Parshat Tzav 5784 By Rabbi Baruch Taub

I am you're uh we're going ah with the shear in any case uh David you have it on record David H house is on board now he just joined so he's got it okay great thanks David okay okay let's go parat sa so I I took something that actually was on last last week's uh Shear which we didn't finish and I wanted to do it for this week because really it applies to this week also T this is the Torah of the Corbin Ola um the Corbin is was was the is the corbon that is completely burnt on the M but many times the Torah demands that the corbon should be uh let's see it should have a pleasant fragrance to God so here he we write here this is um actually I'm sorry I'm really I'm not I'm not I'm still in a porum mode okay the first piece is from the MS vuna this is from the kotar re uh the kotar never really wrote any anything that we have the saer msun is a record of from his his meet him of the things that he said okay so this is something that he said will the second piece will deal with it there's kind of a theme Here of the three pieces that I have okay let's go this is the the what a med says who in heaven is going to be to so you can think that it's talking about setting up a on the Corbin on the putting it up but mean is a word that means to put it something in order to establish something to prepare something to repare something so if I would want a Corb this by the way says you know the P says who in heaven is going to prepare for me it was the on a different League I'm not going to turn to the angels to do the Corban I'm not going to turn to the meim to to offer a sacrifice to me right I wouldn't ask mik the angel sh Lee who's right next to me to offer a who am I asking to offer Corban to sacrifice to embrace me Corban is to come close to me right to make the move right from the Jewish people the same thing with the the 12 loaves that we put every week in the on the in the in the mikash we put it on shab we set it up and then we take it off right air what is the meaning of this all about what is the medish trying to tell us a not withstanding the fact that the entire world order depends on on human engagement right that being said you can't tell me that people can do a better job than angels angels are perfect why not call on the Angels the action of an Angel is pure and clean much more than human inav human being is has has evil influences man has aara Mal don't have aara they don't have an evil inclination human being does I mean te but in terms of preparation true preparation true true movement towards God H but man has that the fact that man is imperfect the fact that Israel is imperfect compared to the malim is to the advantage of what God wants that we have to make the move the the the elevating move to towards K towards Holiness so I really want man I want man to work on himself that is the whole purpose of this world is that man should work on being uh spir upwardly mobile spiritually to coin afraid man man is is caught up in the thicket of selfishness and he's surrounded at every moment by all kinds of of impediments to doing the right thing because we are we are only human we are only human not like the the Angels the the holy and the pure essentially they won't change don't change and that's what the med is saying who is going to be who's going to establish divine order in this world who's going to set the stage who's going to set the table The Establishment the preparation the order of the world the preparation to what has to be done if it would be up to those who live in heaven they're not capable the angels are not capable of this they can't deal with it all they can do is the right there are two parts to two parts to serving of God there's the service of God and there's getting up to the point of wanting to serve God if I only wanted all the mitz to be done I only wanted a dilic society perfect world ask the angels listen get to work I want to see all the MIT done on the highest order because they're pure they're they're clean they're perfect when I command you I'm not interested in the ACT I'm not just interested in the act that it should be done right that the mitah should be done period i want I want the preparation much more than the act of the Mitzvah it's how the Mitzvah is done this this challenge belongs to the Jewish people therefore it says that's what I'm challenging B is with now this actually this piece this thought from the ker really fits in now to this piece number two from my HEB Hebrew saer it's also in English in the First dove found rest and it's a magnificent Majestic idea corbo this I had last week but it fits in this week also all of the the coin should bring the Corbin and the Corbin should Bea Corbin Ola going up on the m a Corbin that has a sweet fragrance to God there should be a sweet beautifully beautiful smelling fragrance fragrance right to God now the normal understanding of this verse that the Corbin itself has a beautiful smell like you know you put your best kind of meat on a barbecue you smell the smell of the barbecue before you even eat it though the smell of it is is fantastic right so the the most understand that this is talking about the Corbin itself right enjoys the fragrance the smell of the Corban that being said who we've quoted many times in the past May brings a totally different nuanced interpretation of this PUK of this phrase which is mentioned by all the carbon right Mayar frombar and I put his years in here from 1513 to 1586 it's news but it's not new but it's news to us when God demands that the Corban should have a sweet fragrance he's not talking about theban he's talking about the person who brings the Corb Corban we shouldn't think it's enough I'm gonna offer a Corbin I'm gonna D I'm gonna sayma I'm gonna do Shabbat I'm gonna do M it's again it th tales with what we said before it's not the Misa angels can right but there has to be aav there has to what's the intent right the prophet yesah said we had this in recently I don't want all your all your V I I I don't know I don't want all your Corb I don't want all your Corb your sin offerings your peace offerings right your thanks offering that's not what