Rabbi Chananya Jacobson
Sefer Vayikra
The Ramban writes that Sefer Shemos is the sefer of geulah, culminating Bnei Yisroel regaining the level of the Avos, when the Shechinah comes to dwell in the Mishkan. What then is the “theme” of sefer Vayikra? It is the most halachic of all the books of the Torah, containing almost no story. Most of the sefer deals with the halachos of the korbanos, the mishkan, and the kohanim, to the point that Chazal refer to the sefer as Toras Kohanim.
It seems that the theme of this sefer is closeness to Hashem. The major way this is done – a way currently closed to us – is the korbanos. As their very name suggest, they evince a closeness between us and Hashem, and they also provide atonement when we stray from Him. There are other halachos discussed through the various parshios: tumah and taharah, whose primary application is around the Beis Hamikdash, dictating if and when we may draw close. In the episode of Nadav and Avihu we see the consequences of drawing too close. The Moadim are discussed – that is when we are supposed to come close. The mitzvos of Parshas Acharei Mos and Kedoshim, forbidden foods, and forbidden relationships are perhaps another angle of this, and the sefer closes with the tochacha, a detailed description of what happens when we lose that closeness.
ןַתָנְו֩ ַהכ ֵֹה֨ן ִמן־ַהד ָ֜ם ַק־לַע֠נְר֠תֹו ִמְזב ַ֨ח ֹטְק֤תֶר ַהס ַמ ִים֙ ֵנְפִל֣י י"י֔ )ז ,ד (
The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Hashem (4:7)
ו ִמן־ַהד ָ֞ם ִית ֵ֣ן | ֹנְ רַק־לַע֣ת ַהמ ְִזב ֵַ֗ח רֶׁ שֲא֙ ֵנְפִל֣י י"י֔ ֶׁ שֲא֖ר ב ְֹא֣לֶה ֵ ע ֹ ומ֑ד (חי ,ד)
He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Hashem that is in the Tent of Meeting (4:18)
When we are first introduced to the mitzbei’ach hazahav we are given very specific instructions for its use (Shemos 30:9):
לֲעַ ת־אֹלּ֥ו ָלָע֛וי ֹטְק֥תֶר ָרָז֖ה ָלֹעְו֣ה ָחְנִמּו֑ה ֵנְוֶ֕סך ֹל֥א כְ ּסִתּ֖ו ׃ויֽ ָלָע ֶּפִכְו֤ר ןֹרֲהַא֙ ָתֹנְ רַק־לַע֔וי ַחַא֖ת ָנָ ּ ׁ שַ ּב֑ה ַ ּדִמ֞ם ַ ּטַח֣תא ִ רֻ ּ פִ ּכַה֗םי ַחַא֤ת הָנָ ּ ׁ שַ ּב֙ ֵּפַכְי֤ר ויָלָע֙ ֹרֹדְלֶ֣כיֵת֔ם ִ ׁ שָ דׇ ק־ׁ שֶ דֽ ֹק֥םי ה֖אּו יַל"׃ֽי
Do not bring upon it a strange incense, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; and you shall not pour a libation upon it. And Aharon shall atone upon its horns once a year with the blood of the purification offering of atonement; once a year he shall atone upon it throughout your generations. It is a holy of holies to Hashem.
It has a very limited use case: it is to be used for ketores and atonement once a year. It cannot be used for an olah, a minchah, or a nesech.
In our parsha, two more applications are revealed, the chatas of the kohen gadol and the chatas of kahal, also known as the par he’elem davar, brought when the Sanhedrin Hagadol mistakenly permits an issur kares and people do the aveirah.
The other korbanos whose blood is put on this mizbei’ach are the par and se’ir (bull and goat) brought on Yom Kippur, as described in Parshas Acharei Mos (16:18):
ָצָיְו֗א ֵ ּבְ זִ ּמַה־לֶאַ֛ח ֶׁ שֲא֥ר ָוֹהְ י־יֽ ֵנְפִל֖ה ֶּפִכְו֣ר ָלָע֑וי ַקָלְו֞ח ַ ּדִמ֤ם רָ ּ פַה֙ ַ ּדִמּו֣ם ִעָ ּ ׂשַה֔רי ַתָנְו֛ן נְ רַק־לַע֥תֹו ֵ ּבְ זִ ּמַהַ֖ח ׃ביֽ ִבָס
He shall go out to the altar that is before Hashem and make atonement for it, and he shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar.
Additionally, the blood of the se’ir avodah zarah (Bamidbar 15:24) is also put on this mizbei’ach, although the Torah does not mention this explicitly.
