Vayikra - 1st Portion

Join me as we learnish. As we begin the vayikra, the thirdish of the five books of Moses, the book of Leviticus, the book of Leviticus is known as kahhanim. The laws which are pertaining to the priests, to the kohanim as this and many of this uh Torah reading and many others talk about the sacrifices, the laws of impurity, the laws of the holy days of yum kipper as well as generally learned the first verse of it at least by young children as it talks about sacrifices. The holiness and Jewish children are as holy and as pure as sacrifices. So, as we're going to learn the complex details of all the different sacrifices that are enumerated in the following Torah readings of the book of Leviticus, chapter 1, verse one. Now that the tabernacle is already standing and the work of the holy uh temple has to now take place, God speaks with Moses and tells them about the laws pertaining to the sacrifices. So, God spoke to him and God spoke to him a love. Where did he speak to him from? From the tent of meeting saying to address the Jewish people and tell them the laws of the sacrifices. Rashi points to the fact that it says that he called Moshe and then he says and then he spoke to him. If he called him then he's going to speak to him. Why the double terminology? It is teaching us that for all the times when God speaks to Moses that every time God says the words or he first calls him and then he tells him what it is because this is a way of showing love and kindness and respect to Moshe. This is also a terminology that the angels use. We find in Isaiah uses a terminology they each called each other and said and that's the way God shows his love and endearment to Moshe. However, to the prophets of the non-Jews, as we find, God pierced to them only in a temporary way, as it says in the book of Genesis, book of numbers, and God chanced upon Bum. Interestingly enough, if you look at the first word of the Torah reading of Vayikra, you'll notice that there's a small alf. The Balotum explains that why there's a small alf is because motion is humility. when God told him and he was dictating the law by God, he felt that this wasn't behooving of his ability that he God should call upon him. So therefore, he made a small olive being that he has to write what God said. But the word when you don't see the alf it says that God chanced upon him show just like God were chants upon anybody else even bum showing a sign of Moses's utmost humility that the voice goes and reaches the ears of Moshe but all the other Jewish people did not hear God calling him I would think I would think even when there's an interruption also there God calls him like we're going to find later on there's numerous laws and then there's interruptions in between does God call them by each individual time therefore the Torah says it twice God called him he called him once and then he told him all the laws that had to follow afterwards for this statement there was God called him but not for all the other interruptions they were all part of the same statement if so Why there interruptions? Did God tell it at once or were there interruptions? God called him, told them the statements, then gave him the ability that he should have as some breathing room in between so he can understand and absorb everything that God told him and then God would continue to say, "How much more so?" of motion needed uh time and breaks to absorb what was being told to him. How much more so simple people who are hearing something from an individual from a human being not Moses from God how much more so we should also need breaks to be able to understand appreciate and realize and and embrace and uh really understand what's being learned. He loved to him to exclude said there were 13 times in the Torah we are God spoke to Moses and Aaron together connect then we also find 13 times we are Aaron is the exception to teach to tell you that it was not said to and only to Moshe then afterwards Moshe would have to then teach it to these are the three 13 exceptions Every time it says to speak to him and I would speaking to him meaning it's saying specifically to Moses and not to Aaron and all of them are enumerated in the Torah meaning in the book of Leviticus and the different places that we find that are mentioned I would think that he would hear that maybe just the actual statement he didn't hear but the actual calling they did hear therefore tells us that God called him and only when he called him and nobody else heard it from the tent of meeting teaches us that the voice would stop at the entrance of the tent of meeting of the tabernacle and nobody else would hear it would think the reason why people couldn't hear it because it was a very soft voice therefore says therefore it says the voice that they heard in the book of numbers that it says the voice penetrated that Moshe was able to hear it even to the outside why does it say with a hey at the front of it meaning this is the voice which is explained in Psalm 29 the voice of God penetrates and it breaks the trees it's a powerful voice Why then does it say from the tent of meeting? It teaches us that the voice would then end there and nobody else would hear it. We find a similar thing in a different text where he talks about the voice that would emanate from above the crew and we're only heard until the outside courtyard. I would think I would think because it's a soft voice. Therefore, it continues to say because God's voice is a penetrating voice, a strong voice. And why does it then say until the outside courtyard once it reached the outside courtyard then it would stop think I would think that the whole entire voice was heard about in all parts of the holy tabernacle. Therefore, it says that it came from above the cover of the ark. I would think that maybe it's coming from the entire arcs cover. Therefore, he tells me the voice emanated only specifically from between the two to address saying. What does it mean saying? go out and tell the Jewish people words of encouragement, words that bring that of inspiration that will bring them to repentance and showing them. Why is God speaking to me is only in the honor and the merit of the Jewish