These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: #1242
Seder with the Zayde – Not as Simple As You Think and Other Seder
Issues. Good Shabbos!
Appending a Pasuk from Parshas Vayikra onto Parshas HaTamid Invokes Akeidas Yitzchak
Parshas HaTamid, which is contained in the “Korbonos” section of Shachris (the morning daily prayers) is from Parshas Pinchas. The Parshas HaTamid as
it is written in Parshas Pinchas (Bamidbar 28:1-8), concludes with the
pasuk: “and the other lamb shall you present at dusk; as the
meal-offering of the morning, and as the drink-offering thereof, you
shall present it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto
Hashem.” (Bamidbar 28:8). However, after quoting the eight pesukim from Parshas Pinchas, the Parshas HaTamid that we recite daily, concludes with one additional pasuk from Parshas Vayikra: “He is to slaughter it on the north side of the Mizbayach before Hashem, and Aharon’s sons, the Kohanim, are to dash its blood upon the Mizbayach all around.” (Vayikra 1:11).
This last pasuk, from this week’s parsha, is not even referring to the Korban HaTamid! It therefore seems very strange that it is appended to our daily recital of Parshas HaTamid. It is true that the Korban Tamid, as well as other “Kodshei Kodashim” offerings, are all slaughtered on the north side of the Mizbayach. But why do we append this pasuk to Parshas HaTamid?
The Mishna Berurah explains that this pasuk is appended to our daily recital of the Parshas HaTamid based on the teaching of a Medrash. The Medrash states that the Ribono shel Olam invokes Heaven and Earth as His witnesses that “Whenever this particular pasuk is recited—whether by Jew or Gentile, man or woman, freeman or slave—I will remember Akeidas Yitzchak.” In other words, mention of this pasuk is our way of sneaking in, so to speak, another remembrance of Akeidas Yitzchak. This also seems strange because this pasuk seems to have nothing to do with Akeidas Yitzchak! What is the connection between this pasuk and Akeidas Yitzchak?o
The Maharal Diskin makes a very interesting point: In Biblical times, when they slaughtered an animal for a korbn, it was slaughtered on top of the Mizbayach, rather than the later-prevalent practice to slaughter the animal on the side of the Mizbayach. Why?
Avraham put his son Yitzchak on top of the Mizbayach, as was common practice, in order to offer him as a korbon. Yitzchak wanted to be bound on the Mizbayach because he was afraid that he would jerk and invalidate himself as a korbon. That is why it is called Akeidas Yitzchak (the Binding of Yitzchak). Avraham Avinu bound Yitzchak to the Mizbayach, and was about to slaughter him when the malach
came forth and said, “Do not send forth your hand against the lad, do
not do anything to him….” (Bereshis 22:12). We might think that at that
point Avraham would say to his son, “Okay, Yitzchak, let’s untie the
ropes. Let’s get out of here.” But no, Avraham Avinu leaves him bound.
Why does Avraham leave him bound? The Maharal Diskin explains: Avraham
traveled all the way to Har Hamoria. He had to offer some kind of korbon.
So he looked up and saw that a ram was caught by its horns in the
thicket. Okay, so now Avraham had his ram – so why was Yitzchak STILL
bound on the Mizbayach? It was because Avraham was not yet sure that this animal was kosher for a korbon. “Maybe it has a mum (blemish). Maybe it is a ba’al mum,”
he feared. After all, it was caught up in the thorns! Avraham Avinu was
afraid to unbind Yitzchak because he was not sure that the ram would be
an acceptable substitute offering. Therefore, what does he do? He
slaughters the ram ON THE NORTH SIDE of the Mizbayach.
That is why from that day forward, all the major korbonos – the Olah, the Chatas, and the Asham – are slaughtered on the north side of the Mizbayach. This reenacts what Avraham Avinu did. He was the first person to slaughter an animal on the north side of the Mizbayach rather than on the Mizbayach itself. Therefore, when we recite the pasuk “He slaughtered it on the northern side of the Mizbayach…” we are once again invoking the merit and the memory of Akeidas Yitzchak. This is why we say it as part of the daily Parshas HaTamid, as the Mishna Berura indicates.
