BASI L'GANI 5712
By Boruch Merkur

In honor of Yud Shvat, Beis Moshiach presents a selection of the maamer the
Rebbe MH"M delivered on Yud Shvat 5712, in accordance with the custom
established by the Rebbe to review each year a section of the Rebbe Rayatz's
maamer "Basi L'Gani" of 5710. • This year we focus on the second section of the
profound and foundational chassidic discourse. • Part 1

Translated by Boruch Merkur

Korbanos: A Spiritual Service

1. [...] One of the main services performed in the Mikdash, the Holy Temple, was
the offering of korbanos, the sacrifice of animals. Underlying the very physical
process of offering animals upon the altar, however, is a spiritual service. The
proof for this assertion is the participation of both the Kohanim, who prepared
and offered the sacrifices, and the Leviim, who would sing and play music as the
sacrifices were being offered. The Zohar elaborates on the spiritual role the
Kohanim and Leviim played in the Temple service: The Kohen, in silence and with
devotion of heart, draws down [spirituality into the world by means of the
sacrifices], whereas the Leviim serve G-d with singing and with music, which is
the concept of rising from below upward [using the physical medium of music to
ascend towards spirituality and G-dliness].



Give of Yourself to G-d

Now, every Mitzva alludes to a personal, spiritual approach in the service of
G-d, independent of the physical fulfillment of the Mitzva. Having established
then that the Mitzva of offering sacrifices in the Mikdash constitutes a
spiritual service, certainly the same can be said of the personal counterpart of
this Temple service, which is applicable [even today, when the Holy Temple is
not standing] to every single Jew [even those who are not Kohanim or Leviim].

Thus it is written, in the beginning of the section that deals with sacrificial
offerings, "Adam ki yakriv mi'kem korban l'Havaya – A man who offers, among you,
a sacrificial offering to Havaya [to G-d]." It is well known how the Alter Rebbe
elucidates this verse, for the verse should have read, "Adam mi'kem ki yakriv
korban l'Havaya – A man among you who offers." Why then does it say, "Adam ki
yakriv mi'kem – A man who offers, among you"? The explanation is: "Adam ki
yakriv – A man who offers [i.e., who draws close]" – when a person "draws
close," in an attempt to approach G-dliness… Indeed, a korban, a sacrifice,
embodies a person's approach towards G-dliness, as it says in Seifer HaBahir:
"Why is a called `korban'? For [by means of offering a korban] one is `mekarev –
he draws close' [to G-dliness]." More specifically, korbanos are the embodiment
of the kiruv, the offering and devotion, of one's faculties and sensibilities.
Thus, the verse states, "mi'kem korban l'Havaya" – one must offer of himself,
devoting himself to G-d.

The latter explanation is brought to light upon considering the physical
procedure of offering a sacrifice. The sacrificial process entails taking a
living animal, one that is whole and without blemish, and slaughtering it,
extracting from it its life-force. Next, the parts of the animal are offered;
the fat is burned in the fire upon the altar. Regarding the korban ola, for
example – the burnt offering, the first offering in the daily Temple service –
it is entirely burnt up upon the altar.



Offering Ourselves as Korbanos

The spiritual significance of this process is as follows. When offering an
animal on the altar, one must ensure that it is whole, without blemish. In
spiritual terms this means that one must examine himself and ascertain whether
the animal within him, as it were, is whole and complete, without blemish,
referring here to both his body and animal soul.

Of course, the examination must be genuine, not by rote. For, merely going
through the motions results in an incomplete and insufficient examination.
However, when one appreciates the fact that this process is pertinent to his
very life, literally, then he examines himself in every corner of his soul,
mind, and character, and especially the three garments of the soul: thought,
speech, and action. Then he will successfully determine all matters that require
correction and he will fulfill the prescribed corrective measures, so he will be
utterly free of blemish.

After this examination is completed, the person is deemed to be a "desirable
offering," fit to proceed to the next stage, when the sacrifice is slaughtered.
The flesh of the carcass, etc., remains intact and whole after it is slaughtered
but its life is drawn out of it. In the spiritual sense this amounts to removing
vitality from physical things [i.e., tempering one's attraction towards
materialism and physical pleasure]. The body of the physical things remain,
however, these things are utilized strictly in order that they provide
additional energy to his service of G-d, as the Talmudic sage proclaims, "Wine
and aromatic spices made me wise"; "as I had not yet partaken of any beef," "I
was not able to precisely determine the reason underlying the matter."

The foregoing relates to non-obligatory activities, but it is especially true of
Mitzvos, such as eating on Shabbos and Yom Tov, or tzitzis made out of physical
wool, or t'fillin made of physical parchment. That is, physical things which are
themselves used for a Mitzva – not just in fulfillment of the commandment "in
all your ways you should know Him." Thus, the service of sacrificial offerings
involves "removing vitality" from physical things, using them instead strictly
for serving G-d. Then, one has achieved "mi'kem korban," offering of himself to
G-d, and then he is a "korban l'Havaya," for he has approached and united with
G-d.


Caught in the quagmire of "one sin brings about another sin"

2. However, upon contemplating one's state and standing, determining his
condition through introspection and self-evaluation, as discussed above, he may
conclude that – even if at the moment he is not a sinner, nevertheless – "my sin
is constantly before me." That is, the sins that one has committed throughout
his life (including his shortcomings prior to the age of bar mitzva, as the
Mitteler Rebbe writes) endure, for those sins have not been properly corrected.

Evidence for this – that one's sins remain uncorrected – is as follows. Had his
repentance been sufficient, he would not be trapped in the negative feedback
loop of "one sin brings about another sin." In fact, had he indeed been a baal
t'shuva, one who has properly repented, his service of G-d from that point on
would surely be with greater strength than it had been. Since he had previously
been entrenched "in a land of drought and of the shadow of death" [i.e., devoid
of G-dliness], it should have aroused in him a powerful thirst for the Divine.
However, upon considering his true standing at present – without indulging
himself with leniencies and without fooling himself, even to the slightest
degree – he is confronted by the fact that his situation is the exact opposite.
Not only has his former distance from G-dliness not brought him to the great
love of G-d whereby even one's intentional sins become as merits, but the
contrary, it has made him coarse and insensitive towards G-dliness; he has
become caught in the quagmire of "one sin brings about another sin."

Now, there is the temptation to view one's situation as explained in Tanya Ch.
29 – that he has already done a proper t'shuva, but given his present [advanced]
standing, his previous repentance does not suffice and he must now attain a
higher degree of t'shuva. However, the conclusions of this self-evaluation,
discussed above, rule out this complimentary interpretation of "my sin is
constantly before me." He must come to terms, rather, with the fact that he has
simply not succeeded in correcting his misdeeds; his inadequacies in his Divine
service act as a barrier between him and his Father in heaven, interrupting and
deterring his service of G-d.



Me, a korban to G-d?!

Contemplating all of the above, and knowing the great significance of the
concept of korbanos, and how his approach to the service of korbanos is clearly
inadequate, he is fraught with angst. As discussed above, korbanos embody the
devotion of one's faculties and sensibilities to G-d, dedicating them to the
point that they are absorbed within "the fire from above." Indeed, the secret of
korbanos reaches as high as the secret of the Ein Sof, Infinite G-dliness.
Acknowledging his shortcomings, he is faced with the question: How can I
possibly be found to be a desirable "korban l'Havaya – a sacrifice to G-d"?

To assuage this angst, the Rebbe Rayatz expounds on the commentary of the Alter
Rebbe on the word "mikem – from you": "Mikem" means that the matter is demanded
"of you" and is dependent "upon you." The individual must assume this
responsibility, irrespective of his personal standing and all his past history,
and knowing the anguish of his heart. Indeed, he is personally charged with the
mission of making of himself a korban that is desirable to G-d, to the extent
that every single individual can ask of himself, "When will my deeds approach
the deeds of my forefathers – Avrohom, Yitzchok, and Yaakov?"

This then is the meaning of "mi'kem korban l'Havaya – of you, a sacrificial
offering to G-d": It is within your power to become "a sacrificial offering" to
G-d, to approach and unite with Havaya. Korbanos relate to G-d's name "Havaya"
in particular – not "Elokim," which is numerically equivalent to "ha'teva –
nature," but specifically "Havaya" [representing that aspect of G-d that
transcends nature]. This is in accordance with the Zohar's explanation of the
verse, "One who slaughters [a sacrifice] to Elokim shall be eliminated," for the
whole concept of korbanos relates specifically to Havaya, which transcends G-d's
name Elokim.



