiving love and support, and by fully connecting with what (and whom) we love.
It is crucial to bring attention to that flame on the altar of the heart – to feed that fire and to guard it with loving vigilance.
(ה) מֵתִים נִכְנָסִין לְפָנַי יוֹצְאִין חַיִּים, וְאַתְּ מִתְיָרֵא שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׂרְפוּ הָעֵצִים שֶׁבַּמִּזְבֵּחַ הֵן עֲשׂוּיִין לִכְבוֹדִי. מִי צִוָּה הָאֵשׁ לִשְׂרֹף? לְמַד מִמָּךְ, כְּשֶׁהָיִיתָ נִכְנָס לְתוֹךְ מְחִצּוֹת שֶׁל אֵשׁ וּמְהַלֵּךְ בֵּין הַגְּדוּדִים, הָיָה לְךָ לִשָּׂרֵף. וְעוֹד, שֶׁהָיִיתָ בָּא אֶצְלִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּמֹשֶׁה נִגַּשׁ אֶל הָעֲרָפֶל אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הָאֱלֹקִים (שמות כ, יח). וַאֲנִי אֵשׁ אוֹכֶלֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה (דברים ד, כד), רָאוּי שֶׁתְּהֵא נִכְוֶה. וְלָמָּה כֵּן? שֶׁהָיִיתָ עוֹלֶה לִכְבוֹדִי. וְאַף מִזְבַּח הָעוֹלָה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ (ויקרא ו, ו), לֹא הַנְּחֹשֶׁת עָתִיד לִבְעֹר וְלֹא הָעֵצִים נִשְׂרָפִין.
(5) The lifeless brought before Me depart alive, yet you fear that the wood in the altar erected in My honor will burn! Who commanded the fire to burn? Learn from your own experience! When you entered into the midst of the wall of fire and walked among the bands (of angels in heaven), you should have been consumed, yet you came unto Me, as it is said: But Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was (Exod. 20:18). I am a consuming fire, as is said: For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire (Deut. 4:24), and it would have been normal for you to have been consumed. Why were you not (consumed)? Because you ascended for My glory. Likewise, in the case of the altar of the burnt offering, concerning which it is written: Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually, neither the brass will be affected, nor will the wood be burned.
בֶּן עַזַּאי יוֹשֵׁב וְדוֹרֵשׁ וְהָאֵשׁ מְלַהֶטֶת סְבִיבוֹתָיו, הָלַךְ אֶצְלוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁהָיִיתָ דּוֹרֵשׁ וְהָאֵשׁ מְלַהֶטֶת סְבִיבְךָ. אָמַר לוֹ הֵן. אָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא בְּחַדְרֵי מֶרְכָּבָה הָיִיתָ עָסוּק, אָמַר לוֹ לָאו, אֶלָּא הָיִיתִי יוֹשֵׁב וְחוֹרֵז בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה, וּמִתּוֹרָה לִנְבִיאִים, וּמִנְּבִיאִים לִכְתוּבִים, וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים שְׂמֵחִים כִּנְתִינָתָן מִסִּינַי, וְהָיוּ עֲרֵבִים כְּעִקַּר נְתִינָתָן, וְכֵן עִקַּר נְתִינָתָן מִסִּינַי לֹא בָאֵשׁ הָיוּ נִתָּנִין, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (דברים ד, יא): וְהָהָר בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ.
Ben Azzai was sitting and expounding, and fire was blazing around him. They [his disciples] came and told Rabbi Akiva, "Rabbi Ben Azzai is sitting and expounding, and fire is blazing around him." [Akiva] went to him and said, "I heard that you were sitting and expounding, and fire was blazing around you!" [Ben Azzai] replied, "Yes." [Akiva] said to him, "Perhaps you are engaged in the chambers of the Chariot [the secrets of Ezekiel's vision of the Chariot]?!" [Ben Azzai] replied, "No, I am sitting and stringing words of Torah, from Torah to the Prophets, and from Prophets to the Writings, and the words are as joyous as on the day they were given from Sinai, and as sweet (sonorous, fragrant) as the essence [ikar] of what was given. And the essence that was given [that day] on Sinai, were they not [originally] given in fire?!" and the mountain burned with fire (Deut. 4:11).
על גמ״ח כיצד הרי הוא אומר (הושע ו) כי חסד חפצתי ולא זבח. העולם מתחלה לא נברא אלא בחסד שנאמר (תהלים פט) כי אמרתי עולם חסד יבנה שמים תכין אמונתך בהם. פעם אחת היה רבן יוחנן בן זכאי יוצא מירושלים והיה רבי יהושע הולך אחריו וראה בית המקדש חרב [אר״י אוי לנו על זה שהוא חרב] מקום שמכפרים בו עונותיהם של ישראל. א״ל בני אל ירע לך יש לנו כפרה אחת שהיא כמותה ואיזה זה גמ״ח שנאמר כי חסד חפצתי ולא זבח
On acts of kindness. How so? It says (Hosea 6:6), “For I desire kindness, not a well-being offering.” The world was created from the very beginning with kindness, as it says (Psalms 89:3), “For I have said that the world will be built on kindness, and the heavens will be established on Your faith.” Once, Rabban [our rabbi] Yohanan ben Zakkai, left Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yehoshua followed after him. And he saw the Holy Temple destroyed. [Rabbi Yehoshua said: Woe to us, for this is destroyed –] the place where all of Israel’s sins are forgiven!2I.e., via the bringing of sacrifices. [Rabbi Yohanan] said to him: My son, do not be distressed, for we have a form of atonement just like it. And what is it? Acts of kindness, as it says (Psalms 89:3), “For I desire kindness, not a well-being offering.”
From the Women's Study Bible, by Rabbi Nancy Kreimer
After the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple, the Rabbis replaced the sacrificial system in two ways. The first was to commune with God through prayer and study. The second was via a system that maintained sacrifices in a new form, hinted at in Leviticus 7:22-27. The whole complex of laws and rituals around preparing and eating food became another way in which the sacrificial system lived on. With this change, women became the ritual specialists for what was once temple sacrifice in its domestic transformation — because women in traditional Jewish society, as in many cultures, control food resources.
Torah Studies, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
In his Likkutei Torah (Devarim 78d) Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi 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 G‑d 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.