Vayikra - 5th Portion

Join as we learn kumish for Thursday parasikra chapter 4 verse 1 in the book of Leviticus. Yesterday we discussed about the parts that had to be brought as a sacrifice from the peace offering. And up until now, we discussed about the different sacrifices that were brought voluntarily. Today, we begin to discuss about sacrifices that were obligatory, whether it's the guilt offering or the sin offering or the sin offering for a individual sin offering for an anointed cohane. Each one of these different sacrifices which had to be brought for a specific reason that the person was then obligated to bring a sin offering. Chapter 4 verse one. And God spoke to Moses saying verse two speak to the Jewish people saying if a person sins sins transgresses unintentionally of any of the passive commandments of God that he committed only part of them. and he only did part of them then which are passive commandments and he only did part of them then he is liable to bring us an offering as Rashi explains as follows what does it mean of all the mitzvah of God the rabbis explained that the only time that a sin offering was brought was only in a sin that The Torah talks about that such a sin the person's punishment for doing it intentionally he would either get which is considered a negative commandment and thereby receive the punishment of dying prematurely then in such a case if he does it unintentionally he would have to bring a sin offering but something which there was no uh if he did it intentionally would not have that punishment. So for example in other cases where we talk about there's different sins which is a positive commandment a negative commandment or something which doesn't there something that has under it the punishment of the capital punishment by the bezdin in any of those cases a person would not bring a sin offering for doing it unintentionally. Now what does the word mean from one of them or part of them? Rashi explains even if he only did part of it. For example, if somebody has the intention to write on chabas and he wants to write an entire word shim but he only wrote shame the first two letters which is shame or the word from which these two letters even though they're not a complete what he intended to write but they are a complete word on their own. So therefore, he is liable for that obligation, a sin offering. However, to be considered a liable obligation if he didn't intentionally to be liable to get capital for punishment that he did not get it because since he has to be warned and all the different things that come together with it. However, in this case, it is does have the punishment of dying prematurely. So therefore, he would be liable to bring a sin offering for it. Verse three, the sin offering. Now we come to circumstances which differ between a regular person or if it's a high priest or an anointed person, a member of the Sanhedrin. If the anointed high priest commits the same sin, it implicates the people because the Sanhedrin took responsibility. They were the supreme court of the Jewish people. Therefore, he would then have to bring an atonement for his sin that he sinned. He has to then bring an unblenmished young bull unblenmished to God as a sin offering explains. What does this mean? If the anointed cohen would sin, it implicates the people. It means that the Torah is coming to tell us that the the rules pertaining the obligation of a sin offering by the high priest are different than they are by everybody else. He only is obligated to bring a sin offering if it was if he forgot what the actual ruling is and he ruled on something which is prohibited and said that it's permitted. What happens if it was also this mistake came along with meaning that they also not only did he make the mistake for himself but people acted according to his ruling the it says implicated the people and it was concealed from the people from the eyes meaning from the Sanhedrin they said the wrong ruling. So then therefore not only did they not only did he make a mistake for himself but then he realized he made a mistake for himself but also people followed according to it that that's a simple interpret I'm sorry that's according to the medish the simple interpretation is that when sins when the high priest sins this implicates in the people because it is the obligation of the because the Jewish people are dependent on the that he should atone for them and pray for them and now that because of him now because of them that they're doing something wrong is he does something wrong by mistake unintentionally that means he needs to have that forgiveness and that atonement because of this it weakens the entire Jewish people as well and it doesn't allow him to atone for the people par what does he have to bring a young bull ben bucker it says a young bull with things it can bring have an older it has to be a young one and if it has to be a young one then I can think of it can be a very small one for one year old or two-year-old still has to be considered a bull so how do I get that it's an old one and a young one at the same time this is a bull that's three years old in its third year it's not considered old it's not considered young it's someplace in between verse four and bring then the spool to the entrance of the of the tent of meeting. Then he must and he in front of God will lean his hands on the head of the bull slaughter the bull of in front of God. Verse five and the anointed priest then must take the blood apart from the blood of the bully and will bring it inside the tent of meeting. What? Rashi explains he brings it into the holy temple, the tabernacle and in the time of the mdash he would bring it into the time of me and he brought it in inside the actual sanctuary itself. And then verse six, and the cohen would then dip his finger into the blood