Vayikra

Parshat Vayikra - Friday, March 7, 2014 - 5 Adar II, 5774

Torah Reading: VaYikra (Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26) 
Haftorah: Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23  
Shabbat Candle Lighting: 5:27 PM 
Shabbat ends: 6:28 PM

OPEN THE DOORS OF YOUR SANCTUARY!

One of the offerings in the Temple, discussed in this week’s parsha, is the Shelamim or Peace Offering. These sacrifices were offered in the Temple courtyard, where the Altar was situated.  One of the requirements for this type of offering was first to open the doors of the Sanctuary.

There is a dispute between Rashi and Tosphos (French Sages who lived between the 12^th and 14^th centuries) whether this requirement applies to sacrifices other than a peace offering. According to Rashi it does not. But according to the Tosafists it applies to all sacrifices.

Although we do not have the Beis Hamikdash or the offering of sacrifices in the present day and age (even as we pray incessantly for it to be restored), nevertheless every detail of Torah must provide us with insight into our own service to G‑d.

We therefore have to understand:

(a) Why does the Temple Sanctuary door have to be open before one brings the Peace Offering?

(b) Why does Rashi maintain that it only applies to the Peace Offering? What is unique about the Peace Offering?

(c) Why do the Tosafists disagree with Rashi on this matter and extend the requirement of opening the doors of the Sanctuary to all sacrifices?

To answer these questions we must first understand the dynamic of a Peace Offering. It was so labeled because it was divided into three parts. One part of it was offered to G‑d on the Altar; another part was given to the Kohanim-Priests to consume and the third part was eaten by the person whose sacrifice it was.

The fact that G‑d, the Kohain and the owner each had a share in this offering was a symbol of peace and harmony.

However, peace and harmony are achievable only when the doors of the Sanctuary are open. This means that peace must be informed by our inner Sanctuary. If peace were to come from external influences, such as from the philosophical, political and social arenas, it would be flawed because that kind of peace is artificial and specious.  

Peace is G‑d’s domain. One of the names associated with G‑d is Shalom. One of our daily prayers is Sim Shalom, in which we ask G‑d to bring Shalom. We also refer to G‑d as the “One who makes peace in the heavens” and we then petition Him to “make peace upon us and upon all of Israel.”

One could ask, why do we have to ask G‑d to bring Shalom? Shouldn’t two people involved in a squabble find ways of resolving their differences without G‑d intervening?

Furthermore, by referring to G‑d’s celestial peace-making venture with the angels as a rationale for His making peace down here it suggests that if He can make peace above he can certainly make peace below. Why would we think that it is easier to make peace below?

The answer is that while it is indeed permissible to make every and any effort at procuring peace through whichever legal means are available to us, the only type of peace that is genuine and enduring is one based on the ultimate truth that emerges from the Holiest place on Earth—the Beis Hamikdash.

To elaborate:

When there is division between two parties, especially when the division runs deep, the ability human institutions and techniques possess to bring peace involves glossing over the differences or even the use of deception. In modern times we refer to these approaches as diplomacy. In the long run diplomacy proves ineffective because the two parties’ differences flare up again, inasmuch as they were not really resolved, or the deception is ultimately exposed and the divisions become deeper than ever.

To secure true and enduring peace we must be exposed to the inner sanctum of our hearts and soul, which is connected to G‑d. The overarching power of the Divine is capable of making peace even in the heavens, where the differences between the two archangels Michael and Gabriel are apparently irreconcilable. The archangel Michael stands for pure unmitigated kindness and love whereas the archangel Gabriel represents the trait of unadulterated judgment. Only G‑d can fuse these two disparate forces into one amalgam, dedicated to the one G‑d. If G‑d can fuse the two diametrically opposite traits of the archangels Michael and Gabriel, then there can be no doubt that He can unify two people whose differences are not so profound.

One of the salient differences between angels and humans is that angels are mono-directional. They are programmed beings and without capacity to emote in ways other than their monolithic nature.  Humans were created as complex, multi-dimensional creatures. Even if one trait is dominant, other and even opposing traits can be found close to the surface.

Thus, if G‑d can create a peace that allows diametrically opposite angelic creatures to be at peace with each other in G‑d’s overarching presence, He can certainly bring disparate people together. Humans already have commonality in terms of their external personalities. G‑d’s presence in our lives helps us to find that commonality.

Moreover, and more importantly, when we are in touch with the inner sanctum of our soul we discover that there is truly one source and one father to all of us. As explained in Tanya at Chapter 32 (32 is the numerical equivalent of the word lev-heart and thus this chapter has been called the “heart of the Tanya” with its emphasis on Ahavas Yisroel—the Love for one’s fellow Jew), when we allow our spiritual dimension to dominate it leads to fulfillment of the Mitzvah to “love your fellow as yourself.” This is so as, from the vantage point of our soul, we come to realize that the other is yourself.

We can now understand why, according to Rashi, this requirement of opening the doors of the Sanctuary is restricted to the Peace Offering.  Such an offering is prompted by a daunting challenge and we desperately need the assistance that comes from our inner sanctum.

As stated, Rashi does not consider this a requirement for an Olah-burnt offering, which must be burnt on the Altar.  Neither the Kohain nor the one who brought the offering partakes of it; it is to be totally consumed on the fire of the Altar.  The Olah sacrifice consequently expresses one’s total devotion to G‑d; totally spiritual, consumed with the fire and passion for G‑d. This individual needs no reminder of the G‑dly element in the sacrifice. One does not need to open the door to the inner sanctum because the energy that comes from within is already evident in the person’s surrender of his or her entire being to G‑d, exclusively. 

Tosphos, however, extends this requirement to all other sacrifices. In his view, even though a person may exhibit unmitigated passion for G‑d, there is a lingering concern that there might be a hidden agenda. It might even be a spiritual ego trip, wherein the Olah personality becomes a holier-than-thou individual, who disdains the more well-rounded, down-to-earth Shelamim personalities.

Alternatively, the passion that drives this Olah personality can go too far, as was the tragic case with Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s sons who brought an unauthorized offering and died as a result. Or Hachaim and Chassidic literature explain that their sin was too much passion and no desire to engage the physical world. When people are driven to that extreme, by allowing the passion of their souls to ignite and consume any desire to remain in the physical world, it is a sign that they lack respect for G‑d’s agenda. G‑d’s desire for human beings, as opposed to the angels, is for them to stir up as much spiritual passion as is needed to pull themselves above the morass of materialism.  But G‑d does not desire that they remain above terrestrial matters.   They must retreat back down into the “real” world, engage it, affect it and, ultimately, transform it.

Being able to go only in one direction is the hallmark of angels. Humans must learn to change direction when the need arises. We need to go in both directions daily. When we pray we let go of the physical world; when we finish praying we retreat back into the world by first engaging our minds in the study of Torah. Equipped with the values and inspiration of both prayer and study we take on the challenge of changing the world.

To facilitate combining the opposites inherent in the Olah offering, the Tosaphists therefore maintain we must also be in touch with our inner sanctum.

As we stand on the threshold of the Final Redemption, the Shelamim challenge of combining opposites has become more pronounced.

Never before have we seen so much fragmentation and division in the world. While in these momentous times before the imminent final Redemption, empires have crumbled and there is much less conflict between major powers, we are witness to greater divisions within countries, communities and even families.

In order to create the Shelamim-offering, which brings unity among G‑d, ourselves and our fellow Jew —and by extension peace for the entire world—we must open the door to the inner sanctum of the Sanctuary.

Translated into practical terms, we must search beneath the surface of ourselves and the other and recognize our inherent unity.

One of the tools to accomplish that goal is the teachings of Chassidus, the inner dimension of Torah, which connects us to the inner layer of Torah and our own personalities. 

Within the teachings of Chassidus, the discourses of the Rebbe stand out for their clarity, depth and their focus on Moshiach and the ultimate Redemption. Indeed, since everything is hinted in the Torah, the Hebrew word Shelamim contains within it the initials of the Rebbe’s name and the name of his father. More than any Jewish leader, the Rebbe has advanced the cause of Shelamim by bringing peace between G‑d and Israel and between one Jew and another and has prepared us for Moshiach and the ultimate Redemption!

 

The connection between the ultimate Redemption and Yom Kippur is reflected in that Yom Kippur is the tenth of Tishrei and the number ten is associated with several dimensions of the Era of the Redemption. (The Rebbe, the eve of Yom Kippur, 5752)