The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Vayikra

The Rebbe says:

1. This week’s Torah portion begins a new Chumash (book) in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) named Vayikra (Leviticus). Chumash Vayikra mainly deals with the sacrifices that the Jewish people brought to Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) and it details the work of the Kohanim (the priests).

2. The Torah is everlasting and its lessons are eternal beacons of light which guide the life of every single Jew throughout every generation.

If this rule is generally true with the whole Torah, it is especially true with the lessons that we can learn from the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) because every single Jew is a “miniature Beis Hamikdash”. As we have pointed out many times, when Hashem promised to rest in the Tabernacle He said, “Make for Me a Temple and I will rest in them” , and our Sages explain that Hashem said, “in them”, in the plural sense, to tell us that every single Jew is just like His Temple in that if they act according to His will He will rest in them.

From this it’s understood that every service which was done in the Beis Hamikdash must also be practiced by each individual Jew who is a “miniature” Beis Hamikdash and therefore the lessons that we can learn from the Beis Hamikdash are especially pertinent in our daily lives.

3. The Rebbe now discusses one of the main services which were performed in the Beis Hamikdash:

Being that every Jew is a “miniature” Beis Hamikdash, it would be most fitting to take a lesson from one of the chief services practiced daily in the Beis Hamikdash.

The “Korban Tamid” (the “constant sacrifice”) was brought twice daily as a sacrifice to Hashem; once in the morning, before any other service began, and once in the evening, after every service was finished. The Korban Tamid consisted of one sheep, a little bit of wine and oil, and a pinch of flour and salt. Every Jew was responsible to pay for these sacrifices, however they did not each have to sponsor their own individual Korban Tamid, there was a communal fund which bought these sacrifices and brought one sacrifice on everyone’s behalf in the morning and the evening. In other words, when they split the cost of these twice daily sacrifices between the entire community, each person only had to donate a small amount.
This teaches us a very important lesson. The most important factor in a person’s service to Hashem is not the quantity, it’s the quality. Hashem does not demand that we give everything we have and burn it on the Miz’beh’ach (the Altar); giving a small amount with a full heart is what causes “A pleasing fragrance for Hashem” ,.

There is another aspect of the Korban Tamid which teaches us a significant lesson:

The Korban Tamid only took up a small amount of the day; it was only on the Miz’beh’ach (the Altar) for a few moments in the morning and a few moments in the evening. Never the less, the Torah refers to it as the “Korban Tamid – The constant sacrifice”- the sacrifice which continuously permeated the entire day. This also explains why the Korban Tamid needed to be brought before any other service even began- so that every service which was performed throughout the day would be infused with the energy of the Korban Tamid.

This teaches us how we should run our lives. Even though the bulk of our day is spent dealing with our needs, and the G-dly light is not apparent in them, we can infuse them with holiness if we start off the day with the “Korban Tamid”. In practical terms this means saying the “Modeh Ani” prayer immediately upon awakening and making a firm decision that your day will be a G-dly day.

4. In the same vein, the Rebbe continues to discuss the comparison between the Korban Tamid and the Modeh Ani prayer:

Our Sages in the Midrash tell us that the Korban Tamid brought forgiveness for (certain) sins done prior to the bringing of the sacrifice. In other words, Hashem gave man the possibility of fixing his mistakes and filling in what he missed.

The lesson for us to take from this is that throughout life we go through different hardships and tests, and sometimes we are not able to withstand the test (Heaven Forbid). However if we accept upon ourselves anew to serve Hashem, and we affirm Hashem’s kingship with a full heart when we say the “Modeh Ani” prayer, this atones for any other ill spent hours of the day.

Beginning from the first Chabad Rebbe (leader) and on, Chassidus stresses and explains that even if a Jew falls through (Heaven save us) he must not totally despair and feel helpless, and surely can never give up (Heaven Forbid). On the contrary, he must strengthen himself and correct his wrongdoing, and hope that Hashem accepts his Teshuvah (repentance).

May our acceptance of Hashem’s Kingship immediately upon awakening in the morning give us the strength to instill a feeling of subservience to Hashem throughout the entire day and bring Moshiach (the Messiah) now!

Translated and adapted by Rabbi Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos volume three, first Sicha.