The Way Of Emunah
Thoughts Have No Cover:
Rashi says: “The expression ‘tzav’, command, always denotes urging for the present and for future generations. Rebbe Shimon taught: The Torah especially needs to urge people when monetary loss (chisaron kis) is involved.”
The Chidushei Harim zy”a, explains that the words “chisaron kis” can mean “lacking a cover (kisui).” He writes that every limb of the body has a “cover”, meaning that a person can control it. For example, one can close his mouth and decide no to eat. One can also choose not to walk or talk. The only part of the body that has no cover is the mind. When one is struck with a thought, he cannot escape it; therefore, one must be careful in this regard.
He thus explains Rashi to be saying that one must be very careful when it comes to “chisaron kis”, things that lack a cover, meaning one’s thoughts. This is hinted to in the Parshah of the Olah because a Korban Olah atones for improper thoughts.
Torah Learned With Enthusiasm:
Rav Shlomo of Karlin zy”a states that the pasuk is hinting: What kind of Torah ascends upwards? Torah that is learned with enthusiasm. If the Torah is “like a Korban Olah on the fire”, meaning that one learns it with fiery passion, it will ascend to Shomayim.
צַ ו אֶ ת אַ הֲרֹ ן וְ אֶ ת בָ ּנָיו לֵאמֹ ר ז ֹאת תּוֹרַ ת הָ עֹ לָה וגו' (ו, ב)
Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the Olah... (6:2)
Through Anavah, One Connects to the Power of the Mizbeach:
Rav Chanoch Henoch of Alexander zy”a (Sefer Chashba L’Tova) writes that this pasuk is hinting to how a person can ascend spiritually and have his mitzvos rise up to Shomayim. It is saying that the “Torah Ha’Olah”, the way to rise above, is for a person to be “on the Mizbeach”.
How does one reach this level? The pasuk answers this question by saying that one should be “kol halayla”, meaning that if one feels that matters are dark like night in the sense that he is humble and feels like he is on a low level, he will merit to be “on the Mizbeach”, and to ascend to a lofty level.
Mesiras Nefesh Atones for Sins:
The Tzemach Tzadik of Vizhnitz zy”a explains this pasuk to be hinting to how one can be forgiven of his sins by bringing a korban.
The Ramban (Vayikroh 1:9) writes that when one brings a korban, he should think that because he sinned, he really should bring himself as a sacrifice in order to attain atonement. In Hashem’s mercy, He allows us to bring an animal sacrifice instead, and the korban atones for us as if we brought ourself as an offering. Since Hashem considers one who has a good thought to be akin to one who did the good action he wanted to do, when one desires to sacrifice himself with mesiras nefesh but brings a korban instead, Hashem considers it as if he actually sacrificed himself.
Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that “he is the Olah”, meaning that one should think of himself as the Korban Olah and, if one does this, it is as if he put himself on the Mizbeach and was burned to ashes. When one does this, he merits doing “terumos hadeshen” (picking up the ashes). The word “hadeshen” has the same gematriah as “satan”. Thus, this is a hint that one can raise himself up above the satan and reaching a lofty level of kedusha by achieving atonement in this way.
Do Not Pursue Honor:
The Ben Ish Chai writes that the words “Zos Toras Ha’Olah” hints that all things that people think are high-ranking and important, such as honor and wealth, are not worth pursuing. The pasuk is saying about such things “hi ha’Olah”, if one runs after them, they will always be above him and out of his reach. Therefore, there is no point in chasing them, as Chazal say: If one runs after honor, the honor runs away from him.
Rather, one should remember that “hi ha’Olah” – Hashem is the One who provides for a person and grants honor and wealth to those whom He deems worthy.
Connecting to Hashem by Avoiding Anger and Desire:
The Izhbitzer Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Mei Hashiloach) writes that this pasuk hints to how even a simple man can connect to Hashem. He explains that the “mido bad” is the kesones that atones for anger and murder. “Michnesei bad” is a reference to taivoh, as the mishnasayim atone for gilui arayos. Thus, the pasuk is saying that if one is free of these two sins – anger and taivoh – he is worthy of being “placed opposite the Mizbeach”, meaning that he is able to connect to Hashem.
עַ ל מַ חֲבַ ת בַ ּשֶ ּׁמֶ ן וגו' תֻ ּפִ ינֵי מִ נְ חַ ת פִ ּתִ ּים תַ ּקְ רִ יב רֵ יחַ נִ יחֹ חַ לַה' (ו, יד)
It shall be made with oil on a pan...you shall offer a meal offering of broken pieces, as a pleasing fragrance to Hashem. (6:14)
וּפָ שַ ׁט אֶ ת בְ ּגָדָ יו וְ לָבַ שׁ בְ ּגָדִ ים אֲ חֵ רִ ים וגו' (ו, ד)
And he shall take off his clothing and he shall put on other clothing... (6:4)
Removing Sin and Immersing in Mitzvos:
The Bais Avrohom quotes the Kobriner Rebbe zy”a as saying that the words “and he shall take off his beged” are a hint that one should remove anything that is “boged” (rebelling) against his soul, meaning any influence that draws him after earthly desires. “And he shall put on other clothing” – he should don pure, clean garments in their place.
