Accidents
את (ויקרא ד, ג)
ָּטַחְה' לַים לִמָּר תָּקָּן בֶּר בַּּא פָּטָר חֶׁשֲ אֹאתוָּטַל חַיב עִרְקִהְו
He shall offer, for the sin he sinned, an unblemished young bull to Hashem as a sin offering. (Vayikra 4:3)
The korban chatas, sin offering, is a tremendous expression of infinite chesed, and we merit this only by means of sin. The following allegory illustrates the point.
A child was warned again and again not to ride his bike in the street. It’s dangerous. But he didn’t listen. He rode his bike in the street, and in fact got hurt by a car. Now he is lying in the hospital.
What did his parents do? They bought him an expensive present that he never would have received otherwise.
This is pretty strange. Because the child rode in the street against repeated warnings, and in the end he even got hurt, therefore he deserves a prize?!
But that’s the way things are. There are certain wonderful gifts that are reserved only for times of tragedy. Only for “naughty children” who get themselves into trouble. This hidden love was created specially for them. The father is willing to spend a real lot of money on this naughty child if he senses that the child is in danger.
How did the Jewish people merit the Yud Gimel Midos Shel Rachamim? By getting themselves into a serious “accident.” They made the Eigel Hazahav. Then Hashem showered them with endless love, at the end of which they received the wonderful gift of the Thirteen Traits of Divine Mercy. This is a gift that will always save them from all sorts of tragedies.
You can’t bring a korban chatas as a voluntary offering. This powerful chesed comes only after a sin occurred, and it is expressed in the korban chatas that a person brings to atone for sin.
