Parshas Vayikrah 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
והקריב מזבח השלמים וכו' והקטירו הכהן המזבחה לחם אשה לה' ... (ג-ט,יא)
The major difference between the korban olah and the korban shelamim is the fact that the olah is offered totally to Hashem while the shelamim is shared by all parties involved. The olah stresses the gap between Hashem and man, is burned entirely on the altar, and rises to the heavens. Man has no part in it; he cannot partake of it. It belongs to the divine. The olah atones for man’s imperfections. Man’s faults and shortcomings distance him from the Almighty. He senses his many faults and weaknesses and realizes his minuteness when standing before Hashem. He approaches Hashem in total submission, with a sense of awe and fear. The olah represents the worship of Hashem with Yirah - with awe and fear. The shelamim, by contrast, represent closeness between man and Hashem. It is a banquet, a shared meal in which Hashem, the kohen and the one offering the sacrifice each partake in a part of the animal. The Torah calls this “Lechem Isheh” - a food offering, the food of Hashem since man also partakes in this special feast. Man can achieve this sense of closeness with Hashem only when he is in an elevated spiritual state. When he is “Shalem” - complete and perfect, he is worthy of sitting at Hashem’s table. Through man’s cleaving to Hashem, he achieves this state of perfection. The shelamim represents serving Hashem with Ahava - with love.
In this vein, R’ Shlomo Price zt”l recalled a beautiful parable with an inspiring message for life. One bright day, a woman walked out of her house and saw three men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She didn’t recognize them.
“I don’t think I know you,” she said to the men, “but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.”
“Is the man of the house home?” they asked. “No,” she replied
“Then we cannot come in,” they replied. “It would be inappropriate.”
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.
Her husband was surprised. “Please go tell them I am home and invite them in.”
The woman went out and invited the men in.
“We do not go into a house together,” they replied.
“Why is that?” she asked. She was truly confused now.
One of the old men explained, “His name is Wealth,” pointing to his friend, “and he is Success,” pointing to another one, “and I am Love.”
Then the old man added, “We want to make you and your husband an offer. So please go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”
The woman went inside and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed.
“How nice,” he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come in and fill our home with wealth!”
His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?”
Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion.
“Would it not be better to invite Love? The entire home will then be filled with love!”
“Let us heed our daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”
The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”
All three old men smiled. Then, the one called Love got up and starting walking towards the house. The other two also got up and followed him inside.
Surprised, the lady of the house asked Wealth and Success, “I only invited Love; why are you all coming in?”
The old men replied together, “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!”