The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) also known as Torat Kohanim — the Laws of the Priests — deals largely with the korbanot (offerings) brought in the Mishkan (Tent of Meeting). The first type of offering is called a korban olah, a burnt-offering. The animal is brought to the Mishkan's entrance. For cattle, the person bringing the offering sets his hands on the animal. Afterwards, it is slaughtered, and the kohen sprinkles its blood on the Altar. The animal is skinned and cut into pieces. The pieces are arranged, washed and burned on the Altar.

A similar process is described involving burnt-offerings of other animals and birds. The various meal-offerings are described. Part of the meal-offering is burned on the Altar, and the remaining part is eaten by the kohanim. Offering any kind of leaven or honey on the Altar is prohibited. The peace-offering (Shelamim) — parts of which are burned on the Altar and parts of which are eaten by the kohanim and by the owner — can be from cattle, sheep or goats.

The Torah prohibits eating blood or “chelev”, certain fats of the animal. The offerings that atone for inadvertent sins committed by the Kohen Gadol, by the entire community, by the Nasi (“Prince”) and by the average citizen, are detailed. Laws of the guilt-offering, which atones for certain verbal transgressions and for transgressing laws of ritual purity, are listed. The flour-offering for those who cannot afford the normal guilt-offering, the offering to atone for misusing sanctified property, laws of the “questionable guilt" offering, and offerings for dishonesty — are detailed.

PARSHA INSIGHTS

More Elusive Than Loch Ness Monster

"He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf."(1:4)

More elusive than the Loch Ness monster or the Yeti is a species called the Self-Made Man.

Reports of his existence are frequent, but to date he has never been positively identified.

A typical reported sighting: Morris is one of the biggest corporate stock whizzes on Wall Street. He is the president of Engulf Inc., one of the top Fortune 500 companies. But did Fortune really give him his success? Maybe it came from elsewhere?

Morris gets up every morning at four thirty and works almost without a break till late every night.

But did Morris give himself this strength, this drive, or maybe it came from somewhere else?

Bankruptcy courts are littered with financial whizzes. And even those who make it to the top, can, in a few seconds, succumb to a heart attack, and the president of Engulf Inc. suddenly becomes a statistic in a study on heart disease.

When we’re successful, it’s all too easy to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves on how clever we are.

"He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf."

The act of pressing one’s hand onto the sacrifice teaches us humility. As the person leans onto the animal, he recognizes that all his actions, all his successes, come only from relying on Hashem - from ‘leaning’ on Him. In other words, we bring ourselves, acknowledging that we are never ‘self-made’.

Just as the atonement depends on Hashem accepting the sacrifice, so too, our success depends on Divine approval. Thus, even as we strive for security or victory when fighting our enemies, we place our trust not in our hand, but in Hashem who accepts our offering and guides us to victory and freedom.

Even when Israel’s security seems strong, we must never forget Who it is that fights our battles.