people that we find that the 38 years after the sin of the spies which is enumerated in the book of of numbers. Then those 38 years that the Jewish people were considered distant from God because of the case of the spies, the God did not speak individually with Moses. As it says, only once all the people died. Only then did God speak to me. Then did God speak to me in a close way. And another reason why he says the word here to address go out speak to the Jewish people. Tell them the words I say and let me know what their response is. As it says later in the said in the book of Exodus that when Moshe was told a word by God on Mount Si, he went and told it to the Jewish people by and then Moshe came and told back the Jewish people what God said. Told God what the Jewish people said. Verse two, speak to the Jewish people and you will tell them, "A man or a man or a woman from you brings who will bring from among you a sacrifice. You must bring the sacrifice from domestic animals, from cattle or from flock. You will bring your sacrifice. This is referring to certain type of sacrifices which were a sacrifice that a person willingly will bring on his own. Adam over here he doesn't say man or woman just as a human why does he say the terminology you have to learn from Adam just like Adam didn't bring a sacrifice from something that was stolen everything belong to him so too you should not bring from a stolen animal why then say the animal the domestic animals I would think even a wild animal saying therefore it tells me the cattle and the sheep that it has to be something from which is a kosher for an animal to bring which is a domestic animal why from the animal what does it mean from the animal of not all of it meaning that there were certain animals that you were not allowed to bring because if they were used for a uh if it was used for a transgression if it were used for an aappropriately then it cannot be brought as a sacrifice because that is disgusting before God from the cattle. Why does he tell me again what kind again minus comes to exclude the one that was served for idolatry? From the sheep one that was designated for idolatry is also not allowed to be brought as a sacrifice from the sheep. Shahus. This comes to exclude besides all the previous ones that we mentioned previously that if one h if this was a goring animal that a gored an animal and because of it killed him somebody one is not allowed to bring it as a sacrifice. Rashi then continues to discuss about how do we know about what would be considered illegitimate or inappropriate to bring for a sacrifice. Then when the Torah says again if from later on in verse three it's going to say from the cattle this is didn't have to repeat it over there it's coming to exclude is an animal that was injured so therefore it's not considered a kosher animal it is prohibited from eating so two one is not allowed to bring it as a sacrifice as well interesting This theidus explains that it says technically really it should say a person from amongst you that will bring. Why does it say a person from you that will bring as the explains and then brought down in many places in that the word that a person has to bring a sacrifice he himself comes close to God but it has to be mimm from within you even bringing the animals the animalistic inclination the animal within you has to come close to God as well. Verse three If his sacrifice is going to be an ascent offering from the cattle, which will be an unblenmished meal, he should bring close to the uh tent to the entrance of the tent of meeting. We should bring you should bring item willingly before God. You shall bring the two people can bring it as well. Can bring the offering in partnership your sacrifice. This is still on the previous verse. This is coming to tell us that when a person donates a sacrifice that it comes in a way just like a communal sacrifice. And what kind of uh what kind of ola what kind of a scent offering can be brought that the entire community brings it. This is an ola that was brought when the ms was empty from sacrifices and the coanim did not have anything to bring. They would bring certain ascent offerings which were donations and were left over and they were called the end of the mb meaning like a person has nothing left and this is what he brings. Now we're in verse three. It has to be a male but not a female. when it says later on male when it comes to the sheep not that the vers the Torah didn't have to repeat it a male why does the Torah repeat it again not other kinds which are not a male or a female which one may say oh well I can bring it anyway therefore the Torah tells me it has to be clearly a male defined as a maleim complete without any blemish to the entrance of the tent of gathering which at Does the actual person who brings the sacrifice go into the courtyard and come to the front of the uh come to the front of the tent of the gathering? But it's telling us that he brings it actually to the Cohen and the Cohen is the one who deals with it and brings it at that point. But he has to bring it to the furthest this point. He can't go and tell the cohen here take my animal and you deal with it. That's disrespectful to the work of the cohen. Why does he say first and now says like he says in the beginning a male shall be brought and then he says be brought to the front meaning as follows. How is that possible? Let's say if one the ascent offering the offering of Ruven got mixed up with the of Shim. So then each one Ruven and Shim brings the sacrifice for that person meaning he's saying I am going to bring the sacrifice for whoever may be whether it's ru or shims or another case if what happens if a scent offering got mixed up with a regular animal of somebody else's animal so that person doesn't have to make his animal holy what he needs to do is he can sell the weekday animal that means the animal that has not been sanctified for the use of ascent offerings even though he doesn't know which one it went to. And then they can all be considered as sacrifices and then each one brings us for whoever may be needed for for the owners that may brought it. That's why he uses the termology and sometimes because sometimes