I want that you do the the Act Your Right your shabat that's not what I'm looking for that the angels can do as we saw from the CER what I want is you I want you right sweet smelling fragrance the the Jew who returns with Chua and offers a Corban and D whatever we do has to smell nice has to have that fragrance right becomes a a better person right the way of we to with with tears with petition we do acts of kindness according to one's ability we remove ourselves from the sin we're about to bring a Corban asking forgiveness and he changes his name right there's a concept in ch that a person actually changes his name a witness protection program I'm somebody else I'm not the same person who did that act he changes his ways so one more thing that I didn't put in the Hebrew actually have it in the English from from the sa cabola that a fragrant a corbon you know it's there but a fragrance you smell it even if you don't see the the the the fire going you smell it from around the corner Boro wants to smell it before the Corbin he wants to have that fragrance that we carry with us of of sincerity that we smell that we're sincere the smell of it it smells real the fragrance is real okay last piece again is going to somehow dovetail with this theme and this is from R Schwabs and this is the opening the this is the Premier Corban you're putting the whole Corban on the M offering right and the Corban is what's the Corban it's our sense of self we're not we can't put ourselves on the MB but the Corban represents our own to come close to Theon so Rashi explains why is it command the Jewish people right a z sa is a word that means to be misar to be punctilious to do it now right to do it with with all your might M immediately and for all generations tell Ain that these Corban are not just for now for his time but for throughout Jewish history shim he had something there's especially a need for Z for for telling us to be meticulous and to get to work M immediately if it's for future Generations why right when there's a loss of money when there's a certain material sacrifice here right that's the that's the Rashi what what he's referring to hopefully we're going to see both ideas here where is the where is the material loss on the part of the Kim and the people are bringing Corban so and number one what about D what does this have to do with future Generations so first he says we have to understand what what changes in the later generations that did we didn't that didn't obtain in the earlier Generations that we are commanded when we give the Corban Ola that we have to do something in the later generations that we don't do anymore that we did in the earlier Generations what changed right that it required a a particular attention that we had to give do in the earlier generations and that it should apply to the later generations and maybe vice versa so listen to what he said say the creator of the world he's here at B he warns us from the day of creation you hear the same theme don't grab right don't put aside the essence of a Corban and just stick to the T the subordinate part of theban meaning what we just saw in both pieces is the intention of the heart in fact the our doing right the that we do three times a day the they represent the corbut we gave what do we call is called by the work of the service of the heart right God wants the heart right that's the essence of a corba that the person who brings the Corbin should have a desire to purify himself and to come close to God literally leot to his creator Al Corb via the corbon but the Corbin is is a a a tool through which he puts himself on the m and his desire his his intention for Purity listen God did not turn he did not accept he rejected C's poan he only accepted he's poan right he gave me so no he gave the best the best of what he had put himself out right Ken brought he brought me he brought from what he had right so so he told him he told was was upset he's and his creator told him hello you can change your ways right just just doign as we say in Yiddish you know you you doed up you know you brought a Corbin you brought something you know you went into the pantry and took out a few things and you brought them to me he he he worked at it he brought the best of what he had you just you know you brought the corbon right it's not too late for you right but if you don't do it your life is meaningless he made a mistake he thought you know if I empty out my Corbin and I take all the stuff that I have and I just bring it to him that's all I need to do right right he brought a lot but it wasn't the heart right he he brought right he brought multiple right but he didn't bring the best thisor also shol right he made the same mistake he was commanded to destroy amalik men women children and their animals shal when he went to war with right we just saw this right what did he do he he saved the animals he saved the cattle he saved the Sheep you know what I'm Gonna Save we're gonna we're gonna offer sacrifices to God but he wasn't the prophet said what did you do call you you think that God rather than listen to him he wanted you to destroy everything but you know better than God you fig yeah I know God wanted us to destroy but I'm gonna bring in these Corban right rather than listen to what he said he God really wants Corbin he's not ask he doesn't want the fat of the of the of the Rams this was the tragedy this was the this was the the mental the the the attitude of the Jews during B rich in the in the early years in the first time of the first temple but call you look in in t in all the prophets you'll see this that this was the emphasis was on bringing that Corbin not not the kavana it was just the ACT until they got to the point where said to them I don't want all your great all your I didn't I don't want this I don't want all your became an Abomination their all they wanted to do was bring the Corban without the kavana that was the tragedy of the first generation they wanted to do the they wanted to do the the without the is time pass be made by it sh when come to the time of the second temple he blew h the Jews in the second temple we learned our lesson we had the of being