Q:
In light of what you said that eating can be a great opportunity for daas Hashem, why is it that a korban olah, which is burned completely on the altar, is considered kodesh kodoshim, while the korban shlamim, which is eaten from and a person gains so much da’as of Hashem from it, is considered kodshim kalim, a weaker kodshim? It should be more holy than the olah.
A:
Very good question. Why is a burnt offering which is entirely burnt on the mizbeyach called kodesh kodoshim, and shlamim, which we eat, is called kodshim kalim, a lighter form?
And the answer is, we have to understand things from the perspective of their devotion to Hashem. The more something is devoted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, the greater it is. And therefore, the olah symbolizes complete devotion to Hashem. Shlamim however; everybody is after all human and we’re physical. And if part of the korban is eaten by us, the korban in our eyes is less devoted to Hashem.
Of course, when tzaddikim eat it becomes a very great achievement. No question about it. We have proofs that the eating of tzaddikim is considered a korban to Hashem too. Nevertheless, m’tzad the offering—looking at the offering itself—the devotion to Hashem which is entirely without any reservations for human beings to use is more kadosh than things that we do, use.
Because we have to be aware of our limitations. After all, we are human beings and we shouldn’t deceive ourselves of our perfection. And we’re eating after all—we like to eat. So we shouldn’t feel that we are already olos and we are kodesh kodoshim. And so, we have to limit ourselves in our self deception.
Of course, we should strive to reach the madreigah where we eat only l’shem Shomayim. But you won’t do that in this world. And therefore, we must always differentiate; only what’s entirely to Hashem is kodesh kodoshim.
However, we learn from that that any person who thinks more about Hashem is more kodesh. No question about it. The great tzaddikim who lived all their lives with this thought are kodesh kodoshim. No question. Even a plain Jew is kodesh because he doesn’t eat things that are not kosher. His body is a Beis Hamikdosh—he doesn’t admit things that don’t belong in the body. No question about that. Nevertheless, the man whose mind becomes a Beis Hamikdosh because he’s always with the Shechina in his mind, he becomes greater and greater.
And in order to show us there’s a difference, we must have an olah. And people are sometimes like an olah. We must have a shlamim; people are sometimes like shlamim but our goal should be to make ourselves closer and closer to Hashem, like the olah.
January 1990
