One Who Increases, One Who Decreases
Siyum on Masechet Menachot – Seudah Shlishit – Shabbat Emor 5786 – Maimonides Kehillah, Brookline, MA
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was known for finding the good in every person and every situation. One day, he saw a simple laborer eating a piece of dry bread with water for his midday meal. The man was smiling and humming a tune, clearly enjoying himself.
The Rabbi approached him and asked, “My friend, how can you be so happy with such a meager meal?”
The man replied, “Rebbe, today I have bread! Yesterday I had nothing. Today I have water! Today the sun is shining! God has given me everything I need for this very moment. Why shouldn’t I be happy?”
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak turned to his students and said, “Look at this man. He has mastered the greatest wisdom: he does not want what he does not have; he loves what he has been given.”
The Mincha korban, consisting of wheat flour, olive oil, and frankincense, might be viewed as an inferior category of sacrifice compared to the more expensive categories of animals and birds. Yet, it is not by coincidence that animals and birds are presented together within the Masechta of Zevachim, while the Mincha korban is treated to a Masechet all by itself.
The final Mishna of Menachot famously states:
נֶאֱמַר בְּעוֹלַת הַבְּהֵמָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, וּבְעוֹלַת הָעוֹף אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, וּבַמִּנְחָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, לְלַמֵּד, שֶׁאֶחָד הַמַּרְבֶּה וְאֶחָד הַמַּמְעִיט, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן אָדָם אֶת דַּעְתּוֹ לַשָּׁמָיִם
The Mishna points out that the Torah uses the exact same phrase “a pleasing aroma” for a costly bull as it does for a tiny handful of flour. This teaches that Hashem does not measure the “size” or monetary value of the gift, but rather the sincerity and devotion of the giver.
The Gemara’s explication of this Mishna can be divided into three key areas:
(1) The Purpose of the Names of God
The Gemara observes a striking linguistic detail in the Torah’s description of korbanot.
תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי: בּוֹא וּרְאֵה מָה כְּתִיב בְּפָרָשַׁת קׇרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר בָּהֶן לֹא ״אֵל״ וְלֹא ״אֱלֹהִים״, אֶלָּא ״ה׳״, שֶׁלֹּא לִיתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לְבַעַל דִּין לַחְלוֹק.
It notes that regarding korbanot, the Torah almost exclusively uses the Name Y-H-V-H (the Name representing rachamim/mercy) rather than Elohim (the Name representing Judgment).
This is to ensure that no one says, “I am bringing a gift to a specific power that needs my food.” Rather, the Gemara explains that Hashem says: “I do not eat, nor do I drink; I commanded you to sacrifice only so that My will should be done.” The pleasure is not in the object, but in the human act of obedience and connection.
(2) The Greatness of the Talmid Chacham
The Gemara transitions from physical sacrifices to the study of Torah and states:
“Whoever occupies himself with the study of the Torah [laws of the offerings] is considered as if he had actually offered a burnt offering, a meal offering, a sin offering, and a guilt offering.”
Explains the Gemara: even without a physical Beit Hamiqdash, the Gemara teaches that the intent and intellectual engagement with Hashem’s word is spiritually equivalent to the physical service of the Kohanim. This equivalence is a critical klal of Yahadut. Given the opportunities for Kedushah that the Kohanim were afforded as part of their Avodah, one might conclude that the Kohanim have some sort of special preference in terms of Hitkorvut/being closer to Hashem.
Instead, in Yahadut, everyone has the same access to Hashem; everyone has the potential to draw close to and feel close to Hashem. This feeling of closeness derives from one’s kavana/intentionality to want to be close to the Ribbono Shel Olam.
(3) The Merit of the Nations
The Gemara discusses the verse from Malachi (1:11):
כִּ֣י מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֜מֶשׁ וְעַד־מְבוֹא֗וֹ גָּד֤וֹל שְׁמִי֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם וּבְכׇל־מָק֗וֹם מֻקְטָ֥ר מֻגָּ֛שׁ לִשְׁמִ֖י וּמִנְחָ֣ה טְהוֹרָ֑ה כִּֽי־גָד֤וֹל שְׁמִי֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃
“For from the rising of the sun even until its setting place, My name is great among the nations, and everywhere incense and a pure offering is offered to My name; for My name is honored among the nations -says the God of Hosts.”
The Gemara asks: “Are the nations really offering korbanot to Hashem?” The answer is that even those who do not explicitly know God, but recognize a “God of gods” or follow basic moral truths, are credited as if they were offering “pure offerings.” This reinforces the Mishna’s point: God looks at the heart and the direction of the soul, even beyond the formal boundaries of the ritual. And, most critically, this maamar of the Gemara applies to everyone else in the world. Chazal have instantly zoomed out of our bounded Jewish world and have expanded the message of Yahadut to all people in all places. Hashem is the creator of all and reacts to and cares for everyone.
The final segment of the Masechet also suggests a turn on our theme of looking inward to focus outward:
דָּבָר אַחֵר: ״לִרְצֹנְכֶם תִּזְבָּחֻהוּ״ – לִרְצוֹנְכֶם זִבְחוּ, לְדַעְתְּכֶם זִבְחוּ.
Another interpretation of the verse: “And when you sacrifice an offering of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted [lirtzonkhem]” (Leviticus 19:5), can be interpreted differently: Sacrifice willingly [lirtzonkhem]; sacrifice intentionally.
כְּדִבְעָא מִינֵּיהּ שְׁמוּאֵל מֵרַב הוּנָא: מִנַּיִן לַמִּתְעַסֵּק בַּקֳּדָשִׁים שֶׁהוּא פָּסוּל? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשָׁחַט אֶת בֶּן הַבָּקָר״, שֶׁתְּהֵא שְׁחִיטָה לְשֵׁם בֶּן בָּקָר.
This is as Shmuel asked Rav Huna: How do we know that one who acts unawares in the case of consecrated items, i.e., if one slaughtered a korban without intending to perform the act of shechita at all, but rather appeared like one occupied with other matters, that the korban is disqualified? Rav Huna said to Shmuel: It is derived from a pasuk, as it is stated: “And he shall slaughter the young bull before the Lord” (Leviticus 1:5), teaching that the mitzva is not performed properly unless the slaughter is for the sake of a young bull, i.e., with the knowledge that he is performing an act of shechita.
אָמַר לוֹ: זוֹ בְּיָדֵינוּ הוּא, לְעַכֵּב מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״לִרְצֹנְכֶם תִּזְבָּחֻהוּ״ – לְדַעְתְּכֶם זִבְחוּ.
Shmuel said to Rav Huna: This ia already an established halakha, that it is a mitzva to slaughter the korban for the sake of a bull, but fhow do we know that this requirement is indispensable? Rav Huna said to him that the verse states: “With your will you shall slaughter it” (Leviticus 19:5), i.e., sacrifice intentionally, in the form of a purposeful action.
The concept of focusing our actions/mitzvot towards Shamayim appears in other contexts within our Masora. Several examples include:
(a) Tefilla: Masechet Berachot 31a:
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל צָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ לַשָּׁמַיִם.
The Rabbis taught: One who prays is required to focus one’s heart towards heaven.
(b) Talmud Torah: Mishna Berura 1:12
ועל זה שנינו: “אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט, ובלבד שיכוין ליבו לשמים“. וכן לענין תלמוד תורה העניין כן, כי הכל תלוי לפני ה’ יתברך אם עושה כל אשר בכוחו לעשות.
And wehave learned: “One who increases and one who decreases, as long as they focus their heart towards heaven“. Similarly is the case for the study of Torah for all is dependent before Hashem if one does everything in their power to do their study.
(c) Community Service: R. Yona on Pirkei Avot 2:2
ויש לפרש עוד פירוש אחר וכל העוסקין עם הצבור יהיו עוסקין עמהם לשם שמים ואל תאמר למה לי הצרה הזאת לטרוח בצרכי צבור …ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים:
And there is another explanation of “And all those who devote themselves to community service shall do so for the sake of heaven.” One should not say “why do I need to bother with my volunteering on behalf of the community…Only that your focus be for the sake of heaven.
(d) Interpersonal Relationships: Sefer Chasidim 18:1
אל תדין את חבירך לכף חובה כי אדם יראה לעינים וה’ יראה ללבב ולא ידעת מה בלבו ומה במחשבתו והוי דן כל האדם לכף זכות ושמור עיניך מראות ברע ועשה צדקה כפי כחך אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים
Don’t judge your friend harshly for a human sees the other with their eyes while Hashem sees into the heart of the other. You do not know what is in the heart of the other and what is in his thoughts. Therefore judge everyone favorably and use your vision “wisely” and act in a righteous way since whether one increases or one decreases, it is essential that their focus be for the sake of heaven.
One final point: let’s consider why the formulation of this maamar is centered on the lev, the heart. Generally, the heart is understood as being the seat of our emotions, while the rosh/head is considered the seat of the intellect. If the essential theme of the Mishna is kavana/intentionality, one might think that it’s the realm of the cognitive person that is responsible for managing this focus. Such a state of mind can only be reached when one trains one’s thinking to be laser-focused on the mitzva task at hand.
Chazal turn towards us with a smile and explain: don’t overthink your mitzvah intentions and don’t circumscribe your performance of mitzvos with only thresholds and rules, with zmanim and punctiliousness. Rather, approach mitzva opportunities with joy and with a heart of gratitude. Bless the situation in which you find yourself where you have the zechut to act and interrelate in a way molded and fashioned by the Torah. Be glad that you live within the arba amot of halacha but rejoice in the fact that your heart and your emotion enable you to rise above that circumscribed area and rise all the way to shamayim.
May the learnings of Masechet Menachot continue to impact us as me move forward in our limmud hatorah and may we be blessed to continue celebrating Siyumim as a community of joyful and grateful mitpallelim.
Hadran alach Harey Alay Isaron u’selika la Masechet Menachot