The Crucial Lesson of Zevachim

                                    

Both Yaakov and Yosef are anxious to be reunited in Egypt. And yet we read that Yaakov makes a stop along the way (46:1): וַיִּסַּ֤ע יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֖א בְּאֵ֣רָה שָּׁ֑בַע וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח זְבָחִ֔ים לֵֽא-לֹהֵ֖י אָבִ֥יו יִצְחָֽק: “And Israel and all that was his set out and came to Beer Sheba, and he slaughtered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.” As eager as Yaakov was to see his son, he makes sure to take a moment to direct his attention and appreciation to Hashem. Upon hearing that Yosef is alive and well in Egypt Yaakov has experienced a “Shehecheyanu” moment. As eager as he might be to reach his destination Yaakov understood the need to turn to Hashem in appreciation for surviving to see the happy ending of this dramatic saga and in recognition that throughout the entire ordeal of Yosef’s disappearance there had in fact been a Divine plan unfolding. One could ask: Granted, we understand why Yaakov feels a need to offer sacrifices. But why does he do so in the middle of his family’s journey down to Egypt? Why not offer the sacrifices immediately upon hearing the good news of Yosef’s wellbeing, before embarking upon the journey? Alternatively, why didn’t Yaakov wait until after his reunion with Yosef, so that he could offer the sacrifices to Hashem with a full measure of joy and gratitude?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch noted that it is here, for the first time in history, that we are introduced to “zevachim” sacrifices. Until this point in time, all other sacrifices to Hashem (offered by Hevel, Avraham, Yitzchak etc) were in the form of an Olah, a burnt offering where the entire sacrifice is dedicated to God. Olot represent the idea of dedicating oneself completely to God. A Zevach is a sacrifice offered in part to Hashem but the rest is then consumed by the person offering the sacrifice along with his/her family. Rav Hirsch explains that zevachim teach us the idea that Hashem can accompany us in all of our activities, even in the mundane activity of eating. Yaakov takes a lunch break with his family along his journey to Egypt. He offers zevachim there for the first time in history to teach his family- and us- that we have the ability to imbue spirituality even into the seemingly mundane activities of daily life. Through this episode we learn for the first time that a Jew’s dining table can be an altar and a Jewish home can serve as a Temple. The idea that a Jew’s religious life must encompass the totality of our existence is an idea emphasized by the Rav, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. In Halachik Man, the Rav wrote (pg. 33): “The task of the religious individual is bound up with the performance of commandments, and this performance is confined to this world, to physical, concrete reality, to clamorous, tumultuous, life, pulsating with exuberance and strength.”

Perhaps this is why Yaakov chose to offer his zevachim specifically in the middle of his journey. He is teaching us that not only can you serve Hashem through seemingly mundane activities such as eating, but that this service can and should be accomplished anywhere and at any time: even on the side of the road during a long family trip down to Egypt.