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Part I.Understanding SacrificeGETTING HASHEM TO LIKE MEAs we read through this week\u2019sparsha, and actually, the wholeSeder Vayikra,there\u2019s a theme that\u2019s constantly reiterated, and that\u2019s the subject of finding favor in Hashem\u2019s eyes. Now, if you would ask someone on the street how to get Hashem to like you, he might have some ideas. Maybe you should say the whole Tehillim a few times; or fast on Mondays and Thursdays. But ourparshadoesn\u2019t leave the way to achieve Hashem\u2019s favor up to our imagination. And surprisingly we\u2019re told again and again that we can find the especial favor of Hashem by means of animal sacrifice. \u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cHe shall bring it for his favor before Hashem\u201d (Vayikra 1:3). \u05dc\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e0\u05db\u05dd \u05ea\u05d6\u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05d4\u05d5 \u201cFor your favor you shall slaughter it.\u201d \u05dc\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e0\u05da \u201cFor your favor\u201d (see 19:5, 22:19, 22:29, 23:11).Now you should pay good attention to these words because it\u2019s a very big thing to find favor in the eyes of Hashem; it\u2019s actually the major achievement of life. I want to quote to you from the Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Avodas Elokim, Perek 3). He tells us that \u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05e9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d1\u05e8\u05e8, \u201cIt must become clear to a person, \u05e9\u05d4\u05ea\u05de\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3\u05e4\u05ea \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u2013 that the effort he puts into making himself better in this world will be rewarded with a very great exchange.\u201d He\u2019ll get back much more than he puts in. If you improve yourself in this world, says the Chovos Halevavos, you\u2019ll get much more back in return.What will you get? What\u2019s the great thing you\u2019ll get in exchange? Listen to the words of the Chovos Halevavos: \u05d5\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cThat Hashem will like you; He\u2019ll think well of you.\u201d Now we know that \u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d0\u05ea\u05db\u05dd \u05e0\u05d0\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd, \u201cI love all of you,\u201d says Hashem, but we\u2019re learning now that it\u2019s possible to findespecialfavor in the eyes of Hashem, above and beyond the intense love that Hashem has for all of the Am Yisroel.\u05d5\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc, and that is that Hashem should favor you; it\u2019s the approval, the regard of your Creator. Now, we\u2019renottalking about reward here; we\u2019renottalking about Gan Eden. What is the great success of a man? Hashem is going to like you! There\u2019s nothing as important as that!FORGET ABOUT THE REWARD!I would like you to listen to a quote from the Sefer Hayashar, from Rabeinu Tam: \u05d4\u05e0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05de\u05e4\u05e8\u05e9 \u05dc\u05da, \u201cI want to make clear to you, he says, \u05db\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05ea\u05d5\u05e2\u05dc\u05ea \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05db\u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd, that there is no greater benefit for a man than that Hashem should love him.\u201d That Hashem should love you; that\u2019s the pinnacle of success! That you should find favor in the eyes of Hashem; there\u2019s nothing better than that. Of course, included in Hashem\u2019s love for you will be greatest of rewardsas well,but the reward isnotthe great success. And therefore says Rabeinu Tam, \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05e0\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d7\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d0\u05d9\u05da \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d2\u05de\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05d8\u05d5\u05d1, we don\u2019t have to be concerned about what and how the reward will be. Because the wise man understands that what really matters for a person is that he should find favor in the eyes of Hashem.And so, once we understand that theavodas hakorbanoscan elevate a man and bestow upon him such excellence that he deserves to find favor in the eyes of Hashem, we learn how important ourparshais. And therefore, if you have a desire that Hakodosh Boruch Hu should look down at you and say, \u201cMy child, I am happy with you; it\u2019syouwho has found favor in My eyes,\u201d then don\u2019t go home yet because the subject of the night,korbanos, is for you.WHAT\u2019S IT ALL FOR?!When we hear aboutkorbanostoday, so to many people it is really a quandary, it\u2019s a big puzzle. Some people think that in the olden days it was justified; everybody broughtkorbanos, all the pagan nations of antiquity placed a great emphasis on such things, so we did as well. But nowadays, who needskorbanos?! Slaughtering the neck of an animal?! \u201cIt\u2019s arachmanus,\u201d we think. It\u2019stza\u2019ar ba\u2019alei chayim! What it\u2019s all for?! For the one untrained in Torah attitudes theBeis Hamikdashseems to be a butcher shop; blood