6 Nisan, 5785 - Tikkun Olam 47

on April 4, 2025

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 6 Nisan, 5785

Good morning! Today we are shifting into some energies designed to agitate us into action. If you encounter things today and feel agitated? The question we should be asking is; “What is this designed for me to do? What action is this requiring me to take that I was unwilling to take before?”

The Torah portion today? We continue looking at relational conflict. We’ve looked at forgiveness from a place of forgiving others for our own benefit.

When it comes to asking for forgiveness? It is for theirs.

We discussed yesterday how power matters more than intent – our intent is not relevant if we are in a place of power.

Today though? We are looking at our intentions.

Forgiveness is often about us – and there are times forgiveness is more about the other person because we want connection.

Even if our intentions were not to hurt someone – and we did – because of fear?

This morning, I read in Mark Nepo’s “Book of Awakening” this passage:

Unintended hurt is as common as branches snapped in wind. But it is the unacknowledged hurt that becomes a wound. Just as our only recourse to falling down is getting up, our only recourse to hurting others is to acknowledge what we’ve done and clean up the mess. This is known as making amends, a simple yet enormous act of integrity that restores trust, and trust, after all, is the soil that holds the roots of humankind. Without it, life on Earth begins to eat itself dry.

Here are my thoughts from last year:

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:

To the sheep offering:

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;

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;

I see a difference there – do you?

These are my thoughts. What are yours?

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