while he's in the tabernacle itself in the actual sanctuary in the holy temple. That's when he would dip his finger into the blood. It would sprinkle from the blood seven times in front of God. That means towards the holy part of the curtain that would separate the sanctuary from the holy of holies. That's where he would sprinkle that blood meaning towards the place of holiness and the part of that it's holy. Babad, you would have to intentionally try to sprinkle the blood that it should land between where it would be directly in between the two poles that were protruding into the curtain so you knew where the two poles were. However, the blood but the blood would not touch the actual curtain. But if they happened to touch the proc error, it wasn't considered a prohibition, but technically speaking, he tried that it shouldn't touch the actual curtain. Verse seven, Then afterwards, the priest, the Cohen would then place some of the blood on the four protrusions of the incense altar in front of God that was in the sanctuary. The rest of the blood he would then take and poured out by the base of the altar of the ascent offering which was in the courtyard of the altar of the holy temple or by the s courtyard of the tabernacle which was at the opening at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Verse seven, what does it mean? all the blood sharam that means the leftover blood being that some of the blood he already used to sprinkle in front of the curtain whatever was left he would then go and pour at the base of the outer altar. Verse eight. And then he will then take he must remove all the sin offerings, bull fat, the fat from it, the remove from it, the fat that was covering on the inards and all the fats that was on the inards itself. He would then take it off which we would talk about maybe it's the small intestine and all the different inards that he would have to remove to be able to bring it onto the altar. Technically it should have said because we know it's about a bull. So she should just say the fat of it. Why does it have to tell us again that it's a bull? This includes that the bull that they would bring on for an atonement that that one it says that one has to also bring the kidneys and the fats that was on the liver and as well from the word I learned that he has to comes to include. So too that any goats that were brought because of a sin that was done because of idol worship as well that that has to be brought on the altar as well and it comes to include that to the kidneys the fats and the piece of the liver as well has to be removed from it. Why doesn't he say that he if he already says he has to remove it? Why does he has to say has to be uplifted and taken from it. So what does he mean to tell us? It's adding that even the parts that he has to take off the fats that may be connected to the intest intestines. He shouldn't cut it before he removes the fats from it. Um, and only after he removes the fats, then he can cut it out of the animal. That's it's learned. That's the way it's explained in term verse 9 and the two kidneys and the fats that's on them that's on the um flanks of it he must remove as well and the diaphragm along with the kidneys and along with the parts of the liver he should remove them. So not only the franken that are the sides of the kidneys, the kidneys and the and the fats that's on the diaphragm of the liver as well as on the kidneys all have to be removed. Verse 10, the same that all these fat parts were removed from the bull that was a peace offering. And so to the cohen brought them as a sacrifice on the on the ascent off on the ascent altar as the ascent offering. So two was the sin offering. Verse 10. Why does the Torah tell me like it was done by the peace offering? The same way those pieces that were cut off and they were brought and it's explained by the peace offering. The question is, didn't he just enumerate it the same way? He already enumerated it by the peace offering. So why does the Torah have to tell me just like you did by the peace offering, you're going to do it here? If the Torah just enumerated all the sections like he did by the peace offering it's coming to say it's coming to compare it to the peace offering just like the peace offering had to be for the sake of a peace offering. So too this is for God. This becomes a sacrifice for God and the person has to have the intent that it is being brought as a sacrifice for God as well. Another explanation just like by the peace offering we explained that it's called peace because it brings peace into the world. So too even though it may be a sin offering but it's bringing peace into the world by the very fact that the people are being atoned for their sins when it comes to the slaughtering of these holy animals. The verse needs to tell us to tell us about the general rule being that generally we don't learn from one fact to another when it comes to the holy items and the sacrifices and therefore the Torah has to tell us clearly and it's going to tell us by all the different types of sin offerings and peace offerings. It will enumerate all the different details about that sacrifice because we don't learn though and generally throughout the Torah we can learn one rule from another rule. However, when it comes to the idea of the uh of these holy items which were the sacrifices that were brought, generally we will not learn from one verse to another. And each one is a standalone Torah reading. And that's why you'll notice over here these three sections tell us about the three different kinds of sin offerings that are discussed. All these different terminologies and these are all an extra that means besides all the things that they may have the liver the kidneys telling us everything that you have not that you're putting them one on top of the other but this one