Any [animal] that has a blemish, you shall not offer up, for it will not be favorable for you. (Vayikra 22:20)

There is a section in this week’s parsha which discusses the characteristics of the animals we may use for offerings. The animals we use must be perfect, without the slightest blemish. Why is the Torah so strict with us regarding the animals we bring? Doesn’t Hashem love all of the animals? Does He really care if I bring a blemished one or a perfect looking one?

I think the answer is that Hashem would not really care which animal we brought to Him. Hashem owns everything in the world and He does not need us to bring him a sheep or a cow. The reason we are not allowed to bring a blemished animal is to teach us a lesson. When we bring an offering, we are serving Hashem and coming closer to Him. As we have mentioned in other Divrei Simcha, the root of the word karbonos, which means offerings, is karov, which is near. When we bring offerings, we come closer to Hashem. When we come to Hashem, we should bring the best we have, not the worst. We should desire to bring a perfect animal because we would be embarrassed to serve the King of the Universe with anything that has a slight blemish.

We should always try to serve Hashem with the best that we have.

A poor woman once came to a Rosh Yeshiva with a small handkerchief and gave it to him. He opened it and found 6 shiny pennies. The woman said that she saved these pennies for a long time so she would be able to give them to the yeshiva. She was extremely poor but wanted to still give something to the yeshiva. They were shiny because she washed them very carefully to make sure they were as clean as possible. She only wanted to give the best to the yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva would later say that this was the greatest donation he ever received.

Not everyone is able to buy the nicest Tallis, Tefillin, Menorah, or other religious articles that we use, but when we do buy them, we should buy the best we can. Even if we cannot afford to buy the best, it does not mean we need to buy the cheapest. People pay more for Heinz ketchup rather than buying the store brand because the taste is so much better. Just as we are willing to spend the extra money to satisfy our stomachs, we should spend a little extra to satisfy Hashem. Only bring the best of the best to Hashem!

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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