Mar 24/07 — Parashat Vayikra

Commentary by Chazzan Aníbal Mass

What is this story of the sacrifices about? Is there a lesson we can learn from this Parashah and most specifically from this book? Does it make any sense to read and to study these texts about the Korbanot (sacrifices) since we don’t have the Temple anymore?

It is difficult for many of us to understand the concept of Korbanot that took place in the Temple. We should first realize that the Temple was the most sacred place on earth, the middle point between heaven and earth, between the spiritual and the physical world. And it was exactly in that place that we were commanded to offer sacrifices. Let’s try to understand this.

We are the result of a composition of two separate entities, one spiritual and one physical. When a person’s life ends, each entity returns to the place from which it came: the physical part returns to the earth and the spiritual part returns God. During our lives, each of these two components pulls toward its own direction. Finally, who we will be is determined by our decision regarding which direction we will follow.

The Ramban explains that our actions are made up of three elements: thought, speech and action. By the same token, the process of the Korbanot in the Temple is carried out this way: as God has commanded, after we sin, we bring a sacrifice and put our hands on its head (corresponding to action) while we admit the sin verbally (corresponding to speech) and later burn different parts of the animal on the altar. The organs that we burn are the internal organs (symbolizing the place where thoughts and desires are generated). The limbs of the animal are also burned since they represent the agents by which we carry out our actions. The blood, symbol of the soul, is sprinkled on the altar.

But, even with this explanation, it is difficult to understand how the simple act of offering an animal as a sacrifice expiates any sin that one has made.

A person, when bringing the sacrifice, should understand that, in fact, he or she is the one who should be on the altar. He or she is the one who has sinned against the Creator as much with the body as with the soul. The incredible state of Teshuvah (to return toward God) that the person feels when he or she sees the sacrifice and imagines being in the place of the animal brings the person to a completely different spiritual state.

This way of feeling close to God and expiating a sin or showing thanks to God was very popular in the past and we have examples in the Bible of people presenting offerings even before the Torah was revealed: Adam, Hevel (a son of Adam), Noach, Abraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and even Moshe who built an altar after the battle against Amalek.

Since the Temple was destroyed, we no longer have a Temple, Kohanim, or an Altar. But our sages have instituted Tefillah, prayer, instead of the Korbanot. And just as the main purpose of bringing a Korban was to demonstrate the repentant intention of the heart, it should be the same with prayer.

Tefillah without heart cannot be called Tefillah. How many times do we lose concentration during prayer, doing nothing more than reading strange words without feeling what we are saying, losing the opportunity to speak with our Creator and come closer to Him? With some concentration during prayer, we can sincerely take part in the service. It is Tefillah as it should be—with the heart.

Tefillah is one of the strongest tools we have. Our strength as a Jewish people is in prayer and in the study of Torah. It is interesting that for both actions we need our mouth. It is important to mention that if we want God to listen to our supplications, we should take care to use speech in an appropriate way: not to speak badly of people, not to insult, not to gossip …

On this Shabbat let us raise our voices in heartfelt prayer to God and show by our actions that we deserve to have our prayers answered.

Shabbat Shalom.