Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 12 Adar II, 5784
Parsha Va-Yikra’ – “And He affectionately called”: (Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26)
Sixth Portion: Leviticus 4:27 – 5:10

Good morning! Today, we are getting ready for an amazing sabbath. When the sabbath ends, we will celebrate Purim!  Celebrating what Hashem has done this past year to rescue us from destruction!  We’ve been discussing conflict within ourselves and in our relationships. We’ve discussed power mattering, vs intention.  We’ve looked at our leaders and the community. Today? We go inside:

27If one person of the people of the land commits a sin unintentionally, by his committing one of the commandments of the Lord which may not be committed, incurring guilt;

Unintentional sin. We are talking about past behaviors that pull us away from ourselves and Hashem.

28if his sin that he committed is made known to him, he shall bring his sacrifice: an unblemished female goat, for his sin that he committed.

If our sins are not made known to us? There isn’t much to do. WHEN we become aware of it? Then, we have some responsibility.  We can’t get STUCK in the past. The behaviors where we hurt others – or hurt ourselves. We have opportunity in a moment – to ACT.

29And he shall lean his hand [forcefully] on the head of the sin offering, and he shall slaughter the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.

30And the kohen shall take some of its blood with his finger, and place [it] on the horns of the altar [used] for burnt offerings. And then he shall pour all of its [remaining] blood at the base of the altar.

31And he shall remove all of its fat, just as the fat was removed from the peace offering. The kohen shall then cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar, as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. Thus the kohen shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

So. When we become aware of our past sin – that happened unintentionally? Bring an unblemished female goat.  And. For the first time? We hear – “as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.”  When we ask Hashem for forgiveness, and follow Him? It’s pleasing. No shame. No guilt.

Let’s keep going….

32If he brings a sheep for his sin offering, he shall bring an unblemished female.

Wait what? We read earlier…

28if his sin that he committed is made known to him, he shall bring his sacrifice: an unblemished female goat, for his sin that he committed.

That was prescriptive. We are called to bring an unblemished female goat.

Now?

32If he brings a sheep for his sin offering, he shall bring an unblemished female.

Just sit with that.  EVEN when we make a mistake. If we bring the “wrong” animal as a sacrifice for the unintentional sin? The Torah provides us space for this.

That is forgiveness. That is opening doors for relationship.  Hashem is NOT looking for ways to punish us. For ways to come down on us harshly. He’s providing opportunities.

We’ve spent time talking about unblemished sacrifices. And. We can bring a different sacrifice.  Let’s keep going:

33He shall lean his hand [forcefully] upon the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where he slaughters the burnt offering.

34And the kohen shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and place [it] on the horns of the altar [used] for burnt offerings. And then he shall pour all of its blood onto the base of the altar.

35And he shall remove all its fat, just as the sheep’s fat is removed from the peace offering. The kohen shall then cause them to [go up in] smoke on the altar, upon the fires for the Lord. Thus the kohen shall make atonement for him, for his sin which he committed, and he will be forgiven.

Now – it’s interesting isn’t it? The one who brings a sheep instead of a goat?  They are forgiven. And. We don’t get the “aroma pleasing to the Lord” that we got before.  Compare the goat offering:

31And he shall remove all of its fat, just as the fat was removed from the peace offering. The kohen shall then cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar, as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. Thus the kohen shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

To the sheep offering:

35And he shall remove all its fat, just as the sheep’s fat is removed from the peace offering. The kohen shall then cause them to [go up in] smoke on the altar, upon the fires for the Lord. Thus the kohen shall make atonement for him, for his sin which he committed, and he will be forgiven.

That’s a subtle difference, isn’t it?

My takeaway? There is forgiveness that is about US. And there is forgiveness that is about HASHEM.

In relationships, there is forgiveness that is selfish. I am asking for forgiveness for MY benefit. I can be forgiven, and the other person forgives me.

