Ra'anana Community Kollel

                                       Here We Go Again

                                                         Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

Every year as we begin the book of Vayikra, I can easily imagine that there are many Jews around the world who feel at least a small amount of silent desperation.

The book of Bereishit is filled with intriguing narratives that even with the passage of time never seem to lose their ability to captivate readers of all ages and motivate them to seek out the answers to the many questions which abound. Year after year, the stories of the creation of the world, the beginning of mankind, the flood, the dispersal, Avraham’s war with the kings, the binding of Yitzchak on the altar, Ya’akov’s purchase of the brachot from Eisav and his subsequent trials in the house of Lavan, and of course the dramatic saga of Yosef and his brothers both inspire and intrigue us from one week to the next. After completing Bereishit, we move on to Sefer Shemot which vividly depicts the Jews’ enslavement in Egypt, the birth and development of Moshe as their leader and prophet, the ten plagues, the crossing of the sea, the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and the multifaceted construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels. However, when we finally arrive at the book of Vayikra we immediately notice that the narrative grinds to an almost painfully slow and methodical pace which would have undoubtedly been circled in red on any first draft manuscript with the accompanying inscription of “long-winded”, “monotonous”, or the like.

Obviously, if this is the way in which most of us view Sefer Vayikra with its detailed descriptions of the animal sacrifices that were brought in the Temple and the service of the Cohanim who carried them out, we are really in big trouble. Indeed, we should take the time to think and realize that just as the country hillbilly just can’t hear the “twang” in a symphony of Motzart, our ability to appreciate the significance of the korbanot which are elucidated in Sefer Vayikra has been pushed into the far recesses of our hearts and minds, only to be restored when we are willing to invest the effort to do so.

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot tells us that there are three essential concepts which literally support the world’s existence; Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of kindness). The commentaries explain that the “service” which the Mishna mentions is none other than the service of the korbanot, the animal offerings which were offered in the Temple. Whether or not we are capable of understanding exactly how they work, we must still come to terms with the fact that the korbanot are essential to the world’s existence and consequently, that our lives as observant Jews without them are lacking no less than one third (0.33 repeating) of their basic foundations.

When Hashem appeared to Avraham Avinu and told him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens and that they would eventually merit to live in the Land of Israel, the Torah relates that Avraham asked, “And how do I know that they will indeed inherit it?” What was the intention of this question? Did Avraham actually suspect that the assurance that Hashem had given him would remain unfilled? The Gemara (Megillah 31) relates that Avraham was worried that the Jewish people would sin, thereby losing their right to the inheritance which had been promised to them. To this Hashem answered, “Take for yourself a calf, a goat, a ram, a pigeon and a turtledove . . .” The Gemara explains that Hashem was explaining to Avraham that even in the event that the Jewish people would transgress thereby threatening their right to the land of Israel, the covenant would remain intact in the merit of the korbanot which would atone for their transgressions.

However, Avraham was not satisfied with this answer. He was worried about the times in Jewish history when the Beit Hamikdash would not be standing and the merit of the korbanot would no longer remain. What would become of his descendants then? The Gemara goes on to relate that Hashem assured Avraham with the promise that even when the korbanot would not actually be offered, as long as the Jewish people would study the seder korbanot, the laws and details of the korbanot, and the service in the Temple, it would be considered as if they were actually involved with the offerings themselves. Indeed, the Gemara (Menachot 110) cites a verse which actually implies that in the future the korbanot will be brought in places other than in the Beit Hamikdash alone. How can this be so? Isn’t the Beit Hamikdash the only place in which the offerings may be brought? The Gemara answers that the verse refers to the many Torah scholars who will busy themselves with understanding the methodology of the korbanot and delving into the parts of the Torah which discuss them. When they do so, it is considered as if the Beit Hamikdash had been rebuilt in their days and the korbanot which they study offered within. Thus, in every place where they are studied it is as if the korbanot which are so vital to our survival are actually being performed.

In relatively more recent times, the Chofetz Chaim became famous for promoting the study of the laws of the korbanot in order that we will be able to quickly apply them after the imminent return of the Beit Hamikdash. How will we feel, he asks in a letter to one of the leaders of Torah Jewry in Israel approximately one-hundred years ago, when Mashiach arrives and commands us to begin offering the korbanot and we have literally no idea how to do so? Indeed, if we are truly waiting for Hashem’s salvation we should make sure that we are well versed in the various halachot which will be put into practice at that time. In this way, explains the Chofetz Chaim, we can show that we are eagerly awaiting the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash and the numerous mitzvot of the Torah which it will enable us to fulfill.