As we begin a new sefer this week, sefer Vayikra, we begin to deal with the many different types of korbanos that there are to offer; not only to Hashem, but to the kohen as well. The pasuk mentions, when relating the ingredients for a korban chatas, that if someone cannot afford to purchase the sheep or the goat for the korban, he may substitute that for two turtledoves and two young doves. One should be brought as a korban chatas and the other as a korban oleh. The obvious question, asked by many, is why is there a need to bring two korbanos in place of this one? Just because a person can’t afford the sheep or the goat means that he has to be ‘fined’ and now has to bring two korbanos? Why is this?

The Even Ezra offers a fascinating explanation.

Why is a korban Oleh brought? One of the reasons an Oleh is brought is to atone for the sin of one having ‘bad thoughts’. When someone has a bad thought he is obligated to offer a korban Oleh to Hashem. Says the Even Ezra, the Torah understood the nature of man. Someone who wants and desires something and he can’t get it due to the lack of sufficient funds will undoubtfully allow a frustrating thought to enter his mind. He will think how unfortunate he is that he cannot get what he really would have liked to get. It is for this thought that the Torah obligates him to bring this Olas HaOif together with his chatas HaOif; to atone for this bad thought. (We’re not talking about a person who can’t afford a summer home in the Hamptons with one side viewing the beach and the other the ‘bay’. We’re talking about someone who wants to purchase an animal for a korban.) Explains the Even Ezra, such a person is obligated to bring an additional korban to atone for this ungrateful thought.

If a person realizes and appreciates every bit of good that he has and that it comes from Hashem he will have a much easier time dealing with adversity. One has to realize that what he has is good because if better was good he would have had it.

There was a yid who once came to see the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim started off the conversation with the usual…….nu, how are you? This yid answered him ‘I’m ok…a few more dollars wouldn’t hurt.’ The Chofetz Chaim shot back ‘if a few more dollars was good for you then you would have it already’!

The Malbim writes “V’ani b’rov chasdecha avos beisecha, eshtachaveh el heichol kodshecha b’yirasecha”….people often wonder how one can develop yiras shomayim?

The answer is first we must get an understanding of the greatness of Hashem by realizing the immense chessed that he does for us, then “eshtachaveh el heichol kodshecha b’yirasecha”…after one internalizes that, he will come to a new realization of how powerful Hashem is and that will ultimately result in him fearing Hashem.

We should all be zoche to realize and appreciate all the chessed Hashem does for us on a daily basis and thank Him for it now. We don’t have to wait for a tzara to befall us, chas v’sholom, to start realizing all the daily nissim that He does for us. Let us take this opportunity to say Thank You to Hashem and with this he will see that we really do appreciate his kindness and we don’t ‘expect it’.

With this realization, and recognizing the good from Hashem daily, may we all be zoche to merit the true geulah-as we welcome the zman geulah-with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days.

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS