There is one type of korban (offering) that is not too well known, but a very interesting one. Most sacrifices consisted of the main offering, which was an animal that by law always had to be salted and accompanied by flour and wine/oil. One can donate any of these ingredients separately also. This applies to the wood used in the sacrifice as well.
We find two ways one can donate the wood. The Talmud brings down an opinion that maintains that wood can be sacrificed on the altar just like an animal. It would have to be accompanied by the flour and oil and the salt, of course, but it required also different wood to burn it. The fire on the altar burned on wood designated for that purpose. Just like animals had to be burned on that fire, so did the wood have to be burned on the fire produced by that wood. In general, however, when we speak about the wood that was donated to the Temple, we refer to the wood that kept the fire on the altar burning and not the wood offering. It is interesting that these woods are also considered a korban, since they are only helping in the process of burning the real korban.
When the Jewish people returned to Israel after their first exile, they didn't have any wood in the Temple. Certain families got together then and donated the wood. Ever since, it became the custom that each of those families would donate the wood every year on the same day they had given their donation the first year. The Mishnah tells us that the day a family was bringing their wood, they would have a great yom tov celebration and they would even be exempt from fasting on Tisha B'Av (in years the fast was on Sunday, 10 Av). Although there were families who were still bringing in new wood until late in the month of Elul, all the wood had to be cut before the 15th day of Av. The Mishnah says that that day was a holiday as great as Yom Kippur.
What was so special about that wood (which wasn't even part of the real korban) that caused such great happiness and why is it that on the day they finished cutting there would be such tremendous joy?
The reason why there are different types of offerings is because they are connected with different shortcomings in the person who brings the korban. We also explained that the purpose of bringing a korban is to get closer to Hashem.
"Man is (like) a tree in the field". Wood refers to the entire being of the person. When one brings a wood offering, he brings his entire being closer to Hashem, not focusing only on one shortcoming. This explains how one can bring wood as a separate korban. It also sheds light on why every korban had to be burned on wood. The basic concept of every korban is to bring the person closer to Hashem. In the case of a sinner, the person has to fix a specific area of his personality, so a specific korban has to be brought, but it is always connected to 'wood'. It is however not part of the korban (as opposed to the side offerings of flour, etc.). Since the one who is bringing the offering is busy working on bettering himself he must be focusing on his own being. Even when one brings an olah, which gets burnt completely (meaning he considers himself totally nullified), he can still feel satisfaction from the fact the he caused Hashem to be happy, as it says that every korban is re'ach nicho'ach ("a pleasing odor to Me [Hashem]").
By donating wood to the Temple so that others would be able to bring their korbanot, one showed that he gave only for Hashem's sake. On one hand, the wood got totally burned, which showed complete self-nullification, yet there was no personal satisfaction to the person since the wood did not create a "pleasing odor" to Hashem. That was the cause of celebration to the families who donated the wood.
The biggest joy was on the day they finished cutting, though. The families whose turn came before the 15th of Av were able to donate the wood the same day it was cut. They still had a feeling that they were doing "something". Their wood was being used at least to help others bring a korban. The families whose turn came after 15 Av could not do anything with their wood between then and their turn.
Those people were able to show that their cutting was solely for Hashem's sake, since there was no personal satisfaction of any sort involved. The ability to do that comes from a Jew's deepest connection with Hashem through his soul only. This connection we feel in general only on Yom Kippur, hence the comparison between the holiday of 15 Av and Yom Kippur.
May we soon merit to bring wood and offerings in the Third Temple in Yerushalayim with the coming of Moshiach, now!
We find two ways one can donate the wood. The Talmud brings down an opinion that maintains that wood can be sacrificed on the altar just like an animal. It would have to be accompanied by the flour and oil and the salt, of course, but it required also different wood to burn it. The fire on the altar burned on wood designated for that purpose. Just like animals had to be burned on that fire, so did the wood have to be burned on the fire produced by that wood. In general, however, when we speak about the wood that was donated to the Temple, we refer to the wood that kept the fire on the altar burning and not the wood offering. It is interesting that these woods are also considered a korban, since they are only helping in the process of burning the real korban.
When the Jewish people returned to Israel after their first exile, they didn't have any wood in the Temple. Certain families got together then and donated the wood. Ever since, it became the custom that each of those families would donate the wood every year on the same day they had given their donation the first year. The Mishnah tells us that the day a family was bringing their wood, they would have a great yom tov celebration and they would even be exempt from fasting on Tisha B'Av (in years the fast was on Sunday, 10 Av). Although there were families who were still bringing in new wood until late in the month of Elul, all the wood had to be cut before the 15th day of Av. The Mishnah says that that day was a holiday as great as Yom Kippur.
What was so special about that wood (which wasn't even part of the real korban) that caused such great happiness and why is it that on the day they finished cutting there would be such tremendous joy?
The reason why there are different types of offerings is because they are connected with different shortcomings in the person who brings the korban. We also explained that the purpose of bringing a korban is to get closer to Hashem.
"Man is (like) a tree in the field". Wood refers to the entire being of the person. When one brings a wood offering, he brings his entire being closer to Hashem, not focusing only on one shortcoming. This explains how one can bring wood as a separate korban. It also sheds light on why every korban had to be burned on wood. The basic concept of every korban is to bring the person closer to Hashem. In the case of a sinner, the person has to fix a specific area of his personality, so a specific korban has to be brought, but it is always connected to 'wood'. It is however not part of the korban (as opposed to the side offerings of flour, etc.). Since the one who is bringing the offering is busy working on bettering himself he must be focusing on his own being. Even when one brings an olah, which gets burnt completely (meaning he considers himself totally nullified), he can still feel satisfaction from the fact the he caused Hashem to be happy, as it says that every korban is re'ach nicho'ach ("a pleasing odor to Me [Hashem]").
By donating wood to the Temple so that others would be able to bring their korbanot, one showed that he gave only for Hashem's sake. On one hand, the wood got totally burned, which showed complete self-nullification, yet there was no personal satisfaction to the person since the wood did not create a "pleasing odor" to Hashem. That was the cause of celebration to the families who donated the wood.
The biggest joy was on the day they finished cutting, though. The families whose turn came before the 15th of Av were able to donate the wood the same day it was cut. They still had a feeling that they were doing "something". Their wood was being used at least to help others bring a korban. The families whose turn came after 15 Av could not do anything with their wood between then and their turn.
Those people were able to show that their cutting was solely for Hashem's sake, since there was no personal satisfaction of any sort involved. The ability to do that comes from a Jew's deepest connection with Hashem through his soul only. This connection we feel in general only on Yom Kippur, hence the comparison between the holiday of 15 Av and Yom Kippur.
May we soon merit to bring wood and offerings in the Third Temple in Yerushalayim with the coming of Moshiach, now!