Prayer Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe from TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Prayer Podcast.

00:09 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back everybody to the Prayer Podcast. It's so wonderful to be here Today. We are going to do our third class on the section of prayer called the Karbanot, the offerings, sacrifices, and we are, if you're following along with the Wasserman edition of the Art Scroll Sitter, we are on page 30 and 31,. Page 30 and 31, the top paragraph, and on the to him, Hashem spoke to Moshe saying Make a copper laver with its own copper base for washing and place it between the tent of appointment, the tent of meeting and the altar and put water there. Aaron, the high priest and his sons are to wash their hands and feet from it. When they arrive at the tent of appointment, they are to wash with water so that they not die. And when they approach the altar to serve to burn a fire offering to Hashem, they are to wash their hands and feet so that they not die. And this shall be an eternal decree for them, for him, Aaron and his offspring, throughout their generations. These are four verses from Exodus, chapter 30, verse 17 through 21. And this is a special prayer that we recite every morning. So let's talk a little bit, because this is the first actual part of the Karbonot. We mentioned previously the Akedah. We mentioned the La'olam, Yehe'adam Yirei Shemaim, which we did last week. It's important for us to understand. When we talk about Karbanot, when we talk about the actual offerings, what are we actually doing? What are we saying?

02:31
So the Talmud says that Abraham asked Hashem. You know the offerings that were brought the first two children that were born into this world, Cain and Abel, brought offerings. Adam brought offerings. Offerings has always been a thing. Abraham says but God, when you don't have a temple, that's going to be built in the future, because Abraham had prophecy, when we are going to be in Houston Texas in 2023, 2024, 2025, we're going to be in Houston Texas in 2023, 2024, 2025, we're going to be sitting in the Torch Center and learning about the Kior. Abraham asks Hashem how are the Jewish people going to bring offerings without a temple? How are they going to bring the offerings without an altar, the offerings without an altar? Hashem said that whoever studies and reads the portion of the offerings, it is as if they brought the sacrifices. So today, in our reading of this portion of the offerings, it's as if we just washed our hands in preparation of bringing those offerings. You know, there's a command to bring, to give charity before we, before we pray. Why? What is charity? Charity means we're giving of ourselves, the animals that we bring in. Our sacrifices is equivalent to charity.

04:15
Our sages tell us that we can understand right from wrong. Human beings can understand right from wrong. We know what's right. We know what's right, we know what's wrong. We have intellect. But what happens when a person sins? They lower themselves from the level of human with intellect to the level of animal, To sub-human level. We got carried away by our materialism. We got carried away by our materialism. We got carried away by our desires and urges. We became animalistic. Sages tell us that the offerings that we bring are a sacrifice, where we're saying Hashem, we acted like an animal. Take this animal as a sacrifice. I want to go back to human level. I want to go back up to the level where I understand right from wrong again, where I cleanse myself from this mistake, from this wrongdoing. I want to go back up, and that's what the offerings, the essence of the offerings, are.

05:25
So in these coming weeks, we're going to be learning about the four different portions of the offerings that we're going to talk about and the four different portions of the offerings that we're going to talk about and that we read every morning in our prayer and our sages tell us that they represent. We'll see. Some of it, like this, is from the Torah, Some of it is from the Mishnah and some of it is from the Talmud. Why is that important? Because, as we know, it's a mitzvah for us to learn Torah every single day and, like this, someone who is extremely busy, someone who doesn't have the privilege of coming to the Torch Center and learning Torah, someone who doesn't have the privilege of going to a study hall and learning, or opening up a book like this. Already by the introduction to prayer, by reciting these verses from the offerings, we're already fulfilled studying Torah, studying Mishnah, studying Talmud. Now, since creation, we have understood that offerings brings us closer, which is why Adam did it and his children, his grandchildren. Abraham brought offerings, Isaac Jacob they all brought offerings to Hashem. It represents our submission before Hashem. Now Revit Shach says an amazing thing. Now Rav Yitzchak says an amazing thing.

06:53
The verse states in Leviticus, chapter 6, verse 18. We read this just a few weeks ago in a Torah portion. This is the Torah of the Chatos. What does that mean? Learning? It is the actualization of it? Why does it say Zohar's Torah, this is the Chatos? No, no, this is the Torahization of it. Why does it say Zohar Torah, this is the Chatas? No, no, this is the Torah of the Chatas. Because when you learn the Torah of the Chatas, you're actualizing the performance, the offering that you would have brought.

