The Continual Burnt Offering that Was Ordained at Mount Sinai

324. It is written, “A continual burnt offering that was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.”

325. The burnt offering is different from all the offerings, as it is burnt in its entirety in the fire and all of it rises to the upper one. It is all right, light of Hassadim without any left at all.

The great Rabbi Eliezer was asked, it is written, “a continual burnt offering that was ordained at Mount Sinai,” that unification in the burnt offering is all right, so why is it written “for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord,” since a fragrant scent is illumination of Hochma, which is drawn only from the left line?

He replied, “Only Rabbi Akiva my disciple asked me about this. The answer is, and I still have the roots with me,” meaning he implied that he would not understand the meaning. Rabbi Akiva heard this answer and said, “Since the flowers have budded, I have eaten the roots.”

Interpretation: Prior to making any offering, we must draw three lines—right, left, and middle—the roots of every offering, which are implied by priests, Levites, and Israelites, who were at the time of making any offering. The priest is the right line; the Levites, the poets, are the left line; and the Israelites who were offering are the middle line.

This is why he answered that although there is no illumination of the left in this offering, and it is all right, he nevertheless holds the roots of the offering in his hand, holding the three lines even during the making of the offering. For this reason, at that time, he also has the illumination of the left, which is called “a fragrant scent.” This is why it is nicely written, “for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.”

Rabbi Akiva asked, “But the offering contradicts the roots, since in the roots, the left shines, too, while the offering, although it is a branch and a flower that comes out from these roots, it is nevertheless all right without any left at all.

It follows that they must shine one at a time, that first he eats the roots, drawing illumination of the three lines, and then he can unity the unification of the burnt offering so it will be all right without any left. Thus, he no longer has the roots in his hand during the making of the offering. So how is it written “for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord” if there is no fragrant scent here, which is illumination of Hochma?

This is the meaning of what Rabbi Akiva said, that the flowers have budded, since he began to engage in making the burnt offering, which is a flower and a branch of the three lines, “I have eaten the roots,” meaning that there is no longer the governance of the roots since they contradict one another. Hence, the question returns, from where is there a fragrant scent in the offering?

Akiva said to him, “Be prepared for the pleasing aroma to the Creator although you have eaten the roots.” There is a fragrant scent here, too, since the swallowing of the sweet still remains because although you have already stopped unifying the three lines, although you have drawn them and eaten them, the swallowing of illumination of Hochma that you drew from the left line already remains in you, and this is enough to be ready for the pleasing aroma to the Creator, that the illumination of Hochma will shine by itself during the making of the offering.

Rabbi Akiva probably still did not understand this answer, and Rabbi Eliezer reiterated and asked him, “How did you eat the roots?” How did he make the unification of the roots, the three lines, and then he explained to him a second time, “You stood and ate, and yet the swallowing from the sweet remains. Since you stood and drew illumination of the three lines, the swallowing from the sweet, the sweet illumination of Hochma, necessarily remains during the making of the offering, as well, and that swallowing is enough for a fragrant scent, illumination of Hochma. It is nicely written “for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.”

326. They walked and saw a spring of water. They sat. Rabbi Eliezer said, “Akiva, come let me show you a spring of water that opens clear and flowing water, as it is written, ‘a well of living water flowing from Lebanon.’” With this verse, he revealed to him the conversation of the ministering angels, a conversation about stars and signs, and knowing the windows of the sun in its times and occasions, the conversation of palm trees and birds, the conversation of the winds, the knowledge about periods and impregnations.

327. Rabbi Akiva wept. He said to him, “Why are you crying?” He said, “Woe to the generation that is as orphaned from you.” He said to him, “Do not say this, but rather woe to the generation that is orphaned, without a father, without a guiding sage or a reflecting disciple. Times will come when the entire generation will be insolent and brazen, the Torah will be forgotten, and no one will demand or seek. And one whose heart awakens in the Torah will be despised and wretched. Woe to that generation, when that generation comes.

328. “That generation will exist only by the vapor of the mouths of novice disciples, and only when they begin. When they are veterans, they will forget the Torah, as it is written, ‘For this child I prayed.’ However, Hannah said, ‘May it be that when he grows, he will toil in serving the Creator as now when he is a boy.’

329. “Any person who merits being in his old age as when he was young will be rewarded with the level of Prophet Samuel, as it is written, ‘Moreover, his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year.’ Would you fathom that it is so, literally? Rather, the meaning is that his righteousness and merit were always growing with him, as was his mother’s prayer.’

330. “It is written, ‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man.’ He conveys to the youth, ‘You shall rise before the gray headed,’ meaning first you will rise to being gray headed and to old age, rise to being good, and when you try to be good in your youth, later, you will honor the presence of an old man, meaning you will be good in your old age, too. The end of the verse proves about it, ‘and fear your God.’”

331. The beginning of the whole world and its construction was created only on fear, that man will have fear of heaven, and fear of people, as it is written, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The heaven—to fear heaven; the earth—to fear people. The whole world was created only on fear, which is called Resheet [beginning], as it is written, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord.” This is why it is written Beresheet.