Parshas Vayikra - Proper Prayer

Thoughts on The Parsha

Parshas Vayikra

Proper Prayer

By: Daniel Listhaus

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַה' מִן הַבְּהֵמָה מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַצֹּאן תַּקְרִיבוּ 



אֶת קָרְבַּנְכֶם

“Speak to the B'nei Yisroel and say to them: When a person from among you will bring an offering to Hashem: from the animals – from the cattle and from the flocks you shall bring your offering.”

-Vayikra 1:2

After getting used to the continuing story of the Torah starting from the beginning of time and going through the generations of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and the shevatim in Sefer Beraishis, followed by the relaying of the Jews as slaves in Mitzrayim, their miraculous redemption, the receiving of the Torah, and the beginnings of their story of their travels through the midbar (desert) in Sefer Shemos, we leave the realm of being used to the weekly “story” portion and enter Sefer Vayikra into a world of obscure laws and difficult concepts. With this mentality, there is no doubt that we are reminded that the Torah is more than a history book and more than a book of laws, rather an instruction manual which gives us insight into the mind of Hashem, thereby teaching us how to live most productively in the world He created.

The parsha begins discussing some of the halachos (laws) regarding various karbanos (sacrifices). The passuk¹ states, “When a person from among you will bring an offering to Hashem...”. Rashi² is bothered why as to why the Torah writes “Adam” (a person) as opposed to the more conventional terminology of “ish” (a man). Rashi answers that the Torah is teaching us that just as Adam, the first man, did not bring a karbon from that which was stolen, since everything was his, so too 'you' must not bring an offering from that which was stolen.

Although this Rashi seems quite simple and logical, it is difficult to understand why it is necessary. After all, even without this Rashi, we certainly know that it is forbidden to steal and logic would dictate that if Hashem does not want us to steal, He most probably would not want us to use stolen goods to serve Him. Even if this would not be convincing enough, for perhaps one would argue that everything belongs to Hashem anyway so maybe He would be willing to accept a stolen karbon,³ the Gemara tells us otherwise. The Mishna⁴ states that one who brings a stolen lulav on Succos does not fulfill his obligation. The Gemara⁵ asks that from the fact that the Mishna does not specify which days of Succos it is referring to, it must be that it is a blanket rule for all the days of Succos. The problem with that is that the passuk (verse)⁶ states, “And you should take for yourself on the first day...”. From this passuk we learn that the Torah would forbid someone from using a stolen or borrowed lulav on the first day of Succos. After all, the Torah commands that the first day it must be yours: not one that you borrowed, and not one that you have stolen. We therefore learn that a stolen lulav is only problematic on the first day of Succos. However, the Mishna does not differentiate between the first and remaining days of Succos and yet still rules that a stolen lulav is passul (no good to use for the mitzva). What is the reason behind it being passul? Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai answers by introducing a concept called mitzva ha'ba'ah b'aveirah (a mitzva coming about through doing an aveirah). In other words, Hashem is never interested in the mitzvos which we achieve by doing aveiros (sins). The Gemara proceeds to bring the source for this concept from a passuk,⁷ which says, “...And you brought a stolen one [karbon] and a lame one, and a sick one as an offering – will I accept it from your hand?...” The Gemara learns from here that we see Hashem equates a stolen animal with a lame animal. Just as a lame animal is lame for life, so too a stolen animal cannot be 'fixed' – even if the original owner completely gives up hope on it, the thief still cannot offer it as a karbon. The Gemara then continues to say that we could understand why before the original owner completely relinquished his ownership from it that it cannot be used, because the passuk in our parsha says, “When a person from among you will bring an offering...”, where we learn that it has to be an animal that belongs to you (i.e – the person who is bringing it). However, as the Gemara asks, what reason is there that a person not be allowed to bring a stolen animal even after the original owner relinquishes all rights to it? The Gemara answers that the reason must be because of mitzva ha'ba'ah b'aveirah.

We see from this Gemara that even without Rashi's understanding of the passuk that the reason it used the word “Adam” is to teach that the karbon cannot be a stolen animal just as Adam never brought anything stolen because everything was his, it is still pretty clear in the passuk that one cannot offer a stolen karbon.⁸ So why is this Rashi necessary?

There is another halacha (law) which Rashi stresses a couple of times when it comes to karbanos, and specifically the karbon chatas (sin-offering), and that is the fact that the karbon must be brought for its own sake – with the the right intentions in mind.⁹ Why is it that the Torah hints to this numerous times and that Rashi keeps pointing them out?

