Rabbi's Corner

In this week’s parashah, Parashat Tzav, we read the following: “And this is the teaching of the asham (guilt) offering; it is most holy.”  (VaYikra 7:1) We learn the following from the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud): “It has been stated: Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Chanina said: The Tefillah (the Amidah Prayer) was instituted by the Patriarchs. Rabbi Yehoshua son of Levi says: The Tefillah was instituted to replace the daily sacrifices. It has been taught in accordance with Rabbi Yose son of Chanina, and in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua son of Levi.” (Talmud Bavli Masekhet B’rakhot 26b) It is obvious that we cannot perform the asham offering due to the fact that the Jerusalem Temple no longer stands.  Instead, our Sages have taught us that we must do t’shuva which, when combined with vidui (confession) and personal prayer, is considered to be as holy as was the asham offering.  Perhaps this Chasidic parable will be able to explain why this is so:

Before a royal banquet, two of the King’s servants were commanded to clean and shine the King’s magnificent but extremely delicate crystal goblets.  Each servant received six of the priceless goblets along with a stern warning to exercise supreme caution in the performance of their royal assignment.  The two returned to their workstations adjacent to the royal kitchen and began to clean the goblets.  The first servant, easily distracted by a chambermaid’s chatter nearby, carelessly hit one of the goblets with his elbow and knocked it off the table.  The delicate crystal goblet plummeted to the floor shattering into smithereens.  The first servant paled but almost immediately regained his composure as he grabbed a broom, swept up the shattered pieces of the broken crystal goblet, and disposed of the “evidence.”  The second servant executed his duties of wiping and polishing the crystal goblets with so much attention to his task that beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead.  He cleaned the goblets with utmost care and complete concentration.  He wrapped the five finished crystal goblets in their blue velvet casings, but as he reached for the sixth one, it slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor.  The second servant’s heart skipped a beat and his pulse pounded in his throat.  His eyes filled with tears as he immediately ran to tell the King what had happened.

The second servant threw himself at the King’s feet.  “Your Majesty,” he cried out, “I have broken one of your magnificent crystal goblets!  I am completely miserable over what I have done!  Please, Your Majesty, accept three years of my wages as payment for the goblet!  I am so very, very sorry for what I have done!”  As he finished speaking, the second servant was sobbing so hard that he could no longer speak.  The benevolent and merciful King extended his scepter to the second servant and indicated to him that he should rise.  “Dear servant,” smiled the King, “Your heartfelt confession is dearer to me than a thousand crystal goblets.  You shall not be punished.  On the contrary, from this day onward you shall no longer serve as a mere kitchen servant.  I am promoting you to the position of Royal Waiter.”

To be sure, there was nothing in the palace that escaped the King’s attention.  He knew full well of the first servant’s mishap and patiently waited for him to come and confess.  Hours passed by, but the first servant failed to make an appearance before the King.  The King then summoned two of the palace guardsmen and instructed them to immediately bring the first servant before him in ball and chains.  The first servant was brazenly adamant regarding what had happened to him: “Your Majesty, why am I being treated like a mere criminal?”  The King then requested that the six goblets be returned to him immediately.  Obviously, the first servant could only produce five goblets.  When the King inquired about the sixth one, the first servant shrugged his shoulders and claimed complete ignorance as to the sixth goblet’s whereabouts denying that he had done anything wrong.

“Not only do you fail to confess to me,” said the King, “but in your utter foolishness, you even deny your guilt in this matter.  I am always prepared to forgive negligence, even willful negligence, but I can never forgive dishonesty.  Your distance from the truth renders you a criminal unfit to serve in my Palace!”  The servant was led away into exile never to be heard from again.

Rebbe Natan of Breslov writes: “A person’s confession of wrongdoing is so very dear before Hashem, especially since confession means admitting to the truth.” (Likutei Halakhot, O”H, Hilchot Kriat Shema, 2:1) Rebbe Natan explains that truth is the epitome of holiness, for not only does HaShem waive punishment for the confessed wrongdoing, He actually consoles the confessor.  The exact opposite happens to the liar who attempts to conceal his transgressions.  Clearly in the parable the King is “the King of Kings” and all of us are H-s servants.  Because our Sages teach that such a vidui, such a confession of wrongdoing, is equivalent to an asham offering as outlined in this week’s parashah.  As such, it is most holy in H-s eyes.  May we learn from this that it is only through our heartfelt and sincere vidui that we will receive the Divine compassion of our loving Father in Heaven.