In other words, when one desires to devote himself to Torah and tefillah, the Satan often stands in his way and reminds him of his past sins, saying that he is unworthy of connecting to Hashem. The way to overcome him is to remove one’s past sins and put on “new clothes” by renewing his efforts to return to Hashem.
The Korban of the Poor Man:
Rashi states: “Broken pieces: This teaches us that it requires breaking up.”
In Parshas Vayikroh it is also stated, “Break it up into pieces.”
Rav Aharon Bakst zt”l, Rov of Shavel, (Sefer Lev Aharon) explains that this teaches us that the Torah is very careful regarding the feelings of a poor person. For this reason, the Korban Minchah is broken up into many pieces and spread out around the pan so that the pan should appear full.
We also find that when a bird is brought as korban, it is burnt together with its feathers. Rashi (Vayikroh 1:17) says that the feathers are burnt even though this creates an unpleasant smell “so that the Mizbeach should appear full and adorned with the sacrifice of the poor man (who could afford only a bird).”
If the feathers would be removed, the small bird would completely burn up very quickly and the poor man would be sad and jealous of the rich man who brought a cow, which burns for a long time, as his korban. He would see how it took a long time to cut up and offer the rich man’s cow, while his little bird was gone in a few seconds. This would cause him a lot of pain. To avoid this, the Torah says that the feathers should be left on so that it should at least burn for a little longer and give the poor man a bit of pride and pleasure.
The Honor of the Sinner:
The concept that the Torah is very concerned about people’s honor and does not want anyone to be shamed is also learned from the Korban Chatas. It is stated (6:18): “This is the Torah of the Chatas. In the place where you slaughter the Olah you shall slaughter the Chatas.” We may ask why it says to shecht the Chatas in the place where the Olah is shechted, rather than simply saying to slaughter it on the northern side.
The Kli Yakar explains that a Korban Olah is brought for sinful thoughts, whereas a Chatas is brought for severe sins that, if done intentionally, would bear the punishment of kareis. The reason Hashem did not decree that each korban be slaughtered in a separate place – with the Olah in one place and the Chatas in another – is because that would make it obvious to everyone which korban a person was bringing, and someone bringing a Chatas would be embarrassed that everyone knew he had transgressed a serious aveirah. Since Hashem is concerned about the shame of every person, He decreed that the Chatas should be brought in the same place as the Olah so that no one should know who did a severe sin.
“Chesed Sheb’Chesed”:
We are meant to emulate Hashem’s middos and, therefore, we can learn from here a tremendous lesson in how we should do chesed for others. We see that Hashem cares so much that no man should be embarrassed that He decreed that a poor man’s korban should be burnt with its feathers still attached, even though this causes an unpleasant smell. So too, when one does chesed with others he should do all he can to ensure that they are not embarrassed at all, even if this is unpleasant for him.
It is said in the name of the Kobriner Rebbe zy”a that if a man owns a pair of torn shoes and he gives them to a poor person, this is a “chesed” because the poor man previously did not even have torn shoes. But if someone gives the poor man the torn shoes and also gives him a hammer and nails to repair them, this is “chesed sheb’chesed.”
The Gabbai Tzedakah’s Reward:
The following story illustrates this point:
The Sanzer Rov zy”a once visited a certain city. As he walked in the street, he suddenly stopped by one of the houses and declared, “The scent of Gan Eden is emanating from this house!”
This house was the residence of R’ Pinchos, the cities Gabbai Tzedakah. The Rov asked his attendant to knock on the door, and R’ Pinchos was overjoyed to see his distinguished guest.
The Rov asked if he look around the house to find the source of the Heavenly smell, and R’ Pinchos gave his permission. The Rov walked the house, looking here and there, until he reached a closet. He then proclaimed, “The scent of Gan Eden is coming from this closet!”
R’ Pinchos hesitated before he opened the door to the closet, but since he could not refuse the Rov’s request to open it, he reluctantly did so. The closet was full of old, worn-out clothing, and R’ Pinchos showed each one to the Rov until he came to a strange garment... the robe of a Catholic priest. The Rov then said, “This robe is the source of the scent...”
The Rov asked R’ Pinchos to explain why this strange garment was in his home and why it smelled so Divine, and R’ Pinchos began to tell the story.
He related that he had been the local Gabbai Tzedakah for many years and he went from door to door collecting funds for the poor.
He said, “One day, I went around town, collecting money as usual. When I got home, I found a man waiting by my door. As I approached, he began to cry and say, ‘R’ Pinchos, I am in a desperate situation. I am deeply in debt and my creditors are hounding me. If I don’t come up with a large amount of money today, I will be beyond help.’
