Sacrifices are not an innovation of the Jewish people. Noah also offered sacrifices to God. However, not all offerings are equal. The Midrash illustrates this idea with the following parable:

"There was once a king who had two chefs. The first cooked a meal that the king ate and enjoyed; and the second also cooked a meal that the king ate and enjoyed. How do we know which meal the king enjoyed more? When the king subsequently commanded the second chef, 'Make for me again the dish you prepared', we know the second was the king's preferred dish."

In other words, by the fact that God commanded the Jewish people to offer sacrifices, we know that God prefers their offerings to those which Noah initiated on his own accord.

But how do we evaluate the relative worth of different sacrifices? What distinguishes the service of Israel from that of Noah?

Two Goals of Offerings

The key to assessing an offering is to examine its purpose. The more elevated the goal, the more acceptable the offering. Noah's objective in offering sacrifices after he left the ark was much different than the goal of the Jewish people. Noah sought to preserve the physical world. He wanted to protect it from Divine retribution. Noah's offerings achieved their goal — "God smelled the appeasing fragrance and said to Himself, 'Never again will I curse the soil because of man'." (Gen. 8:21)

The offerings of the Jewish people have a far more sublime objective. They seek to establish Divine providence in the world. Their goal is to uplift the individual to levels of Divine inspiration and prophecy. The Torah explicitly explains the purpose of the Tabernacle (and later, Temple): "Make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in their midst." (Ex. 8:25)

Fragrance and Bread

This distinction between the objective of Noah's offerings and those of Israel is reflected in the metaphors the Torah uses to describe them. Noah's offerings had an "appeasing fragrance", while those of Israel are referred as "My bread". What is the difference between a fragrance and food?

When an animal eats vegetation, the plant life is absorbed and transformed into part of the animal. In this way, the plant has achieved a higher state of being. When an animal is consumed by a human, the animal is similarly elevated as it becomes part of that human being. This transformation to a higher state through consumption corresponds to an offering which strives towards a higher state of existence. The offerings of Israel are appropriately called "My bread", since the change to which they aspire — perfection as prophetic beings — is similar in magnitude to the transformations of plant to animal, and animal to human.

The offerings of Noah, on the other hand, had only an "appeasing fragrance". They gave off a wonderful smell and appealed to the natural senses, but did not attempt to effect a significant change in nature. Their purpose was to maintain the natural world, to perfect humanity within the framework of his normal intellectual capabilities.

In fact, the offerings of the Jewish people encompass both of these goals. They are described both as "appeasing fragrance" and as "My bread", since we aspire to perfection in two areas — natural wisdom and Divine prophecy.

(adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 155-158)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison