From: office@etzion.org.il
To: yhe-parsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: Parsha61: 42 Re'eh
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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PARASHAT RE'EH
Atonement in Sefer Vayikra and in Sefer Devarim
By Rav Amnon Bazak
A. WHERE ARE THE OBLIGATORY SACRIFICES IN SEFER
DEVARIM?
Chapter 12 in parashat Re'eh is of great
significance. For the first time in Am Yisrael's history,
they are told that God will choose a place for His name
to dwell, concerning which they are told, "You shall seek
His dwelling place and you shall come to there" (verse
5). It is to this place that Bnei Yisrael are commanded
to bring all their offerings to God. The list of these
offerings, repeated over and over throughout the chapter
(verses 6-7, 11, 26-27), is most surprising. The various
voluntary sacrifices (burnt offerings, peace offerings,
gifts and tithes, vow offerings and first-born animals)
are mentioned each time, but nowhere is there the
slightest hint of the obligatory sin sacrifices, brought
to atone for the nation - the chatat and the asham.
Elsewhere in Sefer Devarim we find the same
perplexing omission:
"Whole stones shall you use to build the altar of
Hashem your God, and you shall offer burnt offerings
(olot) upon it to Hashem your God. And you shall
offer peace offerings (shelamim), and you shall eat
there, and you shall rejoice before Hashem your God."
(27:6-7)
Why does Sefer Devarim ignore the obligatory
sacrifices? The answer, it seems, is related to the
fundamental character of this Sefer and the unique
perspective that it offers concerning the concept of
atonement.
B. "AND HE SHALL ATONE FOR... THE IMPURITIES OF BNEI
YISRAEL"
The effect of sin, as we know, is felt not only by
the sinner. Sin has an effect on the nation, on the land,
on the Sanctuary, etc. The process of atonement, which is
directly related to sin, is likewise meant to affect each
of these spheres. It is interesting that two Books of the
Torah deal with different planes of this issue, each
describing a different sphere that sin effects, and
correspondingly describing a different process of
atonement.
In Sefer Vayikra, the process of atonement is
straightforward. In chapter 4, during the description of
the various chatat sacrifices, it is clear that atonement
is achieved by means of the sacrifice and by marking the
horns of the altar with the blood and sprinkling the
blood. For example:
"And if the whole congregation of Israel sin by
mistake. the congregation shall offer a young bull as
a sin offering. And the anointed kohen ... shall dip
his finger in the blood and shall sprinkle it seven
times before God... And he shall place some of the
blood upon the horns of the altar before God. and THE
KOHEN SHALL ATONE FOR THEM, AND THEY SHALL
BE FORGIVEN." (Vayikra 4:13-20)
Attention should be paid to the fact that atonement
and forgiveness are dependent solely on bringing the
sacrifice and offering it to God. The verses make no
mention of a process of repentance, prayer, or a plea for
forgiveness on the part of the sinner. Moreover, the
whole process of atonement involves the actions of the
kohen, and it is he who, in effect, "atones."
Likewise, later on in the chapter, with regard to the
external chatat offerings, we are told:
"If a prince should sin. he shall bring as his
offering a young male goat without blemish. And the
kohen shall take of the blood of the sin offering
with his finger and place it upon the horns of the
altar for burnt offerings. And THE KOHEN SHALL ATONE
FOR HIM FOR HIS SIN, AND HE SHALL BE FORGIVEN.
And if a single person sins. he shall bring as his
offering a young female goat without blemish. And the
kohen shal take of its blood with his finger and
place it upon the altar for burnt offerings. And THE
KOHEN SHALL ATONE FOR HIM AND HE SHALL BE
FORGIVEN." (4:22-31; see also 4:35, 5:10, 13, 16, 18, etc.)
What is the nature of this atonement? Why is it
dependent on the kohen and on the smearing of the blood?
The answer to this question is to be found in the
description of the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom
Kippur:
"And he shall atone for the Sanctuary because of the
impurity of Bnei Yisrael and because of their
transgressions and all their sins; and he shall do
likewise for the Ohel Mo'ed, which dwells among them
amidst their impurity. And no one shall be in the
Ohel Mo'ed when he comes to ATONE IN THE SANCTUARY,
until he leaves." (Vayikra 16:16-17)
Thus we learn that the sins of Bnei Yisrael bring
impurity upon the Sanctuary and the altar. The smearing
of the blood is like a cleansing of the holy vessels from
the impurity that adheres to them because of the sins of
Bnei Yisrael. The root of the word "kappara" (atonement)
means cleansing or cleaning (see Rashi, Bereishit 32:20),
and it is indeed carried out by the kohen, who has access
to the altars and the Sanctuary.
