Vayikra: Chapter 8

Whoever is unmarried is defective

Synopsis

This section says that there are no blessings on a man who has no wife, and his offering is not considered an offering. This is because 'a man' consists of male and female together; otherwise the Shechinah does not dwell on him.

Deeds Offering

62. Come and see: When a man improves his deeds by an offering, everything is perfumed and joins each other in a perfect unison. Hence, "If any man of you bring an offering" (Vayikra 1:2), bring things to properly join them.

62. ת"ח, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ מְתַקֵּן עוֹבָדוֹי ע"י דְּקָרְבְּנָא, כֹּלָּא אִתְבְּסָם וְאִתְקְרַב, וְאִתְקְשָׁר דָּא בְּדָא, בְּיִחוּדָא שְׁלִים. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם. כִּי יַקְרִיב לְקַשְּׁרָא מִלִּין כַּדְקָא חֲזֵי.

Altar Blessing Offering Shechinah

63. Come and see, "If any man of you bring an offering" excludes any man who has not wed a wife, for his offering is not considered an offering and there are no blessings with him, neither above nor below. This is understood from the verse: "If any man of you bring an offering." He is different because he is not a man, not a part of mankind, and the Shechinah does not dwell on him because he is defective and is considered deformed. A deformed man is distanced from everything, most of all from the altar and from bringing an offering.

63. ת"ח, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב, לַאֲפוּקֵי מַאן דְּלָא אִתְנְסִיב, דְּהָא קָרְבָּנֵיהּ לָאו קָרְבָּן, וּבִרְכָּאן לָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחָן לְגַבֵּיהּ, לָא לְעֵילָּא, וְלָא לְתַתָּא. מִמַּשְׁמַע דִּכְתִּיב אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב, שָׁאנֵי הָכָא, דְּלָאו אִיהוּ אָדָם, וְלָא בִּכְלָלָא דְּאָדָם הוּא, וּשְׁכִינְתָּא לָא שַׁרְיָא עָלוֹהִי, בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ פָּגִים, וְאִקְרֵי בַּעַל מוּם, וּמָארֵי דְּמוּמָא אִתְרַחֲקָא מִכֹּלָּא, כ"ש לְמַדְבְּחָא לְקָרְבָא קָרְבְּנָא.

Abihu Female Fire Male Nadab Offering

64. Nadab and Abihu prove this, as it says in the verse: "And a fire went out from Hashem" (Vayikra 10:2), BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MARRIED. Hence, it is written, "If any man of you bring an offering." A man consisting of both male and female is worthy of bringing an offering, but no other.

64. וְנָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אוֹכָחָן, דִּכְתִּיב וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְיָ.' וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ כְּתִיב, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַיְיָ,' אָדָם דְּאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, הַאי חֲזֵי לְקָרְבָא קָרְבְּנָא דָּא, וְלָא אָחֳרָא.

Abihu Fire Incense Nadab Offering Women

65. Rabbi Aba said, Although we interpreted Nadab and Abihu in a different way, it is surely so THAT IT HAPPENED BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MARRIED. But incense is superior to any offering in the world, since for its sake the upper and lower beings are blessed. Yet they were not worthy of bringing this offering, which is higher than any offering, as they were not married to a woman. THEREFORE, they were not worthy of bringing an offering, all the more so higher matters LIKE INCENSE, FOR THEY WERE NOT WORTHY OF IT that the world shall be blessed through them.

65. וְאָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, אע"ג דְּאוּקְמוּהָ לְנָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא בְּמִלָּה אָחֳרָא, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי. אֲבָל קְטֹרֶת, עִלָּאָה הוּא מִכָּל קָרְבְּנִין דְּעָלְמָא, דְּעָלֵיהּ אִתְבָּרְכָן עִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי. וְקָרְבְּנָא דָּא דְּאִיהוּ לְעֵילָּא מִכָּל קָרְבְּנִין לָא אִתְחָזוּן אִינּוּן לְקָרְבָא, דְּהָא לָא אִתְנְסִיבוּ, לְקָרְבָּנָא לָא אִתְחֲזוּן, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן לְמִלִּין עִלָּאִין, דְּיִתְבָּרְכוּן עַל יְדַיְיהוּ.

Fire

66. You may say: "And a fire went out from Hashem, and devoured them." (Vayikra 10:2) Wherefore WERE THEY SO SEVERELY PUNISHED? HE ANSWERS, It is like the story of a man who came before the queen to announce that the king would come to her house and stay WITH THE QUEEN to rejoice with her. The man came before the king, and the king saw that the man was deformed. The king said, It is beneath my honor that through this crippled man I shall come to the queen. In the meantime, the queen prepared her house for the king. When she saw that the king was ready to come to her, yet that man caused the king to stay away from her, the queen gave orders to kill that man.

66. וְאִי תֵּימָא וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְיָ' וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם, אֲמַאי. לב"נ דְּאָתָא קָמֵי מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, לְבַשְּׂרָא לָהּ דְּהָא מַלְכָּא אָתֵי לְבֵיתָהּ, וְיִשְׁרֵי בָּהּ בְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא, לְמֶחְדֵּי עִמָּהּ. אָתָא לְקָמֵי מַלְכָּא, חָמָא מַלְכָּא הַהוּא ב"נ דְּאִיהוּ מָארֵי דְּמוּמִין. אָמַר מַלְכָּא, לָאו הוּא יְקָרָא דִּילִי, דְּעַל יְדוֹי דְּהַאי פָּגִים, אִיעוּל לְמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. אַדְּהָכִי אַתְקְנַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא בֵּיתָא לְמַלְכָּא, כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָאת דְּמַלְכָּא הֲוָה זַמִּין לְמֵיתֵי לְגַבָּהּ, וְהַהוּא ב"נ גָּרִים לְאִסְתַּלְּקָא מַלְכָּא מִינָּהּ, כְּדֵין פְּקִידַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא לְקָטְלָא לְהַהוּא ב"נ.

Abihu Fire Incense Nadab Zeir Anpin

67. When Nadab and Abihu likewise came in holding incense, the Queen, MALCHUT, rejoiced and prepared herself to accept the King, ZEIR ANPIN. When the King saw that these men were flawed and deformed, the King did not want to come to the Queen through them to stay with her. Thus, the King went away from her. When the Queen saw that it was because of them that the King was gone from her, immediately "a fire went out from Hashem, and devoured them."

67. כַּךְ בְּזִמְנָא דְּעָאלוּ נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא, וּקְטֹרֶת בִּידַיְיהוּ, חַדָּת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, וְאִתְתַּקְּנַת לְקַבְּלָא לְמַלְכָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא מַלְכָּא אִינּוּן גֻּבְרִין פְּגִימִין, מָארֵי דְּמוּמִין, לָא בָּעָא מַלְכָּא דְּעַל יְדַיְיהוּ יֵיתֵי לְמִשְׁרֵי עִמָּהּ, וְאִסְתְּלַּק מַלְכָּא מִנָּהּ. כַּד חֲמַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא דִּבְגִינֵיהוֹן אִסְתַּלָּק מַלְכָּא מִנָּהּ, מִיַּד וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְיָ' וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם.

Eyes Holiness (Kedushah) Kedushah (Holiness) Offering

68. The reason for all this is that he who is unmarried is flawed and deformed in the eyes of the King, and the holiness of the King is gone from him, for it does not dwell on a flaw. Of this, it is written, "If any man of you bring an offering." Let he who is considered a man bring it, but he who is not considered a man - NAMELY, HE WHO IS UNMARRIED - shall not bring an offering.

68. וְכָל דָּא בְּגִין דְּמַאן דְּלָא אִתְנְסִיב הוּא פָּגִים. מָארֵיהּ דְּמוּמִין קֳדָם מַלְכָּא, קְדוּשָּׁה דְּמַלְכָּא אִסְתַּלָּק מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא שַׁרְיָא בִּפְגִּימוּ. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן, מַאן דְּאִקְרֵי אָדָם יַקְרִיב, וּמַאן דְּלָא אִקְרֵי אָדָם לָא יַקְרִיב.

Animals Offering

69. "Of the cattle" (Vayikra 1:2) is a generalization, INCLUDING ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS, UNCLEAN AND CLEAN. "Of the herd, and of the flock" (Ibid.) is a specification AFTER THE GENERALIZATION, FOR THE GENERAL CONTAINS ONLY WHAT IS IN THE PARTICULAR; NAMELY, ONLY those which are kosher for eating. It is forbidden to bring as an offering those animals which are not kosher to eat. IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ELSEWHERE WHICH ANIMALS ARE KOSHER AND WHICH ARE NOT KOSHER, AND THE SECRET MEANING THEREOF.

69. מִן הַבְּהֵמָה כְּלָל. מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַצֹּאן פְּרָט, לְבָתַר אִלֵּין דְּכַשְׁרִין לְמֵיכַל, וּדְלָא כַּשִּׁרְיָן לְמֵיכַל אָסִיר לְקָרְבָא. וְלַאֲתַר אָחֳרָא אִסְתָּלִיקוּ אִינּוּן דְּכַשְׁרָן וְאִינּוּן דְּלָא כַּשְׁרָן.

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