| ב"ה וְהִקְטִיר הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמִּזְבֵּחָה וְהָיָה הֶחָזֶה לְאַהֲרֹן וּלְבָנָיו (ויקרא ז, לא) And the kohen shall cause the fat to [go up in] smoke on the altar, and the breast shall belong to Aharon and his sons. (Vayikra 7:31) What does Joyful Judaism Mean? After a sacrifice is slaughtered and some of its blood sprinkled on the altar, the kohanim burn the choice fats of the animal on the altar (with the exception of certain sacrifices burned in their entirety), the remaining flesh is eaten. Although eating the sacrificial meat is a mitzvah in its own right, it may not be eaten before the sacrificial parts of the animal have been burned on the altar. The Ramban (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 fats of the animal represent lusciousness and pleasure. Burning the fats on the altar thus symbolizes that we must consecrate our sense of pleasure and delight to G-d alone. One might assume that this refers only to enjoyment we derive from the physical, meaning that we should not indulge in material gratification. The requirement to burn the fats as a sacrifice to G-d before doing the mitzvah of eating the sacrificial meat teaches us, however, that even within the realm of holiness the "fat" of the mitzvah itself must be consecrated to G-d alone. In order to fulfill the mitzvos and study the Torah properly, we must not taint these holy pursuits with personal gratification and enjoyment. Of course, we must study Torah and fulfill the mitzvos with joy and excitement. Our joy and delight, however, must not be a product of the physically enjoyable aspects of the mitzvos or even the intellectual stimulation that Torah study provides, but purely from the great merit that we have to fulfill G-d's will and to study His wisdom. —Likutei Sichos, vol. 3, p. 950 | |
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