Shabbat Parashat Vayikra - 5784

Shabbat Parashat Vayikra - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller

  Any meal offering that you offer to God shall not be prepared leavened for you shall

  not cause to go up in smoke from all leavening or all honey as a fire offering to

  God. You shall offer them as a first fruit offering to God but they may not go up upon

  the Altar for a satisfying aroma. [Vayikra 2:11-12]

Our two verses are open to some confusions. The first verse says that it shall not go up

in smoke, and the second says may not go up on the Altar. While we can pretty well

comprehend "all leavening", what exactly is "all honey"? What is the difference between

the fire offering of the first verse and the offering as bikkurim in the second?

Beginning with the honey involved, we had a good definition back in Shemot [13:5], "a

land flowing with milk and honey". Onkelos and Ibn Ezra say this honey is from dates

only. Rashi there defined 'milk'  as goat milk, and 'honey' as fig or date honey and then he

expands to include all fruits. The Gemora [Ketubot 111b] says this as well. Our second

verse indicates that the reason is so the offering not be "for a satisfying aroma", which

one might think would include bee honey. But bee honey is never brought as an offering

at all, and in fact there is only one point where fruit honey is, which is bikkurim, the first fruit

offering. Bikkurim, though, are not brought on the Altar, rather distributed to the Kohanim.

The second verse, then, is telling us that the honey involved here must be from the first

fruits, meaning fruit honey. Since dates and figs are from the seven species special in the

land, they are preferred, but any other fruit honey will do, thus "all honey".

This also answers our question about the difference between fire offering in the first verse

and the bikkurim of the second verse. Meal offerings go up on the Altar to be burned, or

at least some small portion of them goes up. The remainder goes to the Kohen. Our first

verse says that the meal offering may not be burned leavened. The second verse says

that first fruit offerings and leavened bread are not offered on the Altar at all, even for a

satisfying aroma. As above, the only time honey is brought is bikkurim. The only time

leavened bread is brought is the Two Loaves on Shavuot, which are also not brought up

on the Altar, rather distributed and eaten.

Torah Temimah asks why "all leaven and all honey" are mentioned separately rather than

saying, all leaven or honey. He notes that they have different purposes. After taking out

the portion of the meal offering for the Altar, the rest will be eaten, and it can be eaten

with honey but not leavened. The Two Loaves are eaten leavened but not with honey.

Why did the Torah prohibit leaven and honey on the Altar? Talelei Oros understands that

they represent haughtiness. Rambam says it is because idolators brought them for their

offerings and adds that we bring salt because the idolators did not.