It seems that this mizbei’ach’s secondary function is to be used for chatas, and the pasuk in Tetzaveh which says, “once a year”, was referring to the avodah that must be done, and not the korbanos that can be done on it when necessary.
Interestingly, although this mizbei’ach it is often referred to as the mizbei’ach hazahav, in reference to the korbanos, it is called the mizbei’ach that “is before Hashem”, and, uniquely in reference to the chatas of a Kohen Gadol, the mizbach ketores hasamim lifnei Hashem.
Perhaps an insight into the connection between this mitzbei’ach and these chataos can be gleaned from Moshe’s brachah to Shevet Levi (Devarim 33:10): ִ ׂשָיּ֤ ומי הָרֹוטְק֙ ֶ ּפַאְ ּב֔ך ָ ִלָכְו֖לי ־לֽ ַע ִמְזְּבֶֽחך ָ, They shall put incense before you, and wholly-burnt offering on your altar. – This translation follows the Targum, who equates ֶ ּפַאְ ּבך ָ, literally, in your nose, with פלךינ. The other Targumim apply the other meaning of ףא here, anger. Ketores has an ability to calm Hashem’s anger, especially when there is a midas hadin against the kahal. Thus, it is the site of the ketores, which is particularly and directly lifnei Hashem, that is reserved for atoning for the sins of the kahal as a whole.
(Even with this, the korban of the Kohen Gadol still seems to be an outlier; perhaps it is because of his role as the chief mechaper in general that he needs, and gets, a kapparah equivalent to the tzibbur.)
ֶנְוׁ֣ שֶפ כ ִֽי־ֶתֱחָט֗א הָעְמֽ ָׁשְו֙ ק֣לֹו ָלָא֔ה הְו֣ו א ֵע֔ד אֹ֥ו ָאָר֖ה אֹ֣ו ָדָי֑ע ל־םִא֥אֹו ַיג ִ֖די ָ ׂשָנְו֥א ׃ֹ וֽ נֺ וֲע אֹ֣ו ֶנׁ֗ שֶפ ֶׁ שֲא֣ר ת ִג ַע֮ ב ְׇכל־ד ָָב֣ר אֵמָט֒ ֹ וא֩ ַלְבִנְב֨ת ַחי ָ֜ה ָאֵמְט֗ה אֹ֚ו ב ִנְבַלת֙ ב ְֵהָמ֣ה ָאֵמְט֔ה אֹ֕ו ב ִנְבַל֖ת ֶׁש֣ץֶר ֵמָט֑א ַלְעֶנְו֣ם ִממ ֶ֔נ ו הְו֥ו א ֵמָט֖א ׃םֽ ֵׁשָאְו אֹ֣ו ִכ֤י ִיג ַע֙ ב ְֻטְמַא֣ת ָדָא֔ם לֹכְל֙ תָאְמֻטֹ֔ו ֶׁ שֲא֥ר ָמְטִי֖א ב ָ֑ה ַלְעֶנְו֣ם ִממ ֶ֔נ ו הְו֥ו א ַדָי֖ע ׃םֽ ֵׁשָאְו אֹ֣ו ֶנׁ֡ שֶפ כ ִ֣י ִתׁש ַָבע֩ ְלַבט ֵ֨א ַתָפְ ׂשִב֜םִי ַרָהְל֣ע | אֹ֣ו ִטיֵהְל֗בי ְלֹ֠כ֠ל ֶׁ שֲא֨ר ְיַבט ֵ֧א ָ דָאָה֛ם ב ִׁשְֻבָע֖ה ַלְעֶנְו֣ם ִממ ֶ֑נ ו ְוהו א־ָיַד֥ע ֵׁשָאְו֖ם ַחַאְל֥ת ֵמֵֽאל ֶה׃ א ,ה)-ד(
If anyone sins, in that he hears the voice of adjuration, and he is a witness, whether he has seen or known, if he doesn't report it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it is hidden from him, and he is unclean, then he shall be guilty. Or if he touches the uncleanness of man, whatever his uncleanness is with which he is unclean, and it is hidden from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty. Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good, whatever it is that a man might utter rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty of one of these. (5, 1-4)
What this boils down to is that the korban oleh v’yored can be brought for a variety of sins: (1) swearing (unintentionally falsely) that he does not have relevant testimony, (2) Becoming tamei unwittingly (and entering the Mikdash or eating kodshim) (3) Making a shavuah and then unwittingly violating it.
It is difficult to find a common thread to bind these things together.
