In this weeks parsha, Vaykira it talks about korbanot. In the pasuk it says "וזרקו את הדם על המזבח סביב...ואת הפדר"
“They shall throw the blood on the altar all around... and the fats.” (1:5,8) But why would the blood and the fats be offered? Chabad.org says Blood represents excitement like how we should feel toward mitzvot. On the other hand, fat represents laziness how we should be “lazy” or turn away from doing wrong things. Placing these remind us how we should act every day.
Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik says that when a person brings a korban for sinning they have to imagine that it's them. He is supposed to imagine that it is his own blood that is being sprinkled and the fats are the ones that congealed and then blocked him from doing good, making him sin. Only Hashem can forgive and redeem through sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteThe midrash explains that HaShem is teaching a lesson to all of Bnei Yisroel. As wonderful and beautiful giving a karban is, the blood and the fat represent the hardship in life. Every good thing that we do will not come easily, to attain a result as amazing as giving a karban we're going have to give some blood and sweat. This could be compared to the phrase 'gave sweat and tears'. Nothing comes easily and in order to achieve a certain product, we need to be prepared to give the blood and fat.
ReplyDeleteParsha.com says There is an expression "sweet aroma" that might be associated with the burning of the fat. all offerings that are burnt on the altar are referred to as giving off a sweet aroma, which can mean it's the pleasure God gets from the genuine desire of His people to deal with sin in the way He prescribed.
ReplyDeleteRav Hirsch explains that the sprinkling of blood is essential in the understanding the reason for the Karbanot. We are obligated to sprinkle blood because it represents the soul of the person who is making the Karbon offering. The sacrifice helps strengthen our relationship with HaShem, this relationship is one that encompasses everything that we do and is represented by the sprinkling of the blood on the altar. This process shows our devotion to HaShem and giving over our complete being to Him.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Aryeh Carmell blood and fat are very essential to keeping us alive. With out blood and fat we can not function and live. Therefore, we put blood and fat on the altar to give to Hashem in order to show that we are willing to give our lives and essentials when it comes to worshipping Hashem. Often times we take for granted what we have or claim them as our own, but it is important for us to realize that without Hashem we would have nothing and Hashem "owns" all that we have because he gave it all to us.
ReplyDeleteRabbi yaackov Asher Sinclair says that the blood and the fat both represented something different. The blood represented the readiness to do a mitzvah. It is atonement for the times that we ran to sin With a לא
ReplyDeleteתעשה mitzvah. The fat represents the laziness and tiredness so it atones those times that we failed to complete a תעשה mitzvah.
It's possible that the blood represents life and the fats represent death. When we do a sin we aren't living our life to its fullest potential. So in order to say we are sorry we sprinkle the blood saying no we want to live and do your mizvots and follow the Torah. The fat element comes into play as death. Fat is never good and we throw it on the alter to show we don't want to take the easy way out and we want to live (the blood). This could be connected to what I learnt this year in bible. Beni Israel constantly say they want to go back to Egypt to be free from mitzvots -- meaning even though they were treated so badley they let the fat take over and they would rather die. However, when they were told they couldn't go into Israel the מעפילים went anyway, knowing they were going to die. But the difference wasn't for fat, and to take the easy way out, rather it was for blood, to show that they want to Torah and mitzvahs within it. So too when people sin and bring a korban we are reminded our beni israels past fats and blood. And we should chose blood. We should choose hashem.
ReplyDeleteLiat:
ReplyDeleteInstead of thinking of blood and fat metaphorically they should be considered scientifically. Blood circulates through our body the oxygen and the nutrients that our body needs to function. Fat is the way a body stores the extra nutrients and fuel. Sacrificing blood and fats is showing your understanding that your life force and all the good you have accumulated beyond what was needed all come from God.