We read in the Parsha about the קרבנות that were brought throughout the year, the daily קרבן תמיד and the special קרבנות brought on ראש חדש, on שבת and on each יום טוב .
The Passuk says
צו את בני ישראל ואמרת להם את קרבני לחמי לאשי ריח ניחוחי תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו.
The נתיבות שלום asks: The word תשמרו,to guard, is used in connection to מצוות לא תעשה, when we’re supposed to refrain and guard ourselves from doing something wrong, such as by שבת, where the פסוק says שמור את יום השבת which alludes to guarding and staying away from חלול שבת. Why then is תשמרו used here when alluding to a מצוות עשה, a positive commandment of bringing קרבנות?
Answers the נתיבות שלום, the main עבודה that כלל ישראל had when the בית המקדש was standing was the קרבנות. When the כהנים would bring the קרבנות it would bring about נחת רוח to הקב”ה Who in turn would reward כלל ישראל with all their needs. As רש”י says here in the Parsha:
ריח ניחוחי-נחת רוח לפני שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני
When we no longer have the בית המקדש we don’t have the opportunity to bring קרבנות. Nonetheless we still have a way of meriting the same ברכות, and that is by showing our desire for the resumption of the עבודה. When we show our desire and yearning for the עבודה it brings the רבש”ע much נחת רוח. As חז”ל say
כל העוסק בתורת עולה כאלו הקריב עולה, כל העוסק בתורת חטאת כאילו הקריב חטאת
When one preocupies himself with the הלכות of each קרבן, showing his desire to engage in the real קרבן, it’s as if he actually brought it.
We can now understand why the word תשמרו is used here. In addition to meaning ‘to guard,’ תשמרו can also mean ‘to anticipate’. As it says:
ואביו שמר את הדבר
After יוסף had his dreams, יעקב אבינו waited and anticipated for them to be fullfilled. And the same is here. The תורה is telling us that even when there is no בית המקדש we can still be connected to the קרבנות by yearning and anticipating for the them to be resumed.
This is especially relevant during these days of בין המצרים, when we mourn the חרבן הבית. The various הלכות and מנהגים of אבילות that we observe are all for the purpose of showing our yearning and desire to once again merit the בית המקדש and the קרבנות.
We’ll conclude with a story that illustrates this point. Rav Yosef Dov Soleveichik, the בית הלוי, was living in Warsaw when a delegation arrived from the city of Brisk, asking him to accept the position of Rav of their city. The Rav responded that he is happy in his current state, and is not looking to move. A member of the delegation responded” Rebbe, there are 25000 Yidden eagerly awaiting for you in Brisk!” Upon hearing that, the Rav immediately accepted the position. The Chofetz Chaim would repeat this story and would add: ” If the בית הלוי agreed to uproot himself because 25000 people were eagerly waiting for him, surely משיח would arrive to redeem us if that same number of Yidden would eagerly wait for his arrival!”
May we all merit yearning for the גאולה and seeing it happen בקרוב בימינו!
Weekly Parsha Shiur 