TSAV_LEVITICUS VI:1-VIII:36

These chapters describe how to make the different offerings and the purpose or function of each. The numerous details mentioned emphasize that the Korbanot, the sacrifices, did not constitute a hidden cult, a mystery that only the Kohanim knew, a fact that provided the priestly caste with some veiled power over the collective. 

The Korban was the basic reason for constructing the Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash later. On the one hand, the Mishkan was the Divine “residence” on earth; However, the Tora insists that God is not restricted to a specific geographical location, God resides betocham, among the people. At the same time, the Korban was the vehicle for the Hebrews to approach Divinity. It is axiomatic that every meaningful and important relationship requires collaboration and giving. In this way, the duty to share with the poor and the less fortunate was incorporated into the spirit of the people. 

The Torah mentions various constructions and buildings. In the early days, to challenge the sovereignty of God, the man initiated the construction of a tower that would serve as a reference point to prevent the population from dispersing. Still, at the same time, they hoped to reach the heights of heaven to engage in a struggle and, possibly, defeat the deity. 

A second construction has to do with man’s attempt to save himself from nature’s fury: Noah’s ark, which will allow him to save himself from the flood. This time, the ship’s construction is not an act of the collective. One individual, Noah, recognizes that society has reached a point of no return; disrespect for the property of others has become commonplace. 

Having been warned that God will destroy humanity, including the animal world, Noah undertakes the construction of an arc that will take him 120 years, enough time for those who observe him to have the opportunity to change their behavior and avoid the fatal outcome. The Teva, the ark of Noah, symbolizes the spiritual effort of the individual to overcome the vicious environment that surrounds him, an effort that translates into his distancing from society to focus his interest on the well-being of his closest ones: his wife and children.

The Mishkan and the Korbanot represent a different philosophies. The Mishkan is not only God’s “habitat.” The Mishkan is open to anyone who wants to share and help others. According to the prophet, the Beit HaMikdash is Ki Be’iti Beit Tefilla, yikare lechol haamim, “My house (the Beit HaMikdash) is a house for prayer, a house for all peoples.” While the Teva of Noah represents “private property,” the Mishkan is the “home of the community,” even beyond the borders of the Hebrew people, according to the prophet’s pronouncement. 

A progression in human feeling can be noted, beginning with the Tower of Babel, which constituted an attempt to fight the Deity. It continues with Noah, who opts for individual redemption because the rest of humanity does not wish to follow his example. Then we reach a third stage: the Mishkan, which includes the collective because sacrifices were not how the Kohen approached God. The Kohen was the officiant, the people’s delegate, the Shali’ach tsibur, “emissary of the collective.” The daily sacrifice was carried out in the name of the whole people. This fact comes to light by the collection of Machtsit Hashekel, half of a coin that both the poor and the rich had to contribute equally to create a fund that will be used to obtain the animal that must be offered on behalf of the community.

The progression of spiritual development represented by Noah’s Ark and Mishkan-Beit HaMikdash is also expressed in the fact that the first construction was punctual and served a particular purpose at a specific time in human history. The Mishkan-Beit HaMikdash is a “LeDorot” construction, which will forever, notwithstanding its temporary absence, serve as a vehicle of communication between the human being and God and is valid for all times.

Although the Kohen was the chief officiant, there was the possibility of making individual offerings, as in the case of the Shelamim, the offering of peace and thanksgiving. The absence of the Beit HaMikdash in the last two millennia has turned Tefilla, prayer, into an instrument for man’s approach to God. In this case, it is no longer a physical construction because even the synagogue is not indispensable to engaging in a “conversation” with God. The relationship between man and Divinity is established through feeling and word, Bechol Makom, from any place and time, parameters that are not circumscribed to a geographical coordinate.

MITSVA: TORA ORDINANCE IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 9 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 9 PROHIBITIONS

1. Leviticus 6:3 Raise the ashes (from the Altar).
2. Leviticus 6:6 Daily light the fire on the Altar.
3. Leviticus 6:6 Do not extinguish the fire of the Altar.
4. Leviticus 6:9 Eat the remainder of the Mincha offering.
5. Leviticus 6:10 Do not leaven the remainder of the Mincha offering.
6. Leviticus 6:13 The daily Mincha offering of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest).
7. Leviticus 6:16 The Mincha offering of a Kohen is not consumed.
8. Leviticus 6:18 The procedure with the offering Chatat (for sin).
9. Leviticus 6:23 Do not eat the flesh of the Chatat offering whose blood is splashed within (of the sanctuary).
10. Leviticus 7:1 The procedure with the Asham offering (for guilt).
11. Leviticus 7:11 The procedure with the Shelamim (for peace) offering.
12. Leviticus 7:15 Leave no meat of the offering Toda (thanksgiving) after the time allotted for its consumption.
13. Leviticus 7:17 The obligation to burn the remnants of sacred offerings.
14. Leviticus 7:18 Do not eat of the Pigul offering, offering with wrong intentions.
15. Leviticus 7:19 Do not eat the flesh of sacred offerings converted impure.
16. Leviticus 7:19 The obligation to burn sacred flesh converted unclean.
17. Leviticus 7:23 Do not eat Chelev (forbidden fat of offering).
18. Leviticus 7:26 Do not ingest the blood of any animal or bird.