Parshas Vayikra by Jay Spero

This week’s portion deals with the difficult topic of Karbanos—sacrificial offerings. As hard as is it for us to conceive that offering animals up to G-d would enhance our relationship with G-d, the root of the word karbanos— karov— means closeness. It is not a question if G-d needs our offerings (as obviously He does not), rather, it is through our giving that this closeness is achieved.

There are many different detailed laws relating to karbanos. One of these laws is the law that every meal offering must be offered with salt: "You shall salt your every meal offering with salt" (Lev. 2:13).

During the second day of creation, G-d divided the upper waters and the lower waters. The Midrash explains that the earthly waters complained because they too wanted to be close to G-d. G-d placated the earthly waters by making a covenant with them that they would have a share in the Temple service because salt (which comes from the sea) would be placed on the offerings.

Why would the lower waters agree to be separated from G-d, merely for the chance to be offered on the altar? Why give up a permanent closeness for one which only occurs occasionally?

What is the meaning of this esoteric Midrash?

The Maharal explains with a fundamental Talmudic concept (tractate Brochos 28a) that we always strive to go up in holiness and never down. Meaning in every move a person makes, the question must be evaluated, will this enhance his closeness with G-d, or decrease it. And if it will decrease he should not do it. In light of this Talmudic dictum, how were the waters permitted to be separated from G-d?

Obviously in making this covenant with G-d, the lower waters were actually getting closer to G-d.

The reason the lower waters agreed to this covenant was because by moving further away from G-d, it acquired the opportunity to move close to Him! True, had the waters remained in the upper regions it never would have had to lower itself, but it never would have acquired the upper regions, it just would have resided there. Yet by agreeing to be lowered, and earning the opportunity to rise up again, the waters truly earned its closeness with G-d.

The above mentioned Midrash is meant to teach us an important lesson. There is a well known question (raised by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato in Da’as Tevunos), why did G-d not simply create us as perfect beings? One of the answers is, that had we been created perfect, we would never have been able to achieve perfection.

It is not necessarily where we are, but what we are striving to become. Our closeness with G-d is not only realized when we reach the final destination, but in our striving to get there.

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          Parshat Tzav/ Shabbos HaGadol from Hemdat Yamim 

             Making up for the Missing Clothes by Harav Yosef Carmel

In our parasha, the Torah explains the final preparations toward the "eighth day," the day the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was to be dedicated and the Divine Presence would dwell on it and, as a result, throughout the encampment. In this framework, Moshe was commanded to dress Aharon and his sons in the special bigdei kehunah (priestly garments). The gemara (Zevachin 88b) explains that in addition to being clothes of honor and grandeur, the bigdei kehunah also brought atonement. For example, the k'tonet (tunic)  atoned for blood-shed corresponding to the k'tonet of Yosef which was dipped in blood. The m'eel (outer garment), which had bells on its fringes, atoned for lashon hara, which also makes noise. Other sins which were atoned by garments of the Kohen Gadol include giluy arayot, haughtiness, sinful thoughts, monetary impropriety, and brazenness.

If the bigdei kehuna rectify matters after the fact, what serves as "preventive medicine," which is, of course, preferable? We can find a solution along the lines of the Meshech Chuchma. When the Kohen Gadol entered the Kodesh Kodashim (Holy of Holies) he did not wear eight special garments, because the entrance itself elevated him spiritually. The Meshech Chuchma (Vayikra 8:7) writes: "That which the Kohen Gadol goes inside is because the Jewish soul which is bound to physicality is cut off [from the
physicality], and the soul connects to the source of sources, to the blessed Hashem. With this purity, like water returning to "its father," the Jewish souls are purified from all deception and false imagination. This explains Chazal's statement that 'just as a mikveh purifies the impure' (Yoma 85b) [referring to impure waters] based on hashaka [the touching of the waters], so does Hashem purify Israel."

This high level is reached when one leaves behind physical needs and enters the most holy of places. If this is the solution, what are we to do without a Kohen Gadol, bigdei kehunah, or a Kodesh Kodashim? The Meshech Chuchma has a solution for this, as well, in the form of charity and acts of kindness. These "root a person in the klal (collective) of our brethren, B'nei Yisrael, for the klal is always clinging to our Father in the Heavens... so too, he who is connected  to Klal Yisrael is purified from impurity along
with Klal Yisrael, which is always connected to Hashem." Based on these profound words, it is easy to understand why, specifically nowadays, when we don't have bigdei kehunah to help us, nor do we have active kohanim or the Kodesh Kodashim, Jewish unity is especially crucial.