Leviticus 6:1–8:36 - Shabbat HaGadol
An Offering of Thanksgiving
Naamah Kelman
Both The Torah: A Modern Commentary1 and The Torah: A Women's Commentary2 offer the following midrash for this week's portion pertaining to the sacrifice of the sh’lamim given as an offering of thanksgiving:
Though all sacrifices may be discontinued in the future (for in the messianic age humankind will be sinless) the offering of thanksgiving [korban todah] will never cease. Though all prayers may be discontinued, the prayer for thanksgiving will never cease. (Vayikra Rabbah)
The sacrifice or offering of well-being known as sh’lamim, meaning “wholeness” and/or “peace,” is first mentioned in Leviticus 3:1, in the first parashah of the Book of Leviticus. In Tzav, this week’s portion, the Torah elaborates on the purpose and practice of this sacrifice, particularly describing its two purposes. It is used either as an offering of thanksgiving or in fulfillment of a vow. Although it is an animal sacrifice, it may be supplemented with grain and flour offerings as well. Here, let us focus on the idea of an offering of thanksgiving.
Professor Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, in her running commentary on the first parashah of Leviticus in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary,3 notes that the sh’lamim offering is linked to celebrations and often brought on feast days. She states that the largest part of this sacrifice was distributed among the priests and the offerers. It was often brought after the burnt offering, which is an offering to God only. She continues:
This means that when Israelites brought sacrifices, some offerings were solely for God, as it were, and some to be eaten by community members . . . . This practice turns the eating of meat into a sacred act (17:1–7) and reflects the concern for taking life for human consumption; the sacrifice has nothing to do with atonement. As Jacob Milgrom observes, this ritual allowed the Israelites to acknowledge the miracles of their lives and express gratitude for them (Leviticus: A Book of Ritual and Ethics, Jacob Milgrom [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2004], p. 28).
The offering of thanksgiving in the form of sacrifice, or later in our tradition in the form of prayer, is the highest expression of gratitude. We praise and we exalt and recognize the miracles of our lives. Deeper gratitude recognizes the simple gift of our lives and the gifts of our daily lives. Our rabbis, ancient and contemporary, are telling us that perhaps this is the practice we must really cultivate: the practice of thanksgiving! But how?
Both The Torah: A Modern Commentary1 and The Torah: A Women's Commentary2 offer the following midrash for this week's portion pertaining to the sacrifice of the sh’lamim given as an offering of thanksgiving:
Though all sacrifices may be discontinued in the future (for in the messianic age humankind will be sinless) the offering of thanksgiving [korban todah] will never cease. Though all prayers may be discontinued, the prayer for thanksgiving will never cease. (Vayikra Rabbah)
The sacrifice or offering of well-being known as sh’lamim, meaning “wholeness” and/or “peace,” is first mentioned in Leviticus 3:1, in the first parashah of the Book of Leviticus. In Tzav, this week’s portion, the Torah elaborates on the purpose and practice of this sacrifice, particularly describing its two purposes. It is used either as an offering of thanksgiving or in fulfillment of a vow. Although it is an animal sacrifice, it may be supplemented with grain and flour offerings as well. Here, let us focus on the idea of an offering of thanksgiving.
Professor Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, in her running commentary on the first parashah of Leviticus in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary,3 notes that the sh’lamim offering is linked to celebrations and often brought on feast days. She states that the largest part of this sacrifice was distributed among the priests and the offerers. It was often brought after the burnt offering, which is an offering to God only. She continues:
This means that when Israelites brought sacrifices, some offerings were solely for God, as it were, and some to be eaten by community members . . . . This practice turns the eating of meat into a sacred act (17:1–7) and reflects the concern for taking life for human consumption; the sacrifice has nothing to do with atonement. As Jacob Milgrom observes, this ritual allowed the Israelites to acknowledge the miracles of their lives and express gratitude for them (Leviticus: A Book of Ritual and Ethics, Jacob Milgrom [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2004], p. 28).
The offering of thanksgiving in the form of sacrifice, or later in our tradition in the form of prayer, is the highest expression of gratitude. We praise and we exalt and recognize the miracles of our lives. Deeper gratitude recognizes the simple gift of our lives and the gifts of our daily lives. Our rabbis, ancient and contemporary, are telling us that perhaps this is the practice we must really cultivate: the practice of thanksgiving! But how?
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