PARSHAS VAYIKRA | 5 NISSAN 5770 | 20 MARCH 2010

While a full understanding of this Midrash may be beyond our grasp, it seems fair to ask how containing salt was any real consolation, considering that it would first be utilized only some 2,000 years later, along with the Temple offerings.

There is yet another puzzling idea associated with salt: the custom to place salt on one’s table during a meal in which bread is served. The Midrash cited in Tosafot (Berachot 40a) enigmatically explains that the salt serves to protect us from Satan’s attempt to take advantage of the idle time between netilat yadayim (the hand-washing before eating bread) and the Hamotzi blessing. We are vulnerable on some level to Satan’s designs during this “idle time” because we are not involved in any mitzvot. But how does having salt on the table shield us from the scheming Satan?

In his magnificent compilation of Torah essays entitled Shaarei Orah, Rabbi Meir

Tzvi Bergman explains that the covenant of salt represents the idea that a dependable future development is as good as if it is happening in the present. While the salt that would accompany future offerings was a long way off, G-d’s commitment to that future development thoroughly assuaged the lower waters’ sense of inferiority already from the moment the promise was made. Salt on our table similarly symbolizes that while we are not currently involved in performing mitzvot, the fact that we will soon recite a blessing is as if we’re already involved in that mitzvah.

The Talmud (Bava Basra 11a) illustrates this idea with the story of King Munbaz who used all the money in his treasury, along with his inherited wealth to feed the poor during two years of famine. When his family complained that he had squandered their personal wealth, he explained that his father had accumulated wealth in this world, while he accumulated

spiritual wealth in Heaven (through the giving of charity). His fathers had left their wealth where it could be stolen while he arranged for his to be in a place that is out of reach.

King Munbaz recognized that although one must wait for the World-to-Come to realize the full benefits of our positive actions in this world, that future development gives value to the present.

The story is told about Rabbi Moshe Feinstein who upon moving to a new residence said, “I thank G-d that I have moved.” His companion asked, “Is the Rabbi’s new apartment that much better than his previous one?” Rabbi Feinstein replied, “Oh, no! An apartment is an apartment – the advantages of one over another are insignificant. I am happy, though, that I will now have a longer walk to yeshiva than before, because the more I invest in mitzvot in this world, the better my lot in the next world.

Both Rabbi Feinstein and King Munbaz displayed a similar long term perspective. Salt, the symbol of a promising future reminds us that more importantly than focusing on the present, "idle time" or mundane actions can be used as stepping stones for a glorious future.

We would do well to learn from this lesson and judiciously occupy our time with activities whose significance is judged not by short-term gratification but by its long term, lasting value.

Rabbi Gewirtz can be reached at: parsha@partnersintorah.org

כל המנחה אשר תקריבו להשם לא תעשה חמץ כי כל שאר וכל דבש לא תקטירו ממנו אשה להשם

“All the work of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the Children of Israel had done everything that G-d commanded Moses , so did they do.” (Exodus 39:32)

T he Midrash explains that when G-d originally created the upper (heavenly) waters and the lower waters (ex: seas and oceans), the lower waters complained about being in the corporeal world and thus inferior to the more

lofty celestial bodies of water. They were consoled once they heard that they (sea water) would be the source of salt, a primary staple of the offerings brought on the Temple altar.

Parsha Perspectives RABBI ELI GEWIRTZ

V A Y I K R A Talking Points RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. HELP, HELP “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: ‘When a man among you brings an offering to Hashem: from animals, from cattle, or from the flock, shall you bring your offering.’” 1:2

From cattle, or from the flock – The Torah only permitted sacrificial offerings to be brought from sheep or oxen, not from wild animals. This is because wild animals prey upon cattle and flock, and G-d harbors a special love for the pursued, as opposed to the pursuer. – Rabbeinu Bachya

“The Jewish people are pursued by the nations of the world. Yet, the Almighty chose the Jewish people as His special nation, as the verse says, ‘And you were chosen by G-d to be to Him for a special nation.’ Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yosi ben Zimra said, ‘A similar dictum was said by the Almighty regarding the sacrificial offerings. An ox is pursued by a lion, a lamb is pursued by a leopard, a goat by a wolf. Don’t offer Me any offerings from the predators, rather, only from the hunted as the verse says, ‘An ox, lamb or goat, when it is born, shall be with its mother for seven days.’ From the eighth day and thereafter it may be favorably accepted as a sacrificial fire-offering before G-d.” – Midrash Rabbah, VaYikra 27:5

“Rabbi Avahu said, ‘One should always number himself among the pursued rather than among the pursuers, for there are no birds more hunted than the pigeon and the dove. Yet, the verse only allowed those species to be offered on the Altar.” – Talmud, Tractate Bava Kama 93a

Although there are many varieties of sacrificial offerings, each of which is brought for a different reason, all of them share a common goal – to achieve closeness with the Almighty. The ideal attitude to adopt when seeking this nearness is to approach the Almighty with a mindset similar to that of the pursued, who recognizes that he is dependent upon others for his salvation and that he must be prepared to reach out to whoever will save him. Similarly, a Jew must realize that absent a special relationship with his Creator, he is lost and that he must reach out to the Almighty to help him overcome his sinful inclination. Sacrificial-offerings, whose goal it is to enhance our relationship with the Almighty, must reflect this fact, and therefore only the aforementioned varieties of animals may be utilized.