And, there is forgiveness that is about the OTHER person. It is about a pleasing aroma.

We just got done saying yesterday – Power matters, Intent does not.

Today? It’s the opposite. When we make a mistake? Intent matters. What is our intent behind forgiveness?  Are we asking for forgiveness for the other’s benefit? Or our own?

The key difference is sacrificing in a way the other will receive as pleasing. That’s it.

Let’s keep going:

5:1If a person sins, whereby he accepts an oath, and he is a witness [to some matter] by seeing or knowing [it], yet he does not testify, he shall bear his transgression;

2Or if a person touches anything unclean, whether it is the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or the carcass of an unclean domestic animal, or the carcass of an unclean creeping animal, and it was hidden from him, he incurs guilt.

3Or if he touches the uncleanness of a human, with any uncleanness through which he may become defiled, and it is hidden from him and [later] he knows, he has incurred guilt;

4Or if a person swears, expressing with [his] lips to do harm or to do good, whatever a man may express in an oath, and it is hidden from him and [later] he knows, he is guilty in any one of these cases.

We are given a list of transgressions:

• We accept an oath/promise, and we witness a matter that violates it and we don’t not speak up.
  • Silence as a sin.
• Touching something unclean – that we were NOT aware of.
  • Both animals and other humans
• Making an unintentional oath.

And we are given a way to deal with them:

5And it shall be, when someone incurs guilt in any one of these cases, that he shall confess the sin which he had committed,

6and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he had committed, a female [animal] from the flock either a sheep or a goat, for a sin offering. And the kohen shall make atonement from his sin.

If we do any of those things, we have choice. We can bring a sheep or goat. Interesting.

7But if he cannot afford a sheep, he shall bring as his guilt offering for that [sin] that he had committed, two turtle doves or two young doves before the Lord, one for a sin offering, and one for a burnt offering.

Hashem provides sacrifices for those who cannot afford them.  Resources aren’t a barrier here.

8He shall bring them to the kohen, who shall first offer up that [bird] which is [designated] for the sin offering. He shall cut its head [by piercing with his nail] opposite the back of its head, but shall not separate [it].

9He shall sprinkle from the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood shall be pressed out onto the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.

10And he shall offer up the second one as a burnt offering, according to the law. Thus the kohen shall make atonement for him, from his sin which he had committed, and he shall be forgiven.

Now – you MIGHT draw the conclusion this isn’t a “pleasing aroma” because of the sacrifice brought. I am reflecting on the issue being the sin itself. The first round of sins we discussed were COMPLETELY unintentional.  The list of sins provided for this section? More conscious – involve ACTIONS that we didn’t realize were sinful.

The difference between:

27If one person of the people of the land commits a sin unintentionally, by his committing one of the commandments of the Lord which may not be committed, incurring guilt;

And:

5:1If a person sins, whereby he accepts an oath, and he is a witness [to some matter] by seeing or knowing [it], yet he does not testify, he shall bear his transgression;

2Or if a person touches anything unclean, whether it is the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or the carcass of an unclean domestic animal, or the carcass of an unclean creeping animal, and it was hidden from him, he incurs guilt.

3Or if he touches the uncleanness of a human, with any uncleanness through which he may become defiled, and it is hidden from him and [later] he knows, he has incurred guilt;

4Or if a person swears, expressing with [his] lips to do harm or to do good, whatever a man may express in an oath, and it is hidden from him and [later] he knows, he is guilty in any one of these cases.

I see a difference there – do you?

These are my thoughts. What are yours?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 2 Nisan, 5783

As we prepare for the sabbath, one of the concepts I’ve been reflecting on over the past few days is this idea of “release.” What do we hold onto like rocks and weights that hold us back and keep us from freedom and liberation?

The concepts in todays portion seem to center around forgiveness that allows for a release of our sins. A way to not be burdened.

