The Dual Pillars of VaYikra: Sacrifices and Holiness
The Book of VaYikra takes up two major topics. The first few portions deal extensively with the system of sacrifices in the Holy Temple, including the special service performed on Yom Kippur by the High Priest to obtain Kapara (atonement) for Bnei Yisrael (the Children of Israel). The latter portions focus on personal purity and holiness, including many commandments regulating the foods that one may consume and the forbidden and permitted sexual relationships one may engage in.
The category of holiness extends beyond Bein Adam LaMakom, “between man and G-d.” It also includes one’s responsibilities toward others, such as the Mitzvot to honor one’s parents and to give charity to the needy, and that we refrain from inflicting bodily, monetary, or even psychological damage on any human being. It emerges that a holy person is one who is moderate in satisfying his physical desires and is just and compassionate in his dealings with others.
At first glance, the relationship between sacrifices and personal sanctity is not apparent. Yet the fact that the Torah has incorporated them into one Book indicates that they share a significant connection. What is the relationship between Korbanot (sacrifices) and personal holiness?
Another tantalizing question arises from the exhortations of the prophets with regard to Korbanot. Many prophets arose after Moses, and their pronouncements are incorporated in the section of Scripture known as Neviim (Prophets).
According to Torah law, no prophet may introduce a new Mitzvah which Moses did not legislate, nor may he modify an existing commandment by either addition or subtraction. The purpose of these prophets was not to legislate statutes, but to reinforce Bnei Yisrael in the observance of Mitzvot. They also provided criticism when the people strayed from G-d’s laws and indulged in behaviors that were oppressive and corrupt. In any case, it was manifestly not their mission to take Bnei Yisrael to task for the actual performance of Mitzvot, nor to degrade any religious practices which the people were conscientiously fulfilling.
Prophetic Rebuke: When Sacrifices Lose Their Soul
And yet, the prophet Amos said in the name of G-d:
“For if you offer Me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. But let justice well up like an unending geyser, and righteousness like an impassable torrent” (Amos 5:22,24).
Hoshea admonishes, “For those who perform loving-kindness are more pleasing before Me than sacrifice; knowledge of G-d to carry out justice rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).
Yishayahu depicts Hashem as saying:
“‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me,’ says Hashem. ‘I am satiated with the burnt-offerings of rams and fattened sheep; I have no want of the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before Me; who has requested this of your hand, to trample My courts [?], stop bringing meaningless offerings[!], your incense is detestable to Me...’” (Isaiah 1:11-13).
How are we to understand the prophets’ harsh criticism of Bnei Yisrael and the Temple service, which goes so far as to imply that Hashem has no use for, and even does not desire, the Korbanot that are a major theme of the Book of VaYikra?
Upon reflection, one sees that the institution of Korbanot goes back to the beginning of time. Chazal (our Rabbis) say that Adam brought a sacrifice, and the Torah attests that Kayin (Cain), Hevel (Abel), Noach, and the Avot (Patriarchs) did likewise.
In fact, the Biblical account of the confrontation between Kayin and Hevel reveals a great deal about the Torah’s outlook on Korbanot. Both brothers brought offerings to Hashem: one of them from his “choicest, fattest sheep” and the other from the “fruits of the earth” (Bereishit 4:3). And yet, even though they both brought offerings, the outcome of their endeavors could not have been more different. “...Hashem turned to Hevel and his offering. And unto Kayin and his offering, He did not turn...” (Bereishit 4:4-5).
G-d’s refusal to accept Kayin’s gift caused him much grief. Although he was not perfect, Kayin sincerely desired a relationship with Hashem and now felt unworthy in His sight. Hashem did not leave Kayin in the lurch, however; He “reached out” to him to explain things from the Divine perspective.
Hashem assured Kayin that He does not “play favorites” and that His relationship with people is based purely on their merit. Those individuals who raise themselves to a higher level of existence are the ones with whom He finds favor. Indeed, later in the Torah, G-d Himself explains that He made special promises to Avraham because “Avraham listened to My voice and observed My safeguards, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions” (Bereishit 26:5). Therefore, Hashem advised Kayin, “Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be uplifted, and if you do not improve yourself, sin crouches at the door; its desire is toward you, but you can conquer it” (Bereishit 4:7).
The True Purpose of Korbanot: Elevating the Self
The element which was lacking in the Korban (sacrifice) of Kayin was that of self-elevation. Sacrifice unrelated to any inner process of spiritual improvement does not achieve its purpose. Hashem does not turn to it.
However, one may ask: if the goal of the entire Torah is to elevate man through knowledge and good deeds, what is the purpose of Korbanot specifically?
To answer this question, it is essential to clarify what is meant by the term “sacrifice.” The Rambam explains that Hashem is the ultimate existence, Who is the Source of everything that exists besides Him. The Rambam says:
“If you could imagine that He did not exist—nothing else could possibly exist. And if you could imagine that everything besides Him did not exist—He alone would exist, and He would not be nullified [or diminished] because of their nullification [or absence]; for all things that are in existence need Him [and are dependent on Him], and He, blessed is He, does not need them or any one of them” (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, 1:2-3).