07:27
Now, what was the previous prayer we discussed? If you remember the previous prayer that we just read, we said it was you before the world was created. It'll be you after the world was created. But what are we saying? Glorify your name on your creations. And we say Hashem should be revealed in all four corners of the world. Remember, we talked about this at the end of last episode. What more appropriate thing to talk about right after that than talking about Karbonos, talking about the actual offerings where we long for the redemption. We long for the redemption, we long for the return of our temple. We spoke about Hashem. We want you back, we want your presence to be revealed in the world. Again, what more appropriate thing than now to go straight into the offerings that will be a result of your revelation, returning to your creation?

08:34
These are all communal offerings. We specifically mention communal offerings. Why? Because the essence of Jewish prayer is unity, and we need to always remember unity is the key to successful prayer. You want to succeed in prayer. Don't just pray for yourself. Pray for the person sitting next to you. Pray for the person, your neighbor, your friend, your family member. Pray for the entire world. We do that in our prayers. We don't pray in a singular term, we pray in a plural term. Now focusing into our kior, into our labor. There are four dimensions of the offerings To extract, refine, elevate and redeem is what we're asking for, and our sages tell us that each of the four offerings that we're going to mention represent the domeim, the inanimate, the tzomach, the vegetation, the chai, the living, and the medaber, the speaking Right. What we're trying to do is to extract, refine, elevate and bring redemption to the sparks of holiness that they represent the kior, the kapra laver.

10:01
The sages teach us how the kohanim, how the high priests, would wash their hands and feet before their service. For what purpose? Purity. You don't come to serve the king in dirty clothes. You don't either come to serve the king with dirty hands. White glove service is what the Kohen had. What the Kohen did, Absolute purity. You want to wash away all of the impurities. So the Kohen would wash his hands, wash his feet, before they did any service. Very important to recognize.

10:48
This is, by the way, the custom that many people in the Hasidic community, before they go to pray, they go to the mikvah. They go to the mikvah, they dip their entire body into a ritual bath so that now their body, if there was any impurity, if there was any lack of purity through the night or whatever it was, now they can come to pray in front of the Almighty in total purity. It comes from this kior, from this labor, we start our prayer. We talk about cleanliness. By the way, the halacha teaches us that before any prayer this is morning, afternoon, evening, shachar, smen chamariv before any prayer it is appropriate to wash our hands. You come into synagogue, don't run to your seat, Run first to wash your hands. Wash your hands, Now I can go pray. And that's why the first actual part of our prayer, which is now the offerings before it was introductory prayers, but now we're actually starting to get into the rhythm of prayer we start with the key hour.

11:59
Remember wash your hands, Come with cleanliness before the Almighty. Before we bring our verbal offerings, we wash ourselves physically. We need to cleanse ourselves. This is also we mentioned this when we talked about the washing of the hands. What does washing of the hands represent? Sages tell us. Washing of the hands represents cleaning ourselves from arrogance. You know, we wash our hands before we eat bread. Why do we wash our hands before we eat bread? Because it's very easy for someone to become arrogant and say look at me, look at all my money, look at what I've accomplished, look at the food that I have here. Who brought this? I brought this. I worked hard, I paid my taxes, I paid my dues. And look at me, I'm able to feast like a king.

12:53
Wash away that thought, that thought of arrogance. Wash away what you think your hands provided. You forgot it's all the Almighty. It says that when a person washes his hands, you're not supposed to have your hands, your fingers, closed together. You're supposed to have them like this. You know why it should be porous. You know why For one to constantly remember this hand can't do anything. Everything falls right through it. The only way we can actually do something is when we have the gift from the Almighty. The Almighty is the one who brings blessing. I'm porous, I can't do anything. Water goes right through it. Wash it away. Wash away the thought of arrogance. Wash away. You feel you're so high and mighty, you think you're so great. Wash away the thought of arrogance. Wash away. You feel you're so high and mighty, you think you're so great. Wash away that thought of arrogance.

13:45
Now it says that it's punishable by death. Remember when we read this paragraph just a minute ago we talked about so that they not die, so that they not die Twice. It says it in this portion. Our sages tell us this was not a court-given death penalty, but rather a heavenly death. And whenever there's a heavenly death, it's due to a display of contempt that the person says I says in their action, they're displaying a lack of content with what they're doing. A person who doesn't wash themselves properly says I don't respect this. It's showing contempt. So what we're doing is, in essence, we're cutting ourselves off from the Almighty. We are cutting ourselves off. We're causing ourselves that spiritual death. And this is the importance for a person to always ensure that when they do the service, they are with clean hands. And this is we wash. Every morning, we wake up, we wash our hands Before we pray. We're about to start a day of service of God, Wash your hands. Now we're going to pray, we wash our hands. We have to always cleanse ourselves and reset.

