The final passages in Bechukosai discuss two different types of Korbanos; Bechor and Maaser Sheni.
The Bechor is the firstborn animal to be born to a Kosher mother. It is holy and must be sacrificed in the Temple courtyard. Maaser Beheima refers to the Mitzvah of giving every tenth animal to be a sacrifice to Hashem.
Whilst they are both holy, the nature of these two Korbanos are very different.
The Bechor is holy from birth - “consecrated from the womb”. It’s holiness is innate, coming in and of itself, as Hashem created it. It was never Chullin (unholy) and never really belonged to its owner.
In contrast, the sanctity of Maaser Beheima is imbued through the effort and action of man. The farmer must round up all of the animals of one specie into a pen and then lead them out an opening. As they leave the pen, the farmer counts them and declares every tenth animal as holy, painting a red mark on its back.
It is the act of separation or the count and declaration of the farmer that confers the holy status upon the animal.
Every Korban is an expression of coming closer to Hashem. The very word Korban derives from the word Karov, meaning close. These two distinct Korbanos represent two different ways in which this closeness is effected.
Kabbalah discusses the concepts of Isarusa D’leila - an awakening from Above and Isarusa D’letata - an awakening from below.
In our relationship with Hashem, there are times when the relationship is initiated from Above. These are the moments of inspiration which we experience from time-to-time; where with no effort or preparation of our own, we feel a spiritual awakening and a desire to connect as Hashem draws closer to us. This is the Isarusa D’leila.
The awakening from below is when we lift ourselves up to draw closer to Hashem through our own efforts and actions.
The Bechor which is innately holy, represents the Isarusa D’leila, the awakening that comes from Above. The Isarusa D’letata, the drawing close through our own efforts, is alluded to by the Maaser Beheima, where the person themselves must do the work to create its holiness.
The order of these two Korbanos in the Torah is significant; first the Bechor and then Maaser. When we experience the moments of G-dly inspiration and revelation from Above, the experience is detached from our reality and will be fleeting. We need to harness and internalise it, by immediately responding with our own efforts to grow and draw closer to Hashem.
On a deeper level, the two types of Korban also represent two dimensions of the spiritual psyche of our soul.
Bechor, meaning firstborn, represents the loftiest levels of our Neshama, the very essence of our soul. Maaser means a tenth. The lower levels of our soul are the 10 conscious faculties of our intellect and emotion. The tenth represents the last of these faculties, the attribute of Malchus. Malchus is connected to our deeds in thought, speech and action.
The holiness of our Bechor, the essential bond of our soul to Hashem, does not come through our own doing. It is a spiritual inheritance gifted to us from the Avos. But bringing an offering of Maaser, sanctifying our behaviours, is specifically achieved through our own efforts.
There is a principle that “everything follows the conclusion” and that we ascend in matters of holiness. This suggests that whatever comes last is in fact greater.
Based on this, the sequence of these Korbanos has a deeper message. The reason Maaser Beheima follows the Bechor is not just because the inspiration from Above must come first. It is because there is a unique quality within Maaser Beheima itself.
By definition, the holiness that we attain through our own efforts and actions, will not be comparable to the degree holiness that comes from Above.
But Hashem’s ultimate and essential desire is for a Dirah Betachtonim, a dwelling place in our physical world. This dwelling place must be created through earthly efforts, where, like the Maaser Beheima, we take the mundane and transform it to become holy.
It is our efforts and actions from below that actualise Hashem’s deepest desire, and thereby unite us with Him on the deepest level.
