Let’s not talk about animal sacrifices. Let’s talk about who sacrifices.
Vayikra begins with sacrifices. Sacrifices are a big part of Judaism. As a nation, our first act was the Korban Pesach, the Pascal Lamb. Sacrifices play a continuing role in our development as a nation from Sinai to the Mishkan to the Beit HaMikdash in Jerusalem.
What is the logic in all this?
Rambam explains sacrifices as part of our evolving religious nature. How are we, finite beings, meant to connect with an Infinite Supreme Being? Humans need a medium to connect with God. Enter sacrifices which were very familiar to the original Jews. Sacrifices were THE way to connect to the deity. God provided Jews a familiar medium to serve Hashem. Eventually, we can move beyond sacrifices to prayer, Torah study, and more intellectual and spiritual means of connection.
Ramban disagrees with Rambam. Sacrifices have an eternal message. Korbanot comes from the word karev, which means close. Sacrifices remind us of our need to seek ways to get closer to God. The sacrifice is an ultimate example of giving all to God. We can’t give over our actual lives to God, but we need to appreciate the idea of sacrificing to perform the mitzvot.
How we can relate to sacrifices may be found in the verse that introduces them:
אָדָם כִּי־יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קׇרְבָּן ה'
When Adam draws near and presents an offering to Hashem…" (Vayikra 1:2)"
Who is Adam?
On a simple level, Adam means a person, a mensch, any person. On a deeper level, the Torah is making a statement – and issuing a challenge – to each of us.
Until this point in the Torah, we had Bereishit, a Torah timeline of the history we need to know - creation, the flood, our patriarchs and matriarchs, the 12 tribes, Yosef and his brothers, and the descent to Egypt. Next, we have Shemot, “Book Two” as the Midrash calls it. We recount the people’s emergence from slavery to become a nation, the miracles of the Exodus, the covenant of Sinai, and the ability to create holy space (the Mishkan) with our own hands.
Now, we are coming to Vayikra. That’s where it all begins. God calls to Moshe, and the very first instruction is “Adam,” when Adam desires to come near, to act, to reach their potential. Who or what is Adam, and what do we need to do?
Adam is each of us, who we are, where we come from, who we can be, who we should strive to be in our life’s journey.
As Adam, we come from Adama, dust. We have humble origins. Like the original Adam, we are each unique and special. No two are alike. Adam has a linguistic similarity with the word “adameh - I compare myself to God.” We walk in God’s ways.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) advises: “Each and every person is obligated to say: The world was created for me.” We have tremendous potential for impact, accomplishment, and achievement. We need to embrace our true Adam – the whole picture of where we come from, who we are, and who we can be with the right choices and actions.
Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa taught that every person should have two pockets. In one pocket there should be a piece of paper saying: "I am only dust and ashes." When one is feeling too proud, reach into this pocket and take out this paper and read it. In the other pocket there should be a piece of paper saying: "For my sake was the world created." When one is feeling disheartened and lowly, reach into this pocket and take this paper out and read it.
We each join two worlds. We are fashioned from clay, but our spirit is the breath of Hashem.
“When Adam draws near and presents an offering to Hashem…”
We need to be in touch with our inner Adam. We need to be in touch with our inner selves, our sacred humanity, and the sacred humanity in others. We need to “draw near” and step forward, bringing our whole selves to living our best lives as Jews, family members, friends, neighbors, citizens, and supporters of Israel.
Appreciating our humanity, our humility, our uniqueness, and our potential should motivate us to be the best we can be while seeing the same characteristics in others. That is the essence of sacrifice. That’s sacred work. That’s our mission.
Be an Adam! Be a Mensch!