Drash Cards for VaYirka (5771)

by Marc Mangel

• Shmot ended with the fusion of community (VaYakel) and individual (P’Kudai) identities as the key to redemption.

• This the book of Sacrifices and traditionally kids started learning this and not Beresheet

• To understand sacrifice in our own era we need to understand it in their era.

• The purposes then were 1) the achieve atonement; 2) to exchange for our own lives; and 3) to establish a connection with God

• For example, the Shalach says “The person who offers the sacrifice should regard himself as being sacrificied”. The sacrifice had to be sincere

• What is the nature of the sacrifice.  About verse 2, Rashi notes that it is voluntary and the Rebbe writes “If any man brings an offering of you” meaning sacrifice of yourself and continues “There is an inward act of sacrifice in the life of every Jew that mirrors the outward act in the Sanctuary”

• The Sacrifice had to be blemish free. For our own era — our sacrifices must begin with self-examination or our own blemishes.

• So, sacrifices must be i) voluntary, ii) sincere, and iii) without blemish. But what is the sacrifice?

• In our ear:  1) Money — as we contribute each year on Yom Kippur to the synagogue and 2) Time  — late risers can make an effort to be here at the start of services, in case somebody needs to say Kaddish.

• We are here because of the interplay of individual and community