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Chazal refer to Sefer Vayikra as "Torat Kohanim (the Priestly Law), because it discusses all the sacrifices, which constituted the serve of the Kohanim. Furthermore, this book of the Torah contains all the laws that deal with Kohanim.

Before we begin this portion we will discuss the reason for sacrifices. Pay close attention to this, because it is difficult to understand the sacrifices logically. How is it possible that by one's bringing a sacrifice to G-d for a sin that he has done, the sin is forgiven? We cannot say, Heaven Forbid, that the sacrifice is like a bribe or a gift to G-d. It is true that a slave rebelling against his master might bring a gift so that the master will be reconciled with him and forgive him for his wrongdoing, but this cannot be said of G-d because all the world is His. Is it possible to give Him a bribe when everything belongs to Him? 

Furthermore, one of the foundations of Judaism is the belief that G-d is not physical. He has no form of a body nor any physical being. What benefit can G-d possibly have from a sacrifice? If it is food, it is only fit for flesh and blood. 

There are many reasons why a sacrifice can atone for sin. There are reasons that are so deep that the human intellect cannot fathom them. We will discuss only those reasons that are easily understood. 

The first reason for sacrifice is to arouse a person's heart. He should know that when he sins and rebels against G-d his wrongdoing is very great. He should think of how lowly his body is; there is nothing lower. It is of the same substance as dust. How can he have the audacity to rebel against G-d, who is the Master of the universe? 

One should also contemplate the deeds of love and goodness that G-d has done for him. Every hour, every moment, they are without number. The entire world was created only for man's benefit. If one thinks of these things he will realize that he deserves every punishment in the world if he sins and rebels against G-d by violating one of His commandments. 

Therefore, G-d commanded that if a person sins he must repent and change his ways. Then, he must bring a sacrifice. 

The animal that is brought as a sacrifice undergoes all four of the death penalties that are administered by the courts as we shall see. The person then sees with his eyes the punishments that he deserves; but because G-d is merciful and compassionate He gives man another chance and does not destroy him. The sacrifice comes in his place, a soul for a soul. Whatever was meant to be done to the person's body is done to the animal. 

We therefore see that whenever sacrifice is discussed in this portion, the Torah never says that it is a "sacrifice to Elokim." Elokim is G-d's name that denotes the Attribute of Justice. Rather, the Torah always speaks of a "sacrifice to Hashem." We use the term Hashem to refer to the Tetragrammaton (YKVK). This is the name that denotes G-d's Attribute of Mercy. 

This teaches that G-d accepts the sacrifice of a sinner because He is filled with compassion and has mercy on the person. G-d does not want the person to die because of his sin, so He takes the animal in exchange for the human life. 

If the Attribute of Justice (Midat HaDin) had power, the sacrifice could not be accepted. The person himself would have to be obliterated for his rebellion. 

A person must meditate on what is being done to the animal. First, the animal is thrown on the ground. This parallels the death penalty of stoning, (se'kilah). It is then slaughtered. This parallels the death penalty of the sword (hereg). The animal's throat must be gripped strongly. This parallels the death penalty of strangulation (chenek). The animal is then burned on the altar. This parallels the death penalty of burning (s'refah). When a person meditates on what is done to the sacrifice, his heart becomes contrite. He says, "I am the one who deserved all these punishments, but in His great compassion G-d had mercy on me and did not want to kill me. This animal is coming in my place." The person bringing the sacrifice will then regret all that he has done and change his ways. 

The majority of things that people do involves three faculties: thought, speech and deed. 

When a person wants to do something, he first thinks about it in his mind. Then he expresses his thought in speech. Only then does he actually do it. 

Therefore when a person brings a sacrifice he must do the three things that he did when he sinned. 

First he must do a deed: press his hands on the animal's head. This parallels his action. 

Then he must recite the confession (viduy). He must confess before G-d the sin that he has done. This parallels the speech involved in his sin. 

The portions of the animal that are burned are those which involve thought and emotion: the inner organs and kidneys. This parallels the thought that he had when he committed the sin. 

This is one reason for the sacrifices. They are designed to make a person's heart contrite, to arouse him to repent. G-d thus addresses the Psalmist, "I will not admonish you, for your sacrifices and your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I will take no bull from your house nor any he-goat from your fold... For every beast in the forest is Mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowl; all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the fields are Mine...If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is Mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to G-d the sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High." (Tehillim 50:8-14) 

G-d is saying that one should not think that He commanded that sacrifice be brought because He needs it or because He has any benefit from it. G-d says, "I will admonish you if you sin and bring a sacrifice to me." G-d says, "If I had need of a sacrifice I would not have to tell you to bring it from your house. All the animals of the field belong to Me. I have beasts on a thousand mountains." 

Furthermore, G-d is not like a human being who must eat and drink. G-d does not have to ask for a sacrifice as His food. A person should not think this way at all. 

G-d only asks for thanksgiving and confession. In addition to bringing the sacrifice, a person must admit to having committed the sin. He must then repent and do G-d's Will. 

The second explanation that some give is that G-d commanded us to bring the sacrifices so that the kohanim (priests) would have a livelihood. They did not have any crafts or any businesses with which to earn a livelihood because they constantly had to be involved in the Temple service. The kohanim therefore needed some income so that they could live with their minds free to serve G-d. The sacrifices were thus like giving hidden charity to the priests. 

It is thus written, "Doing charity and justice is more acceptable to G-d than a sacrifice." (Mishlei 21:3) This indicates that G-d commanded us to bring sacrifice, not because He needs gifts, but so that the Kohanim would have a livelihood. 

Furthermore, there is judgment when one brings a sacrifice. As a result of the sacrifice a person's heart becomes contrite and he repents. 

That is what is desired by G-d, not the sacrifice itself. 

The third reason that some cite is that the sacrifice is like a fine imposed against a sinner, causing him to spend money. If he has a monetary loss because of his sin, he will not do it again. He will realize that the sin has been very expensive for him. It is told that a wealthy man once had thoughts of sin but did not actually sin. He wanted to repent of the evil thought he had by bringing a sacrifice. As we shall see, the burnt offering (olah) is brought to atone for evil thoughts. 

This wealthy person took two doves to the Temple as his sacrifice. He asked the Kohen Gadol to offer them as a burnt offering. 

"I will not offer this sacrifice," said the kohen. "It is not yours." 

The wealthy man returned home very depressed. He could not understand why the had refused to offer his sacrifice. His relatives asked him, "Why are you so depressed?" 

He answered, "I went to the Kohen Gadol and asked him to offer a sacrifice for me. He refused, saying, 'This sacrifice is not for you.'" 

"What kind of sacrifice did you bring?" 

"Two doves as a burnt offering." 

"The Kohen Gadol told you correctly," they replied. "When the Torah designates two doves as a burnt offering, it is only for a poor person who cannot bring a bull. But you are wealthy. The Torah obligates you to bring a bull as your sacrifice. Now go bring a bull and you will see that he will offer it for you." 

The wealthy man said, "Look how serious a sinful thought is. Because of a thought of sin alone, a person must bring an animal as a sacrifice. If the mere thought of sin is so great, then I accept upon myself to keep my mind from any thoughts of sin." 

From that day on, this wealthy man devoted his life to Torah study because there is no remedy for evil thoughts as good as that of the Torah. As soon as a person takes a book and begins to study, all evil thoughts depart from him. 

This wealthy person immersed himself in the Torah so as to banish all evil thoughts.
As time passed this man became a great scholar. The people called him, Yehudah Acharah, which means, "the other Yehudah." 

They gave him this appellation because he was not the same person whom they had known before. Previously he had been an ignorant man; now he was a totally new human being, a major scholar. 

The fourth reason given by some authorities is that a person should meditate and have his heart aroused. When the animal is brought as a sacrifice, the person sees that it is slaughtered and burned and reduced to ashes. When he contemplates this, he realizes that this is the final end of man. 

When a person meditates on this, he will not follow worldly enjoyments. He will realize that it is all vanity. A person brings nothing to the next world except the observances of commandments and good deeds and the charity that he does in this world. 

When a person meditates on the day of death, his heart becomes contrite. His dedication to Judaism is then renewed. This is why the Torah mandates that three parts of an animal be burned: the fat, the kidneys and the lobe (or diaphragm) of the liver. It is these three things that cause a person to sin. 

The fat causes a person to sin, as it is written, "Yeshurun became fat and rebelled." (Devarim 32:15) If a person is immersed in luxury he can very easily be led to sin. 

The kidneys are responsible for advice and emotion. These emotions bring a person to sin. 

The liver makes a person lose his temper; it makes him feel important and proud. This causes him to be drawn after worldly delights. 

These three particular parts of the body are burned on the altar to teach that a person must remove all bad traits and worldly desires and not be destroyed by them. 

It is possible that this was what King David meant, "A true sacrifice to G-d is a contrite spirit." (Tehillim 51:19) What G-d really desires as a sacrifice is that a person's heart should become contrite when he sees how the sacrifice ends up. He must realize that his end will be the same as that of the sacrifice. When a person contemplates this he will be sure to repent. 

The fifth reason given by some authorities is that G-d commanded us to bring sacrifices to wean the Benei Yisrael away from idolatry. 

When the Benei Yisrael were in Egypt they were greatly immersed in idolatrous practices. They saw the Egyptians worshiping the sign of Capricorn, (taleh, the kid). The Egyptians would not allow any sheep to be sacrificed and they hated all shepherds(Bereishit 46:34) because the sheep was their idol. 

There were other nations who worshiped demons (shedim). They would not permit goats to be sacrificed because they said that demons would incarnate themselves in the form of goats. This is the reason that demons are referred to as se'irim as we find in the verse, "They shall not bring their sacrifices anymore to demons (se'irim)." (VaYikra 17:7) Here the word se'irim denotes demons even though its usual connotation is goats. 

There were also some nations that worshiped the sign of Taurus (shor) the bull. Like the Hindus today, they considered the cow sacred and did not allow any type of cattle to be slaughtered. In order to prevent the Benei Yisrael from becoming involved in these types of idolatry, G-d commanded that these types of animals be brought as sacrifices. These were the species that were worshiped by the nations. Even though the nations might consider these animals to be gods, in order to show that there is nothing to this worship, we bring them as sacrifices to G-d. 

The Torah therefore says, "From the animals, from the cattle and from the sheep you shall bring your sacrifices." (VaYikra 1:2) This indicates that sacrifices were to be brought only from species that the pagan nations considered sacred and worshiped as gods. Other animals in the desert, such as lions and monkeys, could not be offered in spite of the fact that other nations would offer such animals to their gods. This was to teach us that there is no substance to the worship of animals. 

Thus we can understand what G-d said to his prophet, "When I brought your ancestors out of the land I did not speak to them nor command them regarding burnt offerings and sacrifices. This, however, is what I commanded them: 'Listen to My voice and I will be to you as a G-d and you will be to me as a nation...'"(Yirmeyahu 7:22,23) (This is in the Haftarah of the Portion of Tzav.)

One should not take G-d's words to the prophet literally, assuming that G-d did not command our ancestors to bring sacrifices. We see that the majority of Sefer VaYikra speaks about sacrifices. Also, many other places of the Torah contain discussions concerning sacrifices. 

However, the above verses can be explained in the following manner. G-d complains to the Benei Yisrael who worship idols, "I commanded your fathers to bring sacrifices not because I receive any benefit from them; rather, I commanded them to bring sacrifices to keep you away from idolatry. I did not want you to think there is any substance to these pagan gods. You would then worship Me and listen to My voice and allow Me to be your G-d. The only reason for sacrifice is to keep you from idolatry." 

The prophet then adds, "They did not listen, they did not incline their ear. They hardened their neck and were more evil than their fathers." (Yirmeyahu 7:26) G-d was saying, "You are bringing sacrifices to idols and then you bring more sacrifices to Me. As long as you are immersed in idolatry, it is better if you do not bring any sacrifices to Me at all." 

It is told that the king of the Khazars (Kuzari) asked a rabbi about the sacrifices. 

He said to the rabbi, "There is something very difficult in your Torah which cannot be understood by logic. This is the concept of sacrifice. G-d speaks of the sacrifice as, 'My sacrifice, My bread.' (BaMidbar 21:2) It appears that G-d is speaking of the sacrifice as His 'bread.' How is it possible that G-d should speak of food in relation to Himself? G-d has no body and no physical form. He is totally spiritual."  

The rabbi replied, "What G-d actually says, is, 'My sacrifice, My bread for My fire offering.' This sacrifice is not meant to be G-d's food; rather, it is burned on the altar. That is the meaning of 'My fire offering.'" 

The king replied, "If it is as you say, why does the Torah conclude by calling the sacrifice, 'an appeasing fragrance to G-d?' This would still seem to indicate that G-d receives some benefit from the sacrifice. Furthermore, what do you mean when you say that through the merit of the sacrifice G-d makes His Divine Presence (Shechinah) dwell among you? You speak of the sacrifice as a korban which means something that brings closeness (kirbah). You say that through the sacrifice, G-d brings Himself close to you and makes His Divine Presence rest among you. From the time that your Temple was destroyed and Divine Presence has been taken away from you. I do not understand this idea of the Divine Presence at all. It is a spiritual thing. How can it be made to dwell in a certain place because of a sacrifice, which has a concept of food? I also find it difficult to understand why the Divine Presence should be taken away when sacrifice is no longer brought."  

The rabbi replied, "What you say is true. As long as the Temple stood and we brought sacrifices while we were in the Holy Land, the Divine Presence rested upon us. Now we are out of our land and the Divine Presence is no longer among us."  

The king objected. "When you speak to me it is not enough that you do not answer my questions; rather, you make the matter more difficult. You are saying that the Divine Presence only rests in Yerushalayim because it is a holy place, but in other lands the Divine Presence does not rest. What is the difference between one land and another? Why is one land more holy than the next? All the lands were created by G-d."  

The rabbi replied, "The question that you asked about the difference between one land and another regarding holiness is not a valid question. You cannot deny that there are many differences between one land and another. Some lands are good for growing crops and others are not. Some lands have mineral resources such as silver, gold, or jewels. Other lands have nothing. Some lands have better gold than others. The same is true regarding other things that grow out of the land. There is a difference in quality between one land and another.  

"Natural philosophers explain that even though everything comes from the ground, its formation and life force come from the spheres and the stars. Gold parallels the sun, receiving its life force from it. Silver parallels the moon; glass parallels Mercury; while copper parallels Venus. Iron parallels Jupiter. Lead parallels Saturn, and tin parallels Mars. Other substances that come from the ground parallel the small stars that are without number.  

"Even though the sun and moon shine on the entire earth, all lands are not the same. Some lands receive more nourishment and life force from certain stars and planets and others receive less, while yet others do not receive anything.  

"Therefore you should not find it difficult to understand that Yerushalayim has more holiness than other places.  

"Furthermore, the earth is divided into seven climatic zones. In Hebrew they are referred to as nofim. The best climate of all is that of the land of Yisrael, as it is written, 'Beautiful climate (nof) giving joy to all the world, Mount Tziyon.' (Tehillim 48:3) This means that the climate of Yisrael is more pleasant than any other. We thus see that the climate is temperate and the air is good. The fruits of the Holy Land are of the highest quality, and the people who live there are healthy and strong.  

"We have a tradition that Adam, the first man, was created in the land of Yisrael because the land itself is very holy.  

"It was also in this land that the patriarchs wanted to be buried.  

"Kayin and Hevel, Adam's sons, quarreled over this land because each one wanted it in his portion. This is why Kayin slew Hevel, but then G-d drove him out of this land, as the Torah says, 'Kayin went out from before G-d.' (Berieshit 4:16) This means that Kayin left the holy place where the Divine Presence rested.  

"With regard to Yonah, the Scripture also says, 'He was fleeing from before G-d.' (Yonah 1:3) This means that Yonah was fleeing from the land of Yisrael so that the Divine Presence would not rest upon him and he would not have a prophetic experience. 

"In another place, the Torah says, 'G-d's eyes are upon it.' (Devarim 11:12) This means that G-d's providence is directed upon it and His thoughts are on that land. 

"We also find that regarding Avraham, the Torah says, 'Avraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from Yitzchak his son.' (Bereishit 25:6) This indicates that Avraham sent away the sons of the concubines so that Yitzchak would remain alone in the land of Yisrael and they would not have a portion there.  

"From this we see that among all the lands, this land is the holiest. It is the place where the Divine Presence rests.  

"Now let us go back to your first question; How is it possible that the Divine Presence, which is a spiritual thing, should be bound to Yisrael because of something physical, such as sacrifice? Obviously something physical is not related to G-d.  

"Let me give you an example so that you can understand these things and they will not be difficult for you. You know that the soul is something spiritual. It is the holy spirit that comes from under G-d's Throne of Glory. Yet we see that it dwells in the body even though the body is made of the same elements as dust. This might be very difficult to understand logically. How can something spiritual be bound to something physical? The Greek philosophers worked very hard to find a logical explanation for this. One of them said that this is something completely illogical. It is impossible for the soul to be bound to the body since they are opposites, physical and spiritual. There must be a third thing that brings them together, but the human mind cannot understand what this third element is. 

"The greatest Greek philosophers struggled with this and could not find an answer. Still, our Sages explained the combination of the body and the soul by saying that the body is not as physical as we think it is; rather the body and all its parts are holy and angelic. It is made in G-d's image. This is what our Torah says, 'For in the form of G-d He made man.' (Bereishit 1:27)
"It is also taught in our Mishnah, 'Beloved is man who was created in the image.' (Avot 3:14)
"This is why the soul is bound to the body and refuses to separate itself from the body. The soul knows how important the form of the body is and the form of all its organs. The body was created by G-d's hands and it is very holy.  

"We now understand that the soul wants to be one with the body because they have equal holiness. Nevertheless, we see that when the body eats and drinks, the soul remains in it. If the body does not eat and drink, the soul wants to leave it. This is a great mystery known only to G-d; our intellect cannot understand it. Why does the soul want to remain in the body as long as the body eats and drinks, but when the body stops eating and drinking the soul wishes to leave? The soul has no enjoyment from the food and drink.  

