| Dear Yeshiva Family:
In this week's parshah, the Torah begins a discussion, spanning several parshiyos, about the halachos of korbanos – sacrifices – that one can bring to become close to Hashem. When Moshiach comes, hopefully any day now, we will, be'Ezras Hashem, merit to have the Bais HaMikdash rebuilt in Yerushalayim and we will once again be privileged to bring korbanos to Hashem. However, to our modern ears, animal sacrifice seems difficult to understand, so it behooves us to, as much as we can, delve into this mitzvah, so we can be better prepared to understand this incredible mitzvah.
The word korban comes from the word karov, to come close, for bringing a korban brings us close to Hashem! Unlike the animal sacrifices to the Pagan gods of ancient times, where the animal (and human) sacrifices were brought to satisfy the needs and (usually animalistic) wants of the gods, a korban is meant to be an act of becoming close to Hashem, which can either achieve atonement or give thanks, but is not there to fill the needs of Hashem, who has no needs.
We will start our discussion with the Rambam (Meila 8:8) who states that the entire concept of korbanos is a chok – an unexplained law. This is something we do because we are commanded to do, without having a sufficient explanation for it. Nevertheless, Rambam himself states (Temurah 4:13) about chukim that although the overall mitzvah has reasons beyond our understanding, it is still permissible to try and understand the basic concept represented by these mitzvos.
Famously, the Rambam elsewhere (M.N. 3:32 and 46) writes that the main purpose of korbanos is to provide an alternative and to repudiate the service of Avodah Zara. Since sheep, goats and cows were served by various religions of the pagan times, we now use these same animals to show that they should only be used in the service of Hashem. Additionally, once the people of the world, including Bnei Yisrael, got used to serving gods in this manner, it would have been hard to break free of that practice and therefore the Torah commanded us to bring korbanos in a legal manner to Hashem.
These two sources seem to conflict with each other. Is the practice merely an alternative and repudiation to Avodah Zara, or is it a good thing in and of itself, albeit labeled a chok? More than that, the Ramban in this week's Parshah (1:9) vehemently disagrees with the Rambam's explanation by questioning why Hevel and Noach (and probably Adam HaRishon as well) brought korbanos before any Avodah Zara was on the planet. The Ramban also questions that nowadays, when by and large animal sacrifice has disappeared from the planet as a way of serving gods, it would not be necessary to reintroduce this concept when Moshiach comes and the Bais Hamikdash is rebuilt, so why is it (and the Rambam himself writes this in Melachim 11:1) that korbanos will be reinstated at the time the Bais Hamikdash is rebuilt?
Both the Abarbanel (in the introduction to Vayikra) and the Ritva (in Sefer Hazikaron) vigorously defend the Rambam's position, and perhaps their explanation is best explained by a tidbit added by R' Dessler zt"l (Michtav Me'Eliyahu 5 pg. 412). He explains that we cannot fathom the powerful desire for idol worship, for the Gemara (Yuma 69b) describes that desire was miraculously taken from us because it got too big to handle. This was an urge that lived inside of us just as the desire for procreation is a desire that lives inside of us. These desires don't make logical sense on paper, rather it is just something we humans are built with, grew up with and therefore recognize, but they do not make logical sense. To counter balance the desire for Avodah Zara that lived within us, the Torah set up the concept of serving Hashem through animal sacrifice, which is indeed a chok, an unexplained law, for there are many reasons for it that we do not understand with our current human limitations, but it does act as a counter balance for the illicit desire for Avodah Zara, and when Moshiach comes and we are exposed to high levels of kedusha, or holiness, this "urge" will come back somewhat (to counter balance the new holiness on the world) and we will once again need the concept of korbanos to counter this that urge we no longer understand. There will be an incredible subliminal feeling of connection and joy that comes from offering a sacrifice to Hashem that cannot be explained nowadays, however, when there is more kedusha on the world, which will cause these taavos of Avodah zara to reemerge, we will once again be able to channel those taavos into kedusha by offering a korban to Hashem, and then connecting to Hashem in that manner will become an extremely powerful religious experience.
Of course, our modern American sensibilities naturally raise the question: how is it permitted to use animals for such a purpose? The answer to that is simple. We believe animals were put onto this world for the purpose of benefiting human existence. We use animals for food, clothing, and medicinal purposes, just as we used to use them in commerce, etc. If they can be used to create a hamburger, then they can be used to help us connect to Hashem. Animals are here to help human existence and connecting to Hashem is the best way to further human existence.
The Ramban himself disagrees with the Rambam, and although he maintains that the main reason for korbanos is kabbalistic, he takes the approach that korbanos are there for one to envision that it is as if he himself is being sacrificed. Of course, Hashem does not permit or want human sacrifice. Yet we are supposed to envision what is happening to the animal in front of us as if it is happening to ourselves, and that is meant to bring us closer to Hashem.
As mentioned, this thought requires contemplation to appreciate it to its full depth. Hearing this for the first time one may feel that it does not do justice. I would add that it is not enough to just imagine an animal being slaughtered and its blood placed on the mizbeach, the alter. One has to understand that this took place in the Bais Hamikdash, a place of true spirituality and indescribable closeness to Hashem. Just as a $50 steak costs $150 in a fancy restaurant because of the environment that the restaurant provides, elevating the experience of eating a meal to a higher level, so, too, does the atmosphere of the Bais Hamikdash invigorate the experience of bringing a korban, imbuing it with incredible meaning.
In preparation for Moshiach's arrival, perhaps the world's view of animals has changed recently. Although I was obviously not present, the picture that is given over is that throughout the ages animals were just animals. No one had any feelings for them, and seeing an animal killed was not a big deal. Recently, animal lives have been more regarded, as people have become more sensitive to other living creatures and started to even keep various animals as pets. Perhaps this is all in preparation for Moshiach, when our attitude has to be: this living creature was just sacrificed on the mizbeach, and it should have been me! If animal lives meant absolutely nothing, this would not be so meaningful an experience. However, if someone recognizes the fact that this is a living animal whose life has meaning, and then it is slaughtered, we can then fully appreciate the powerfulness of the act of bringing a korban!
The Rosh (Mishnas HaRosh) explains that the purpose of a korban is to help someone who sinned know and feel that he has been absolved from his sin. This knowledge helps him recover mentally from the sin and reset, allowing him once again feel clean and ready to be good again! This is an incredible lesson for chinuch nowadays also. Sometimes we need to do something to feel absolved, we need to undergo a cleansing process. It is not enough to "know" that we are good, but must undergo a process to restart and reset. The same is true of a thanksgiving korban: it provides a tangible way to give thanks to Hashem. When people want to express gratitude, it is hard to be in a situation where it is impossible to express gratitude. Feeling it is not enough and people want to physically express their feelings. Therefore, Hashem created the concept of 'giving' to Hashem. Even though Hashem lacks nothing, it provides an opportunity for humans to be able to express emotions that need to be expressed.
Many other commentators offer various explanations for korbanos. Among them the Chinuch (95), the Maharal (Gevuros Hashem 40) and Rav Hirsch who all explain the thoughts and feelings that are engendered by bringing a korban. It is clear from all the explanations that bringing a korban was supposed to be a life-changing experience, where one's view of reality on this world was altered forever and he takes a fresh look at the world through a spiritual lens.
We can now understand the passuk in Yeshaya (1:11) bemoaning a point in history when Klal Yisrael was not being true to Hashem, and the pasuk cries: "Why do I need your sacrifices?" We can ask, why does Hashem say he doesn't need our sacrifices and not specify any other mitzvah? Based on the above explanations, we can explain that the act of the korban is more than the act of sacrificing an animal. The entire concept of the korban is mental changes supposed to be taking place inside a person. If he does the act of bringing a korban and has no internal connection to Hashem it is a completely pointless exercise, unlike any other mitzvah.
This is what korbanos offers a person. Like we started out this Dvar Torah, these ideas need to be contemplated and thought about, but we pray that the time that we will again be privileged to perform this mitzvah will come very soon! Rabbi Moshe Revah Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah moshe.revah@htc.edu | 
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