Prayer and Sacrifice

This week marks the beginning of the book of “Vayikra” (Leviticus), the third book of the Bible. Essentially, the entire book consists mainly of the details of the sacrificial offerings performed within the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the upkeep of the Mishkan. Although the book also includes many laws, such as keeping Kosher and ritual impurity, RaMbaN (Rabbi Moshe son of Nahman, 1194-1270, a philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator) states that all those laws are merely “dragged in” because they relate to the main theme; the sacrificial offerings.

What is the general idea behind bringing a sacrifice?
In brief, a sacrifice offering is an act of coming close to God by offering Him something significant from our material possessions, usually an animal or even certain nutritional elements. The reason and details behind bringing a sacrifice, however, depend on the situation; one may bring one for atonement, upon taking a vow, or to simply express one’s gratitude towards God.

Unfortunately, after the destruction of the (2nd) Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple of Jerusalem) we lost the religious service of the sacrificial offerings, and as a result our connection to God became severely diminished. Nowadays most of us feel very distant from this concept of bringing sacrificial offerings. So how can we truly relate to the book of Vayikra? Why should we care about this sacrificial service of the past!? Furthermore, the sacrificial service acted as the main conduit in our service to God, how could we have simply let it go!? Was there any way to replace it?

The Talmud (a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history) tells us that there indeed is a substitution for the sacrifices: prayer.
The Rabbis instated the three daily prayer services (which we practice in our time) in place of the three daily sacrificial offerings that were brought when the Temple was standing [Tractate Berachos, 26b]. In fact, even in the prophetic writing it writes “Let our lips compensate for the bulls (i.e. the bull offerings)” [Hoshea: 14: 3]

But why specifically prayer? Why couldn’t they have instituted three daily Torah classes, or three daily charity donations? What is the inherent connection between prayer and the sacrificial service?

As stated, we lost our ability to bring offerings because of the destruction of the Temple. Our Rabbis inform us that the real reason behind its destruction was to serve as a punishment brought upon us by God because of our sins. The Rabbis say that there was one sin in particular that led God to decide to take the Beit Hamikdash away from us. That sin in which we were so greatly immersed, and unfortunately still are to this day, is Lashon Hara (literally translated as “Evil tongue”, which means gossip and slander). It was through speaking evil of our fellow Jew, which resulted in discord and dissension amongst our nation, that brought upon the downfall of the Temple.

Through our mouths we sinned, for that reason it can only be through our mouths that we rectify that sin and eventually bring about the rebuilding of the Temple. Therefore the Rabbis established the three daily prayer services in order for us to purify our mouths and bring back those three daily sacrifices, and ultimately that high level of connection between us and God.

In light of an apparent contradiction, I believe we can further develop this idea.

It was mentioned earlier that prayer was instituted by the Rabbis in place of the three daily sacrifices in the Temple. But the Talmud states that in fact, prayer was founded by the Forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) years before we ever had a Temple!
So how did prayer really begin? Through the Forefathers, or through the Rabbis after the destruction of our Temple?

The Talmud gives a simple answer: it was indeed the Forefathers who introduced the concept of prayer into this world, but when it came time for the Jewish nation to establish prayer in their daily lives, the Rabbis scheduled it according to the Temple service. Therefore we prayer three times daily according to the three daily sacrifices in the days of the Temple.

I think beneath the surface there is something deeper going on here.

True, the Forefathers were the first to bring into this world the concept of deep and intimate conversation with God though prayer. However, that was only at an individual level. (*see note*)

We mentioned that the downfall of the Holy Temple resulted from Lashon Hara, which in essence represented a breakdown in the unity of the Jewish people. Therefore, when the Rabbis established the three daily services it was prayer at a new level, the communal level! In order to rectify the disorder among the Jewish nation, the prayers were instituted in order to cause a sense of oneness amongst ourselves that would generate feelings of love for the entire Jewish nation.
This explains why it is necessary to have 10 people in order to pray the daily services. Even take a look in your prayer book and you’ll realize that everything is in plural. In our prayers we don’t say “Forgive me for my sins” or “Please grant me wisdom”! Rather we say “Forgive us for our sins” and “Please grant us wisdom”! Whenever we pray, we pray on behalf of all our brethren within the entire Jewish nation.

To bring back the Temple, our first step should be to try our hardest to refrain from speaking evil between us, and therefore avoid further disunity. But we must go even further by taking prayer more seriously, and recognizing it as the tool to mend our damaged speech and patch up those gaps between us and our fellow Jews. May we all merit to really make prayer a more important part of our lives and live to see the rebuilding of our nation and the Holy Temple.

Good Shabbos,

NZL


(*Even nowadays, in addition to the prayers we recite daily in the synagogue, every Jew is meant to also pray by himself, and speak his own thoughts and feelings (rather than from a prayer book) in supplication to God. Often times, the words in the prayerbook may become too familiar and robotic for us, which may lead us to pray without the proper feeling and intention. By praying to God on our own, with our own genuine words, we maintain that proper fervor that is meant to be experienced during prayer. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810, an outstanding Torah scholar and Hasidic master, the founder of Breslover Hasidism) considered this level of prayer as crucial to every Jew's religious observance.*)