If we zoom out and think about the general idea of karbanos, it is certainly a concept that is difficult to understand. After all, why are we offering physical animals to Hashem Who has no body or form and Who certainly has no need to eat? The answer is that like all the mitzvos, they are not for Hashem but rather for us to connect to Him. The way we, as humans, were created – part physical with a body, but also part spiritual with a neshama (soul) requires a physical world with means of connecting in a spiritual way. Karbanos serve as a direct telephone line to Hashem as a means of communicating to him whether it be to express thanks, guilt, or any of the other purposes the karbanos represent. When we utilize this communication system, there could be absolutely no flaws on our end or the call will be ignored. Don't steal a cookie and make a beracha (blessing) on it, don't steal an animal and offer it as a karbon. It is worthless, it is is not wanted, and it is a slap in the face, so to speak.

However, what exactly constitutes a “stolen” item? We oftentimes rationalize so many things that the definition of stealing gets a bit blurry. “I only borrowed without permission, but I would never steal”, “I know he lets me take”, and “I know he won't care as long as I pay him back” are only some of the ways we rationalize to help ourselves to things which do not belong to us. Perhaps this is precisely what Rashi is coming to teach us. There is a simple formula to test if something belongs to you and that is to see if there are any doubts. If there are excuses that need to be made, rationalizations to be thought up, or doubts that need to be explained, it is not yours. Just like by Adam ha'rishon, there were no doubts or rationalizations or excuses, because there was no one else in the picture, also when it comes to the honesty of our own things and what we help ourselves to, it must be with the same approach. We should only be calling ours and using that which no one else is in the picture of. This is the lesson Rashi is teaching here. If the Torah would have just written, “take from that which is yours” it would be insufficient because people tend to think that they have more rights to things than they really do. This is why the Torah adds in “Adam”, to teach us that the only things we should consider ours are those things which there is no doubt about.

Similarly if one tries to bring a karbon with the wrong intention, it is like dialing a number with the wrong area code, and will never arrive at the right destination. Attempting to bring a karbon which is even slightly not our own, or offering a karbon with the wrong intentions will definitely get the operator telling us, “I'm sorry but your call cannot be completed as dialed, please hang up and dial again”.

Perhaps we could suggest that this is a lesson which not only applies to karbanos and to everyday items, but even extends to tefillah (prayer). Nowadays, while we are in galus (exile) we do not merit to have access to the mizbe'ach (alter) or bring karbanos, but in their place we do have tefillah. When we daven, we have the same ability to ask Hashem for things, thank him, and apologize for what we may have done. However, when we daven we must keep in mind that the same two essential elements that are necessary by karbanos, are vital to davening as well. A tefillah is not allowed to be “stolen” or have the wrong intentions. We must pay careful attention to the way we daven. Are we davening that Hashem should help us succeed, or are we davening that our friends fail? Are we davening that Hashem help raise us up, or that he should push everyone else down so we appear higher? A stolen tefillah is when one tries to use this powerful tool as a means of communicating messages which are bad in the eyes of Hashem. We must make sure that when we are davening we are doing so as an “Adam” – that we are only asking for things which cannot bring any harm to others.

Additionally, when we daven we must be honest with ourselves as to what our intentions are. Why are we asking for such and such? Is it really for the reasons we say or are there underlying reasons and motivations driving it? Also, are we really davening for Hashem to step in and help us, or are we really saying to Him to stay out of the way?

Theses are the two important factors we could learn from these Rashis by karbanos to apply to our everyday lives and to our tefillos as well.

May Hashem help us fix our motivations and intentions in order that the communication lines be fully open for Him to accept and answer our proper prayers.

1Vayikra 1:2

2Ibid.

3See Rashi Gemara Succah 30a

4Mishnayos Succah 3:1 ; Gemara Succah 29b

5Succah 29b-30a

6Vayikra 23:40

7Malachi 1:13

8See Tosfos 30a where based on his question it is clear that indeed the limud of the Gemara that the karbon cannot be stolen is in fact from the word “me'kem” and not from “adam”.

9See for example Rashi Vayikra 4:24 and 5:9

Photo Credits: Compiled and Edited based on http://www.ahavastorah.org/davening-schedule.html and www.templeinstitute.org/illustrated/crimson_line_description.htm