This week we will be reading Vayikra. In this portion, the Torah discusses various laws concerning the different sacrifices people used to bring during the time we still had the holy Temple. The way it worked was that when a person had to bring a sacrifice he would appoint an animal and declare it an asham or chatat or whatever other type of offering he had to bring. Then he would have to take it to the Temple, where it was slaughtered and, in most cases, eaten. Since visits to the Temple took place only a few times a year, it was possible that one should have a full barn of animals he had to bring for different reasons. In such a case one had to be very careful not to mix up the different animals. Once an animal was declared an asham, which is brought as atonement for certain sins that were done deliberately, it was not permitted to use the same animal for an olah (burnt offering).
In the laws that discuss this topic we find something very interesting. After going through all the possible mix-ups of animals and what to do when each happens, the Mishna says the following: All mix ups are possible except chatat (offering brought for having sinned not knowing that it was a sin or not deliberately) and asham. For the asham can be brought only from the male sheep and the chatat only from the female sheep (thus, it is always possible to see which one is the chatat and which one the asham).
Why does the Mishna have to tell us this? If it is not possible to mix the two, there is no reason to write about it in the laws concerning possible mix-ups. It would make a nice tricky question on a test, but doesn't seem to belong in the Mishna. The Rambam writes at the end of the laws of the sacrifices that although these are things we cannot understand (chukim) we should try as much as we can to learn something from them. The asham offering, which is brought for sins done deliberately, is of course more important than the chatat. This is expressed in two things: The asham has to be more expensive and it has to be a male sheep. On the other hand, the chatat, which comes to atone for a lesser sin is cheaper and is brought from female sheep.
The male animal represents strength and toughness; the female, softness and weakness. In order to atone for a big sin, a tough animal has to be sacrificed to get atonement; for a small sin, a weaker animal will suffice.
There are two ways to explain how bringing an animal sacrifice brings atonement to humans:
1) When the sinner sees his offering being slaughtered, he should think to himself that really this should have happened to him for having transgressed Hashem's will. Hashem, in his great kindness, however, gave him another chance by killing the animal instead.
2) Korban doesn't only mean offering, but also comes from the word kiruv, coming closer. Inside every Jew is good. It is the yetser hara, the animal within him, that makes him sin. While bringing his offering, the person should think about that and then automatically he reveals his inner good and that will help him not to sin again in the future.
The first way is more of a ?male? way. The sinner has to be very harsh with himself, considering himself being slaughtered. The second way is the ?female? way; the person brings out his good side, bringing himself closer to his loving Father in heaven.
The chatat is a female. The softer approach is enough here. This is brought by a person who sinned by mistake. Nevertheless, he has to pay for it, because if he would have been close enough to Hashem, it wouldn't have happened. By reminding himself of his essence, which is good, he reconnects with Hashem. The asham is male. Here a softer approach won't help. If a person has reached a point where he can deliberately go against G-d's will, then he needs to be treated harshly in order to remove his negative crust.
Now we can understand what the Mishna is telling us. It might sometimes look like the two things get mixed up. For instance, when the person who was caught shoplifting did so only because he was convinced to do so by his friends. In a way, it is not totally the fault of his own bad character. On the other hand, a person can kill someone in a car accident. This is still not his fault, but a lot worse than shoplifting. In such a case, we would think the shoplifter should bring the chatat and the driver the asham. The Mishna comes to tell us that the law is different. Everything can get mixed up, except for the chatat and the asham. Even when from the sinner?s perspective it should be different, the sacrificial law remains the same, and cannot be ?mixed up?.
May we soon merit to bring offerings in the third Temple in Yerushalayim with the coming of Moshiach, now!
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Asher ben Shimon writes commentary for www.TorahThoughts.tk.
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Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
In the laws that discuss this topic we find something very interesting. After going through all the possible mix-ups of animals and what to do when each happens, the Mishna says the following: All mix ups are possible except chatat (offering brought for having sinned not knowing that it was a sin or not deliberately) and asham. For the asham can be brought only from the male sheep and the chatat only from the female sheep (thus, it is always possible to see which one is the chatat and which one the asham).
Why does the Mishna have to tell us this? If it is not possible to mix the two, there is no reason to write about it in the laws concerning possible mix-ups. It would make a nice tricky question on a test, but doesn't seem to belong in the Mishna. The Rambam writes at the end of the laws of the sacrifices that although these are things we cannot understand (chukim) we should try as much as we can to learn something from them. The asham offering, which is brought for sins done deliberately, is of course more important than the chatat. This is expressed in two things: The asham has to be more expensive and it has to be a male sheep. On the other hand, the chatat, which comes to atone for a lesser sin is cheaper and is brought from female sheep.
The male animal represents strength and toughness; the female, softness and weakness. In order to atone for a big sin, a tough animal has to be sacrificed to get atonement; for a small sin, a weaker animal will suffice.
There are two ways to explain how bringing an animal sacrifice brings atonement to humans:
1) When the sinner sees his offering being slaughtered, he should think to himself that really this should have happened to him for having transgressed Hashem's will. Hashem, in his great kindness, however, gave him another chance by killing the animal instead.
2) Korban doesn't only mean offering, but also comes from the word kiruv, coming closer. Inside every Jew is good. It is the yetser hara, the animal within him, that makes him sin. While bringing his offering, the person should think about that and then automatically he reveals his inner good and that will help him not to sin again in the future.
The first way is more of a ?male? way. The sinner has to be very harsh with himself, considering himself being slaughtered. The second way is the ?female? way; the person brings out his good side, bringing himself closer to his loving Father in heaven.
The chatat is a female. The softer approach is enough here. This is brought by a person who sinned by mistake. Nevertheless, he has to pay for it, because if he would have been close enough to Hashem, it wouldn't have happened. By reminding himself of his essence, which is good, he reconnects with Hashem. The asham is male. Here a softer approach won't help. If a person has reached a point where he can deliberately go against G-d's will, then he needs to be treated harshly in order to remove his negative crust.
Now we can understand what the Mishna is telling us. It might sometimes look like the two things get mixed up. For instance, when the person who was caught shoplifting did so only because he was convinced to do so by his friends. In a way, it is not totally the fault of his own bad character. On the other hand, a person can kill someone in a car accident. This is still not his fault, but a lot worse than shoplifting. In such a case, we would think the shoplifter should bring the chatat and the driver the asham. The Mishna comes to tell us that the law is different. Everything can get mixed up, except for the chatat and the asham. Even when from the sinner?s perspective it should be different, the sacrificial law remains the same, and cannot be ?mixed up?.
May we soon merit to bring offerings in the third Temple in Yerushalayim with the coming of Moshiach, now!
--------------------------------------------------------
Asher ben Shimon writes commentary for www.TorahThoughts.tk.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.