The Selfless Fuel of Sacrifice

	VAYIKRA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 2 NISSAN, 5777
	ב"ה וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי תַקְרִיב קָרְבַּן מִנְחָה (ויקרא ב, א) AND IF ONE OFFERS AN OFFERING OF A MINCHA... (VAYIKRA 2:1)   The Selfless Fuel of Sacrifice The word mincha means “a grain-offering,” which makes the phrase “korban mincha”— “a grain-offering offering” seem redundant. The Midrash (Toras Kohanim) interprets the additional word korban to allude to another genre of offerings that a person may donate and offer upon the altar; namely, stand-alone offerings of oil, wine, incense or wood, which are typically components of a (larger)korban, but may also be offered individually. The Midrash’s view that wood is among the components of a sacrifice is puzzling. The purpose of the wood is simply to fuel the altar’s fire. Why does the Midrash regard it as part of the sacrifice? In a certain sense, however, the wood accompanying the sacrifice represents the underlying theme of all sacrifices, even more than the sacrifices’ other components. The Ramban (on Vayikra 1:9) explains that the objective of the sacrifices is to arouse the individual to offer himself—his inner qualities and character—to G-d. The animal he burns on the altar substitutes for him physically, but a spiritual offering is still expected of him. In particular, each sacrifice draws attention to a unique aspect of the person’s character that he must channel in the service of G-d. Common to all sacrifices, however, is the underlying readiness to offer yourself—ultimately, your entire being—to G-d. This self-sacrifice required for every offering is represented by the one component that all the sacrifices have in common: the wood used to fuel the fire. And for good reason, because the firewood is the epitome of selflessness and abnegation. Unlike the other components of the sacrifice, the firewood is not said to arouse “a pleasing fragrance for G-d” (Vayikra 1:9). Nevertheless, in order to facilitate that arousal of Divine favor (which will ultimately be attributed to “someone else,”) the firewood is entirely burned and consumed. Thus, it is truly the firewood alone that meets the definition of korban, a sacrifice. —Likutei Sichos, vol. 22, pp. 7-13