and another one and another one that you should make sure you have all of them as well. Verse 12. Verse 11 and the skin of the uh the and the bull's hide and all its flesh its head and its legs and its inards and its waste matter. He must take then the entire bull all this that we just mentioned and take it outside the camp to a clean place to a pure place to the place outside the camp which was considered as a ash depository as will be explained later as well will be burnt wood and fire in this ash depos depository that was there even if there happens to be that there's no ashes They all should be burnt. Rashi explains as follows being that there were places outside the city that were also there to put the impure items. For example, let's say if they were taking down a home that had and they had to then take those stones and take it out to a place they were impure and they also had to be taken outside the year or leak or to the cemetery was outside the city. Therefore he says clearly therefore the has to tell me when I tell you now to take it outside the camp I'm not talking about outside the city there has to be a place which is clean which is pure not where the place where the cemetery is or where they placed all those um stones or that became contaminated as well outside the camp meaning we know that there were three camps that the Jewish people set in the inner camp which was where the actual um tabernacle was. Then there was the perimeter which was Mah Levia which was the Levites camp and then around that was the Mak is which where the rest of the Jewish people stayed. When it says take it outside the camp it has to be taken outside all the three camps not just in the Mak when it came time in the holy temple where did they take it then it wasn't the camps then they had to take it outside the city of Jerusalem which that was considered as outside the three camps. Commission like the rabbis explained in the tracked of Yuma and Sanhedrin. What does it mean? The ash depository that means every single day they would clean off the ash from the altar and they would put it out the side of the altar. Then they would have to take all that ash and take it to another place and that was the place that they would take it and put all the ash. They would have to take all the ash, bring it outside the camp. And there was a place that they would keep all the ash. So therefore, he says, you take these things as well and bring it to that area. Why does the Torah have to say repeat itself again? It should be placed on the ash depository. Even though over there there may not be ash because for whatever reason there is no ash, still that's the area that you're going to put all the leftovers of this animal. verse 12 uh verse 13. Now we're coming to a case where the sin offering of the Sanhedrin the if the Sanhedrin who is now considered the entire community of the Jewish people make a mistake and this is because a correct the correct decision of the matter eluded them. They were did not say the correct uh answer and the banner eluded them from the eyes of the community. The eyes of the community referring to the leaders of the community and they transgressed any of these passive commandments that should have not been done as we mentioned these passive commandments then they are incurring a guilt rash. What does this mean? Who is the who is this considered the community of the Jewish people? So Rashi explains and this refers to the Sanhedra the supreme court of the Jewish people. It eluded them. That means they made a mistake in one of the things in the Torah which the punishment is a premature death and they said that something that's prohibited that they said that it's permitted that not only did they make the mistake of saying this law but also everybody followed according to what they said. Then when the sin that they have committed has been discovered then the community must bring a young bull offering and will bring it before the tent of God. Verse 17 uh 15. Then the elders of the community will put their lean their hands on the head of the bold in front of God and they will slaughter this bold in front of Hashem. Verse 16. Then this blood would be received in a vessel. The anointed Cohen would bring some of the bull's blood and he would bring it into the tent of meeting. And we learned that this if this would happen in the time of the temple he would bring it into the sanctuary. Then while standing in the sanctuary then the cohen would dip his finger into the blood would sprinkle seven times in front of God in front of the curtain where the poles were protruding of the ark. Let's see over here it does not say the holy curtain. However, he says the holy curtain. What's the reason why over here he calls it does not say the holy curtain in front of the holy tablets? of Medina. This is an example for a king who his uh commun his kingdom went against him. If some of the people made a mistake, did something wrong, at least he has his own people, his own entourage, they're all with him. They're all on his side. However, but if everybody did something wrong that means he doesn't anymore want to be with his entourage, his ministers, his parliament, his government is what are they worth? Because since everybody's doing everything wrong. So too when the only one that did something wrong was the anointed there still the name of the holiness on the holy sanctuary. But over here in this case when everybody followed what they said that the whole Sanra made a mistake and all the Jewish people did something wrong then you got a bigger problem. God forbid they say that now the God's holiness is now gone away and therefore he only calls it the curtain but does not say the holy curtain. After he finishes sprinkling the blood, he puts also some blood on the protrusions of the altar that's in the holy temple