given the second temple we learned our lesson and the words of the prophets right and they didn't just do it right but they did just the opposite who if the essence of the Corban is my kavana which I bring my Corban my desire to reach Hashem to have a relationship with him and do chuva and and say I'm sorry so who cares what kind of carbon I'm gonna bring right I'm just gonna come with the right idea right I'll come I'll do to Hashem right maybe I won't dress properly when I doen with him right maybe I won't uh you know I won't worry about the filling that I wear right maybe I won't even come with filling right what if I so I don't bring a nice young healthy animal I'll bring an older an older animal as a Corbin right doesn't make a difference I just the main thing is I want to come to you God right thei gave them mus and exhorted them not because they lack the proper intent you need both you need both items here and the last prophet of the Jewish people Mal said you brought to me loome animals what's wrong what did I do wrong you took the children of God and you you put you put the lowest kind of an animal on right you put up a blind animal you put up a wounded animal an injured animal you took you saved your money right you saved your money your best flocks your best animals and you put up the worst stuff the stuff that was not worth anything that's what you sacrifice would you give this to a governor wouldn't give this to the king a Earthly King you wouldn't give this as a present to an Earthly leader right the the rebuke was for the sin of the later generation that according to God who looks into our hearts and knows what we're thinking the main thing to him over the next column he just wants the heart God wants the heart right you know it's like I've told you before a Jew once said to you know Reb said take on another Mitzvah he was giving a lot of staka he wrote a check he was giving a lot of staka he says Reb he says listen I'm a Jew at heart I'm a Jew at heart right so the re said to him you know what happens if you put all the pressure on your heart you can have a heart attack right spread it around right so they said the second generation of the the second bik God wants our heart we'll give it to him we'll save all the material wealth for ourselves right so that was a mistake even if a person has the highest of Honor when he doav right when he gives a corbon but he cannot sacrifice the act itself that the act itself should be done properly you know God he understands I speak to God okay so I won't D in time I'll do in late right I'll do in chakras an hour later it's not really time to D in sh but God understands he wants my heart so I don't have to D with a minion right God wants my heart I'll do I'll do at home right that's not you're missing half of the work that God wants from you based on this now we understand what Rashi was saying here now we can answer the question why the says means for now and for later generations for now and forever I'm commanding you this is not just for moment this for today it's for now and for for earlier generations and for later generations because he was thinking about the the second temple the later generations that you have you have made an abomination of your m is not up to par is not up to master why should we take a a very valuable animal that we can sell in the cattle market and make a lot of money it's important that we just have to our hearts have to serve God to come close to God that's the idea what was the we had to be warned because there's a question of money when it's all about money it's all about money so so the Jews did not want to let go of that in the time of the B sheni they were were holding on to their physical their material wealth and being very stingy and sparse when it came time to offer corbon to God the cavana they had good the wealth they wanted for themselves the cavana to God but he doesn't need the good carbon he doesn't need that they worried about the loss of money therefore we have to warn the future Generations also because they're they're going to be very worried about holding on to their money so we've got two generations here two dimensions of aod right the actual M itself right of doing the Corban and also how you do the Corban same theme in our time wrote this is about 60 70 years ago we have to be more careful like Rashi says here the that we shouldn't fall into one or the other of these pitfalls right either the emphasis on the kavana only right I'm a Jew at heart right or the other kav is too much about the physicality right the completeness of service to of Jewish life is a is it is a a a synthesis of kavan the service of the heart and doing the act on the highest level that it should not not to be not to sacrifice anything when I give a sacrifice to God right physically meaning and a person says I don't have to be so exact in saying in D I can d a little quicker I don't have to say every word right Al the main thing is God loves me he knows I love him I just want to do to him a little bit so you know I do a rush job right I'm ready to sacrifice myself for God so I don't have to say every word right it's a mistake we're not right you skip words we haven't filled the Mitzvah right right we love God he knows we love him but but but but he's disappointed in us because there's another there's another 50% to that that Embrace and that surrender to God it's not just the the surrender of my heart but it's the surrender of my lips and my and my and my physical actions the other side of the coin I'll say the words very clearly I'm not thinking about what I'm saying I'm you know I'm thinking about the the baseball scores or the football scores while I'm doing right that's not what God wants boy God wants the heart so we spoken tonight about the two dimensions of serving God the is not simply the nice smell from the M of the meat of the steak on the on the M it's the smell the fragrance of the Bala corbon of the Jew who brings the corbon that he has to smell clean and smell pure and so too in the the of everything we do you have to have this Duality the dialectic both dimensions in serving God of the heart and the action itself