This week’s parsha, parshas Vayikra, teaches us about the service of the korbanos in the Beis HaMikdash. Here is the opening passuk (Vayikra 1, 1): וידבר משה אל ויקרא" יקריב כי אדם אליהם ואמרת ישראל בני אל דבר ,לאמר מועד מאהל אליו "קרבנכם את תקריבו הצאן ומן הבקר מן הבהמה מן ,'לה קרבן מכם—He summoned Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Ohel Moed, saying: When a person from among you will bring a korban to Hashem from the animals—from the cattle and from the flocks you shall bring your offering.
In this essay, we will focus on the procedure of “shechitah”—slaughtering the animal. It is the first of four procedures performed when offering a korban: שחיטה, קבלה, הולכה, זריקה. This is evident from the following passuk (ibid. 5): את הכהנים אהרן בני והקריבו 'ה לפני הבקר בן את ושחט" "מועד אהל פתח אשר סביב המזבח על הדם את וזרקו הדם—he shall slaughter the bull before Hashem; the sons of Aharon, the kohanim, shall bring the blood, and they shall throw the blood on the mizbeiach, all around—which is at the entrance to the Ohel Moed.
The procedure of “shechitah” is unique in that it can be performed by a non-kohen. In his commentary on this passuk, Rashi notes that from the step of “kabbalah”—receiving the blood of the slaughtered animal—onward, the service must be performed by a kohen. This teaches us that with regards to the “shechitah,” it is valid if performed by a non-kohen.
It is important to point out that the procedures related to the korbanos are extremely relevant to us even today, even though we do not have a Beis HaMikdash in which to offer the korbanos, due to our countless transgressions. Instead, we fulfill this obligation in keeping with the passuk (Hoshea 14, 3): ."שפתינו פרים ונשלמה"—and let our lips substitute for bulls. Rashi explains this as follows: Let the Torah-portion we recite with our lips be accepted in place of the sacrificial animals we would have offered in the Beis HaMikdash.
This concurs with a teaching in the Gemara (Berachos 26b): "תקנום תמידין כנגד תפלות אמר לוי בן יהושע רבי"—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The tefilos were instituted (by the Anshei Kenesses HaGedolah) to correspond to the (daily) “Tamid” offerings. Shacharis corresponds to the morning korban “tamid”; Minchah corresponds to the afternoon korban “tamid”; Arvis corresponds to the limbs and fats that remained unconsumed by the mizbeiach during the day and were offered on the mizbeiach throughout the night. Accordingly, we are still performing the avodah of the korbanos today, albeit via the respective Torah-portions recited with our lips, which are accepted in place of the actual korbanos. Now, since the step of “shechitah” is kosher even if performed by a non-kohen, this implies that every single Jew is obligated to perform this avodah.
