Dvar torah for tzav

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From: yonjk200@aol.com
To: tabc@posterous.com
Sent: Sun, Mar 27, 2011 6:25 pm
Subject: Dvar torah for tzav

Tzav Dvar Torah

                In Parshah Tzav the pasukim speak about a person who brings a peace offering and one who brings a general  korban. Nehama quotes the Keli Yakar who comments on the difference between the way the peace offering was worded and the way all the other offerings were worded. He notes that in reference to the peace offering, it says that the peace offering was an offering that wasn’t given after one has done a sin, rather it is just self-prompted. Also, he says that this is a gift from “our own hands”, so when we give it to Hashem, we are personally delivering it. However, for other korbanot, a person only delivers it via a messenger for we are trying to subdue Hashem’s anger after a sin has been done.

This answer is very meaningful one, for it highlights a very important aspect to giving a certain korban over another.

Nehama then continues that even within peace offering, there are subdivisions.  The two groups are the todah, the thanksgiving offering, and the neder, the vowed peace offering.

The pasuk says that for the korban todah, person eats it the night of its sacrifice, and should be finished that night according to the sages. Nehama asks what the reason for this may be.  She quotes a few people for an answer.

First was the Ralbag, who says that the reason the sages limit the eating time to strictly the night is due to the fact that the meat is at its tastiest that night, and gets worse after that.

The Rambam says that the korbanim have to be perfect. So, he figures that the reason the korban has certain time limits is due to the fact that if the eating of the korban is delayed, the korban will become imperfect both in its taste and appearance. And since the korban needs to be perfect, we must finish eating it that night.  

Another reason is that of the Sefer haHinukh, who says that we can’t keep the leftovers for past that night to show trust in Hashem, to show that we are not worried that we won’t have food to eat the next day. He feels this must be the explanation for why else would Hashem force us to destroy completely good food.

Nehama points out that she sees this idea also when we had the manna, which was a miracle deserving of a thanksgiving offering. So, similarly the manna had to be eaten the day of the receveiving to show that we have trust in Hashem that we will get food the next day.

She then quotes the Abarbenel, who analyzes this rule of the korban from a different view. Socially, this law is designed in the way that no one family can consume it all in one day, which is commanded. So, it is expected of the one who brings the sacrifice to invite friends and to spread his tale of thanks as to almost make a kidush hashem, sanctifying Hashem’s name by telling everyone about the good He has done to you.

She then quotes the Ha’amek Hadavr, who agrees with the abarbenel in the way that he believes that the main importance of the sacrifice is to indeed invite friends and family to make a kidush Hashem and share the way Hashem has saved the person from adversity. However, he adds that from the pasuk referring to this sacrifice that the leavened bread portion of this sacrifice is the essence of this sacrifice. Nehama then comments that this opinion is consistent with the fact that the verse states that bread should be added to the    peace offering. She then says that this opinion helps explain a certain Psalm.

The psalm’s main point is that sharing the meal of thanksgiving  with other people will serve as the public acknowledgment of Hashem.

So, to conclude, Nehama states that it is very appropriate that  this offering is part of the peace offering, for it is peace inducing for it forces people to share in merriment the miracles Hashem has performed.    

All in all, we believe that there is a great deal to learn from these meforshim in this dvar torah of nehama, especially the concept of trying to cause peace.  We see that it is quite important to involve your fellow in your avodah for Hashem and in your Judaism. On the other hand, we also believe that there is no real continuity in this dvar torah, for it starts with the question comparing the two types of korbanot and then ending with the importance of the peace offering, though we are sure this is our fault.