all over the place! And they\u2019re burning the body parts and thecheilev!Gevalt!And so if we\u2019re going to properly studyParshas Vayikra,theparshathat introduces us tokorbanos, then we\u2019ll be acquiring new minds; new attitudes that will give us at least some insight into whykorbanosare the path towards finding the favor of Hashem. And so we\u2019ll go step by step and understand this as best as we can.THE ANIMAL; YOUR SHALIACHOne of the first requirements of the one who brings akorbanissmichah. When a person approached themizbei\u2019achto offer akorbanit says: \u05d5\u05e1\u05de\u05da \u05d0\u05ea \u05d9\u05d3\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e8\u05d0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cAnd he shall lean his hand on the head of theolah\u201d (ibid. 1:4). He leans his weight on it. Now, why does the one offering thekorbanhave to lean on it? And the answer is that when you put your hands on the animal you\u2019re making thebeheimahyour agent, your representative. The leaning of your hands on thekorbansignifies the appointment of the offering as ashaliach, a substitute, for the owner of the animal. Like when Moshe Rabeinu put his hands on the head of Yehoshua, \u05d5\u05d9\u05e1\u05de\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 (Bamidbar 27:23), so from then on Yehoshua took over; he was theshaliachof Moshe Rabeinu, his agent to take over as the leader of the nation. And in the same sense, the man that lays his hands upon the head of his offering thereby makes it his agent, and it\u2019s as if he himself is being offered up to Hashem.And that\u2019s why thehalachahis that \u05e1\u05de\u05d9\u05db\u05d4 \u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05db\u05d7\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cWhen you press down on the head of the animal you have to useall of your strength\u201d (Chagigah 16b). You can\u2019t just give a little bit of a lean, something superficial, and that\u2019s all. No, there\u2019s nothing superficial about this! You press down with all of your strength; you put \u201cyourneshamah\u201dinto thatsmichah. And that was like a stick of dynamite exploding in your mind; it was sinking in now that this animal was representingyou! And so you realized that yourolahis not merely a lamb that is beingshechtedand brought up on the fire \u2013it\u2019s you!THE SECRET OF A KORBANAnd that brings us to the secret ofkorbanos.Because what do we do? We bring a little lamb to themizbei\u2019ach. Now the poor little lamb is a live creature, and his heart is pumping blood throughout his body. And he wants to live. But what do you do? You cut its neck and the blood comes gushing out, and you put thedamon themizbei\u2019ach. And while you do that, you think, \u201cThat should be me! But for the mercy of Hashem, that would bemyblood being sprinkled on themizbei\u2019ach. Really that\u2019s what I owe You Hashem for giving me life, for giving me all the delights of being alive.\u201dWe like being alive! I say \u201clike\u201d \u2013 we love it! I\u2019ll prove it to you. Here\u2019s a man lying in his hospital bed; he\u2019s anxious, distraught. Why? The doctors came into his room yesterday and showed him the test results. And now his days in this sweet world are numbered. Oh yes,nowhe realizes how delicious life is. \u201cOhhh!\u201d he says. \u201cIf I could just get out in the street again. If I could just live, and walk around again! What a happiness it would be!\u201d He looks down from the hospital window and he sees the heads of the people walking on the street; going to work, the regular grind of life, with all of its ups and downs. And he\u2019s jealous. He\u2019s so jealous of that. They\u2019re walking carefree, outside of the hospital. They\u2019re living, they\u2019re alive, and for him it will soon be all over. And we my friends are the people he sees walking the streets, the people this man envies. And so, how are we going to express our gratitude to Hashem? What could we do already?So we bring akorban, a lamb, instead of ourselves. And we lean in on the lamb with all our strength, concentrating on the fact that this lamb is aboutto take our place.DON\u2019T RUN AWAY!And that\u2019s why the Torah requires that \u05ea\u05d9\u05db\u05e3 \u05dc\u05e1\u05de\u05d9\u05db\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d7\u05d9\u05d8\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cTheshechitahmust be done immediately after the leaning\u201d (Brachos 42a). You symbolically transferred yourself onto that animal, and right away you cut the neck. And that leaves no time for the owner of thebeheimahto escape the scene. Even if he\u2019s not going to do theshechitah\u2013 often he would do theshechitahhimself too;shechitah k\u2019sheirah b\u2019zar (Brachos 31b) \u2013 but even if he wouldn\u2019t do it, hesawit. The owner of the offering was always present to witness how \u201che\u201dis vicariously being slaughtered as an offering to Hashem. He can\u2019t avoid witnessing the Kohenshechttheolah.He\u2019s watching as the neck is cut \u2013 the neck of hisbeheimah \u2013and thedamgushes out. It\u2019sdamcoming fromhiscut neck! And he looks at it and is overwhelmed. \u201cThat\u2019s me!\u201d he thinks; it\u2019s a very powerful scene to watch.IT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE HUMAN SACRIFICE!And it didn\u2019t stop there. You know, when they brought akorban olah,a burnt offering, there was amitzvahofhefshet, to skin it, to take the skin off the animal. Now why do you need this? It\u2019s anolahafter all; you\u2019re burning the whole animal on themizbei\u2019ach. So why can\u2019t you just burn it in its entirety, together with the skin? \u201cNo,\u201d Hashem says, \u201cFirst thing, I want you to remove the hide.\u201dAnd that\u2019s because after theshechitah, when the animal is carried up to themizbei\u2019ach, if the hide would still be there, so it would look like abeheimah. The hide is a giveaway! It\u2019s a lamb, a sheep! But Hashem wants it to look like a human, not like a lamb. So the hide is peeled off and now it looks very much like a human being. If you ever saw an animal being skinned you would know that in some ways your body shares a resemblance to a skinned carcass; and that\u2019s what Hashem wants here, that it should look likeyou. That\u2019s the reason for thehefshet; it should look like a human being is being offered up to Hashem.THE SECRET OFNITU\u2019ACHAnd after thehefshet, the next step in theavodas hakorbanosis themitzvahofnitu\u2019ach: \u05d5\u05e0\u05ea\u05d7 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e0\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05d4 \u2013\u201cAnd he should cut it into its pieces\u201d (ibid. 1:6). The animal is not brought to themizbei\u2019achas one whole unit, but it is divided into parts according to its limbs. You have to cut it up into its separate limbs; the legs separate, the hands separate, every part separate. And oneeiverat a time is placed onto themizbei\u2019ach.So we learn that gratitude to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, is not sufficiently fulfilled by expressing thanks for the entire body at once. Just to say, \u201cThank You Hashem for life, for my body,\u201d and to feel absolved of your obligation is a failing. What\u2019s life? You could live and be a plant. You could live like a mushroom. That\u2019s also life. Saying that you\u2019re grateful for \u201ceverything\u201d is really saying nothing! We\u2019re going to lump it together andpaturourselves? Being indebted to Hashem begins by considering each limb separately, and by understanding that each detail of the body is a gift that stands on its own; each one is a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu that doesn\u2019t belong to us, and that He can take back at any moment.THE KORBAN PARADE!And it was all done with fanfare, with great pomp. Thekohanimlined up in a procession, like a parade: \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d0\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05d3\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAll of thekohanimwere standing in a row with the limbs in their hands\u201d (Tamid 4:3). Onekohenwas holding a head, and anotherkohenbehind him holding two legs; and behind him a line ofkohanimcarrying limbs and organs. It was a scene to behold; and it was done withmachshavah, with introspection.And therefore, as the Kohen walked slowly up the ramp, the owner of thekorbanwould watch as each separate limb was offered up. You know, once it\u2019s skinned and cut into its limbs, it doesn\u2019t look like a lamb\u2019s thigh or leg anymore.It looks like your leg!Andthe head of the lamb, skinned and separated, bears resemblance to your head. Thechazeh, that\u2019s the chest, it looks likeyourchest. And so on. That\u2019s how it is; the skinned limbs, dissected, begin to resemble more readily the limbs of man. Suppose you saw partof your bodybeing offered up on the fire; you\u2019d be tremendously excited! You\u2019d faint from excitement! Anolahgoing up to Hashem meansweare going up to Hashem in gratitude. And therefore the man who wants to find favor in the eyes of Hashem would be thinking thoughts of gratitude to Hashem for that specific limb. \u201cI\u2019m thanking you for this limb Hashem. And that limb. And that one, and this one as well.\u201d Separately, one by one, a man recognized the gifts from Hashem,the gifts that Hashem was letting him keep!YOUR HEAD IS \u201cA CABINET FULL OF INSTRUMENTS\u201dThey bring, let\u2019s say, the head of theolah.\u201cI should be giving my head back to Hashem in gratitude. I\u2019ve used it already for so many years. Fifty years already I\u2019m using this gift that Hashem gave me and I\u2019ve enjoyed it to no end. A head is very important \u2013 you realize you couldn\u2019t live without a head. Ahh! How good is my head! I say \u201chead,\u201d like it\u2019s one thing \u2013 a head is a cabinet full of instruments. It\u2019s gifts upon gifts upon gifts that you have sitting there on your shoulders. A head is a precious thing, and it works so well, so perfectly. And so when the head of the lamb is placed onto the fire, you\u2019re a changed man forever. Because you would leave theBeis Hamikdashnot only with your head, but with an appreciation of the gift that Hashem is continuing to give you, acknowledging that you don\u2019t have any intrinsic right to it.And now he\u2019s carrying up the heart. The heart! We\u2019re amazed at the creation of a pump that pumps without stop day and night, day and night. So many tens of years! You have a healthy heart? You\u2019re a lucky man! Look how many people are in great trouble. They\u2019re thinking, \u201cSooner or later I have to make a bypass operation,chalilah.