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Orchard of Delights
the beautiful world He created. Every day, following the Korbanot
section in the Morning Service, Pesukei Dezimrah (Verses of Praise)
is recited. This section consists mainly of the Psalms of David, and
includes rousing and inspirational expressions of appreciation for
every aspect of creation. Furthermore, the final three blessings of
the Amidah, as will be explained below, also consist of thanksgiving
and praise. On holidays, the Sages even instituted the recitation
or singing of special psalms of praise called Hallel. These various
expressions of love, praise, and appreciation exemplify how the peace
and thanksgiving offerings have been transformed in our prayers.
Furthermore, tradition teaches that these offerings were called
peace offerings for several reasons: they created peace between Israel
and God; they drew an influx of peace into the world; and since the
offering was consumed by the cohanim, the individual who made
the offering, and the fire on the altar, it symbolically united the
individual, the cohanim, and God. These three reasons again show
the spiritual nature of the sacrificial act by demonstrating its power
on symbolic, psychological, and mystical levels.
Rabbi Shimon Schwab, in the introduction to his book on
prayer, Rav Schwab on Prayer, proposes a very interesting way of
understanding the Morning Service. He argues that the entire
structure of the Morning Service, from the Preliminary Blessings
until the climactic Amidah, can be likened to the process of entering
the Temple in Jerusalem and proceeding from its outer to inner courts
until one finally reaches the Holy of Holies. This model creates a most
vivid visualization and emphasizes how prayer has the potential to
recreate the Temple experience.
While some types of sacrifices, such as the elevation offering, were
totally consumed on the altar, most were partially eaten by either
the cohanim (sin, guilt and peace offerings) or by those bringing the
sacrifice (peace and thanksgiving offerings). Therefore, anyone who
eats meat can hardly claim that animal sacrifice is barbaric! Indeed,
unlike eating meat in the course of an ordinary meal or as an act of
gluttony fueled by animal desire, by offering the animal as a Temple
sacrifice and then partaking of it along with family and friends, the
animal’s death and subsequent consumption are raised to a spiritual
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11 Vayikra
This insight is so important because most people do not take the
time to deeply meditate on the Torah they learn. Without properly
meditating on the Torah ideas and concepts that we learn, the Torah
may remain one-dimensional and superficial. This need to meditate
complements an earlier comment of Rashi’s that we discussed in
the portion of Mishpatim (“A Set Table”): it is not enough to teach
people what to do without explaining the deeper reasons and ideas
contained in the Torah’s laws.
The importance of meditating on the Torah we learn is mentioned
in the evening prayers: “We will discuss Your decrees and will rejoice
with the words of Your Torah and with Your commandments for all
eternity. For they are our life and the length of our days and about
them we will meditate day and night.” Meditating on the Torah we
learn is critical for properly integrating the teachings in a manner
that makes them a substantive part of our inner consciousness and
our worldview.
Rashi uses the Hebrew infinitive lehitbonen to denote “meditating.”
This infinitive stems from the same root word – boneh (to build) –
as the word “binah” (understanding). The Talmud describes binah
as the ability “to understand [or infer] one matter from another
matter” (Niddah 45a). This ability to analyze and discover deeper
meanings is aided greatly by meditation and intense focus. Through
meditation we “build” new understandings and insights, and, in fact,
this exercise in mental construction is the main purpose of Jewish
meditation. Although there are many types of meditation, the most
uniquely Jewish ones use meditation as a means of attaining new
insights into the Torah’s text and its accompanying philosophical
foundations. These insights in turn lead to new understandings of
the world, the soul, and, ultimately, the Divine realms.
Chassidut emphasizes that although Rashi teaches that only Moses
heard the call on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, in effect God is constantly
calling to each and every Jew to enter His service, to draw near to
Him in a spirit of love and awe. The Alter Rebbe understood the
Zohar’s teaching that Moses’ soul is reborn in every generation, to
mean that there is a small spark of Moses within every Jew. He
identifies this spark with the intellect.
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