RAV HIRSCH ON KORBONOS

In Parshas Vayikra, we read about the laws of Korbonos. One group of Korbonos is
the Kodshei Kodshim. The Halacha is that the shechita of Kodshei Kodshim is on the
north side of the Azara in the Beis Hamikdash. The Kodshei Kodshim include the
Olah, the Chatas, and the Asham. These are the three Korbonos that are connected
with Aveirah. If a person does an Aveirah of one type or another or a person is
negligent in fulfilling a positive commandment, he brings a Korbon. The question is-
what is the reason that these particular Korbonos require that the shechita be
specifically on the north side of the Azara? What is the symbolism or message of this
Halacha?

Rav Hirsch offers a beautiful explanation.i Rav Hirsch develops a theme (p. 23) that
the different sides of the Azara- the north, east, south and west- correspond to the
different sides within the Ohel Moed itself. Inside the Ohel Moed, the Shulchan was
in the north, the Menorah in the south, the Aron was in the west, and to the east was
the doorway of the Heichal. The north side of the Azara reflects the theme of the
Shulchan, the south side reflects the Menorah etc… So Rav Hirsch explains that the
Shulchan symbolizes Gashmiyus and material wealth. The Midrashii tells us that the
Shulchan is symbolic of the Shulchan Melochim, and kings are wealthy. Elsewhere,
Rav Hirsch explains that the Shulchan symbolizes the proper use of wealthiii. So Rav
Hirsch says that the idea that the shechita needs to be on the north side is as follows.
If a person does an Averah, very often the root cause of the sin is overindulgence in
Gashmiyus and/or improper use of one's wealth. As Rav Hirsch writes (p. 27), "it is in
the material life of the senses that the root of deficiencies and progress of morality or
firmness in morality lies." So when a person begins the teshuva process and offers a
Korbon, he has to think about lessening the Gashmiyus and finding the right balance
between the Gashmiyus and Ruchniyus in his life. The killing of the animal
symbolizes, in a sense, the shechita of, or the weakening of, one's Gashmiyus part of
life. This shechita is done specifically in the north. The person is shechting the North-
Material-Gashmiyus part of his life as the beginning of the teshuva processiv.

This is an important lesson. If a person finds himself involved in an Aveirah, there are
different things one should do in the teshuva process. But certainly one important
aspect of the process is to reinvestigate and reassess the Gashmiyus- Ruchniyus
balance in one's life.v

Good Shabbos,
B. Ginsburg
i
There are several standard Meforshim that one can use in trying to understand the reasons for
mitzvos. We have the Sefer Hachinuch as well as the Rambam in the third Chelek of Moreh
Nevuchim who give reasons for the mitzvos. Rav Hirsch in his commentary on the Chumash and in
his other writings also explains and develops at great length the reasons for the mitzvos. What is
unique about Rav Hirsch is that he develops the reasons even for the details of the mitzvos. In most
cases, he Sefer Hachinuch and the Rambam give a general reason for the mitzvah and do not
usually work through the details of the mitzvah. In contrast Rav Hirsch tries to work every detail
into his explanation of the mitzvah. It is for this reason that Rav Hirsch, when discussing topics on
the Chumash, presents a relatively detailed overview of the halachos of that topic before he presents
his explanation of the reasons of the mitzvah. I have found that this is particularly true in Sefer
Vayikra. In Vayikra, Rav Hirsch has so many wonderful and beautiful ideas where he really brings
the halachos of Korbonos to life. I have found that my appreciation for Korbonos has been
enhanced tremendously after learning Rav Hirsch's commentary on Vayikra.
ii
Shmos Rabbah 34,2

Collected Writings of Rav Hirsch Vol. 3 p.202-203. Rav Hirsch points out that the Lechem
iii

Hapanim were formed in a way that the two ends pointed upwards. The bottom of "each loaf
formed a base one inch wide; its walls slanting outward and up toward the loaf resting directly
above". So it looked like each of the lower loaves was, in essence, holding up and supporting the
loaf about it. Rav Hirsch explains that the symbolism is that the proper use of wealth in Torah
Judaism is to help others. If a person is fortunate to have extra money, he should use it to help and
support others, and this is why the Lechem Hapanim were shaped in this way. "Clearly, here we
have the basic condition for all prosperity: brotherly devotion…, with each individual acquiring and
possessing wealth for the sake of his fellow man no less than for his own sake….
iv
Rav Hirsch goes on to explain that the goal is not to do away with the material part of life. Rather,
once one finds the proper balance between Gashmiyus and Ruchniyus, then the ultimate goal is to
utilize "every phase of our material life for the realization of holy purposes"
v

In connection with this idea of the proper balance of Gashmiyus and Ruchniyus, I wanted to
discuss one of the biggest challenges we face today- the internet. In the last several years, leading
Rabbonim have been making speeches and writing articles describing the dangers of the internet,
and certainly anyone who has the internet in his home must take these warnings very seriously.
Several Rabbonim have even said that had the internet been around in the times of Chazal, Chazal
would have certainly established an issur Yichud with the internet. The dangers are great and the
chances of making a mistake are great.
The question of having internet in the home at all should be discussed with one's Rav or Posek.
Assuming that one has sufficient need to have the internet, I wanted to mention that there are
programs out there that can serve as partial solutions for the dangers. First, there is a program called
K9 (or canine). K9 can be downloaded for free and is relatively simple to install. K9 is a filter
which keeps out some objectionable material. It also stores every site that is visited from that
computer on the K9 website. So, it becomes nearly impossible to "erase" the record of visited sites.
So, for example, a parent can install K9, and then the parent and children know that the parent will
check every now and then which sites the children have visited. Certainly we would hope that one's
fear of Hashem would be enough to keep a person from objectionable sites. However, Chazal tell us
(Berachos 28) that sometimes the more immediate fear of other people can have a greater deterrent
effect than the broader fear of Hashem. I think that there is almost no excuse for not having K9 on
one's computer. It is free and quite simple to install and use. It goes a long way towards solving the
Yichud problem, and if everyone knows it has been installed it also creates quite a deterrent.
There are other programs which filter out objectionable sites. (These have a monthly fee). I would
encourage installing an additional filter on top of K9 as an additional safeguard.
The Baalei Mussar explain the following idea. The Torah empowers the Rabanan to create
safeguards around the torah "Asu Mishmeres L’mishmarti." However, on top of that, each person
should make his own personal safeguards around the Torah. If a person has a weakness in a certain
area, he should make a safeguard in that area. For example, there is no obligation to put tape over
one's light switches on Shabbos. However, let's say a person mistakenly (repeatedly) turns on the
light on Shabbos, so he should put tape over the light switch. He has a personal weakness and that
would be his personal fence for Shemiras Shabbos. So I think given the dangers of the internets,
everyone must put a fence and a safeguard around the internet use. And these two programs that I
mentioned are at least a partial solution for such a fence. I think K9 and these other filters fit well
into the idea of a personal "Mishmeres L’mishmarti."