\u201d They\u2019re putting it off. They\u2019re scared and they\u2019re uncomfortable, they\u2019re taking pills in the meantime. They don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to be. And so when you see the heart being carried up ramp to themizbei\u2019achyou\u2019re thinking, \u201cThat\u2019smyheart being put onto the fires of themizbei\u2019ach, only that Hashem will let me leave here with a new \u2018loaner\u2019 heart, it\u2019s not mine at all.\u201dIt was a very great excitement to bring akorban.After experiencing such an event, you weren\u2019t the same person anymore. Actually, allmitzvos, all service of Hashem, are a result of the attitudes gained by animal sacrifice. Someone who brought an offering put on histefillinvery differently the next morning. He had a new head! Can you imagine that? Yesterday I didn\u2019t have a head, I offered it up on themizbei\u2019ach! But Hashem gave me back a new head! I am overwhelmed with gratitude! So when you put ontefillinit flowed directly from the attitudes you gained in theBeis Hamikdash. Everything you did in life was because of \u05de\u05d4 \u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05db\u05dc \u05ea\u05d2\u05de\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05d4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9 \u2013 How can I repay You for all that you have bestowed upon me?!\u201dCAN YOU DO A FAVOR FOR HASHEM?Thus our forefathers served Hashem with the deep realization that they were actually not doing anything for Hashem at all. You know today if someone puts ontefillinhe thinks he\u2019s a good Jew already, and if he prayedb\u2019tzibbur, he thinks he deserves a medal, he did atoivahto Hakadosh Baruch Hu! But in the days of old when we hadkorbanos, we had the marvelous opportunity to stop and recognize all the good that Hashem does for us. We saw and felt that actually we are so indebted to Him and we can never do enough to repay Him!Thekorbanostaught the old-time Jews that their bodies, their very lives, were not theirs at all. Suppose your friend loaned you a car, and you\u2019re riding around enjoying yourself for a couple of days, and then he says, \u201cMy friend, can you please give me back my car tomorrow, just for tomorrow?\u201d So you\u2019ll say, \u201cWhat do you mean, \u2018Give back the car?!\u2019 I\u2019m enjoying it to no end. I don\u2019t want to give it back.\u201d You wouldn\u2019t say that! Only for one day? That\u2019s a bargain! You\u2019d give it back even for two weeks! And so someone who witnessed that great spectacle in theBeis Hamikdash, when thekorbanosdemonstrated that his very life belongs to Hashem, willingly submitted himself toevery service of Hashem.Korbanosare calledAvodahbecause all service of Hashem flowed from it. When a Jew left theBeis Hamikdashhis heart was on fire, he was ablaze in gratitude to Hashem.NO NEED TO BENTCHIt\u2019s like the boy who asked his father: \u201cPa, do I have tobentchevery day? So his father said, \u201cNo; only when you eat.\u201d For looking at bread you don\u2019t make anybrachah. So just look and don\u2019t eat!Why do you have to put ontefillinon your head? Because you have a head! You don\u2019t want to put ontefillin, so give back the head. Everyday I\u2019m giving you a head; and it\u2019s a very valuable gift. So when you put ontefillinyou\u2019re doing it because of \u05de\u05d4 \u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05db\u05dc \u05ea\u05d2\u05de\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05d4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9 \u2013 How can I repay You for all that you have bestowed on me?!\u201dAt that moment of bringing an offering a person realized that he was living in anoilamsh\u2019eino shelo,a world that doesn\u2019t belong to him \u2013 that actually nothing at all is his! And it\u2019s only when one actually feels indebted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu for the gift of life in all of its details, that He can begin to serve Hashem.Part II.The Source of EverythingPLEASE GIVE THE PILLAR BACK!And that\u2019s why theavodas hakorbanosis one of the pillars that supports the world:\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05dc\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05e2\u05d5\u05de\u05d3 \u2013 \u201cOn three things the world stands\u201d (Avos 1:2), and one of them is theavodah. You know, some people say thatavodahmeanskorbanosalso; yes, of course, that too. They won\u2019t deny that. But the trueavodah, they\u2019ll tell you, istefillah. But that is wrong. Theavodahthat is meant here, the pillar of the world \u2013 iskorbanos, animal sacrifice; only that today, because we have no choice, sotefillahstands in place ofkorbanos(Berachos 26b).And that\u2019s why we\u2019re not satisfied today with what we have, because we wanttherealthing. We say \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d5\u05de\u05e2 \u05ea\u05e4\u05dc\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cYes, Hashem, You listen to ourtefillos; I know that you\u2019re listening when I speak to You.\u201d And thatavodah she\u2019bileivis so important. And yet, what\u2019s the next thing we say right away? \u05e8\u05e6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e2\u05de\u05da \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d5\u05d4\u05e9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cPlease return to us theavodahofkorbanos.\u201d We\u2019re not satisfied withtefillah, with theavodahof the heart. We want the real thing; we\u2019re asking for theavodashakorbanos,for the opportunity to bring up animals onto the fire of themizbei\u2019ach. And therefore when you finishshemonah esrei,you feel like a person who ate a meal without anything solid, you\u2019re not full yet. And so you say \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05df \u05de\u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05da \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e9\u05d9\u05d1\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9 \u2013 Hashem, give us back theavodahonce more. Then we\u2019ll be serving You for real!LEAVING MITZRAYIM TO SHECHT ANIMALSYou remember when Moshe Rabeinu came to Pharaoh to negotiate for the release of the Bnei Yisroel from Mitzrayim, so he said in the name of Hashem, \u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cSend out My people and they shouldserveMe\u201d (Shemos 7:26). So people think that \u201cServe Me\u201d means that they should maybe come together for a minyan, they should domitzvos, or learn Torah. But that\u2019s not it; it\u2019s included, yes, all that and much more is included inv\u2019ya\u2019avduni,but what it means primarily is that they should serve Meby bringing korbanos.Animal sacrifice, that\u2019s theavodah! \u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cSend out My people!\u201d And for what? \u05d5\u05d9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cSo that they should sacrifice animals to Me.\u201dNow for modern minds it may seem queer.It\u2019s incongruous.When we think about service of Hashem we want to talk about righteousness,tzedek umishpat, ideals, halachos, chesed, learning Torah, mitzvos.There\u2019s so much we want to talk about! And all that is true, absolutely. But what is the foundation of all of thisavodah? \u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u05d9, I\u2019m going to take My people out of Mitzrayim, \u05d5\u05d9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9, so that they can fulfillParshasVayikra, theparshaofkorbanos. Because it was theavodas hakorbanosthat most sharply and undeniably defined for a person his place in this world, how indebted he is to Hashem.LEAVING THE MIKDASH WITH A NEW CAREERAnd so the man who walked out of theBeis Hamikdashwith all his limbs and all of his organs still intact, that man had a new career ahead of him. Because it was by means of thekorbanin the Beis Hamikdash, that he acknowledged that it\u2019s all a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Life itself, and all its dissected details, his legs, his head, his heart \u2013 everything! \u2013 is on loan to him from Hashem. And now his career could begin; because using these gifts as intended by the Giver, that\u2019s his new course in life.Here\u2019s something we say always but I think we would all benefit from studying it a little more: \u05db\u05dc \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9 \u05ea\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05de\u05d9 \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05da\u2013 \u201cAll my bones \u2013 not only bones, but all my limbs and all my organs, say \u201cHashem who is like You\u201d (Tehillim 35:10). We say it every Shabbos. What does it mean \u201cAll my parts say\u201d? So some people say that it means you must exert your body to participate in the act ofhoda\u2019ah, that you have toshake your bodywhen you daven. And there was at one time some people who used to leap up and down and work their arms and legs; they didn\u2019t want any part of their body to be left out of this work ofhodaah! But that\u2019s not thepshat. It\u2019s not a bad idea to move your body when you daven; you can do it if you wish, but it\u2019s not the wholepshathowever. Because whatever you\u2019ll do \u2013 you could flail your arms and kick your legs, you could even do somersaults; but there are parts of the body that just cannot participate. Your kidneys can\u2019t participate, your liver can\u2019t participate in that way. But they must!Kolatzmosai! \u201cAllmy parts must sing out and say, \u2018Who is like You, Hashem?!\u2019\u201d So howdoall our body parts sing? And we\u2019ll explain as follows.YOUR STOMACH IS SINGING; SING ALONG!Each body part has a message for you; each limb sings its own song of praise and gratitude to Hashem.Your head is talking, your shoulders are talking, your stomach is talking, your feet are talking. Every part of your body, every limb, every organ, is filled with so much wisdom and so muchchesed, that it\u2019s calling out to you, singing out to you, and asking you to join in the chorus of gratitude and indebtedness to Hashem.And how do you join the chorus? And the answer isby means of the mind! When you put your mind to thinking about what it means to have feet, what it means to have a heart, a liver, kidneys, eyes, fingers\u2013 like your ancestor did so many years ago when he brought akorban\u2013 so you would begin to sing along. You sing with your head; you sing with your eyes; you sing with your heart; with your lungs, with your stomach, with your feet, your liver, kidneys. They\u2019re all singing. You know if you look in the books, it\u2019s