If that is the case, how is it possible for man to “give” a Korban, or anything else, to G-d? Hashem has no need of man’s gifts, so what is the point of the offering?
In my opinion, the act of offering is to demonstrate man’s conviction that “everything in the world ‘belongs’ to Hashem” (Tehilim 24:1) and is a gift from Him, which therefore must be used in the appropriate manner.
The service in the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple), the place Hashem designated for His earthly “abode,” was the concrete expression of these ideas and had the potential to be spiritually transformative for the soul of the offerer. Many commentators, especially Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, have emphasized that sacrifices provide an opportunity for the individual to have an “encounter” with Hashem and acknowledge that He is the Source and Master of all that exists.
Indeed, visiting the Beit HaMikdash is regarded as being in “the presence of Hashem.” Inside the Temple, in which the Divine Presence “manifested and resided,” a person came face-to-face with the reality of Hashem’s existence and control over the universe. By offering an animal as a sacrifice, he acknowledged, in a concrete manner, that everything which man enjoys comes from Hashem and must be used for the purpose which He intended.
The experience also reminded people, among other things, that we have been created in the “Image of G-d.” This enlightenment produced a new sense of respect for the dignity of man and a sense of reverence for one’s own life and the life of all people. Through this process, a person could elevate himself and gain atonement.
From Corruption to Redemption: The Temple’s Fall and Future
And therein lies the key to understanding how the very institution of Sacrifice can become a negative, even dangerous, phenomenon. When Bnei Yisrael lost sight of the true objective of the Sacrifices, they then related to Korbanot as some sort of magical ritual which, they believed, automatically provided atonement regardless of the moral level of the individual. In other words, the Service of the Sanctuary had become a means of enabling Bnei Yisrael to continue in their wrongful path rather than motivating them to look within and do Teshuva (repentance).
When a person believes that there is some kind of religious mechanism that protects him from the consequences of his deeds, he will be less inclined to control himself. When people have severed the connection between moral behavior and the judgment of Heaven, religion is transformed into a system of mystical rituals which guarantee salvation. Thus, they can engage in all manner of sinful activities with impunity.
That is why, when Bnei Yisrael departed from the teachings about Teshuva and spiritual holiness and began to view the sacrifices as a religious panacea which automatically erased transgression, their bad behavior worsened. It reached the point where they felt secure in exploiting their brothers and committing other atrocities, as long as they could go to the Temple and bring the requisite sacrifice.
The corruption of this system was a major cause of the destruction of both Temples. The ultimate goal of Judaism is the perfection of man, which comes through the pursuit of wisdom and the practice of good deeds, and every particular commandment and religious activity must be performed in consonance with this objective. At a certain point in Jewish history, the system of Korbanot was no longer conducive to man’s ethical advancement.
The Rabbis say that in arranging for the utter obliteration of the Beit HaMikdash, Hashem “vented His anger on wood and stone” (Eicha Rabba 4:14). G-d’s anger was primarily directed at Bnei Yisrael because of the many sins they had committed, but instead of destroying them, He eliminated the source of their sinfulness—the Temple.
We can now return to our original question about the relationship between the themes introduced in the Book of VaYikra: personal holiness and Korbanot. They are inextricably intertwined. While the offering of the unrepentant sinner is an abomination, sacrifices, if done properly, can have a profound impact on the spiritual perfection of the righteous individual.
The true objective of this service is to enable the individual to come before Hashem and acknowledge Him as the source of all existence. If done with a pure heart and genuine desire to “get closer” to Hashem, Korbanot can elevate a person to an exalted spiritual level in terms of personal sanctity and sympathetic treatment of others.
It is because of these and other reasons that the Prophets, notwithstanding their strenuous critique of the Temple service, also expressed great praise for it and spoke yearningly of its restoration. Thus, Jeremiah said in regard to the Messianic era,
“And people shall come from the towns of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem... bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing offerings of thanksgiving to the House of Hashem” (Yirmiyahu 17:26).
And Yishayahu proclaimed,
“And I shall bring them to My sacred mount and let them rejoice in My house of Prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be welcome on My altar, for My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples” (Yishayahu 56:7).
Judaism maintains that only through an appropriate relationship with G-d can man achieve spiritual elevation and practice justice in dealing with his fellow man. In the Messianic era, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Hashem, as waters cover the sea” (Chabakuk 2:14). This will be the underlying cause of the fact that “nation will not lift sword against nation; they shall not learn war anymore” (Yishayahu 2:4).
In that atmosphere of increased knowledge and great interpersonal harmony and understanding, the entire system of Mitzvot, including the full Temple service, will be restored. And a golden age of peace, intellectual advancement, and widespread harmony will ensue.
May it happen speedily and in our time.
Shabbat Shalom.
