When Studying the Sacrifices Counts as Offering Them

"You have ordained Your precepts" (Psalms 119:4). And where did He ordain them? In the Book of Numbers. What did He ordain? "To keep diligently" (ibid.), "you shall take care to offer to Me at its appointed time" (Numbers 28:2). The passage stated there is the passage stated here. And why does He say it and repeat it? Rabbi Yudah, Rabbi Nehemiah, and the Rabbis. Rabbi Yudah said: Because Israel was saying, in the past the journeys were in force and the daily offerings were in force; now the journeys have ceased, the daily offerings have ceased. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go tell Israel that they should keep the daily offerings in practice. Rabbi Nehemiah said: Because Israel was making light of the daily offerings, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go tell Israel that they should not make light of the daily offerings. And the Rabbis said: It is stated there for the sake of study and likewise for practice. Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: So that Israel should not say, in the past we used to bring offerings and occupy ourselves with them, and now that we do not bring offerings, is there any point in occupying ourselves with them? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Since you occupy yourselves with them, it is as if you are offering them. Rabbi Huna said two things. Rabbi Huna said: None of these exiles will be gathered in except by the merit of studying the mishnayot. And what is the reason? "Though they recite them among the nations, now I will gather them" (Hosea 8:10). Rabbi Huna said another: "For from the rising of the sun to its setting My name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to My name, and a pure offering" (Malachi 1:11). But is there a pure offering in Babylonia? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Since you occupy yourselves with it, it is as if you are offering it. Samuel said: "And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the House and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, and all its forms" (Ezekiel 43:11). But is there a form of the House now? Rather, the Holy One said: Since you occupy yourselves with it, it is as if you are building it. Rabbi Yose said: Why do we begin teaching little children with Leviticus [the law of the priests]? If so, let them begin with Genesis! Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Just as the offerings are pure and the children are pure, let the pure come and occupy themselves with the pure. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Hanin, both in the name of Rabbi Azariah of Kfar Hittaya: It is like a king who had two cooks. The first cooked him a dish and he ate it and it was pleasing to him; the second cooked him a dish and he ate it and it was pleasing to him. And we do not know which of them was more pleasing to him, except from the one whom he commands, saying, "Make me a dish like that one." From that we know that the second one's was more pleasing to him. So too, Noah brought an offering and it was pleasing to the Holy One, blessed be He: "And the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma" (Genesis 8:21); Israel brought an offering and it was pleasing to the Holy One, blessed be He. And we do not know which of them was more pleasing to Him, except from the fact that He commands Israel, saying to them, "My pleasing aroma you shall take care to offer to Me at its appointed time" (Numbers 28:2). From that we know that Israel's was more pleasing to Him. Rabbi Avin said two things. Rabbi Avin said: It is like a king reclining on his couch, and they brought him the first dish and he ate it and it was pleasing to him, and they brought him the second dish and he ate it and it was pleasing to him, and he began to wipe the bowl clean. Thus, "I will offer You fatlings" (Psalms 66:15) [reading: fatlings wiped clean] like one who wipes the bowl clean. Rabbi Avin said another: It is like a king who was traveling on the road and reached the first watchtower and ate and drank there, and reached the second watchtower and ate and drank there and lodged there. So too here, why does Scripture repeat: "upon the burnt offering" (Leviticus 3:5), "it is the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2), "this is the law of the burnt offering" (ibid.)? Rather, it teaches that the burnt offering is entirely consumed by the altar fires.