A thought on Parshas Shmini

"...va'yisa Aharon es yadav el ha'am va'yivarachem va'yeired..." (9:22) "...and Aharon raised his hands over the people, blessed them, then descended..." The sacrificial rites are fairly familiar to us, and we also know about the blessings which Aharon and the Kohanim bestowed unto the people. What is not clear from our verse is how those brochos link with the offerings which were brought by Aharon. Our verse relates that he had completed the ritual of bringing a chatas (sin offering), an olah (burnt offering) and a she'lamim (peace offering). Then, before descending from the altar and returning to his other duties, he turned to bless the nation. What is the connection between these two events? The Panae'ach Raza offers that each of the three blessings captures the nature of those three offerings. How so? We know that the first bracha is "yivarechecha HaShem v'yishmarecha" - may HaShem bless you and watch over you." The function of the sin offering was to guard one from repeating his or her sinful behaviors as it says (Shmuel I 2:9) raglae chasidav Yishmor - He guards the steps of those who fear him. That concept of safeguarding, then, makes that first blessing relevant to the sin offering. When we take steps to acknowledge and atone for our misdeeds, HaShem safeguards us from falling into more temptation. The second bracha says "ya'er HaShem Panav elecha" - may HaShem cause His Presence to shine for you. This corresponds to the burnt offering, which represents a person's enlightened recognition that he must offer himself entirely to the service of Hashem. That is the relevance, then, of the blessing of light to the bringing of an olah. When we attain perspective of our lowly place in HaShem's vast kingdom, we symbolize this enlightened awareness by igniting an olah on a pyre until it vanishes entirely in the bright fire. This illuminated act brings us the blessing of Divine enlightenment. The third bracha is "va'yasem lecha shalom" - and He will extend peace unto you. This parallels the message of the peace offering, she'lamim. Our acts and gestures about the primacy of peace are enunciated in the blessing about HaShem blessing us with peace. Wishing you a peaceful, enlightened and safe Shabbos. D Fox