remarkable.There\u2019s never any end to the discoveries that are being made. It\u2019s so complicated and all of it is so purposeful, so full of \u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05e2\u05de\u05d5\u05e7\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05d5 \u05e7\u05e5; bottomless wisdom. The more they learn, the more they realize they don\u2019t know. And the truth is that only by studying the details for many years can you begin to appreciate thechochmaandchesedin your body.THE MISER SPENDS A FEW DOLLARSYou have to count your gifts. Like a miser who hides in his home \u2013 he pulls down his window shades when his wife goes out shopping \u2013 and he takes out his shopping bags of money that he\u2019s been saving all the years. And he starts counting them. His twenties and his hundreds. And as he counts them, his eyes glisten and his heart rejoices. That\u2019s the joy of his life. All day long he waits for that moment. He even gives his wife a few dollars to go shopping to get her out of the house so that he can have a few moments alone to enjoy the great happiness of counting his thousands.But that\u2019s only amashalfor the real happiness of life. Because all of that money is not worth his being alive. If it was his last day and he could give it all away to keep living, to live as a poor man on welfare, he would do it. And not only for life itself; for lungs! He would give it all away to keep his lungs. And so there\u2019s another kind of miser, the miser who knows what it means to count the real money of life. And that\u2019s the person who counts the wealth that he gained by bringing akorban.THE CHOFETZ CHAIM KNEW HOW TO \u201cCOUNT MONEY\u201dLike the Chofetz Chaim used to do. When no one was around he would say, \u201cRibono Shel Olam, I am grateful to you for keeping me alive for so many years. I lived through last year and now I\u2019m living this year again. And the year before last, it was a blessing. And the year before that.\u201d The Chofetz Chaim was counting his \u201cmoney.\u201d \u201cMy lungs are still functioning, and my knees.\u201d And this limb and that limb. And so the Chofetz Chaim hauled out his blessings and gloated over them. And as he counted his \u201cmoney\u201d his eyes glistened and his heart rejoiced.And that\u2019s what Dovid Hamelech said, \u05d1\u05de\u05e2\u05e9\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05da \u05d0\u05e8\u05e0\u05df, I sing at the deeds of your hands (Tehillim 92:5). You have to beso happy, that you sing. Singing means that you\u2019ve studied the details of the gifts and that you\u2019re actually grateful and indebted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. But when a person does it as a duty, he praises, he thanks as a duty \u2013 of course it\u2019s a good thing and we wish all the Jews would do that, but that man is not really anoived Hashem. He\u2019s serving Hashem without any motivation; he doesn\u2019t feel that there\u2019s really anything to be thankful for; he doesn\u2019t understand how happy life really is and so for him, all of his service of Hashem is \u201chim bestowing benefits on Hashem\u201d instead of the other way around.LEARN TO BE A MISER!But if you want to be a success in this world, if you want your life to bel\u2019ratzon, a life filled with finding favor in the eyes of Hashem, then you\u2019re going to have to practice being a \u201cChofetz Chaim miser\u201d as well; you have to get busy counting your wealth. Now, you won\u2019t be able to do it all at once \u2013 and you shouldn\u2019t. One limb, one organ, at a time, the way it was cut in theBeis Hamikdash. But you have to start. Don\u2019t wait until it\u2019s too late and you\u2019re beset with pangs of regret about missed opportunities.You know what it would mean to have to give back your kidneys?! Here\u2019s a man who can\u2019t even urinate. So he has to go to the hospital to be hooked up to a machine, let\u2019s say, three times a week, for three hours at a time, a kidney machine to clean his body instead of his kidneys that aren\u2019t working. If he could get his kidneys back, he would sing! So you\u2019re thanking Hashem, \u201cYou let me keep my kidneys!\u201dYou know how much fun it is to have kidneys? If they weren\u2019t functioning you\u2019d pay good money for new kidneys; piles and piles of money! And you don\u2019t have to \u2013 you have two perfect ones. You don\u2019t even notice they\u2019re there because they\u2019re functioning so smoothly. Now, you don\u2019t take them out for themizbei\u2019ach\u2013 let them stay right where they are. But in your mind, take them out and gloat over them. Spend one day counting the blessings of a kidney.MISSION ACCOMPLISHEDYou know what asimchait is to come out of thebeis ha\u2019kissei! You accomplished \u201cyour mission\u201d successfully. Boruch Hashem! \u05e8\u05d5\u05e4\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05d1\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d5\u05de\u05e4\u05dc\u05d9\u05d0 \u05dc\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea. It\u2019s a miracle! You know themeforshimtry to explain exactly what is this miracle.Maflee la\u2019asosmeans that it\u2019s a miracle. But the truth is that you don\u2019t have to search for the miracle, you don\u2019t have to look for a reason. It\u2019s a miracle, as clear as day. Your kidneys are able