Sometimes painful things can teach lessons we didn’t know we needed to learn.
“He said to Aharon, take for yourself a young calf as a sin-offering, and a ram as an Olah, without blemishes, and come close before Hashem.” (Vayikra 9:2)
Aharon was to assume his role as Kohain Gadol on the eighth day of the inauguration, which was the first of Nissan. He was afraid to approach the altar and perform the Avoda due to his involvement in the sin of the Golden Calf (eigel hazahav). Moshe encouraged Aharon to step forward, as this is what he had been chosen to do.
Moshe conveyed that Aharon was to offer a set of personal offerings, one being a calf for a sin-offering and one being a ram for an olah/burnt offering. The Jews would have their own sacrifices which Aharon and his sons would offer on their behalf.
Rashi tells us that Aharon’s sin-offering was a calf to teach that the blemish of his involvement in the making of the Golden Calf had been forgiven. One way to understand this is the rule that a prosecutor cannot be a defender. That’s why the Kohain Gadol did not wear golden vestments on Yom Kippur, lest the memory of the sin of the Eigel be recalled. The fact that it was used here, shows that it was no longer a threat.
Similarly, the Jewish People had an outstanding sin in that they “sacrificed to se’irim,” idolatrous entities connected with goats or because the brothers slaughtered a goat, into whose blood they dipped Yosef’s coat. Therefore, they brought a goat as a chatas/sin offering. Again, the fact that this was chosen, corresponded to the sin that was going to be atoned for through the Korban.
Discussion is made by the meforshim that a chatas atones for actions, while an olah atones for thoughts. Because the Jews had improper intent about the Golden Calf, they bring a calf as an Olah, while Aharon brought one as a chatas, for though he did the act of creating the eigel, it was not with evil intent. He had been trying to stall for time.
The message here is that Hashem sends each of us precisely what we need for our development and refinement. If we run into challenges in life, it’s because we need to learn those lessons, and we can’t wonder why the same challenges don’t affect others, because they have different needs than we do.
Appreciating that Hashem gives us precisely what we need should make us feel loved and closer to Him, just as Aharon was able to approach the mizbeiach bring his korban close before Hashem.
One harsh winter day, the Baal Shem Tov gathered a group of 9 of his chasidim, got into a wagon, and let the horses loose. They came to rest at a small home in the middle of nowhere. When they did, the man of the house came out and asked, “Is one of you a Mohel? My son is 8 days old today and I could not take him out in this weather!”
One of the chasidim was a mohel and the bris was performed with great joy. Afterwards, the chasidim took out a festive meal to celebrate. The seudah was pierced by a heartrending cry. As she was nursing her newly-circumcised son, the mother shrieked as the boy died in her arms. The Baal Shem and his entourage buried the child, performed the consolation ritual and tried to calm the couple, and left. In the wagon, there was an uproar. “Rebbe!” the chasidim cried. “What is going on?”
“Did you not hear that the baby was named Yosef? Today is the Yahrtzeit of R’ Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch. When he was born, there was an epidemic so his bris was delayed. The only thing his soul needed for complete rectification was a bris b’zman. Once that happened, he was able to return his now-perfect soul to Heaven.”
©2024 – J. Gewirtz