"We must say that the combination of body and soul is something that we cannot understand. We must assume that it is a mystery known only to G-d.  

"The same is true of sacrifices. God is spiritual like the soul; we as a people are physical like the body. Nevertheless, the Divine Presence can rest among us just as the soul rests in the body. However, this was only true when the Holy Temple stood and we brought sacrifices. Through the "food" of the sacrifices, the Divine Presence rested among us. However, now that sacrifices have been taken away, the Divine Presence has also been taken away from us just as the soul leaves the body when there is no food.  

"Just as we will understand the mystery of how the soul is attached to the body through food only when the Mashiach comes, so we will then understand the mystery of the Divine Presence. It is not our concern to delve into this now to try to find an answer. It is enough for us to see that as long as we brought sacrifices the Divine Presence rested among us.  

"This is very much like a medicine that a physician gives to a sick person. The patient does not have to know how the medicine works. It is enough for him to see with his own eyes that it heals him.  

"With G-d's help, when the Mashiach comes we hope that He will reveal to us all the mysteries of our Torah. We have this promise from G-d through His prophets, 'The people who walk in darkness shall see great light. Those who live in a land of shadow shall have brilliance upon them.' (Yeshayahu 9:1) He is speaking of the nation of Yisrael who now are in the darkness of exile. They have hope of seeing great light when the Radiance of the Divine rests upon them and they will then be worthy of understanding all the mysteries of the Torah."  

The king replied to the rabbi, "It comes out according to what you say that now, since there are no sacrifices, you are like donkeys, bodies without souls.  

"Well spoken," replied the rabbi. "I will tell you even more. Today, when the Divine Presence is no longer among us, we are like dead, dry bones. This is exactly what Yechezkel saw. However, the dry bones which are Yisrael today are better than the living bodies of the idolatrous nations. Because of the good lives that they have now they appear to be alive, but if one thinks about it, they are like dead bodies, like gold and silver statues. Because of the gold and silver they have on them they may appear alive; however, if one looks into them he sees that they are dead without souls.  

"I will tell you a story that explains this. A Sage and his students once were traveling. They found a golden statue together with a number of dead bones. One of the students picked up the golden statue, but his master picked up the bones, hugging them and kissing them and wrapping them in a garment. He then buried them. The student asked him, 'Master, why did you neglect the golden statue and pick up the bones?' 

"The master replied, 'These bones deserve honor. We must show them respect. They belonged to a very great sage. Here on the side is his tomb. I must give them honor because they will rise at the time of the resurrection and they will again have the same status that they once had. They will be even greater than they were before. However, the golden statue has only the value of the gold with which it is plated. Inside it there is nothing of value. It is something dead that will remain dead forever. It has no hope.' 

"This story explains the difference between us and other nations. The other nations, with their political power and material goods, are like the golden statue. We are like the dry bones. We suffer so much in our exile and we do not have the Divine Presence among us. We have, however, hope; we believe that when the Mashiach comes, we will come back to life and we will have even greater status than we had before.  

"You have certainly heard about many great men through whom miracles were done. All these were our people. The same is true of the patriarchs, who are so great that their names are known throughout the earth. They are also ours. We do not see among the other nations people who are so great that they perform miracles. Even though we are now in exile and are considered like the dead, look at this great miracle: We live among seventy nations, all of whom hate us because we have a totally different religion than they have. But nevertheless G-d makes a miracle, that they let us live and do not kill us."

1:1 Vayikra el-Moshe vayedaber HASHEM elav me'Ohel Moed lemor
He called to Moshe, and HaShem spoke to him out of the Tent of Meeting, saying,

The Mishkan had now been completed and assembled, and the Divine Presence was resting on it as we see at the end of Sefer Shemot (Book of Exodus).  Now, Moshe was considering the situation. He said to himself, "The entire status and holiness of Mount Sinai was only temporary, lasting for three days, until the Ten Commandments had been given.  Nevertheless, it was forbidden to climb the mountain without G-d's permission.  Even I could not climb Mount Sinai until G-d called.  This must be all the more true of the Mishkan, whose holiness and status are forever because the Divine Presence was meant to rest in it for all times.  Certainly I cannot enter until I am called by the Divine Presence."

Moshe therefore stood outside the Mishkan and waited for the Divine Presence to call him so he could enter.  The Torah therefore says, "He called to Moshe."  G-d saw that Moshe was afraid to enter the Mishkan without permission so He called to him to enter because He wanted to speak to him.

