This Is the Torah of the Burnt Offering and the King's Gift

"This is the Torah of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2). Rabbi Abba bar Yudan said: a parable, to a king whom his friend honored with a barrel of wine and a basket of figs. The king said to him, "This is the gift?" He said to him, "My lord the king, for the moment I have honored you, but when you enter the palace you will know how I will honor you." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "This is the Torah of the burnt offering, it is the burnt offering." He said before Him, "Master of the universe, for the moment I have offered it, but when You do good 'in Your favor to Zion and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, then You will desire offerings of righteousness, burnt offering and whole offering' " (Psalms 51:20-21). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: the burnt offering comes only for sinful musings of the heart. Rabbi Levi said: it is an explicit verse, "And what comes up upon your spirit" (Ezekiel 20:32). From whom do you learn it? From Job's children, as it is written, "He rose early in the morning and offered up burnt offerings according to the number of them all, for he said, 'Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts'" — this says the burnt offering comes only for musings of the heart. Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Acha bar Pappa: when the Temple stood, we used to offer all the offerings of the Torah; now what shall we do? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: since you occupy yourselves with them, I credit it to you as though you were offering them. Rabbi Chananyah said two things: the exiles are gathered in only by the merit of the Mishnah teachings, as it is said, "Though they offer among the nations, now I will gather them" (Hosea 8:10). "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) — and is there a taking of the handful and a burning in Babylon? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: since you occupy yourselves with them, I credit it to you as though you were offering them. Rabbi Assi said: why do we begin children with the Torah of the Priests [Leviticus]? Let us begin them with Genesis! The Holy One, blessed be He, said: since the children are pure and the offerings are pure, let the pure ones come and occupy themselves with matters of purity. Rabbi Berekhyah and Rabbi Chanan said in the name of Rabbi Azaryah: a parable, to a king who had two cooks. The first made him a dish and he ate it and it pleased him; the second made him a dish and it pleased him; and we do not know which pleased him more. But from the fact that he commanded the second, "Make me a dish like this one," we know that the second pleased him more. So Noah offered Him an offering and it pleased Him, as it is said, "And the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma"; and Israel offered an offering, as it is said, "You shall take care to offer to Me in its appointed time" (Numbers 28:2); and we do not know which pleased Him more. But from the fact that He commanded Moses and said to him, "This is the Torah of the burnt offering, it is the burnt offering," we know that this pleased Him more. As it is said, "And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to the LORD, and so forth, as in the days of old" (Malachi 3:4) — as in the days of Moses, "and as in former years" — as in the days of Solomon.