Parashat Tzav: HaShem's Favorite Korban

In the book written by Robert new book that will be released in these coming months as it's being printed as we speak. Parshat Sav Robert Klein tells us that this parasha like the rest of sefer Vayikra the book of Leviticus is full of laws more laws than any of the other parts of the Torah. And this parasha starts off with the korbanot the sacrifices and one of them that is particularly of interest is the fact that there is korban toda. Korban toda, what's korban toda? The korban that is to say thank you to God. And this korban is different than the rest of the korbanot even the ones that are similar to it. It has different rules. There's a lot more food where part of the korban is burned part of it is eaten. But there's also 40 challot four of which are given to the cohen 36 are distributed and then it has to be eaten in a shorter period of time where you usually this whole the other korbanot you have a couple of days to do it here you only have a day. There's some interesting rules here. But the midrash midrash Buber midrash aggadah Buber in parshat Sav in perek Zayin the seventh perek seventh chapter and siman Yud Bet 12 says En chashuv lifnei Hakadosh Baruch Hu yoter min hahodaya. There is nothing more important to Hakadosh Baruch Hu nothing more important to Hashem than gratitude. Now this is not because we help Hashem in any way by saying thank you to him. But rather this is a test of our character of where we stand. And Hashem says that this korban toda is saying thank you and therefore the chachamim teach us that this korban toda is God's favorite korban. Now when would this korban typically be done? There's a verse is a verse in Tehillim where David Hamelech says "Vekhol hachaim yeducha selah." Vekhol hachaim yeducha selah says meaning that all of the living will thank you forever. This is one of the things that David Hamelech tells us but it has the hint. This chaim the word chaim has the hint of when this gratitude is going to be given. The chet as Robert Klein brings over here is standing for chabush bebeit ha'asurim someone that was in jail and now he's out of jail he has to bring a korban to say thank you to God. The Yud yisurim someone that is sick bedridden in a hospital and now is healed has to bring a korban toda. Yam someone that has traveled through the ocean which is very dangerous even till this day but certainly was much more dangerous in the past. Someone that has survived a journey through the ocean has to bring a korban toda. Mem midbar someone that has successfully traveled through the desert through the midbar also has to bring korban toda and this is all halacha in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim and siman 219 halacha number four. So here the Torah tells us that there are special times where somebody has to bring korban toda but this also is because in each one of these circumstances there's a more or less a open miracle someone that had their life at risk from a journey in the ocean in the desert they were on their deathbed practically or very very sick to the point where they could have died. So they have to bring korban toda. Now interestingly enough the one thing that we see is that this korban has different rules where there's a lot more food to be eaten as part of the sacrifice in less time. And the Abarbanel Abarbanel lived about 500 years ago Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel he was the not only one of the gedolei hador but also the chief treasurer of the government for the King Fernando in Spain until he the Spanish Inquisition where the Queen Isabella mach shima vezichra convinced Fernando to kick out all of the Jews. But since the Abarbanel was such a genius not just in Torah but in finances and helped you know Spain become literally the leading country in the world they tried to convince the Abarbanel to stay and they were even willing to allow 10 families 10 Jewish families to stay with him so he could pray with a minyan everyday but the Abarbanel of course did not agree and left everything behind and left Spain and along with the Jews that survived this entire disaster and he actually became the treasurer in Portugal. And we see from here that obviously Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted him to be successful and it didn't matter where he was. Either way the Abarbanel who wrote extraordinary commentary on the Torah he says that one of the things that we've noticed that there is this particular korban is more food in less time and if you don't eat whatever you don't eat in time you have to burn. You can't keep it for the next day. He says the reason why is because the whole purpose of this korban is to publicize God's glory publicize God's name publicize God's omnipotence God's mercy publicize God's name. And if a person has all the time in the world to eat this korbanot then a person could be you know selfish and just simply just keep it for him and his immediate family only the people that he really really loves and really really likes and that's it and so therefore the publicity of God's name and the miracle that just happened is limited. But since there is less time and since there's more food and anything you don't eat within that day has to be burned and if you end up you know pretty much not finishing and there's a lot to burn this will become a public embarrassment people will say wait a minute why you burning all this food why you destroying it? OH YOU HAD A MIRACLE WHY DIDN'T YOU INVITE US? And everyone's going to find out you're stingy Stan. They're going to find out you're nasty they're going to find out you are selfish. So the Abarbanel says the whole purpose behind the whole purpose behind this entire thing is to make sure that you invite as many people as possible and be forced to invite as many people as possible to publicize the miracle. Because gratitude is of utmost importance in the eyes of God. There's a lot of really cool stuff on our websites new features [music] and a lot more projects that are on the way that will help Am Yisrael get closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu >> [music] >> to publicize Hakadosh Baruch Hu's name and know that he is the one and only God.