Parashas Tzav
The Olah is brought as an atonement for not having performed a positive commandment with the self-application and the enthusiasm it deserves.
The animal brought as an Olah offering is entirely burned on the altar. It is turned into earth and dust and no part of it remains for the kohen to eat.
The very purpose of our existence is to perform positive commandments. That is why we were fashioned out of earth into man (Bereishis 2:7). If we do not live up to the task of performing the mitzvot aseh with focus and concentration, we have failed in our lives’ mission and we might as well go back to where we came from, to dust and earth. That is what the Olah reminds us of. But it also reminds of G-d’s kindness. He allows us to commute the death sentence into a fine. He allows us to offer up our possessions instead of ourselves.
The seemingly superfluous words “It is the Olah” which come after the words “This is the law of the Olah” (Vayikra 6:1) also show the generosity of G-d’s forgiveness. It teaches us that even if there was a misstep in the sacrificial procedure, such as where the sacrificial parts of the animal were left lying in the temple beyond their prescribed time, or were taken out of the temple courtyard beyond their prescribed place, the sacrifice is not rejected, (Rashi to 6:2). That means that even a less than perfect repentance is accepted.
The fire on the altar remained perpetually burning (6:5). The altar was open for repentance 24/7.
“Vezot torat haMincha – And these are the laws of the Mincha” (6:7). The letter “vav” in the word “Vezot” links the Mincha offering to the Olah offering, because the Mincha offering is in the category of an Olah offering. It too is brought to atone for not having performed a positive commandment with the self-application and the enthusiasm it deserves. But it is brought by a poor person who can only afford a little bit of flour. The poor person literally takes the bread out of his mouth in an attempt to come closer to G-d. “Venefesh ki takriv Mincha” (2:1), it is as if he is offering up his life and soul in his endeavor to repent. That type of self-sacrifice is dearer to G-d than the offering of the “adam” (1:2), the wealthy person who offers up an expensive animal. That is why the afternoon prayer is called the Mincha prayer. It is a prayer that is carved out of one’s working day, when one could have spent the time earning more money for oneself. And that is why G-d answered Eliyahu’s request at Mincha time, when he asked for a miracle to embarrass the idolatrous priests (Melachim 1:18).
Unlike the Olah which was entirely burned on the altar, only a handful of the flour, called the kometz, was burned on the altar (Vayikra 6:5). The Mincha’s remainder, called the shirayim, was eaten by the kohanim (6:9). It was not necessary for entire Mincha offering to be burned because the poor man had already made the ultimate sacrifice of depriving himself of his daily meal. But it was the rich man, for whom even the sacrifice of an expensive ox made no dent in his bank account, who needed to be entirely deprived of his possession in order to understand the meaning of dedication to G-d’s mitzvot.
Each kohen, before assuming office, had to bring a special Mincha, called a Minchat Chinuch, an inaugurating flour offering. But whereas the ordinary kohen brought this Mincha just once, the kohen gadol brought what was called a Minchat Chavitin flour offering twice every day, once before the morning daily Tamid sacrifice and once before the afternoon Tamid sacrifice. The kohen gadol could not rest on his laurels. Just because he was worthy and eligible to assume this lofty office on the day of his inauguration did not mean he remained worthy forever. In order to remain the perfect representative of the people and officiate at the daily morning and afternoon Tamid sacrifices, he first had to show his own enduring commitment to the mitzvot aseh by bringing his own personal Menachot (6:12-16).
“Zot torat haChatat – This is the law of the sin offering” (6:18). Here the Torah does not add the letter “vav.” It does not link the Chatat offering to the Olah offering. The Chatat is in a different category. Unlike the Olah which is a voluntary offering for not performing the positive commandment with the proper dedication, the Chatat is obligatory and brought to atone for a sin committed inadvertently.
The Torah tells us that the Chatat is to be slaughtered “in the place (bimkom) where the Olah offering was slaughtered” (6:18). We know that the Olah was slaughtered in the north (1:11). So why waste words? Why not simply say that the Chatat must be slaughtered in the north?
What the Torah is really saying is that the reason that you now find yourself in the position of having to bring a Chatat to atone for sin is because you did not bring an Olah to atone for not fulfilling positive commandments with the required enthusiasm. If you had done that, you would not have descended to the level of transgressing a negative commandment. So now, bimkom, instead of bringing an Olah, you are bringing a Chattat.
