It is hard not to sin. I try so hard not to transgress the Torah's commandments, but I do. Most of the time, the sins are accidental. For example, on Shabbat we often put tape over the light switches that we want to remain on, so we do not accidentally turn them off. Unfortunately, sometimes we forget. And the same thing always seems to happen: I turn off the bathroom light. It is so frustrating and upsetting. Every time I do this, I say, "when the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt I'll bring a big, fat sacrifice." This week's parashah, Parashat Tzav, gives the details for the Korban Hatat – the Sin-offering (Vayikra 6:17-19). This is the sacrifice that one brings to atone for sins which were committed "Beshogeg - unintentionally."
But what are we to do today when we commit one of these accidental sins? There is no Temple. No Korban Hatat. Seemingly no way to do Teshuvah. How can we be forgiven? Rabbi Moshe Isserles - in his glosses on the Shulhan Arukh – writes that if someone has sinned unintentionally, and would have been obligated to bring a Korban Hatat, he should give tzedakah in place of the sacrifice. The Mishnah Berurah adds that this person should also read the section of the Torah which describes the Korban Hatat (Orach Chaim 334:26; Mishnah Berurah 334:80). So there is a way to be forgiven: give tzedakah, and read a specific part of the Torah. So why do I say, "when the Temple is rebuilt I'll bring a big, fat sacrifice?" Because of a Teshuvah of the Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad.
The Ben Ish Chai - as he is known - was asked whether donating the tzedakah or reading the Torah portion of the Korban Hatat entirely replaces the Sin-offering? Or, is the person still obligated to bring a sacrifice when the Bet HaMikdash is rebuilt? In his responsa the Torah Leshemah (#120), the Ben Ish Chai cites two sources to answer this question. First, the Talmud in Massekhet Shabbat (12b) relates a famous Shabbat incident of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha. The Halakhah rules that on Shabbat one may not read by an oil lamp lest the light flicker and the person tilt the lamp, causing it either to ignite or be extinguished it. One Shabbat, Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha did not follow this ruling and became so engrossed in his learning that he unwittingly tilted the lamp in front of him to improve the flow of the oil to the wick. Realizing what he had done, he noted in his diary, "I, Yishmael ben Elisha, am obligated to bring a big, fat Sin-offering when the Temple is rebuilt." The Ben Ish Chai asks, if one can fully repent by giving tzedakah and reading the relevant verses from the Torah, why didn't Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha do just that? Why did he make a note in his dairy about bringing a sacrifice in the future?
The second source quoted by the Ben Ish Chai is in the Talmud in Massekhet Nedarim (10a). It says there that many righteous individuals were afraid that they had committed minor sins. Even though they were not required to bring a Korban Hatat, a Sin-offering, they still wanted to do so. This is because one who brings a Korban Hatat is also forgiven for his minor infractions. The problem was, the Sin-offering could only be brought if it was required -- in other words, if the person had committed certain major sins (Ron to Nedarim 10a). So what did these tzadikim do to ensure they would be forgiven for their minor infractions? They took the vow of a "Nazir" – an individual who abstains from wine, haircutting and contact with a human corpse in order to attain a state of elevated holiness. They did this because when a Nazir completes his period of Nezirut, he is obligated to bring various sacrifices - including a Korban Hatat, a Sin-offering (Bamidbar 6:14). In this way, these righteous people were able to bring the sacrifice. The Ben Ish Chai asks, if these tzadikim could have been forgiven by giving tzedakah or reading from the Torah, why did they go to such great lengths in order to bring a sacrifice?
Based on these two pieces of Talmud, the Ben Ish Chai rules that the tzedakah and Torah portions do not replace the Korban Hatat. Everyone who commits an involuntary sin, whether on Shabbat or any other day, should take advantage of these golden opportunities to do Teshuvah. But we must remember that they are only temporary forms of repentance. When the Temple is rebuilt, we are still obligated -- in the words of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha -- to bring a big, fat sacrifice for these sins.
This responsum of the Ben Ish Chai contains a somewhat disturbing message. We are living at a time when there are sins for which we can not be fully forgiven. We can do Teshuvah, but it is not full Teshuvah. I can not be fully forgiven for turning off the bathroom light on Shabbat. Why is this the case? Why can't we be forgiven for these sins committed by mistake? The Ramban (Vayikra 4:2) explains that even though these sins were unintentional they still blemish one's soul. If the sinner had been as scrupulous as he should have been, the violation would not have happened. If the Hashem's commandments were really that important, the transgressor would not have "forgotten" and transgressed. If my mind was truly on observing Shabbat, I would not shut off the light. Habit would not have prevailed. The Ben Ish Chai and the Ramban teach us that real commitment to Torah is manifest through one's actions. We cannot just passively accept our own violations of the Torah as unfortunate accidents. We must actively create an environment that discourages such transgressions from occurring in the first place. Contrary to conventional wisdom, accidents do not just happen. If they did, there would be no need for the Korban Hatat.
Rabbi
Mordechai Friedfertig
Congregation B'nai Shalom
Williamsville,
New York
Email: mordechai at utj.org
Copyright 2000-2003 by Mordechai Friedfertig