It is true that G-d told Moshe earlier, "I will commune with you there and speak to you from above the Aron Cover" (Shemot 25:22).  G-d had said to Moshe that after the Mishkan was erected He would speak to him in the Mishkan from over the Aron.  Nevertheless, Moshe did not want to go inside without being summoned. (Bachya)

Describing how G-d called Moshe the Torah uses the word va-yikra to show how much G-d cherished Moshe.  When person has a close friend, even though he is nearby, he does not speak to him until he first calls him by name.  This is because one enjoys mentioning the name of a close friend.  Here too, when G-d wished to speak to Moshe, before speaking to him He would call him by name.

Thus, wherever the Scripture uses the word va-yikra or kara, which means calling, it denotes high status and love.

We thus find that this term is used with respect to the angels.  As it is written, "They called to one another and said..." (Yeshayahu 6:3)

However, when G-d revealed Himself to Balaam and wanted to speak to him, the Torah does not use the word va-yikra, which denotes love; instead, it uses the word va-yikar(BaMidbar 23:4).  This refers to something disgusting and unclean.  When G-d wanted to grant prophecy to Balaam He acted as if Balaam were disgusting and unclean. (Rashi; VaYikra Rabbah; Bachya)

Moshe was very humble.  The Torah says, "The man Moshe was very humble" (BaMidbar 12:3).  Therefore, he did not want to write the word va-yikra with an א (alef).  Instead, he wanted to write va-yikar without the alef, which is the language used for a commoner, as G-d used with regard to Balaam.  Moshe said to himself, "I am not worthy of having such a great word used regarding me."

G-d told him, "Write the Alef because you have very great status before Me. (Baal HaTurim; Toledot Yitzchak.  Cf. Bachya)

Moshe could not write it any other way, since G-d had told him to write va-yikra.  However, he did not write the alef as large as the other letters, but in this manner, ויקרא, Moshe wanted to indicate that he felt that he did not deserve this status.  He only wrote va-yikra because G-d had commanded him to do so.  We therefore see that the alef in the word va-yikra in the Torah scroll is small.

The Alef in the word va-yikra is therefore small.  It teaches us that Moshe reached his greatness because of his smallness, because he did not consider himself to be anything.  This follows the teaching that, "Whoever flees from status has status pursue him."  If a person tries to escape authority he will find authority pursuing him and grabbing him even against his will. (Yalkut Shimoni; Kli Yekar)

There is another reason why the Alef is small.  it teaches that when small children begin to study the Torah they should begin with Sefer VaYikra (Book of Leviticus). (Kli Yekar; Sifetei Kohen)

In this book most of the concepts regarding sacrifices are explained.  The sacrifices must be offered with the ultimate purity without the slightest trace of ritual defilement.  Therefore, it should be the subject of study of small children, who are free of sin.  Those who are pure, let them study the laws of purity.

When young children study Sefer VaYikra it is as dear to G-d as if they were in the Holy Temple bringing sacrifices.

One should not think that this only true of young children   If adults repent and confess their sins and then study the portions dealing with the sacrifice to understand how each sacrifice was brought, this study is considered for them as if they had offered the sacrifice.

One should not ask of what benefit is it to study the portions of sacrifice today.  When a person studies the portions of sacrifice in order to understand the laws, it is considered by G-d as if that person were in the Holy Temple, actually bringing the holy sacrifice. (Tanchuma, Tzav)

When a person reads about the sacrifices, the breath that emanates from his mout is considered like the fire the Kohen Gadol placed on the Altar to burn the sacrifice.  This breath goes up on high and joins itself to the Supernal Fire.  It is very much like the fire that came down from heaven and joined with the fire that the Kohen Gadol placed on the Altar when he was bring the sacrifice (VaYikra 9:24). (Yalkut Reuveni)

The Torah teaches us about Moshe's humility.  Although Moshe had the authority to enter the Mishkan any time he wanted, he did not want to enter that first time until G-d called him and gave him permission. (VaYikra Rabbah; Yeffeh Toar ad loc.)

Good manners (derech eretz) preceded the Torah by 26 generations.  It is thus written, "to watch the way of the tree of life" (Bereishit 3:24).  G-d first commanded Adam to keep or to watch the way of the world (derech eretz), that is, to have good manners and proper conduct.  Only then could he be worthy of the "tree of life," which is the Torah.

If a person is careful of his manners he will be worthy of seeing the consolation of Yerushalayim.  It is thus written, "There I will show the way (derech) when G-d brings the redemption" (Tehillim 50:23).  This indicates that a person who has good manners (derech eretz) will see consolation when G-d redeems us.

