Discussion of Parashat Pinchas
from Likutei Torah by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
Friday July 10, 2020
Portions of Parashat Pinchas are the most widely read passages in the Torah because they deal with the sacrifices brought into the Holy Temple, not only the daily sacrifices but also the sacrifices for Shabat, Rosh Chodesh and all the major festivals. On these days, Musaf (additiona) sacrifices are brought, that is special sacrifices in addition to the regular daily sacrifices. So, on each festival, the passages dealing with the Musaf offerings are read, since the Musaf Service, that is the additional service occurring immediately after the Shacharit (Morning Service), replaced the sacrifices after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. In the Elter Rebbe’s commentary on Parashat Pinchas, he makes a Kabbalistic interpretation of the sacrifices.
The Elter Rebbe quotes the Pasuk: “And the Lord said to Moses saying ‘Command the children of Israel and say unto them: This is the fire offering that you (plural) shall sacrifice…. you (singular) shall prepare one sheep in the morning….” (Numbers 28:1-4) The Rebbe then asks why it was necessary to have two commandments and to change the command from plural to singular. The Rabbis (of the Talmud) explained that in every place a command is used in the Torah, the implication is that this is an eternal commandment to be fulfilled throughout the generations. So, when Moses commands the Children of Israel to offer sacrifices, the Torah is referring to the period of time during which the Holy Temple existed. And since this was an eternal commandment, it was necessary to substitute prayer for sacrifices after the destruction of the Temple in 72 C.E. The eternal sacrifices were two yearling sheep, one in the morning and one in the evening. Prayer on the other hand is a supplication for mercy. How then is prayer an appropriate substitute for the daily sacrifices?
We must understand that the sweet savor of the burning meat sacrifice gives a feeling of satisfaction to HaShem. The Elter Rebbe then quotes a Pasuk from the story of Noah. After the flood, Noah sacrificed to G-d and “HaShem experienced the sweet savour of the sacrifice”. (Genesis 8:21) What pleasant experience did HaShem derive from the sacrifice? It is known that the purpose of the descent of the soul to this world is its investment in the body and the Animal Soul and that this “descent is for the purpose of ascent” (ירידה לצורך עליה). For before the creation of the world, only G-d and His Name existed. The Gematria of His Name, שמו (346) is the same as Desire, רצון. His Desire, then, is the source of the flowing down and vitalization of all creation because His simple Desire was to be King. As it is written “the One who gives life to the worlds”, the King who is unique and special who gives life to the worlds, He is none other than the attribute of King. Prior to the creation of the world, only He and His Name existed, His Kingdom was included in the Eternal Light Blessed be He which is Light and Splendor. The light was included in its own illumination (that is, there was only one Light) and after the creation of the world the light and splendor spread out to give life to creation from the nil to existence. This occurred through the order of the flowing down by degrees of the contracting light to this material world which is material existence and entirely separate from spiritual process described. Paradoxically, the goal of this great spiritual descent is to transform the material to the spiritual through the nullification of the physical. The Elter Rebbe is saying that G-d’s desire created the world through the contraction and descent of the Eternal Light (energy) part of which is in each Soul. The ultimate purpose of the creation was transformation of the material world by nullification to the spiritual, allowing the spiritual component, the G-dly Soul, to ascend back to the source of Its creation.
