"And he shall rest his hands upon the head of the burnt
offering and it shall be accepted from him to atone for
him."
This burnt offering does not only provide atonement; it also
serves as ritzui, appeasement, so to speak. The person
who brings this sacrifice becomes an accepted, desired
person; he finds favor. No longer is he a sinner, a
pariah.
"Said Rabba: the burnt offering is a gift, a tribute, for had
the sinner not repented, his offering would be rejected, as
it says, `The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination.'
When a person commits a sinful offense and repents, he does
not budge until he is forgiven. What is the meaning of a
gift? Why does the sin offering (chattos) come before
the olah?
"This can be likened to an advocate who entered [the court on
behalf of his client] and successfully appeased [the judge].
Afterwards, he brought a gift" (Zevochim 7). Rashi
comments: "After his repentance atoned for the offender, the
olah came to appease, like a person who committed an
offense against the king and appeased him through an emissary
who represented him, bearing a tribute gift in hand."
The section dealing with the olah teaches us an
additional aspect of sin and its atonement, which is in
contrast to civil law, where there does not exist the concept
of a close relationship between the citizen and those
appointed over him. A citizen is expected to be law-abiding
and not to incur any fines. But if he does break a law, is
punished and the punishment is executed, or alternately, if
he is tried and some compromise is arrived at, the case is
shut and nothing more is said or expected. There is no added
dimension of `finding favor' in the eyes of the authorities.
There is no attempt to erase the impression left by the
offense.
With regard to a person and his Creator, the matter is
different. More is expected of him. Rabbenu Yonah writes:
"The penitent must pray to Hashem to `wipe out, like an
obliterating mist, his sins, and like a cloud, his
violations,' to pray that Hashem will still want him and
favor him, and will continue to heed his requests when he
prays to Him, as if he had not sinned at all. For it is
possible that the sin be forgiven and the sinner absolved of
punishment, suffering or evil decree -- but the sinner still
not be reinstated in Hashem's favor. He can be cast off . . .
Therefore, we see that Dovid Hamelech prayed that `You uphold
me with a generous spirit,' meaning, `Lo, I am puny due to my
sins and if You have forgiven my sins, I am still unworthy to
be loved and favored as I was before. [Nevertheless,] I pray
You to support me with a generous spirit, for there is no
limit to Your generosity and goodness" (Sha'arei
Tshuva I:42).
*
Awesome thoughts. Atonement, alone, is not sufficient for a
sin. Even after it is attained, it is still possible for a
person to have forfeited Hashem's trust, affection, and
attention towards him. He may be lost, without any hope of
reinstatement in Hashem's good graces.
The sin may be forgiven and the sinner redeemed and spared of
all punishment, all fine and good, with no suffering
remaining to undergo and the evil decree against him
abolished. And yet -- Hashem has cast him off and has no
desire for him! Here -- take your reprieve and begone with
you! Get out of My sight.
Let us imagine to ourselves the `deep affection' that we
would feel towards a gross fellow who shamed us in public
with beatings, curses and foul language -- and then asked our
forgiveness. How would we greet him the next time we
encountered him? Would we not make the greatest detour just
to avoid coming into his proximity?
And the sinner, this sinner caused Hashem to be called `an
insulted King,' `One Who suffers shame,' as is written in
Tomer Dvora, for He continues to sustain the sinner
with life and vigor at all times, notwithstanding. This man
continues to use the vigor he receives at the very moment
that he sins and rebels against his Creator! Is there greater
insult than this? wonders the Ramak.
What pleasure or satisfaction can such a person provide for
his Maker? What can be expected of such a person? True, he
may ask forgiveness and Hashem, in His infinite goodness, may
provide it. But to continue to find favor, affection and a
pleasing attitude -- this is much too much to expect!
This is the purpose that the olah was expected to
achieve. The Gra writes in his commentary on Shir
Hashirim on the verse, "Behold, you are comely, my loved
one, also pleasant . . . " that even after Hashem accepts a
person's repentance, the sin itself is not erased. This was a
great advantage in the times of the Beis Hamikdosh: the
sacrifices had the power of completely wiping away sins so
that no impression remained whatsoever! "This goodly mountain
and the Levanon." Comment Chazal homiletically, "Levanon --
this refers to the Beis Hamikdash which whitens the sins of
Israel." White: without a vestige of stain. No impression
left in the least. How? Through the sacrifices.
The olah is like a tribute-gift with which one enters
to pay homage, "Like a person who sinned and made amends
through an advocate. When he came to show his face, he
brought a gift in hand." Let us not forget that after all our
pleading and requests, we must still come in person and bear
a present. One must show face to receive full pardon. "Ezra
Hasofer said before You: My G-d, I am ashamed and embarrassed
to lift my face to You, my G-d."
The opportunity to show one's face, to present oneself in the
presence of Hashem, is a separate act from that of
repentance. When Chazal determine that there are four
categories of people who cannot come in the presence of the
Shechina (scoffers, liars, flatterers and tale-
bearers), the Mabit comments in Beis Elokim that even
after they repent [and their repentance is accepted], they
may not come before the presence of the Shechina. They
are undesirables. Castoffs. Disfavored and unwanted.
*
This message was a fundamental principle, ofttimes repeated
in the teachings of the Mashgiach, R' Yechezkel Levinstein.
Finding favor in the eyes of Hashem is a foundation, the very
core of avodas Hashem. He would constantly review the
words of Rabbenu Yonah: "The ultimate desire of
tzaddikim is to succeed in pleasing Hashem and seeking
His favor. And their wish -- life that is real and true, and
the great illumination that embraces all pleasantness."
This does not say that tzaddikim desire to perform
many good deeds and do mitzvos. Rather, their all- consuming
desire, their will -- in order to succeed and earn the life
of the spirit -- is, simply put: to curry Hashem's favor, to
enjoy His good grace. It is very possible for a person to do
good deeds and still not enter the category of being pleasing
unto Hashem, being favored by Him. Rabbenu Yonah raises this
question in the chapter, "Gateway of Remorse." "And of what
use are all the acquisitions if they are bad in the eyes of
their Master?" The soul has acquisitions but these may yet be
evil in the eyes of the Master. A frightening thought.
The pages of Or Yechezkel overflow with a conclusion
that this must be our striving in our G-dly worship: to find
favor in Hashem's eyes, to know before Whom we are toiling,
to try and see if we are truly treading the path that leads
to this goal: of pleasing Hashem, causing Him nachas,
gratification, satisfaction in us. We must instill as a
fundament in our worship the need to shun those deeds that
cause a person to be detested and rejected by Hashem, G-d
forbid.
Suffice it for us a single example brought by Rabbenu Yonah:
"Aside from the fact that pride leads to sin, the proud
person is delivered into the power of his yetzer for
Hashem ceases to help or support him, for [pride] is the
abomination of Hashem." Tribute-gift -- and its
antithesis.