There are things I’m navigating where I literally have no control. I can’t fix it. Nothing I do will change. No strategy will resolve it. All I can do is trust. And. Release. Release the burden of feeling like I NEED to fix it. Release the GUILT of not being able to fix it. Release the SHAME of the problem in the first place.

To, quite simply, forgive myself. It’s one thing to thing I’m forgiven by another. But that pales in comparison to the idea of forgiving myself.

Friends; the universe provides. Hashem provides. The problem (in my opinion) is I think we hold onto these rocks and weights; so instead of receiving provision, we can’t allow it to enter our world. So It moves past us.

By releasing our rocks and weights. By allowing ourselves forgiveness? Our hands and hearts are open to receiving goodness.

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 8 Adar II, 5782

So yesterday we looked at the high priest sins, the communal leaders sins, and the leaders sin offerings and sacrifices.

Today’s portion covers the citizen’s sin.

We start with unintentional sin; “If an individual among the citizens of the land sins unintentionally by violating any of God’s commandments which are prohibited, incurring guilt; when the sin becomes known to them, they should bring an unblemished female goat as their offering.”

The process is similar – laying hands on the head, slaughtering the goat afterwards. The priest then does their part – and in doing so, the Torah says when this offering goes up in smoke on the altar it is “a pleasant aroma for God.”

Now this is interesting. The previous sin offerings do not mention the aroma being a “pleasant aroma for God” yet when an individual unintentionally sins, the offering is a pleasant aroma.

The Torah goes on to say “The priest will make an atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.”

Friends; this is crucial. When we unintentionally sin; we can find atonement; it will be pleasant to God when we ask for forgiveness, and we will be forgiven. Period.

But wait. Catch this; the next passage is a little confusing – because we are told to bring a female goat when we unintentionally sin. But Leviticus 4:32-35 talks about someone bringing a sheep instead of a goat. What should happen.

So even though we didn’t bring the exact offering God asks for, we are STILL forgiven; it is also interesting this part doesn’t mention “an aroma pleasing to God” but it says we will be forgiven.

I’m reflecting on this. There is the forgiveness that is pleasing to God, and there is forgiveness that is just forgiveness. And that’s not a bad thing. The difference is in how we approach Hashem.

The final part of todays portion deals with various sins:

1. accepting an oath that he was a witness to a matter but not testifying; the Torah says “he will hear the consequences of his sin.”
2. A person who touches anything that is ritually impure, and they weren’t aware and entered the temple or ate from a sacrifice, they are guilty.
3. A person who touches a human corpse or a source of impurity which one can become impure, and they were unaware of the fact and entered the temple or ate from a sacrifice they are guilty if they become aware of it later.
4. If a person swears, expressing verbally to do harm to themselves or to do good to himself in the future whatever a person may express in an oath, and they forget about this oath and violates it and later remembers, they are guilty.

For these sins; the process is the following

1. When they become guilty (because they remember), they should confess the sin which they committed.
2. They should bring a guilt offering to God – a female animal from the flock- a sheep or a goat and the priest will make atonement from his sin.

And the Torah even recognizes not everyone could afford this. So there is an option for a poor person; the guilt offering is two turtledoves or two young doves – one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

The priest will offer up the first bird as the sin offering – it is a valid sin offering.

The priest will then offer up the second bird as a burnt offering; this will then make atonement and they will be forgiven.

Wow. Just chew on that for a moment. There is atonement for all of us; rich or poor!

Rabbi Aaron Ha-Levi wrote something beautiful In reference to the first two sins (accepting an oath or touching something ritually impure); that I will leave as a closing thought:

These two sins are extremely easy to transgress. Incorrect words can easily pass through your lips, and are more likely than a sin of action. Also, the laws of ritual purity are extremely complex, making mistakes very common. Despite the seriousness of these sins, God, in His great kindness, permitted their atonement with an offering which posed less financial burden in that it was adjusted according to a person’s means.

What are your thoughts?