Shalom Alechem to all,
And so it is. I'm back in America. It's so funny how easy it is to forget how life was for the past 18 years. I'll say some differences. Tap water tastes expensive here. Better than bottled water in Israel. Speaking about bottles, I've gotten used to Israeli soda bottles. The bottles in America are short and fat. They are obese. I feel so wrong not having to "skwee-jee" the entire bathroom after taking a shower. For some reason, when your shower is enclosed by more than just a curtain, water doesn't get all over the place - amazing. The computer....I'm not typing this email on Microsoft Windows 95. The cold weather. And many more, feel free to ask me or any of the other hundreds of teens who came back this past week.
Quick thought on this week's parasha. I think it is beautiful and makes the discussion of korbanot a lot more practical into our daily lives. Don't get me wrong, there is no such thing as Torah that is impractical to us. By virtue of the fact that it is Torah, there is a purpose in learning it just for the sake of knowing the Torah.
Parashat Vayikra speaks about different korbanot (sacrifices/offerings - Rav Hirsch has this whole piece explaining that it is neither a sacrifice nor an offering, but for lack of a better term). So my question for you is, what does that have to do with our lives? Have any of you brought a goat to the Beit Hamikdash lately? What about pigeons? I got plenty of them outside my house here, but I don't really need them for sacrificial purposes any time soon. Maybe you mixed up some wheat flour with oil and frankincense and offered that in the Beit Hamikdash? Nope. So how do we relate to korbanot nowadays? How do we make it something that has to do with our everyday lives?
I'll give you three answers:
(1) Learning - There is a gemara in Masechet Megila (my beloved) which relates a dialogue between Avraham Avinu (A"H) and Hashem. Avraham asks Hashem, "In what zechut (merit) are the Jewish people going to be able to live in the land of Israel?" Hashem responds, "In merit of their sacrifices." Avraham asks, "What about after the time of the Beit Hamikdash?!?" [By the way, he was asking for our generation!] Hashem responded, "When they learn the portion about korbanot, I will view it as though they are bringing korbanot." Get that. When we learn about korbanot, it is as though we are actually bringing them. It actually is so much easier for us. Instead of spending $6,000 to buy a goat and shlep it to Yerushalayim, you can just learn in your living room. Take advantage.
(2) Praying - The Gemara in Berachot has the famous line, "Tefillot K'neged Korbanot Tiknum" - "Praying was established corresponding to korbanot." "U'neshalmah Parim Sefateinu" - "We substitute the cows with our lips." Every time you daven, it is as though you are bring a korban.
(3) Eating - There is a story recounted in Masechet Berachot. Elisha HaNavi was once at someone's house, and the hostess knew that he was a tzaddik. How did she know? One of the explanations in the gemara is that she saw that there were no flies at the table while he was eating. So what? Why does that make him a tzaddik?
There were many miracles that happened in the Beit Hamikdash on a daily basis. I forgot the exact number, I think it is ten. One of the daily miracles that occurred in the Beit Hamikdash is that there were never any flies there. Now, when there are animals being slaughtered left and right, and there is blood and meat all over, it is inevitable to have flies around. That is why it is an actually miracle that there were no flies present.
Our Sages tell us that a person's table on which he eats is like the mizbeach, the Alter on which korbanot were brought. In fact, if he has the right intentions, it will be considered as though he is eating from one the the holy korbanot. When a person concentrates and understands that he/she is eating in order to serve Hashem, to satiate and to nourish himself/herself to have what it takes to continue learning Torah, doing mitzvot, bestowing kindnesses to fellow Jews, when he/she has proper intent, his/her food will become consecrated and turn into a korban for Hashem.
When this woman saw Elisha eating and saw that there were no flies around his food, she realized that this was the same miracle that occurred in the Beit Hamikdash with the korbanot. That meant he knew how to sanctify his food, which set him above the rest. And he was eating from a korban.
My question was, how can korbanot be relevant to our lives? If every time that you pray, you are bringing a korban; every time you eat, you are bringing a korban; and every time you study about korbanot, you are bringing a korban; I think the better question is, can korbanot be any less relevant to our lives?
May we all be zocheh to bring korbanot - now, when we don't have the Beit Hamikdash, by capitalizing in all three of the above mentioned avenues, and tomorrow, in the Beit Hamikdash itself, when Mashiach has come to bring bring us home.
With love,
Adam Sabzevari
Be in touch. Please.
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