“I told him that I understood his situation but there was nothing I could do for him. I had just finished going to every Jewish home in town and getting donations for the poor, and I had already given away all the money. I had no one whom I could ask for help at this time. However, the man continued to cry and moan, and I felt so bad for him that I couldn’t just leave him there.
“I thought to myself: What could it hurt for me to go around again and ask people for another donation? I should at least try to help this man.
“I went back to the people I had just collected donations from and asked if they could give again. I told them about the man who was sitting by my house and crying and asked if they could give anything to help him. Even though they had already donated generously the first time I came to their door, many responded nicely to my appeal and I managed to raise a decent amount of money. I went home, where the man was still waiting, and I handed him what I had. He was very appreciative and he thanked me warmly.
“Just a few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door, A different man was standing there and he too began to cry about his difficult situation, saying that he had no money to put bread on his table. I told him that there really was nothing I could do for him. Although my heart went out to him, there was no ways I could ask people to donate a third time on the same day. But the man wouldn’t take no for an answer and he begged me to do something to help him and his family.
“Suddenly, I was struck with an idea. There is a tavern near my house that is a gathering place for emptyheaded, wild young Jewish men. They go there every day to drink, play cards, and waste their time. I decided to try my luck with them. I would go and ask them for a charitable donation and hope for the best. I knew that they probably would mock me and embarrass me, but I was willing to take the chance.
“I gathered up my courage and walked into the tavern. As soon as I walked in the door, the young men gathered there began to laugh. ‘It’s that old shnorer,’ they joked. ‘He probably wants to beg us for some money.’
“Before I even opened my mouth, one of the youths, who is the son of a very wealthy man, said to me, ‘R’ Pinchos, I have an offer for you. A priest was once here and he left his robe behind. If you put on that robe and walk through the street, with us marching behind you, banging on pots and singing, I will give you however much money you need.’
“I told him that I need 300 rubles and he agreed to give me that much if I did as he said. At that moment, I thought to myself: What should I do? If I walk through the streets dressed like a priest, with all the wayward youths making a ruckus behind me, everyone will think that I lost my mind. How can I do such a thing?
“However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is the right thing to do. I decided that it was worth it to be shamed if it meant that I could help a poor Jew in need.
“When I agreed, the young man brought me the priest’s clothes and they dressed me up to look just like a priest. They all began to laugh uproariously as they got their pots and pans to bang on. They led me outside and made a loud tumult as they banged and sang. Everyone stared at the spectacle and wondered why I was acting so strangely. As I suspected, they thought I had gone crazy.
“After forcing me to walk all around town, we went back to the tavern and I was given the 300 rubles. They also told to keep the priest’s garments as a ‘gift’. As I held the clothing in my hands, I said to myself that since these garments had helped a desperate Jew, I would keep them as a remembrance of the mitzvah.”
After hearing this story, the Samzer Rov began to cry. He said, “Yes, you did the right thing. You should use these clothing as your ‘tachrichim.’ You should be buried in them when you pass away. No damaging angel will be able to harm you if you are wearing them!”
And so it was. R’ Pinchos was buried wearing those clothing. Many years later, the Polish government decided to pave the cemetery where R’ Pinchos was buried. The Jewish community was forced to dig up the kevarim and reinter those buried there in a different place. When they opened R’ Pinchos’s grave, they were amazed to discover that his body was fully intact. It had not rotted at all.
Annulling Taivos:
Sefer Bais Avrohom notes that the trop on the word “Vayishachet”, and he slaughtered, is a “shalsheles”. Shalsheles is also the trop on the word “Vayismameihah”, and he delayed (Bereishis 9:15), and the word “Vayima’en”, and he refused (Bereishis 39:8).
He explains that these three words are connected. The connection is that one must first take it slow. One should not rush into anything. Before acting, one should think about what he is doing and determine if it is the yeitzer hara that wants him to do what he is about to do. If he does realize that it is his yeitzer hara trying to cause him to stumble, then he should refuse to do it. And then, he should slaughter. If he was able to refuse to follow the yeitzer hara, he now has the strength to slaughter it.
ז ֹאת הַ תּוֹרָ ה לָעֹ לָה לַמִ ּנְ חָ ה וְ לַחַ טָ ּאת וְ לָאָ שָ ׁם וְ לַמִ ּלּוּאִ ים וגו' (ז, לז)
This is the law for the Olah, for the Minchah and for the Chatas and for the Asham and for the Miluim... (7:37)
וַיִ ּשְ ׁחָ ט וַיִ ּקַ ּח מֹ שֶ ׁה מִ דָ ּמוֹ וגו' (ח, כג)
And he slaughtered it, and Moshe took some of its blood. (8:23)
Through the Power of Torah, a Korban is Unnecessary:
The Gemara (Menachos 101A) state that we learn from the words “zos toras ha’Olah” that one who learns Torah is considered to be like one who brought an Olah, Minchah, Chatas and Asham. Rava asked: Why does it say ‘for an Olah, for a Minchah’, when it seemingly should say ‘an Olah and a Minchah’? This teaches us that anyone who is busy with Torah...