made that's in the tent of meeting and the leftover blood. He pours out at the base of the ascent altar which is outside at the entrance of the tent of meeting where he would do this. This was at the western part of the altar which this was directly opposite the entrance of the tent of meaning of the tabernacle. Verse 19, he must then separate all its fat from it and then burn it up on the outside altar. verse 19. Even though over here he doesn't explicitly say which fat and what kind of fat still in all we learn being in the next verse it's going to say in verse 20 and they'll do to this bull like they did by the other bull. Therefore, we know that the same was done. Why over here? Why doesn't he explain clearly decisively what should be done? The teachings of the the learned imagine a king which his own friend disappointed him and therefore he's upset at his friend. However, he doesn't want to detail all the uh pain and suffering that his friend caused him. So therefore, the Torah in this well be this way as well because he loves the Jewish people as well doesn't detail what to do when it comes to a disappointing time that all the Jewish people may have sinned against God. Verse 20. Verse 19. Uh verse 20. And he will do to this bull like he did to the bull of the sin offering. So too will do to this one will be as an atonement for them. And they will be forgiven like he did to the sin offering like we explained. As it's explained, Mashiach by the bull for the anointed coin and what he did wrong said and this includes that he has to bring the uh diaphragm and the two kidneys and he explains but he doesn't go explicitly here this is because when it comes to the fact that he duplicates the idea and the mitzvah when it comes to giving the blood in the different places and why does he duplicate that meaning if The Torah wanted to tell us uh do the same as he did by the coin. He could have said it by everything. Why does he enumerate how he sprinkles the blood but doesn't enumerate the different fats that had to be brought? And Rashi explains this is because that if he missed out doing any of these sprinklings of the blood pos would be considered unfit and invalid. Because we do find by those sin offerings where the blood was sprinkled on the outside altar that if one person just did it in one shot then it's considered an atonement. And therefore over here therefore over here he says that if when a regular sin offering if a person does it on the outside altar in one shot the coh does it is considered fine. However when it comes to these sacrifices these are unique that they have to have the exact description they have to follow. It cannot be all done at once and therefore it has to be seven times and only that way is it a valid sin offering for atonement. Verse 21 and then he will take out the bull outside the campus will burn it the same way he burnt the first bull. This is considered a sin offering of the community. Verse 22. We now go to the next communal type of sin offering and this is of a leader. So we had of the Sanhedrin, we had of an anointed cohen and now we come to a leader. If a leader of the Jewish people sins unintention unintentionally and he doesn't transgresses any of the passive commandments of God where he should which as we mentioned it was a passive commandment. This was unintentional and therefore he bears guilt because of it incurring guilt. 22. Why does the Torah use this terminology when or if the word a in this case can also come from the word ash lucky lucky is the generation that a leader realizes that he did something wrong and he needs to ask for atonement for something that he's done wrong. How much more so if he gives attention and gives heed to things that he did did intentionally and he recognizes to do tasha for them. How lucky that generation is for somebody that has that humility to come to recognize that they've done something wrong or the sin that he committed was made known that he committed but with it will bring a sacrifice. It's going to be a goat or male tim unblenmished. What does it mean or was known? If people found out about it, that means it got known. We find the word oi can be also transferable or used interchangeable with the word if like we learned in the book of Exodus or if it was known that he became a goring as well. What does it was known to him because when he thought it was okay, he thought it was permissible. And only afterwards did he find out that this that he did was prohibited. Verse 24, he'll lean his hands on the head of the goat. He'll slaughter it in the place where the offering is slaughtered in front of God. This is a sin offering. What's the place that the offering was done that was in the north like we explained by the ascend offering what does it mean it isn't sin offering meaning he has to make sure that it's done for the intent of a sin offering then but if the offering was done not for the proper intent that means he thought it's just a regular donation he didn't want to clearly explicitly state that it's being brought as a sin offering then pussle it's unfit and it's not considered a proper sacrifice. Verse 25 will then take from the blood of the sin offering with his finger and he will put it on the corners of the ola altar which is the outside altar and its blood. The rest of its remaining blood will be poured at the base of the altar. He tells us this was the remaining blood. Verse 26 and all its fats will be then brought on the altar just like the fast that was brought by the peace offering and then the coin will atone him from his sin and he will then be forgiven says just like those pieces that were explained that when a person brings a sin offering that's a goat what pieces are brought upon the altar that mentioned by the peace offering so too by the an offering would be the exact same pieces.