A thought on Parshas Tzav

"...v'hiktir al'eha chelvei ha'she'lamim..."

"...and offer there the choicest parts of the peace offerings..." (6:5)

One of the personal offerings brought in the Bais HaMikdash was the she'lamim, which is generally translated as "peace offering" from the word shalom, or "offering of wholeness" from the word shaleim. This offering was brought for a number of reasons, although not as an atonement, nor even as a thanksgiving gesture. In fact, the she'lamim was brought quite often during times of joy and celebration. It is understandable that people have construed this offering, then, as a means of showing HaShem appreciation for our joy.

The Ralbag sees here a different theme: he reminds us that Dovid HaMelech instructs us "v'gilu b'ra'oda" - rejoice when trembling (Tehillim 2:11). The thought there is that many of us leave HaShem out of our happy times. There are times when our joy literally "knows no bounds", which is another way of saying that we lose control, and obscure our bounded sense of HaShem's Presence, as well as His role, in our being able to celebrate. We need to maintain awareness of Him at all times, including during our happiest moments. When we exult with joy, we must also exalt with praise of HaShem. This is the meaning of that verse in the psalm.

As for our verse in the parsha, the Ralbag suggests that the theme behind the bringing of a "peace offering" during happy occasions is to demonstrate that very lesson. We are showing ourselves that almost in spite of our feeling swept up in personal, familial or communal simcha, we must also perform a gesture which signifies our awareness of the Divine. This is the meaning of bringing a she'lamim during times of happiness. We find a means of ritualizing our happiness into a form of sacred avoda.

As for the other part of the verse, "offering the choicest parts", the Ralbag has another lesson for us. The theme behind offering the very choice parts of the sacrifice in our serving HaShem is also for our own sake. We signify for ourselves that we realize that each of us needs to offer up to Him our own choicest parts. Our intellects, our talents, our gifts, our personal sensitivities are our best assets. They are given us in order that we find ways to convert their potential into ways of serving HaShem. It is not enough that we go through our behavioral motions with dulled consciousness and rote apathy when it comes time to engage in our spiritual avoda. We must employ our own choicest parts so that our spiritual life is empowered by the best of ourselves. We make a personal sacrifice to offer up our own subjective formula of chelvei ha'she'lamim.

Wishing you a good Shabbos and a joyous Pesach. D Fox

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Back to last week's parsha, a number of people have submitted their perspective-answers on the question I posed. When a few more have come in, I will put them into a digest and send them out iy'H.