to take a small amount of blood and continually cleanse it. That same blood courses through your body again and again. And your kidneys are constantly cleaning out your blood. You should think about that when you sayAsher Yatzar.At least that you can do. To say thank you with a sincere feeling of gratitude before the One who is giving you a healthy kidney and is not asking for it back.If you\u2019d study the liver you would appreciate what it means to have a great chemical laboratory that\u2019s functioning within you, and you would \u2018sing along\u2019 with your liver in gratitude to Hashem \u05db\u05dc \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9 \u05ea\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05de\u05d9 \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05da. You never heard of liver disease? Someone who had an operation on his liver or takes pills or treatment for his liver? You don\u2019t even know that you have a liver; it\u2019s only \u201cemunah\u201d on your part; you were told you have a liver somewhere in there so you believe in it, you\u2019re ama\u2019amin. You don\u2019t feel it in there but you \u201caccept\u201d what they tell you.You\u2019re lucky that you don\u2019t feel it. It\u2019s quiet, it\u2019s efficient, it\u2019s doing its work without bothering you. Day and night it\u2019s doing perfectly what it was created to do. And so when you hear that someone else is suffering from his liver, you have to start singing, you have to begin appreciating what it means to have a healthy liver. Because this other fellow is actually being \u201cmakriv\u201d his liver on themizbei\u2019ach, while Hashem is allowingyouto keep yours!TIME FOR HOMEWORK!And you\u2019ll have opportunities for expressing gratitude all day long. Now a little homework, I\u2019ll give you. When you come to theBeis Haknessesand you hearkaddishbeing said, so instead of sayingYehei shmei rabbahjust as a donation, \u201cLet His great name be blessed;\u201d and you\u2019re thinking \u201cWhy not?\u201d What do you care? It doesn\u2019t cost you any money to say it: \u201cLet other people bless His name,\u201d that\u2019s what it means.L\u2019olam ul\u2019olmai olmaya, forever and ever, sometime in the far off future, forever and ever, other people should get busy blessing His name.No,you\u2019rethe one who should be blessing His name. And don\u2019t wait for the future; it should be happening right now. Think of one specific thing when you sayYehei Shmei Rabbah;it\u2019s a good idea to prepare.As soon as thechazzanstarts sayingYisgadal, think, \u201cWhat part of my body am I going to thank for this time.\u201d Think fast! It would be better if you thought beforehand; thiskaddishwill be for my fingers, and this one for my elbows. My ears, my teeth, and then my nerves. Preparing beforehand is best, but even at the last second you can think of one thing to thank Hashem for.TAKINGPESUKEI D\u2019ZIMRAWITH YOUAnd you have many other opportunities for this as well. As you\u2019re sayingHodu, Ashrei,or theHallelukahs,you\u2019re saying the words anyway, so think, \u201cToday I\u2019m singing about my lungs.\u201d If you pay attention to the words you\u2019re saying you\u2019ll see that it\u2019s all songs and praises; but if you\u2019re not thinking then you\u2019re wasting the precious opportunity to thank Hashem for your lungs. And that day, all day long whenever you\u2019re walking down the street you\u2019re singing to Hashem, \u201cI\u2019m counting my breath and thanking Hashem for my lungs.\u201dThat\u2019s how to do it. It\u2019s a good idea to say, \u201cToday is the ear day.\u201d \u201cTomorrow is nose day.\u201d \u201cThe next day is heart day.\u201d Ooh, ahh, that\u2019s a big day! And then comes lung day. And brain day. And every day you dedicate to thinking about another body part. So when you get to \u2018leg day,\u2019 so that day all yourpesukei d\u2019zimraare all about your legs. \u201cAh, what a pleasure it is to have the ability to walk!\u201d You\u2019re not a prisoner, stuck in a bed. Boruch Hashem you have two Rolls Royces underneath you;better than any other wheels. It\u2019s the biggest happiness that you can walk. And it\u2019s allnissei nissim. You know what the muscles are doing when you walk? Every muscle has a reflex, one is pulling and one is shoving. And it\u2019s pulling and shoving back and forth every second, in perfect coordination. How those muscles work is one of the most wonderful arrangements that you\u2019ll find in the world.THANK HASHEM FOR JELLYAnd your thighs aren\u2019t just moving; they\u2019re moving in a socket. The thigh moves all day in this socket, moving and twisting and pressing. So why don\u2019t you feel any friction there? There\u2019s a kind of jelly there in between, the synovial fluid, and it\u2019s lubricating the joints. And the jelly is always being replenished by additional materials. So as you walk down the street, don\u2019t waste the opportunity. As your thigh swings forward in effortless motion, consider the miracle of the smoothly functioning joints; your joints bend this way and that way, and you feel no pain! You hear any moving, any scraping? No, it\u2019s beautifully quiet. And therefore we say \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05de\u05db\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05e6\u05e2\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d2\u05d1\u05e8, I thank You Hashem for establishing the footsteps of man. How wonderful it is to walk!And your eyes! You\u2019re able to see? Ah, ah, ah! Oh, is this a pleasure. It says \u05e1\u05d5\u05de\u05d0 \u05d7\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1 \u05db\u05de\u05ea, a blind man is in a way a dead man. You lose so much of life when you cannot see. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you have to tap your way on Kings Highway. You come to an intersection and you\u2019re at a loss what to do. You want to find the right store to enter; you don\u2019t want to bump into people. You can\u2019t see the blue sky; you can\u2019t see the foliage of the trees; you can\u2019t see people; you can\u2019t see motion; you can\u2019t see life. People who can\u2019t see, if they could have working eyes, they would go delirious with ecstasy that their eyesight was restored. They wouldn\u2019t be able to stop singing.RAV MILLER\u2019S BEAUTIFUL EYESYou have to rejoice in the great gift of two beautiful orbs. Once I went to an eye doctor and he looked into my eyes. Now I don\u2019t have especially beautiful eyes, but he said, \u201cYou have two beautiful orbs!\u201d In the darkness the human eye is shining with a beautiful light. \u201cYou have two beautiful orbs,\u201d he said. You have to thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu for your eyesight; He\u2019s giving you a gift!Seeing is one of the great delights of life. It\u2019s a pleasure to be able to open your eyes and see what\u2019s going on around you. Take a peek into the eye doctor\u2019s office and you\u2019ll see people waiting there with bandages covering their eyes. All kinds of eye ailments. This one needs this operation, and the other fellow a different operation. And you don\u2019t need any operation on your eyes! Boruch Hashem! \u05db\u05dc \u05e2\u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9 \u05ea\u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05e0\u05d4, Sing along with your eyes!KORBANOSON OCEAN PARKWAYSo you\u2019re thinking and thanking and singing all day long. You\u2019re fulfilling theavodas hakorbanos, right here on Ocean Parkway. Because theavodas hakorbanosis teaching us that it\u2019s not enough for us to merely say \u2018thank you\u2019 to Hashem for life in general. A genuine attitude of gratitude will only develop from thanking Hashem for all the individual kindnesses. If you want to fulfill theavodahof thekorbanostoday, even when theBeis Hamikdashis not standing, then you must study each detail of thechesed Hashem, and sing a song of gratitude for that detail in particular.And that\u2019s why Hashem took you out ofMitzrayim. \u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d9\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9. I\u2019m taking you out ofMitzrayimso that you should offerkorbanosto Me, and sing to Me all your life along with youratzamos. Because although thekorbanoshave many purposes, the first of all the intentions is the expression of gratitude, for taking us out ofMitzrayimto be His people, and for all the thousands and tens of thousands of kindnesses that He bestows upon us always, without taking them back. The list of gifts is endless. Boruch Hashem, you areloaded downwith blessings. You\u2019re a lucky fellow! You\u2019re not putting your eyes on themizbei\u2019ach. You\u2019re not carrying your own leg up the ramp. Hashem says, \u201cKeep everything. Enjoy My gifts. But remember Me. At least that. Remember Me.\u201dKEEP YOUR HEAD TO YOURSELFAnd so thekorbanosare an expression of the highest form of gratitude to Hashem. Boruch Hashem, He gives me my life every day, and all my organs are functioning perfectly more or less.And so I express my gratitude by giving him back \u201cmy\u201d head, \u201cmy\u201d leg, \u201cmy\u201d kidneys, \u201cmy\u201dcheilev\u2013 my everything! We get to keep our legs and our hearts. We get to keep ourcheilevin ourselves. We keep ourk\u2019layosto ourselves. Our kidneys, our head; everything we get to keep and we use them everyday. And instead we burn all the parts of theolahto Hashem, and by means of that we understand our place in this world, a world where we\u2019re being given gifts and gifts without end. And it\u2019s for those gifts that we are forever indebted to the Giver, and we serve Him and sing to Him all the days of our lives. And by means of our overflowing gratitude to Hashem we find favor in His eyes, because we are achieving our purpose in this world.Singing to Hashem is the purpose of life, and one who joins the choir will be rewarded with even more years to sing: \u201cThemizbei\u2019achwas made in order to lengthen a man\u2019s life\u201d (Middos 3:4). The secret of thekorbanosis recognition of thechesed Hashemthat pervades one\u2019s life, and Hashem bestows more life upon those that who utilize their time here to recognize Him. And they thereby achieve the chief purpose of life: \u05d9\u05e8\u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAwareness of Hashem causes life\u201d (Mishlei 19:23). And therefore, even today, when we can\u2019t yet bringkorbanos, we can continue to sing always to Hashem we thereby achieve the greatness of the days of theBeis Hamikdashand find favor in the eyes of Hashem in this world and the next. HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.