LEVITICUS I-V

REASONING THE SACRIFICES

The third of the five books of the Torah is called Vayikra, which is the first word of this text. In English it is known as Leviticus, a name that designates the themes concerning the tribe of Levi, consecrated to the service of the Lord. In Hebrew it is also known as Torat HaKohanim, because its texts describe the sacrificial service offered by the descendants of Aharon(Aaron), Moshe’s (Moses’) older brother. 

As if the Torah (Pentateuch) did not wish the worship in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and then in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple of Jerusalem) to be the exclusive patrimony of a hidden caste, it reveals the details of the different sacrifices and describes the possible participation of the people in some offerings. Although the daily prayers include a petition about the restoration of sacrifices, Korbanot, this cult presents intellectual difficulties for contemporary man, who cannot assimilate that the relationship between man and God is subject to animal sacrifices. 

Yehudah HaLevi and Rambam reflected on these Korbanot and propose two different explanations. For Yehuda HaLevi it is a mystical process that allows man to approach the Divinity. The laws governing the cult of sacrifices cannot be questioned, because they contain secrets and notions that are beyond the reach of the human intellect.

Saadiah Gaon divided the Mitsvot (religious obligations) into those that are understandable to the human mind, such as “Thou shalt not kill,” and those that escape logic, such as the prohibition of wearing clothing made of linen and wool. It can be argued, however, that even those Mitsvot that have an explanation that is reasonable for the human intellect contain a mystical element that is not based on understanding. For the man of faith refrains from lying not only because of the harm his action may cause, because of the intrinsic immorality of his action, but because it is an ordinance of Divine origin.

For Yehuda HaLevi, the sacrificial system is a Divine concession that allows man to approach God in a mystical act, inexplicable, but which has repercussions on a spiritual level of higher elevation. The smoke of sacrifice that rises to the heights represents the ascent of the spirit in its eagerness to be close to the Creator. 

Rambam assumes a rationalist position in some of his writings. He considers that the Korbanot constitute a stage in spiritual development, a superior alternative to the idolatry that reigned at the beginning of the formation of the Hebrew people. This is Horaat Shaá, a law that is subject to coordinates of time that should serve as a bridge of transition from paganism to pure monotheism. This explanation of Rambam is found in his Moreh Nevukhim; on the other hand, in his Yad Hachazakah he considers the Korbanot service  to be a permanent element of Judaism.

Centuries later, several commentators tried to explain the reason for the sacrifices. Some leaned towards Rambam suggesting that, even in the time of Moshiach (Messiah), there will be no return to the Korbanot. 

Rav Kook, on the other hand, following the line drawn by Yehuda HaLevi, finds that the sacrifices contain “mystical realities” not understandable by the intellect, but which refer to “spiritual truths” and, therefore, this system will be fully restored at some point in history.

It is interesting to note that in earlier times, and even in some circles of the present, children began to study the Torah from the book of Vayikra. Why? Perhaps to teach that life demands sacrifice. Judaism and morality demand that pleasure be postponed in the face of the imperative of duty. Every human relationship calls for sacrifice, for attending to the needs of the less fortunate, of the widow and the orphan in the language of the Torah.