Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי תַקְרִיב קׇרְבַּן מִנְחָה לַה' סֹלֶת יִהְיֶה קׇרְבָּנוֹ
וְיָצַק עָלֶיהָ שֶׁמֶן וְנָתַן עָלֶיהָ לְבֹנָה׃
When a nefesh (a person/soul) brings a minhah to God, it shall be made of good flour. They shall pour oil on it and place levonah (a kind of incense) on it.
אָמַר ר' יִצְחָק מִפְּנֵי מָה נִשְׁתַּנֵּית מִנְחָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהּ "נֶפֶשׁ"?
אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: מִי דַּרְכּוֹ לְהָבִיא מִנְחָה? עָנִי. מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרִיב נַפְשׁוֹ לְפָנַי.
R. Yitzḥak says: What makes the minhah different, that the Torah calls a person who brings it a “nefesh”?
The Holy Blessed One said: Who would normally bring a minhah? Someone who is poor. I consider their minhah to be as if they offered their nefesh (soul) to Me.
A minhah is a קָרְבָּן (korban, sacrifice) of grain, so it’s less expensive than animal sacrifices. The midrash points out that it usually comes from someone who doesn’t have a lot to give. According to this midrash, the word “nefesh” teaches that God really values this kind of korban, even though it’s inexpensive, and considers it like the ultimate sacrifice: the sacrifice of a person’s soul.
- The flashiest korban is not necessarily the best. Can you apply this idea to other mitzvot? What are some mitzvot that might not look very fancy or important, but can have a big impact?
- Have you ever received a small but very meaningful gift? What is it besides money that can make a gift valuable? What is this midrash teaching us about how to judge the value of a gift?
- Can you imagine being in a situation where you weren’t sure you’d have enough food to eat – but you still chose to give some of your flour to God? Why would you do this? What’s the role of faith in this kind of sacrifice?
-------------------
