Last night as I sat down to give our weekly Torah Study, I looked around the table at the great group of people who had gathered to study, and I realized I am sitting with a Veterinarian, some people in the pet business, two vegans, one vegetarian, and a couple more people to top it off. This is a great group of people that makes for a very great learning group, but I suddenly realized that the topic of the week, Animal Sacrifices, may not be the most appealing topic for the assembled group!
Well we couldn’t change the topic and I wasn’t about to anyway, so we ended up having a very engaging, stimulating and meaningful conversation and study session with many great take away life lessons.
The scope of this article is too short to get into the depths of Animal Sacrifices and the meanings, reasoning’s and spiritual purposes of those commandments that were performed in Biblical and Temple times. Yet I think a basic and important take away from the concept is vital to understanding a crucial element and message of Judaism.
I Think like a Jew, why do I have to Act like a Jew
Several days a week, I drive on the Masspike and see a large advertisement promoting a radio station that states in bold letters “it’s okay to think and drive”. It’s a great marketing line that tries to promote a particular edge and angle for a radio station. The next billboard states, “I like to turn the Volume all the way up when I think”, driving home the message a little more for this radio station.
In Judaism, “thinking” is very important to who we are, “thinking” helps shape who we are, we get our brainstorms from “thinking”, and we flow and maneuver through life by “thinking” and analyzing and learning from things that occur to us in person and from thinking about our history.
Chicken and the Egg
Yet Judaism takes a very interesting approach and says, that while thinking alone is a very powerful tool that helps shape who we are, it can’t end there and it won’t last if it only stays in our mind and thought process. Judaism says that for our Judaism to become a pervasive and central part of who we are, we need to act on it, we need to do actions and deeds, and the deeds and actions will help solidify the thought process and thinking that we do.
It is the story of the chicken and the egg, with the chicken (thinking) causing eggs (actions and deeds), but the eggs (actions and deeds) are critical to get more chickens (healthy Jewish thinking and strong identity).
Now that we mentioned chickens, we can get back to sacrifices.
Back to Sacrifices
Judaism recognizes that humans may have many good intentions, values and regrets, yet in order for these ideas to become part of the person and part of how they live their lives, an action or deed needs to be done by the person that will bring those thoughts into reality and make them an actual part of their life.
Based on this understanding, sacrifices were in essence a medium for the person to take specific actions that would stimulate his thought process and spiritual identity and help it become a tangible and expressive part of his or her identity and reality. When a person was bringing a sacrifice of whatever kind, he or she was to think and reflect about very specific ideas in terms of his own personal life and in terms of his relationship with G-d and reflect on how they could become a better person. Failure to do so would invalidate the sacrifice and make it almost a pointless exercise.
Bottom Line & Take Away Message
In Exile, when we don’t have a Temple in Jerusalem, this commandment is not applicable in its literal form, and prayers have replaced sacrifices and the purpose that they served. Yet the important takeaway message of sacrifices is one that is crucial to the destiny of the Jewish people, our own lives and the values that we seek to impart to our children.
The portion of Sacrifices teaches us that while thinking is a great and powerful tool, thinking alone is not enough to enable and guarantee longevity to those values, or on those thoughts becoming an integral part of our life. Rather, it’s thinking in tandem with actions and Mitzvot, that are the right mix and equilibrium that create a wholesome and enduring Jew who thinks, acts and lives a life that is permeated with the beautiful message of Judaism, and has the ability to convey those values to their loves ones and children.
Passover Actions
If there is one Holiday that conveys this idea more than any other, it is Passover with its wealth of actions, customs and traditions which are all there to stimulate our thoughts, memory and inspirations.
As we prepare to experience Passover, we should challenge ourselves to find an additional Jewish action and Mitzvah that continue the message of Passover throughout the year and help ensure that Judaism is an even more enduring element of our lives and the lives of our families.
Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel