Why God Does Not Need the Sacrifices Israel Brings

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Emor 20:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

[Another interpretation] of (Leviticus 22:27): "And from the eighth day onward [it shall be accepted as an offering by fire to the LORD]." [This teaches] that your evil inclination should not lead you astray to say that there is eating and drinking before Him. Who used to offer sacrifices to Him before Israel arose? David said (Psalms 89:7): "For who in the skies can be compared (ya'arokh) to the LORD?" — that is, who used to offer Him sacrifices? Rabbi Avin the Levite said: Who is like the Holy One, blessed be He, who sustains orphans and feeds the hungry? And this expression (ya'arokh) means nothing other than an expression of sustenance, as it is said (Leviticus 24:8): "On the Sabbath day [he shall] arrange it (ya'arkhenu) [before the LORD]."

Themes

SacrificeEvil InclinationDivine Providence

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Midrash AggadahJacob's Answer to Isaac and the Ram of the AkedahWhen Isaac, blind and old, marveled at how swiftly the savory dish had been brought, he asked his son, "How is it that you found it so quickly, my son?" The ansMidrash AggadahIshmael and Eliezer Fear Isaac Was Slain at the AkedahThe Musings of Ishmael and Eliezer When the verse says, "And it came to pass after these things," the Sages listen closely to the word for "things", devarim, whMidrash Tanchuma Buber, EmorMoses Neither Ate Nor Drank Forty Days on HighThe doubter's question gnaws like a worm: who brought offerings to the Holy One, blessed be He, before there was a world to stand in, before an altar, before fiMidrash Tanchuma Buber, MiketzPharaoh's Dream and the End God Sets to Every Darkness"Now it came to pass at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed." Hear, then, what the verse whispers: "He sets an end to the darkness, and he searches oBook of JubileesThe Angel Who Saved IsaacI'm talking about the Akedah, the binding of Isaac. The familiar story is this: Abraham, tested to the absolute limit, raises his knife to sacrifice his son IsaBen SiraIncense and Prayer of SiraBen Sira, in his wisdom, reminds us of something fundamental: "If they were not, you would not have come to the world." Your parents, your ancestors... they pav