TORAH PORTION

THE CULTURAL COMMISSION

of

CONGREGATION IYNAI DAVID

Cordially Invites You to Hear

A Means Of Atonement
Greater Than Sacrifice

RABBI RICHARD HERTZ

Special to The Jewish News

T

he first thing one no-
tices when reading the
Torah portion this
week is the elaborate descrip-
tion of the ancient ritual for
sacrifices. Why does the Torah
go into detail about rituals
like the burnt offerings, the
meal offering, the sin offering,
the guilt offering, the offering
of ordination and the sacrifice
of well-being? What's behind
all this? What do sacrifices of
animals have to do with being
religious or spiritually com-
mitted to God?
Throughout the ages, at-
tempts have been made to
find a spiritual meaning for
the sacrificial system describ-
ed in Leviticus. Nearly all
directions for these sacrifices

Tzav
Shabbat Parah:
Leviticus 6:1-8:36,
Numbers 19:1-22,
Ezekiel 36:16-38

have ceased to function in our
time. Once the Temple was
destroyed, the rules for
sacrifices lost relevance to
one's spiritual and moral con-
duct. Most modern Jews
regard these sacrificial prac-
tices as out of date. They do
not want or expect them to be
revived.
Yet, to appreciate the mean-
ing of this sedra, one must go
back to ancient times when
sacrificial cults were a part of
all religions, especially those
of Semitic peoples. Sacrifice
as evolved by the ancient
Israelites was a gift to God to
show the worshiper's
obedience.
For the ancient Semites,
however, sacrifice was
primarily a means of
establishing a close relation-
ship with the deity. Blood
played an important part in
the ritual. The blood of
sacrificial animals was
sprinkled upon the altar. In
those days, blood was regard-
ed the seat of life. It served as
the sacramental uniting of
man with the deity. Both man
and the deity shared in the
eating of the flesh of the
sacrifice, thus making it a
sacramental meal. From
earliest times, people felt the
need to offer something
precious to their gods,
sometimes as an expression of
gratitude, sometimes as a way

Richard Hertz is rabbi
emeritus of Temple Beth El.

MAJ. GENERAL

of speaking to the mysterious
gods who were frequently
hostile, as well as beneficent.
The Torah tried to wean the
Israelites away from such
pagan, cultic practices.

After the destruction of the
Temple, the ancient Israelites
freed themselves from the
idea of sacrifice as a means of
uniting them with God. In-
stead, they made the sacrifice
a symbol of service. Earlier,
the prophets denounced
sacrifice as an institution un-
suited to a spiritual concept of
God. The prophets bitterly re-
jected the sacrificial cult of
their times and sought a wor-
ship of God based on devotion
and righteous acts of social
justice and loving kindness.
The prophets railed against
the sacrificial system. Amos,
in his classic sermon (Amos
5:22-25), said that God desires
not burn offerings, meal offer-
ings or sacrifices of fat beasts,
but rather, "Let justice roll
down like water and
righteousness like a peren-
nial stream." Likewise,
Jeremiah and Isaiah, Hosea
and Micah, all spoke to the
question of whether God
wants burnt offerings or
righteous conduct. They
feared ritual would be
substituted for morality.
In the early period of
biblical history, sacrifices
could be offered anywhere.
Only later was this limited to
the Temple in Jerusalem. The
first seven chapters of
Leviticus describe in minute
detail the manner of the
sacrifices. Strict regulations
provided that only animals
without blemish could be
used. The biblical theory of
sacrifice is the basis for a
talmudic treatment of the
subject. Even though the
Temple • had been destroyed
and the sacrificial cult in
Judaism had come to an end,
the sacrifices were elaborate-
ly discussed, perhaps in the
hope that the Temple might
one day be restored. Later, as
this hope vanished, the feel-
ing grew that prayer, fasting
and even suffering took the
place of sacrificial offerings.
The philosopher Philo, who
lived in Alexandria at the
beginning of the Christian
era, tried to seek out a
spiritual meaning of the
sacrificial cult by explaining
these laws to be symbolic and
allegorical. Philosophers
later felt that sacrifices were
symbols of man's gratitude to
God and his dependence on
Him.
Maimonides, on the other

SHLOMO GAZIT

Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv
University and 1989 Detroit Zionist Federa-
tion Scholar in Residence.

on

"The Arab-Israeli Conflict"

11:00 A.M.

Sunday, March 26, 1989

at
CONGREGATION B'NAI DAVID

24350 Southfield Road
Southfield, Michigan 48075
557-8210
Question and Answer Period • No Chorge • The Community is Invited

Sisterhood of Temple Beth El
presents 'A SPRING HAPPENING"

THE GREAT PRETENDERS

Monday, April 10, 1989
• Babysitting available
• Luncheon 12:00
• Boutiques 10:00
Reservations by March 29
$25.00 Per Person

Proceeds to help fund 'Temple Beth El's program for students with speCial needs.

For information call Tempile Beth El
851-1100

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d

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

43