This week’s Torah reading, Tzav, continues describing the various sacrifices offered in the Tabernacle and Temple — a topic started in last week’s reading. This is followed by an account of the seven-day inaugural of the Tabernacle.
Please stand with me as I read from the parsha:
Lev 6:14 “And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD in front of the altar.
Lev 6:15 And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Lev 6:16 And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
Lev 6:17 It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
Based in part on an article by Zalman Posner
As we read through these passages concerning the sacrificial service, we find that God allows the poor person to bring a grain offering in place of an offering of an animal. Interestingly, in the passage we just read, the grain offering is called in Hebrew kedosh kedushim. It is most holy as opposed to many of the other offerings that are kedosh (holy). In fact, the grain offering of the poor is here compared to the sin offering of a repentant sinner. God sees both of these offerings as most holy.
Abarbanel, the Spanish commentator (1437-1508), observes that while other offerings may be considered holy, those of the poor, who give with sacrifice and self-denial, are of major holiness or are most holy.
With this understanding from our parsha, perhaps this is what Yeshua had in mind where it is written:
Mar 12:41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
Mar 12:42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
Mar 12:43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
Mar 12:44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
The rich must never look down on the poor who give little. At the same time the poor must never criticize the charity given by the rich by saying, “I gave $5, surely he can give $1000.”
The significance of our offerings doesn’t lie in the quantity given, but in the degree that the donor is involved, how much of himself he offers. God measures how much of our heart that we give, not how much of our wealth. So if we are only able to give a grain offering or are only able to place a penny in the charity box for the poor, God considers it an offering that is most holy.
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