2. THE BENEFITS OF FIRST FRUITS “When you bring a meal-offering of first grains to G-d, of newly ripened crops, roasted over fire, ground

kernels, you shall bring your first grain meal-offering.” 2:14

When you bring a meal-offering – The Altar was created out of earth as was man who was created from the earth of the spot where the Altar later rested. This was done because man was destined to sin, and the Altar could offer him atonement. However, this was true while the Holy Temple stood, and the Altar was there to atone for him. Now that the Temple has been destroyed, and since there never was an Altar outside of Israel, how do the Jewish people attain atonement? By attending to, visiting, and respecting the Torah sages and their students. How do we know that the Torah sages serve as an adequate substitute for the Altar in this regard? For it is written, “And when you will bring a meal offering of first-grains…” and it also says (Kings 2 2:4), “And a man came from Baal Shlishah and he brought to the Man of G-d [Elishah] bread of the first-grains.” Why would he bring the bread of the first-grains to Elishah if the Temple was not located in his vicinity? This teaches us that one who cleaves to Torah sages and their students [such as Elishah] is considered as one who has fulfilled the will of his Father in Heaven. – Tanna D’bei Eliyahu Zuta 2

“One who gives a gift to a Torah Scholar is as if he offered the first-fruits.” – Talmud, Tractate Kesubos 105b

“Although it is praiseworthy to give gifts to a Torah Scholar, this is only true for small gifts. Large gifts, however, may not be accepted by the Torah Scholar.” – Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 246:22

Mesilas Yesharim [Path of the Just, Ch. 26, by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto] writes, “That which it says, ‘One who brings a gift to a Torah Scholar is considered as if he offered the meal-offering of first-fruits,’ and ‘Fill the throats of Torah sages with wine in place of the wine libations [on the Altar],’ is not to imply that Torah scholars should pursue indulgence in food and drink…Rather, since the Torah scholars are sacred in their ways and in all their deeds, they are considered just like the Holy Temple and the Altar. The Divine Presence rests upon the Torah scholars just as it rested upon the Holy Temple, and one who offers them bread is as one who offered meal-offerings of first-fruits on the Altar…” These words offer great comfort to the masses, for although we mourn the lack of a Holy Temple, by aiding and cleaving to Torah scholars, we can still take advantage of many of the benefits formerly provided by the Holy Temple.

3. WATCH WHAT YOU EAT “If one’s offering to Hashem is an elevation-offering of fowl… He shall remove its entrails…and throw it beside the Altar, eastward, to the place of the ashes.” 1:14-16

With its entrails – Only when offering a bird as a sacrificial offering was the crop removed prior to burning it on the Altar. The same was not done when offering an animal. This is because the crop of the bird contains the digestive organs and the food remains, which often belonged to someone else, for birds rarely have a master who feeds them. Cattle, on the other hand, often eat from that which belongs to their master, and therefore their entrails may be offered on the Altar. – Midrash Rabbah

Rabbeinu Bachya points out that this law must serve as an inspiration for us to appreciate the severity of the sin of theft. Just as the Almighty rejects bird entrails for fear that they contain traces of ill-begotten food, so too, will He reject us if our hands are sullied by tainted money. To underscore this point, the Prophet Jeremiah warned us [17:11] that theft will drive a person from this world and will prevent his entry into the World to Come, for this particular sin inhibits the souls ability to reconnect with its Divine source.

Rabbi Meisels can be reached at: rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

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Betty,

I’m sorry to hear about your aunt’s situation, and I pray that she be granted a complete recovery. Bikur Cholim is indeed, a very great mitzvah, as can be seen first-hand in the Torah.

Soon after undergoing circumcision at an advanced age, the patriarch Abraham is visited by none other than the Almighty Himself, as the verse [Bereishis 18:1] says, “And G-d appeared to [Abraham] in the Plains of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent at the hottest time of the day.” Our sages explain that G-d was visiting Abraham, who was ill, and many of the details of this mitzvah are derived from that incident. In another verse [Shmos 18:20] we are taught that we are required to emulate the ways of G-d: “And show them the path that they must take.” The “ways of G-d” include visiting the sick. Whether the obligation is considered a scriptural or rabbinical injunction is a matter of debate between Nachmanides [scriptural] and Maimonides [rabbinic].

Interestingly, the word “Bikur” does not actually mean, “to visit.” Rather, it translates as “to investigate,” because the obligation encompasses far more than merely paying a social call. Instead, one must inquire about what assistance the

patient needs and act accordingly. Our sages have delineated three areas that the visitor should focus on, in order to fulfill this mitzvah properly. They are:

1. Tending to the needs of the patient. Th i s i nc ludes mak ing h im comfor tab le , purchas ing h i s medicines if need be, feeding him, cleaning the room, etc.

2. Praying on behalf of the patient. Care should be taken not to needlessly alarm the patient about the severity of the illness when doing so.

3. Keeping the patient company and entertaining him. This includes providing a listening ear, offering positive and uplifting information, books, CD’s, etc.

It is important to remember that visits should take place at a time that is convenient for the patient, not the visitor. I have seen visitors literally wake up sleeping patients because they did not want to return at a different time. It goes without saying that this is a blatant contradiction to the very purpose of their visit. A visit that imposes on the patient and leaves him feeling worse than he did before is not a mitzvah.

A fascinating tidbit about the prayer aspect of Bikur Cholim is that when praying for a

choleh (sick person) we use his first name(s) and that of his mother. This is in contradistinction to all other times that we refer to a person by his name and that of his father. This custom has its source in the writings of the Zohar and is a means of ensuring that the person is properly identified at this critical time. While there can always be some doubt about who a person’s father may be, there is never a question about who the biological mother is and since we’re dealing with health, we want to be extra certain that our prayers will be maximally effective.

I hope this short response offers you greater insight into the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. If you are interested in learning more about this great mitzvah, I highly recommend a wonderful book on the subject, published by Artscroll titled, “Visiting the Sick – A Halachic and medical guide with down-to-earth advice” by Rabbi Aaron Glatt.

Regards, Rabbi Elazar Meisels Rabbi Meisels can be reached at: rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

WHEN IT’S GOOD TO BIKKUR RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

Dear Rabbi Meisels,

An elderly aunt of mine fell ill some time ago and since she is very close to our family, we visit her often. I know that visiting the sick is an important mitzvah but I was wondering if the commandment is limited to visiting or is there is more I should be doing?

Betty M

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This week’s Torah portion deals extensively with the korbanot, the vastly important and

widely misunderstood animal and flour

offerings brought in the Beit Hamikdash, the

Holy Temple. Our sages teach us that the

world rests on three pillars: the study and fulfillment of Torah, the Temple service and

the performance of kindness to one's fellow man.

The root of the Hebrew word for (א

offering, ‘korban’, means drawing

close. How could taking the life of

an animal bring one closer to G-d?

Since the Temple's destruction, the (בTemple offerings were replaced by

our daily prayers – the service of the heart. In what way could verbal prayers be a

fitting replacement for the Temple offerings?

As one of the world’s three pillars, the (ג

Temple animal offerings seem to be on par with Torah study and

performing acts of kindness. How could an animal offering, which seemingly requires

only an investment of the sponsor’s time

and financial resources, be as valuable as acts of kindness, which require an

investment of one’s heart?

Rabbi Lam can be reached at: rabbilam@partnersintorah.org

TABLE TALK FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

RABBI LABEL LAM

Parsha At-A-Glance G-d taught Moses the general laws of sacrificial offerings. The only three animals permitted for offerings were oxen, sheep, and goats, and from the bird species, only young doves and mature turtledoves.

In some cases one who could not afford an animal or a bird could substitute it with a flour-offering.

The Torah portion discusses the different kinds of sacrifices:

1. The elevation-offering is sacrificed to atone for an intentional sin or to raise one’s spiritual level; the entire sacrifice is consumed by the fire.

2. The flour-offering is made of flour and oil mixed with incense. There are various types of the flour-offerings, differing in the type of pan used and whether the portion burned on the altar was removed before, or after the offering was baked. Neither honey nor leavening was permitted in any offering.

3. The peace-offering was a voluntary offering brought to express one’s love of G-d and desire to be close to Him. Only part of it was sacrificed on the altar, and the rest was divided between the priests and the owners.

4. The sin-offering was an obligatory sacrifice brought by a Jew who inadvertently transgressed a negative mitzvah for which the punishment would be spiritual excision if done intentionally. In addition the Torah portion mentions three special kinds of sin-

offerings brought to atone for sins committed by three influential people - the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), the Sanhedrin (judges), or the king. There are also specific sins for which the animal brought for the offering varies in accordance with the transgressor financial situation.

5. The guilt-offering was offered for five specific sins (only two are mentioned in this Torah portion).

If someone is unsure whether he committed a sin for which a sin-offering would be brought, he must bring a pending guilt-offering. If he later ascertains that he did indeed commit the sin, he brings a sin-offering. The pending guilt-offering atones not for the sin itself but for the carelessness which allowed it.

A person who steals an object must return it plus one-fifth of its value, and he must bring a guilt-offering.

The intended effect of an offering was to arouse a sinner to repentance, thus each part of the procedure was to atone for some aspect of the sin.

1. The sinner placed his hand of the animal's head – to atone for his deeds.

2. The sinner verbally confessed – to atone for his sinful speech.

3. The innards were burnt – to atone for wayward thoughts.

The blood was sprinkled – symbolizing the sinner’s blood that should have been shed.