15:10
I want to read to you an amazing writing from the Chavetz Chaim. He says as follows he says when they would bring the offerings, they would also read the verse from the Torah that commands about the offering. It wasn't just like oh, today we're reading it because we can't do the offering. He says no, no, no. Back then, when they brought the offerings, actually in the temple, they also read the verses from the Torah Kedis HaBemidrash. He brings from the Midrash. It says Tzavis, Aaron Vez Bonov, Leymar Zoz, Torah Sa'ola, Klomar, Sheyomar, Livnei Yis. That just that the Jewish people. They shouldn't say, oh, the Kohen is bringing the offering on my behalf, that's enough. No, no, no. They had to be involved with reading the portion of the offerings while they were bringing the actual physical offering. That way they fulfilled both bringing the offering and the reading actual physical offering. That way they fulfilled both bringing the offering and the reading of the offering.

16:28
The Chovetz Chaim says let's explain what's really happening here. He says what does the offering do? It rectifies the sins up in the heavens. I performed the sin, I created a barrier. What does this offering do? It brings cleansing to that sin. It removes that barrier up in the heavens. It removes that barrier up in the heavens. K'in kava od letakin b'shorosh harinonim alidei ha-Torah shee shorosh ha-korbonos v'shorosh ha-kol V'k'in motzinu gam kin b'eis she nishchanich aron uvano v'lakuhuna b'yom ha-shmini l'miluim alidei ha-krovas ha-korbonos. He says so.

17:13
What happens when we recite these portions? What we're doing is we're removing the blockade on our physical world here, Not only up there with the offering, but down here. So when Aaron and his sons were inaugurated as Kohanim, Not only were they inaugurated, but they also read the portion of the Torah that talks about it, as the Talmud says. As the Talmud says that you have to speak it out. By not speaking it out, it would be a draw on the offering that was brought, on the action. It means we have to verbalize what it is that we're doing.

18:20
Al-kain Gam hayom. Therefore, today, Im mitzvos ma se'ar kabonos befal ein lonu b'avonos se'inu rabim She'amigdosh kharev. He says today, sadly, due to our sins, we don't have a temple. We are not able to bring the offerings on the temple like we used to, on the altar, with the Kohanim, with the Levim singing, with the Levites singing the beautiful songs. We don't have that Al kolponim mitzvah aslimut hilchosein haloyesh gam lanu.

18:53
But to learn the laws, to recite the portion that talks about these offerings, that mitzvah we do have Vinitkan kol hainyonim, vinitakin kol hainyonim b'shoresh hadvaram l'malo. And therefore that verbalization heals and repairs all of the barriers that we created on high. And why should one neglect such an opportunity? That the offerings imagine that we say you know, Rabbi, how am I going to repent for this? How am I going to repent for that? Well, you bring an offering, I can't bring an offering. There's no more temple, Guess what. We can recite these verses of the offerings, and it's as if we brought those karbanos, it's as if we brought those animals for our atonement. We can do that with our own mouth Today. Such a powerful thing. Adar Abba Olenu li'izchazik yoser l'kayima shebekochenu al koponim. He says whatever we are able to do, whatever is in our strength to do, we should make every endeavor, every effort to do that. Achrei she'en lanu avoda, acheres ki imzos.

20:11
We don't have the service in the temple right now. We pray for it to be restored, we pray for it to be rebuilt, but today we don't have it. It's 2025 and unfortunately, today, on April 29th, we don't have the temple rebuilt yet. We pray for it to be rebuilt today and we hope that we will get a sudden blowing of the shofar and we'll have Mashiach and the temple will descend from the heaven and it'll be amazing. We'll be able to return those offerings. But till that point, we have the ability to bring offerings every single day with these prayers, and especially since the Almighty treats it as if we actually brought the offering. How special that we can actually bring offerings today. My dear friends, let's do so every single day. We should never fall into sin, but sadly we do at times. This is our opportunity to rectify this. This is our opportunity to bring this full circle and repair the mistakes that we may have made. Hashem should bless us all should have an amazing day. Thank you so much.

21:39 - Intro (Announcement)
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