it is an individual that happens and sometimes the exception is as we're going to see I would think okay so therefore if I'm saying if it gets mixed up and I can just may say whoever may be for that's who sacrifice it may be what happens if this animal now gets mixed up with animals which are not allowed to be brought for a sacrifice or or if it gets mixed up with a schlamim a different kind of sacrif acrifice. Therefore, the Torah says, "No, you can only bring it as a sacrifice only if you know that it's a kosher sacrifice and only if it's from its its particular kind, then I can say I can rely and bring one for the other." But if you don't know what it was mixed up, then you have to wait sell the animal and then it's used for something else and you cannot use that sacrifice. You will bring it. What does it mean? It teaches us say that if a person does not want to bring the sacrifice, the rabbitical court can then force the individual even against his will. Therefore, the Torah says willingly. How does it possible that you can force a person, but at the same time they will be willingly? You force a person until he concludes and says, "Yes, I want to do it." The Reb explains, "What does this mean? It sounds like an oxymoron. If I'm forcing him, then he doesn't do it willingly. How can I force a person that he decides to do it willingly? So the Reb explains because every person really wants and sometimes you have to ignite within the person that he should want that it should be a revealed wanting and that's why he needs a little bit of a forcing and verse four. If we look the last two words of this Torah reading of the before of this verse is before God. Then verse four it says place. This comes to tell us because the only that when there were these private altars before there was built the holy temple people had personal altars that they were allowed to bring sacrifices in their personal backyard. Over there they did not put their hands on the animal. The only time the word you placed your hands on the animal was when it was before God in the holy temple. Verse four, he must lean his hand forcefully on the head of the offering and it will be accepted for him to atone for him. This comes to include why does he tell us twice about the is because there are two kinds of olas. This is an ola which was obligated that you need to have place your p hands upon it and also concerning the for sheep that you had to do it as well. Put your hand place your hands on it. Why does it say there was as we're soon going to see that if a person brought a bird and on the birds one did not place his hands and this was then accepted by him to atone for whatever sin he is bringing this ascent offering for one might say that if a person's bringing about for those sins that there are a punishment a punishment of curse where he gets cut off or there's the punishment of the penalty of the of the rabbitical court or the penalty that God kills the person or by lashes or all these people their punishment already stated and clearly put in the Torah. So what kind of sacrifice would this be brought for so what is this brought for? What kind of sacrifice and what kind of atonement is this sacrifice used for? This is if a person missed out on doing a positive commandment say and so too or for a negative commandment which is dependent on a positive command which was that there is no punishment of lashes for. So this is talking about for example if a person misses saying putting on fillin misses saying the shama those are all positive commandments. There is no technically punishment for it. He can bring an ola offering for an atonement for that. Verse five, he will slaughter the bull before God. And Aaron's sons then must receive the blood. What will they then do? They'll sprinkle the blood around the uh altar on the outside of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. these four things that the it says that the cohen has to do is number one to slaughter it to gather the blood sprinkle the blood and then and accepting it in the vessel. All of these things the coen has to do it. If you notice over here there are many things that are mentioned in the verse what has to be done. However, the first item that mentions that the Cohen has to do is accepting the blood because from accepting the blood the Cohen has to do. But the actual slaughtering a Israelite is allowed to do as well. This was done where was the slaughtering had to be done in the Azara in the courtyard of the holy temple. This is accepting the blood catching it in a vessel. This was the first activity that the Cohen would do. Number two was actually taking the blood bringing it that the children of iron had to do with it. I would think that even an invalid cohen is allowed to. That means a kal is a child of a cohen who was born from a notallowed marriage of a cohen. Let's say for example a coin marrying a divorce and that child is considered. Therefore the Torah tells us it has to be a legitimate coin. Why does it say the word blood twice? This comes to include if it was mixed in with the same blood that means the blood of the owners of this animal or it was mixed in with the blood of another animal as well. I would think even though it was mixed with different blood but even by blood of a non-coosher one which one was not allowed to be brought as a sacrifice or with the sin offering which had to be sprinkled inside and it was mixed together with the blood offering of a sin offering that was sprinkled on the outside because some are sprinkled on the top part of the altar and some of the bottom of the altar. Therefore, when we're talking about the mixed up bloods, the Torah tells us Only its blood can be sprinkled but not blood that's mixed a either with a non unfit blood of an unfit animal or blood which is sprinkled in different places. You cannot mix the bloods and they would sprinkle it. How would they would sprinkle the blood on the altar? You would stand below and throw it upward with the vessel to the wall of the altar underneath the red line. And it was a red thread that went around the whole thing that he knew exactly what was the top and the bottom is towards the corners. That's why he