It is not enough for a person to be a scholar; he must also behave properly. If a Torah scholar does not have proper manners, the carcass of a dead animal is better than he.  He is hated by people and he causes the Torah to be hated, since people assume he is a paragon of Torah.

The Torah therefore says, "He called to Moshe."  This teaches that even though Moshe had authority to enter, he did not enter until G-d called him. (Avot DeRav Natan; Reishit Chochmah; Pirkei Rabbi Eliezar)

It is proper conduct that when a person visits his friend, he should not enter the house suddenly.  He should go to the entrance of the house and call his friend from outside and knock on the door.  He must inform his friend that he wants to come in before he enters.

We learn this conduct from G-d Himself.  When G-d wanted to speak to Adam in Gan Eden, He stood at the gate of the garden and called to Adam from there.  It is thus written,"G-d called to Adam..." (Bereishit 3:9).

1:2 Daber el-b'nei Yisrael ve'amarta alehem adam ki-yakriv mikem korban l'HASHEM min-habehemah min-habakar umin-hatzon takrivu et-korbanchem
"Speak to Benei Yisrael and say to them; if a man from you will bring an sacrifice to HASHEM; of animals, cattle or sheep you should bring your sacrifice.

The Torah here tells us that if a person wishes to bring a sacrifice as a free-will offering to G-d, it must consist of a kosher animal.  A person may not bring a sacrifice which is a non-kosher animal.  Furthermore, the sacrifice must be a domestic animal, taken from the cattle, sheep or goats.  A wild animal may not be used.

It is also forbidden to sacrifice an animal that has one of the following three statuses (Rashi; Sifra; Targum Yonatan, ibid, Rashi; Tanchuma; Sifetei Kohen):

1. nirba
2. muktzah
3. ne'evad

This statement implies that three vital spiritual forces ensures the existence of the universe. Hashem would not maintain the world if not for our learning and fulfilling the Torah, if not for the chesed which we perform with each other, and if not for the sake of our offering korbanot. The sacrifices, as it were, evoke Heavenly satisfaction. By linking this world to the upper spheres, they call forth Divine radiance and blessing.

After the Temple's destruction, the sacrifices, whose service had constituted the "pillar of avodah", were replaced by the tefillot (prayers) whose wording was prophetically formalized by the Men of the Great Assembly. The profundity, the spiritual riches, contained in every single word is beyond ordinary comprehension. The tefillot, since the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, connect the lower worlds with the upper ones, just as the sacrifices used to do.

The Torah repeatedly employs the expression "ריח ניחוח" (a pleasant aroma) with regard to the korbanot. The implication of this term is that the sacrifices, as it were, gratify the Almighty. When the aroma of the korbanot ascends to Heaven, He showers Heavenly bounty and blessing upon the world.

*NOTE: Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim (3.46), explains that Hashem ordained the laws of sacrifices in order to wean the Benei Yisrael from Egyptian idol worship. They had grown accustomed in Egypt to sacrificing to idols, therefore Hashem commanded the avodah be directed to Him instead.

Ramban disputes this explanation, raising a hose of objections, among them that the concept of sacrifices was in existence long before the advent of idolatry. Chazal quote Adam as having offered sacrifices in Gan Eden, and the Torah recounts that Noach sacrificed animals upon leaving the Tevah (Ark).

The views of Rambam and Ramban are combined by a beautiful explanation of Meshech Chochmah (beginning Vayikra) who suggests that both appear logical in different areas. The permission to offer sacrifices on bamot, private altars, was granted to Benei Yisrael by Hashem mainly to counteract their tendency towards idol worship. However, the korbanot in the Beit Ha'mikdash served the more elevated purpose of uniting K'lal Yisrael with their Creator and bringing down the Divine radiance to this world. 

In support of his theory, Meshech Chochmah quotes a saying of the Gemara that the sacrifices offered on a bamah emitted no "rei'ach nicho'ach" (pleasant aroma) to Hashem.

Nevertheless, do not be misled into thinking that Hashem would be missing anything if not for our sacrifices, chas ve'shalom:

Hashem says, "I commanded that a House be established in My honor and that sacrifices be offered in it. Do you then think that I need your sacrifices? Do I require food or drink? Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the  cattle upon a thousand hills! I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. Even if I were hungry, I would not need you, for the world and its fullness are Mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" (Tehillim 50:9-12)

Clearly, the service of the korbanot, like all the rest of the mitzvot were commanded to us not for Hashem's sake, but rather to benefit human beings.

Although the laws of sacrifices are categorized as Chukim, Divine precepts beyond the comprehension of the human intellect, the commentators offer various rationales which explain the details of these laws, aside from their basic function of maintaining the existence of the universe.