Korbanos reach the Ein Sof

The truth is that korbanos reach even higher than that, higher than G-d's name
Havaya, as the verse states, "lifnei Havaya – before Havaya." Indeed, as stated
above, "the secret of korbanos reaches as high as the secret of the Ein Sof,"
beyond G-d's name Havaya. Although Havaya transcends G-d's name Elokim,
nevertheless the four letters YKVK allude to the Seider Hishtalshlus, the
natural progression and descent of G-dly light into the worlds [illustrating how
this name of G-d bears some connection to the natural world]: tzimtzum and
hispashtus, the contraction of G-dly light (Yud) and its manifestation within
the spiritual worlds (Hei), hamshacha and hispashtus, drawing this light lower
through the spiritual words (Vav) and extending into the physical world (Hei).
The Ein Sof, however, transcends even G-d's name Havaya, and as we have stated,
the Divine service of korbanos reaches the Ein Sof Itself.

Thus, the Torah continues in the next verse, "he shall offer it, in accordance
with His will, before G-d, lifnei Havaya." The preceding verse says, "korban
l'Havaya," but, after mentioning, "of the livestock, of the cattle, and of the
sheep," it concludes by saying, "lifnei Havaya," as the Tzemach Tzedek
elucidates: "lifnei Havaya" means "beyond Havaya." This teaches us that the
concept of offering sacrifices, in a manner that its reach is "beyond Havaya,"
is a service that involves not only the G-dly Soul but, "of the livestock, of
the cattle, and of the sheep," referring to [aspects of] the Animal Soul.

The latter is especially true of the Mikdash, the Holy Temple, where there could
be the offering of korbanos using physical animals, a service of G-d that
reaches "lifnei Havaya," the secret of the Ein Sof.



"Fire From Above" Even When Below in the World

3. Now, as stated above, the animal sacrifices offered upon the altar were
absorbed within "the fire from above"; they were consumed by Heavenly fire. The
same is true of the service of korbanos as it applies to each individual: the
sacrifices a Jew offers – that is, the devotion of his faculties and
sensibilities to the service of G-d – must be absorbed within "the fire from
above."

When we speak about "the fire from above" in the context of the individual, we
refer to the "flaming fire" of the G-dly Soul. Its fire is its burning desire,
its yearning for G-d, as expressed in the verse (Song of Songs 8:5), "Its flame
is the flaming fire, the blaze of the L-rd." In virtue of its Heavenly source,
even after the G-dly Soul has descended into the physical world, after it has
been invested within a physical body – its love of G-d is still referred to as
"the fire from above." […]

[To elaborate, consider the analogy of burning embers. Its fire can be discussed
in terms of both the flame that emerges from within the coals, as well as, when
speaking about the source of this flame, the fire within the burning embers, the
fire within the coals themselves. Now, although the flame outside the coals can
be identified as such, discussed in terms of it being separate from its source,
the burning embers, it nevertheless has no (independent) existence, no tangible
reality (unto itself). For this reason the Mishna (Beitza 39a) teaches us that
were one to bring a flame out from one domain to another on Shabbos, he is not
liable for transgressing the Sabbath; no real, tangible substance was carried.
(See also Rambam Laws of Shabbos 18:5.)

[The two aspects of the analogy of the burning embers correspond to two levels
of G-dliness: the Ten Hidden S'firos, hidden within the Creator Himself, and the
Ten S'firos of Atzilus, the first identifiable emanation from G-d. Despite
appearances to the contrary, the Ten S'firos of Atzilus – although they have
emerged and emanated from their G-dly source, the Ten Hidden S'firos – have no
tangible reality independent of that source, just as the flame that emerges from
the embers cannot be said to truly exist independently of its source, the
burning embers. The "fire" of the Ten S'firos of Atzilus, insofar as it is
rooted in and connected with its source, is also called "the blaze of the L-rd."



Bringing Out the Fire of Meditation [Now, everything that exists On High has its
parallel in this world, within the Jew. Thus, the Jew also possesses within him
"the blaze of the L-rd," a love of G-d that can be discussed in terms of the two
perspectives cited in this analogy: the fire within the embers and the flame
that extends beyond its source. That is, the love of a Jew can be described in
terms of two stages in hisbonenus, meditation, the contemplation of G-dliness.
The intellectual process of meditating upon G-dly concepts results in the love
of G-d, an emotional experience. However, when one is steeped in contemplation,
united with the G-dly concept, there is no emotional response to speak of; at
that moment the resultant emotion is absorbed within the thought, its source,
and has no existence independent of it. It is only after one detaches his focus
from the deep concentration on the concept, the domain of the intellect, and
brings it into the domain of emotions, that the love of G-d is experienced as
such. Then, it is the emotional experience that reigns, although its existence
is utterly dependent upon maintaining its union with its hidden, intellectual
source, the meditation that preceded and engendered it.]