uses the terminology in circling that the blood was put on both sides because he put it on the circle. It went on both sides of on the corner and he put it on both sides of the corner and then he did it on the other side on both sides of the corner. So therefore he had all four corners had the blood on it. I would think that maybe can you may think that maybe you can just take it with a brush or a thread and bring the blood and make a circle around it. Therefore, it uses a terminology you have to sprinkle it. You have to throw it and you cannot encircle it by just throwing it. But then I may say if it says you should throw it should do it with only one throw. It should be able to go in all four corners. Therefore, he uses the terminology in circling. How does he do it? He does two throws which those two throws make it happen on all four corners that we just explained at the entrance of the only time that a person can actually uh bring a sacrifice was when the tent of gathering was up not when it was dismantled and only then would it be um valid. verse six. Then he must then skin the of the offering of the ascent offering and then cuts it up into pieces. Why does it have to tell me and the aren't we talking about the this is coming to tell me that anytime a person brings in a donation sacrifice all of them have to be skinned and cut to pieces meaning that those pieces to the very well-known pieces that were explained and the rabbis explained in the track date of Yuma not that you should cut up it up even into smaller pieces verse seven and then children of Aaron are going to put arrange a fire on the altar and they'll arrange the wood on the fire even though even though there's already a fire coming from heaven still in all it's a mitzvah that the individual should also bring a fire as we know the lesson that we learn from this that even though God gives us special gifts of blessings and there's a fire that's coming from heaven still and all we have to add our contribution to it and if we don't bring our contribution to it then it's as if as the fire didn't happen and the sacrifice is invalid the son of the is telling us that when when how does he have to do it he has to do it when he's wearing the holy garments that a cohen is not allowed to work in his ordinary garments verse eight and then the children of Aaron will arrange the meat on the uh will arrange the pieces of meat the the head and the and the animals fat Allah eats him on the wood that's on the fire that is on the altar. So once as we mentioned they we cut them up in sections then they're going to arrange these pieces and put them on the fire when they are wearing their garments. Why does it have to say it again? Because you would think okay I know that he has to wear the kohanic garments but what if he goes and wears the priestly garments of the high priest also it's not it's not considered kosher. He has to wear those four garments that are designated for him. Why does he separate the pieces and then the head? Because the head is not skinned because it was already cut by the slaughtering and therefore it's not part of the part that has to be cut. Therefore, it's enumerated on its own. What is the fats? Why does it say the fats on its own? that he brings the fats together with the head and covers the area where we're slaughtered. This is out of respect for God. That's on the altar. You have to make sure that all the pieces are arranged on the wood and should nothing be sticking out. Verse N. Before the Cohen places all the animal sections on the altar, he has to first wash the inards and its legs in water. Then the Cohen will burn it all up on the altar. This is an ascent offering, a fire offering which is pleasing to God. Verse nine, the word means to go up because he's bringing it for the purpose to completely go up to God. The word is what is it coming to? Because when he slaughterers it slaughter it for the sake and have in mind at the time of slaughtering that it should be burnt on the fire. Anytime you find the word means a sacrifice which is consumed by fire. The word when a person brings a sacrifice, this gives God great pleasure. What's the pleasure? Not that God enjoys the steak, but the very fact that I told you to do something and you follow my laws. Verse 10. If his offering is from the flock from the sheep, from the goats for an ascent offering to make sure it's an unblenmished male that he brings. This is continuing what he said before because the and continues as we mentioned to them. Why is he making an interruption? If you look there's a that there means is a break. This is this is for Moshe to digest what God told him to understand to contemplate that it should be uh to think about it and then he can continue telling writing and learning what God told him. So you'll notice that whenever there is a a pay in the Torah these are breaks so to speak when God told it to Moshe the laws. This is three exceptions because it says from the sheep, from the from the flock and from the goats. These three exceptions are telling us this excludes an elderly sheep that once it's over two years old, it cannot be brought for a sick animal that's not well, you cannot bring it as a sacrifice or one that has a bad odor. So all these are unfit for a sacrifice. Verse 11. And this must be slaughtered next to the north side on the north side of the altar in front of God. And then the children of Aram will then dash the blood on the altar encircling it. What is the word on the side of the altar? North side in front of God. However, when it comes to the personal altars that people had, they would not have the issues of which side they would burn. which side it would slaughter on. They can slaughter it on either side that they want. Verse uh 12 would then cut it into pieces pieces its head and its fast and then the coen would arrange it on the wood that's on the fire that's on the altar. Verse 13 and the inards and the and the inards and the legs. He will first wash with water and then the coen will bring it all as a sacrifice. They'll burn it on the altar. This is an ascent offering consumed in fire. A pleasing offering to Hashem. This concludes the first Torah reading of Vayikra.