Sefer Vayikra therefore presents the ramifications
of sin with regard to the Temple (or Mishkan), and
therefore the process of atonement likewise focuses on
the "purification" of the Temple from the damage caused
to it by sin.
C. "ATONE FOR YOUR NATION ISRAEL"
In contrast to the use of the verb "k-p-r" (atone)
in Sefer Vayikra, Sefer Devarim uses a completely
different context: in the words spoken by the elders of
the city in the ceremony of the "egla arufa" (the
procedure undertaken when a person is found murdered
outside a city and the murderer cannot be found). After
breaking the heifer's neck in a ravine, the elders
declare:
"Our hands did not shed this blood, and our eyes did
not see. Atone ('kaper') for Your nation Israel whom
You have redeemed, God, and do not bring innocent
blood among your nation Israel." (Devarim 21:7-8)
Then the Torah adds:
"And the blood shall be forgiven (nikhpar) them."
This atonement is performed by God, through the
vehicle of the above prayer. The blemish that in Sefer
Vayikra affects the Mikdash and its altars, is portrayed
here as adhering to the nation of Israel. So long as
justice has not been meted out to the murderer, the
"innocent blood" rests upon the nation. This blemish is
removed through the breaking of the heifer's neck and the
prayer of the elders.
In light of the above, we can also understand the
difference between Sefer Vayikra and Sefer Devarim with
regard to the prohibition of eating blood. This
prohibition is given the following basis in Sefer
Vayikra:
"And if any person of the house of Israel or of the
strangers who live among them eats any blood, then I
shall set My face against that soul that eats the
blood, and I shall cut it off from among his people.
For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you on the altar to atone for your souls,
for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul. Therefore I have said to Bnei Yisrael: No one
among you shall eat blood, nor shall the stranger
that lives among you eat blood. And if any person of
Bnei Yisrael or of the strangers who live among them
hunts a living animal or bird (of those) that maybe
eaten, he shall spill its blood and cover it with the
dust. For the soul of all flesh is in its blood, and
I have said to Bnei Yisrael: You shall not eat the
blood of any flesh, for the soul of all flesh is its
blood; anyone who eats it shall be cut off." (Vayikra
17:10-14)
The reason for the prohibition here arises from the
inherent holiness of the blood - the same blood that
meant to atone for the soul upon the altar. Therefore the
blood must be treated with respect: it may not simply be
spilled upon the ground; it must be covered.
In contrast, all that we are told in Sefer Devarim
concerning the prohibition of eating blood is the
instruction that we find in our parasha:
"Only be careful not to eat the blood, for the blood
is the soul and you shall not eat the soul with the
flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it upon
the ground like water." (Devarim 12:23-24)
This verse makes no mention of the function of the
blood as atonement. While in Sefer Vayikra we are told
that "it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul,"
our parasha states simply that "the blood is the soul."
The concept of atonement here is omitted, which obviously
changes our understanding of the prohibition. In Sefer
Devarim the prohibition arises not from the function of
the blood upon the altar, but rather from its inherent
representation of the soul. The consumption of the "soul"
is itself forbidden, regardless of any other functions
that the blood is meant to serve.
Our parasha also makes no mention of the requirement
to cover the blood. On the contrary, the verse would seem
to suggest that there is no need to cover it: "You shall
pour it upon the ground like water!" Clearly, from the
perspective of Sefer Devarim, the blood has no special
sanctity, and therefore the instruction to cover the
blood is conveyed only within the context of the
perspective in Sefer Vayikra.
