796. The Faithful Shepherd began by saying: It is written "And you shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering to Hashem" (Bemidbar 28:19), and it has already been taught that a burnt offering is committed to the flames, ALL OF IT BEING BURNT BY FIRE, and this is why the two expressions "an offering made by fire" and "a burnt offering" are placed next to each other. And it has also been taught: A burnt offering is due only as an expiation for sinful contemplation of the heart.

797. Without doubt the purpose of all the sacrifices is only for the making of atonement, with each sacrifice making atonement for man's limbs according to the sin he committed with that limb. For drops of marrow, NAMELY, THE SIN OF WASTING SEED, HE BRINGS "unleavened cakes...for it was not leavened" (Shemot 12:39); namely, if he discharged initial drops before they acidify in a place that does not belong to him, NAMELY, WITHOUT A FORBIDDEN WOMAN IN WHOM THE DROPS ACIDIFY. And regarding those that acidified, which in discharged in a place where he should not have, NAMELY, IN A WOMAN FORBIDDEN TO HIM WHERE THE DROPS BECOME ACID (HEB. CHAMETZ), he has to bring leavened bread, and thus were the loaves of thanksgiving offerings: some were leavened and others were unleavened.

798. Bullocks are from the side of Judgment. LIKEWISE, sheep and rams and he-goats and goats ARE ALL FROM THE SIDE OF JUDGMENT, because they are 'the face of ox,' AS IT IS SAID: "THE FACE OF AN OX ON THE LEFT SIDE" (YECHEZKEL 1:10), WHICH IS THAT OF JUDGMENT. All of them were slaughtered on the north side and their blood was received in a vessel of ministry on the north side. The slaughtering, the receipt, and tossing (of the blood) were all on the north side, WHICH IS THE LEFT SIDE, in order to sweeten AND MITIGATE the attribute of Judgment, which comes to the court from the side of Gvurah. The Great Law-court is from the side of Gvurah, where Binah is, while the Small Law-court is from the side of Malchut. And all those who shed blood in fulfillment of a precept are from the side of Gvurah.

799. And the teaching that "the burnt offering of every Shabbat" (Bemidbar 28:10) must be offered on that Shabbat, and not on any other is because if the day has passed, the offering lapses, AND CANNOT BE MADE UP ON ANOTHER SHABBAT. The offering of the sacrifice takes precedence over Shabbat, and fire may be kindled on the Shabbat because it is holy fire, for the fire that is used for offering all the sacrifices is holy, and this holy fire and the holy Shabbat take hold of each other.

800. But profane fire may not be combined with the holy, NAMELY WITH THE SHABBAT, which is why He commanded Yisrael: "You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Shabbat day" (Shemot 35:3), for this would be tantamount to mixing good and bad, FOR on the Shabbat the Tree of Life is in control, and there is no mixture OF GOOD AND BAD in it. And secular objects that pertain to purity may not be mixed with the fire of holiness, and how much more so may the secular objects that pertain to impurity not be mixed with holiness. So, too, all the sacrifices are called "holy flesh" (Yirmeyah 11:15), and all the sacrifices of every type contain secular things of purity, and they contain holiness, and the holy of holies.

801. And the secret of the matter is that a distinction is to be made between one king of holiness and another, as it is written: "and the veil shall be for you as a division between the holy place and the holy of holies" (Shemot 26:33). Here, too, the fires of the offering are not equal, for the fire that is higher is holier than the holy fire below, which are called 'the fire of the holy wood' or 'the fire of the holy flesh'. And there is distinction between holy fire and ordinary fire THAT IS BROUGHT TO THE ALTAR, even though it has been taught that it is a positive precept to bring of the ordinary FIRE even when there is holy fire ON THE ALTAR, for each has to have its own place.

802. Yisrael are likened to this, for Yisrael as a rule is called 'kings', as it has been taught: All Yisrael are the children of kings. But when they entered the Temple, each one went to his own place, THE PRIESTS BY THEMSELVES, THE LEVITES BY THEMSELVES, AND YISRAEL BY THEMSELVES. Similarly, with regard to the sacrifices, although about each one it is written "a sacrifice to Hashem," they are not equal, for He, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, distributes everything, each as is fitting to him. And the secret of the matter can be learned from the bullocks of Sukkot (holiday of the Booths) that Yisrael used to offer before Hashem, AND HE DISTRIBUTED THEM FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF THE SEVENTY NATIONS.