One Who Increases, One Who Decreases |
Siyum on Masechet Menachot – Seudah Shlishit – Shabbat Emor 5786 – Maimonides Kehillah, Brookline, MA
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was known for finding the good in every person and every situation. One day, he saw a simple laborer eating a piece of dry bread with water for his midday meal. The man was smiling and humming a tune, clearly enjoying himself.
The Rabbi approached him and asked, “My friend, how can you be so happy with such a meager meal?”
The man replied, “Rebbe, today I have bread! Yesterday I had nothing. Today I have water! Today the sun is shining! God has given me everything I need for this very moment. Why shouldn’t I be happy?”
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak turned to his students and said, “Look at this man. He has mastered the greatest wisdom: he does not want what he does not have; he loves what he has been given.”
The Mincha korban, consisting of wheat flour, olive oil, and frankincense, might be viewed as an inferior category of sacrifice compared to the more expensive categories of animals and birds. Yet, it is not by coincidence that animals and birds are presented together within the Masechta of Zevachim, while the Mincha korban is treated to a Masechet all by itself.
The final Mishna of Menachot famously states:
נֶאֱמַר בְּעוֹלַת הַבְּהֵמָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, וּבְעוֹלַת הָעוֹף אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, וּבַמִּנְחָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, לְלַמֵּד, שֶׁאֶחָד הַמַּרְבֶּה וְאֶחָד הַמַּמְעִיט, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן אָדָם אֶת דַּעְתּוֹ לַשָּׁמָיִם
The Mishna points out that the Torah uses the exact same phrase “a pleasing aroma” for a costly bull as it does for a tiny handful of flour. This teaches that Hashem does not measure the “size” or monetary value of the gift, but rather the sincerity and devotion of the giver.
The Gemara’s explication of this Mishna can be divided into three key areas:
(1) The Purpose of the Names of God
The Gemara observes a striking linguistic detail in the Torah’s description of korbanot.
תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי: בּוֹא וּרְאֵה מָה כְּתִיב בְּפָרָשַׁת קׇרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר בָּהֶן לֹא ״אֵל״ וְלֹא ״אֱלֹהִים״, אֶלָּא ״ה׳״, שֶׁלֹּא לִיתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לְבַעַל דִּין לַחְלוֹק.
It notes that regarding korbanot, the Torah almost exclusively uses the Name Y-H-V-H (the Name representing rachamim/mercy) rather than Elohim (the Name representing Judgment).
This is to ensure that no one says, “I am........