Ramban explains that the sinner was greatly humbled upon witnessing how the animals was slaughtered, butchered, and burned. He would become conscious of the fact that all the acts performed on the sacrifice should actually have been executed upon him, for ultimate justice demands death for any violation of Hashem's mitzvot. The intended effect of the korban, then, is to arouse the sinner to heartfelt teshuvah.

Each part of the procedure of bringing a sacrifice was planned by Hashem to atone for some aspect of the sin. Since a sin usually involves thought, speech, and action, these three aspects of the sin all need atonement which they achieve through a sacrifice.

• Semichah - resting his hands on the sacrifice: atoned for the person's sinful deed.
• Vidui - the verbal confession: served to expiate the person's sinful speech.
• Hakravat Ha'emurim - the burning of the animal's innards and kidneys, atoned for his having gone astray in his thoughts.
• Zerika - sprinkling the animal's blood onto the altar, symbolized that the sinner's blood should have been shed because of his evil act. The animal's blood, substituting for the man's, atones for him.

The answer is that the Creator of the human psyche, understands best human psychology. He chose the most effective method of stirring us to sincere teshuvah. Of course, the Torah could have demanded of a transgressor a mere verbal confession, "I did wrong." However, the effect of the spoken word cannot compare to action accompanied by visual impression. Bringing an animal to the Beit Hamikdash, resting his hand on it, and witnessing how it was slaughtered and burned arouses in a sinner a far more profound awareness of the evil of sin than a mere oral confession of his wrongdoing.

What, however, if the intended aim was not achieved, if the transgressor merely went through all the motions of the prescribed rite of the sacrifices while his heart remained unchanged?

If this were to happen, the sacrifice would not atone for him for "The offering of reshaim (wicked ones) is an abomination" (Mishlei 21:27)

Bringing korbanot constitutes only a means to an end; and a sacrifice offered while the sinner persists in his depraved ways is repulsive to Hashem. 

Not every sacrifice, however, served to atone for sins. Some korbanot were offered as expressions of joy and thanksgiving to the Creator. Yet they all shared a common purpose - to bring a person closer to his Maker. The very name קרבן (korban) denotes קירוב - gaining proximity to Hashem. 

Now the Beit Hamikdash is no longer in our midst. The korbanot are no longer available to help us achieve closeness with our Creator and to atone for our sins. What are we to do instead?

Chazal suggests various alternatieves:

1. Tefillah - Prayer. Today our tefillot replace the sacrifices. We daven Shacharit in order to replace the korban tamid of the morning; Minchah replaces the afternoon tamid sacrifice, and Maariv replaces the offering of the emurim, all the parts of the sacrifice which were not offered during the day.
2. Study the Laws of Sacrifice: Hashem regards one who studies the laws of the korbanot as one who actually offered them.
3. Teshuvah - Repentance: Since the Temple's destruction, sincere teshuvah effects the same degree of atonement as the sacrifices once did.
4. Torah Study: Torah study outweighs all the sacrifices in the world.

Which Species are Acceptable for a Sacrifice

Domestic Animals

Hashem said, "There are ten kosher animals; three of them are domesticated, and seven are wild. Not wanting to impose upon you the strenuous task of hunting beasts on the hills and in the fields, I declared the seven wild animals unfit as korbanot. Only three animals are kosher as offerings, those which are raised in your stables.

The three animals permissble for offerings are:

1. the ox
2. the sheep
3. the goat

• The ox hints at Avraham's merit for he ran to fetch oxen in order to serve his guests well.
• The lamb is reminiscent of Yitzchak in whose stead a ram was sacrificed.
• The goat symbolizes the third of our forefathers, Yaakov, who was instructed by his mother Rivkah, "Take two good kid goats from the flock, and bring them to your father." Said Hashem, "They are truly good, not only for you but for your descendants as well. Through kid goats their sins shall be purged."

Hashem pronounced these animals kosher for offering up to Him to teach us that He always sides with the victim and not with the attacker.

Why does the Torah mention the ox before the other animals which are permissible as korbanot (1:2)?

Hashem demonstrates in this manner that the Benei Yisrael were not to be blamed for conceiving the worship of the Golden Calf. This point may be understood with the aid of the following parable:

Chickens are excluded entirely as korbanot since they are immoral birds.

Before offering a bird on the Altar, those entrails which contain its digested food must be removed. Hashem said, "Birds pick their food wherever they fly, and therefore they eat stolen food. Let the crop containing stolen nourishment be discarded before they are offered to Me." Domesticated animals, however, are sacrificed in their entirety since they feed from their master's trough.

Who is Eligible to Offer a Korban

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