SELF-SACRIFICE

“When a soul offers a meal-offering to Hashem, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it and place frankincense upon it.” (Vayikrah 2:1)

In reference to an animal sacrifice, the Torah states (Vayikrah 1:2), “when a person (adam) among you brings an offering”.  Regarding a bird-offering, the verse (ibid 1:14) states “If one’s offering to Hashem is an elevation-offering of a bird…”  Only in reference to the korban mincha (meal-offering from flour) does the Torah use the word nefesh, a soul. The Talmud (Menachot 104b, cited by Rashi) comments on this: “Who usually brings a flour-offering? A poor person. The Holy One, blessed is He says, “I consider it as if he brought his soul.” Even though the cost of flour compared to the price of a bird or animal is negligible, for a poor person it is considerable. A needy individual is extremely cautious with every penny he spends. Hashem takes notice of his sacrifice and considers it as if the person has offered his very soul.

We are accustomed to think of sacrifices in terms of money – someone purchases an animal, bird or flour and brings it to the Temple. There is, however, another form of sacrifice which is hinted to in the verse above, and that is mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice. Mesirat nefesh is when one goes out of one’s way to serve Hashem, assist the community or help someone in distress. The sacrifice in question could be in time, resources, energy or even one’s own body. Consider people who donate a kidney to someone who is suffering from renal failure. This is an enormous sacrifice as the organ will not regenerate and the donor will have to remain in very good health for the rest of his/her life. I know a number of people who have done this and it is a supremely righteous deed.

The concept of self-sacrifice is entrenched in the Shemah, the creed of Judaism, which we recite twice daily.  There the Torah (Devarim 6:5) states, “You shall love Hashem, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources.” The Talmud (Brachot 54a) analyses each of these phrases: “With all your heart” – with both of your inclinations (the good inclination and the evil inclination); “with all your soul” – even if He takes your soul and “with all your resources” – with all your money. There are people who care more about their money than their bodies, that is why the verses states, “with all of your resources.” 

The evil inclination is a powerful force that attempts to hinder us in our performance of mitzvoth and study of Torah. Yet even that force can be harnessed for the service of Hashem, as the Talmud (Sukkah 52b) explains: “The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: If this scoundrel, (the evil inclination), accosts you, (seeking to tempt you to sin), drag it to the study hall and study Torah. If it is like a stone, it will be dissolved by the Torah. If it is like iron, it will be shattered. If it is like stone, it will be dissolved, as it is written: “Ho, everyone who is thirsty, come you for the water” (Isaiah 55:1), [water in this context meaning Torah]; and it is written: “Stones were worn by water” (Job 14:19). If it is like iron, it will be shattered, as it is written: “Is not My word like fire, says the Lord; and like a hammer that shatters rock” (Jeremiah 23:29).

The greatest form of sacrifice is to give up one’s life for Hashem. Such a person is called a kadosh, translated as “martyr” but literally “a holy one.” This occurs in a number of scenarios, one of which is when a Jew is presented with a terrible choice: forsake your religion or you will be put to death. The foremost exemplar of this was Rabbi Akiva (see Brachot 61a). He refused to bow to the demands of the Romans that he stop teaching Torah in public. He was arrested and sentenced to death. While he was being executed in a grisly fashion – the Romans raked his skin with iron combs – he recited the Shemah. His disciples were overawed by his devotion and asked him how he was able to remain so focused. He replied, “My entire life I was bothered by the phrase “you shall love Hashem…with all your soul”. I wondered when I would be able to fulfill it. Now that I have the opportunity to fulfill it, shall I not do so?!” There have been innumerable kedoshim throughout the ages – those courageous men, women and children who refused to betray God even at the pain of death. Moreover, every Jew who perished for the ‘crime’ of being a Jew is also a kadosh, and this includes the victims of the Holocaust and the brutal pogrom of the seventh of October 2023. The brave soldiers of the IDF are also engaged in mesirat nefesh. They are literally putting their lives on the line to protect the State of Israel. May Hashem watch over them and bring them victory!

The third form of sacrifice is financial. People become very attached to their possessions to the extent that they will act in an illogical way. How many times have your heard of people putting up a fight when they are being robbed or mugged at knife-point or gun-point? Are their material possessions more precious than their lives? The Torah acknowledges this strange bond between a person and his/her property, as noted above in the case of a poor man who brings a flour-offering. On a daily basis, God demands that we sacrifice our resources for His service. We must forfeit one day of production every week (Shabbat). We must give a tithe of our income (after tax) to charity. We must spend money to ensure we have the items necessary to perform mitzvoth: tallis, tefillin, mezuzot, lulav and etrog, siddur, machzor and so forth. We must be prepared to accept the cost of enrolling our children in a Jewish school, the fees of which are usually considerably higher than a public school. All of this, and more, is expected of a Jew.

I conclude with a final form of self-sacrifice. After the Holocaust, the Klausenberger Rebbe, Rabbi Yekusiel Halberstam (1905-1994), emerged as a great leader, assisting the survivors physically and spiritually in the DP camps. The Rebbe lost his wife and 11 children and endured terrible suffering in various concentration camps. One of his disciples was the late father of Rabbi Asher Weiss. Rabbi Weiss’ father said to the Rebbe after the war that he was going to dedicate all of his efforts to studying Torah with mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice, because so many Torah scholars had been murdered by the Nazis. The Rebbe scolded him and said that what he was doing was not mesirat nefesh, sacrifice of the soul, but mesirat haguf, sacrifice of the body.  Rabbi Weiss’ father was prepared to forgo material comfort in order to dedicate his life to Torah study. The Rebbe said that what was needed after the war was mesirat hanefesh, sacrificing one’s soul – being prepared to forfeit one’s spiritual growth in order to assist Jews who need physical support. 

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Liebenberg

Rabbi’s YouTube message:  https://youtu.be/Z3q2e8VT9FQ?si=AVfpLVvtSJFdVHh-

THE FAST OF THE FIRSTBORN – THURSDAY 10 APRIL. Shacharit at 06h30 followed by a Siyum.

The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn. If Erev Pesach is on Shabbat, the fast is brought forward to Thursday. All firstborn males (and fathers of minor firstborn males) are required to fast. One can exempt oneself from fasting by attending a celebration – known as a Siyum – following the completion of the learning of a Tractate of the Talmud. Rabbi Liebenberg will be conducting a Siyum of Tractate Sanhedrin and he invites everyone to participate in the simcha. 

BURNING THE CHAMETZ- FRIDAY 11 APRIL BEFORE 11H35

There will be a facility at the shul to burn your chametz. Please make sure to have it at the shul by no later than 11h15 on Friday 11 April so it will be burned by the cut-off time.