This answers the question with which we began: the
obligatory sacrifices are mentioned specifically in Sefer
Vayikra, since in that Sefer the Mishkan occupies a
central place. The direct effect of sin is felt in the
Mishkan, which is polluted by the impurity of Bnei
Yisrael, and the function of the obligatory sacrifices is
to purify and cleanse the damage that these sins have
caused to the Mishkan. In contrast, Sefer Devarim
emphasizes the effect of sin specifically among Bnei
Yisrael. Highlighting this point, the Torah here
completely ignores the effect of the sin on the Mikdash,
and consequently has no need to mention the obligatory
sin offerings. Instead, the Torah here emphasizes the
process of atonement for and cleansing of Bnei Yisrael,
which is based upon corrective actions and prayer.
D. THE SOURCE OF SANCTITY
The difference in perspective between the two Books
seems to arise from a more fundamental difference, which
is also related to our parasha: the idea of the source of
sanctity.
Sefer Vayikra presents the prohibitions of creating
baldness and of eating an animal that dies of natural
causes or that is torn by wild beasts, as resulting from
the sanctity of the kohanim. In addition, the Torah
explains that the sanctity of the kohanim is derived from
their involvement in holy service:
"They shall not create baldness upon their heads.
They shall be holy to their God and they shall not
profane the name of their God, for they offer up fire
offerings to God, the bread of their God, and they
shall be holy." (21:5-6)
"He shall not eat an animal that dies of itself or is
torn by wild beasts, to defile himself by it. I am
God Who makes them holy." (22:8-9)
The source of sanctity is thus the Mikdash. And since
the kohanim serve there, there are special restrictions
that apply to them.
In our parasha, however, a different picture emerges:
"You are children to Hashem your God; you shall not
cut yourselves nor create a baldness between your
eyes for the dead. For you are a holy nation to
Hashem your God, and God has chosen you to be for Him
a special nation from among all the nations that are
upon the earth." (14:1-2)
"You shall not eat any animal that dies of itself.
for you are a holy nation to Hashem your God."
(14:21)
Here the prohibition applies to the entire nation,
and again it applies because of their inherent holiness.
But while Sefer Vayikra locates the source of sanctity in
involvement in the holy service in the Mikdash, Sefer
Devarim perceives this holiness as pertaining to the
nation as a whole.
Indeed, the expression "holy nation" (am kadosh)
appears exclusively in Sefer Devarim. In Sefer Vayikra,
the command "You shall be holy" appears several times,
but there the concept is presented in reverse: it is not
the inherent holiness of Bnei Yisrael that requires the
performance of mitzvot, but rather the performance of
mitzvot (and avoidance of transgression) that makes them
holy.
It is therefore not surprising that Sefer Vayikra,
which perceives the source of sanctity as being located
in the Mikdash, emphasizes the damaging effects of sin
specifically on the Mikdash, and atonement as a process
of purification of the Mikdash. Sefer Devarim, which
calls Bnei Yisrael a "holy nation," emphasizes the effect
of the sin on the nation and relates the process of
atonement to the nation as well.
Of course, both perspectives reflect the "words of
the living God," and both spheres - although presented
separately in the two Books - operate simultaneously.
E. THE LOVE EXPRESSED IN SEFER DEVARIM
In conclusion, let us turn our attention to one
additional point that also seems to be related to the
special view of Bnei Yisrael that arises from Sefer
Devarim. It is specifically this Sefer, emphasizing as it
does the holiness of Am Yisrael, which alone describes
over and over the love of God for Israel:
"And because He loved your fathers, He chose their
seed after them and brought you out. from Egypt."
(4:37)
"For it is because of God's love for you and His
observance of the promise that He made to your
fathers that God took you out with a strong hand."
(7:8)
"And He will love you and bless you and multiply you,
and He will bless the fruit of your womb and the
produce of your land." (7:13)
"God delighted only in your fathers, to love them,
and He chose their seed after them - you, from among
all the nations - to this day." (10:15)
"And Hashem your God would not listen to Bilam, and
Hashem your God turned the curse into a blessing for
you, for Hashem your God loves you." (23:6)
Thus, Sefer Devarim provides a unique perspective
with regard to Am Yisrael. This Sefer emphasizes God's
love for the nation, and perhaps it is this love that
itself imbues Am Yisrael with holiness. And since true
love must be mutual, it is not surprising that
specifically in Sefer Devarim Am Yisrael is commanded to
love God, "with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your might."
(Translated by Kaeren Fish)
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YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
Copyright (c) 2001 Yeshivat Har Etzion.
All rights reserved.