The Roptshitzer Rebbe on Doing Mitzvos Correctly
Rav Naftali Tzvi Horowitz, known as the Roptshitzer Rebbe, gives a chassidishe insight into a pasuk in this week’s parsha. The Torah uses the following pasuk to introduce the halacha
of the bull brought as a sin offering by the Sanhedrin as an atonement
for an erroneous ruling: “And if the whole congregation of Israel shall
err, the thing being hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and do any of
the things which the L-rd has commanded not to be done, and are
guilty.” (Vayikra 4:13)
The wording of this pasuk seems strange: “…and do any of the things which the L-rd has commanded not to be done…” does not refer to doing an aveira (sin). It says they did something which Hashem commanded not to be done. The Roptshitzer Rebbe says that the pasuk is not referring to doing aveiros. It is referring to not doing mitzvos correctly. “One of the mitzvos of Hashem … asher lo sei’asena” – that you are not doing it the way you are supposed to be doing it! That in itself is sinful.
We are now on the threshold of Pesach. Leil haSeder is a night full of mitzvos. There is no other night like it throughout the year. There are so many mitzvos, both D’Oraisa (Biblical) and D’Rabanan (Rabbinic). Matzah and Sipur Yetzias Mitzraim are D’Oraisa; Maror and Arba Kosos are D’Rabanan. A person needs to be careful not only to perform the mitzvos, but to perform the mitzvos correctly – with the proper intentions, meticulousness, and enthusiasm that this once-a-year situation merits.
The Roptshitzer Rebbe quotes a story involving two chassidim of the Baal Shem Tov. They were talking with each other: One chossid said, “Oy, what will be with me? After 120 years, I will approach the Kisei haKavod and I will need to give an accounting on all the aveiros that I did during my lifetime.” The other chossid answered back: “I am not worried about my aveiros. When the Ribono shel Olam will call me on the carpet and ask me why I did this and that aveira, I will explain that I had this lust and that lust and I could not control myself. However, I am really worried about the mitzvos that I did. I am worried that perhaps I did not do them properly. What is my excuse for that?
We may have lapses and fall down spiritually by transgressing certain
prohibitions. That may be understandable. But once we are already doing
a mitzvah – do it correctly! That was his worry: “hamitzvos asher lo sei’asena” – the mitzvos that he was not performing correctly.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem DavidATwersky@gmail.com
Edited by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD dhoffman@torah.org
This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion.
A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Vayikra is provided
below:
- #003 The Korban Pesach Today
- #048 Is Shaving Permitted on Chol Ha’Moed?
- #091 Americans in Israel: Two-Day Yom Tov or One?
- #139 Confidentiality: The Prohibition Against Revealing Secrets
- #186 Shalach Manos and Other Purim Issues
- #232 Maror: A Bitter Problem?
- #276 Is Theft Permitted to Save a Life?
- #322 A Unique Erev Pesach & Its Broader Implications
- #366 Chametz She’avar Olov HaPesach
- #410 The Obligation to Testify
- #454 Eruv Tavshilin
- #498 Honey–Why Is It Kosher
- #542 Selling Chametz
- #586 Rabbinic Confidentiality
- #630 Gebrokts and Kneidelach
- #674 Saying Karbonos
- #718 Karbanos: The Basis for Tefillah
- #762 Standing During Davening
- #806 Voice Recognition – How Reliable?
- #850 Taking Medicines on Yom Tov
- #894 Pesach-Daled Kosos: Must You Drink All 4? And Other Issues
- #938 Davening on an Airplane/Train: Must You Stand?
- #981 Accepting Shul Donations from Non-Shomrei Shabbos
- #1026 Salt on the Table
- #1069 Should Yeshiva Bochrim/Kollel Members Say Karbonos?
- #1112 A Rabbi’s Dilemma–Reveal A Confidence and Get Sued or Remain Silent?
- #1155 Pesach Issues: Maos Chittin; Ta’anis Bechorim
- #1198 Blood On Your Finger/Gums: Is It Permitted To Suck It? And Other Maaris Ayin Issues
- #1242 Seder with the Zayde – Not as Simple As You Think and Other Seder Issues
- #1286 Oy! I Forgot To Have Kavanah in Sh’monei Esrei – Now What?
- #1330 Can One Sell Any Type of Chometz?
- #1374 Pesach Shailos You May Never Even Have Thought About
- #1418 The First Bracha of Shmoneh Esrai and the Bracha of Modim- More Important Than You May Have Thought
- #1462 The Institution of The Chazan in Halacha and Minhag
- #1506 – Halachic Implications of Erev Pesach on Shabbos That Apply to Shailos the Whole Year
A complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute,
PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail
tapes@yadyechiel.org or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further
information.
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