Weekly Parsha

Rabbi Ezra Wiener

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a korban chatat (sin offering) as opposed to a korban shelamim (peace offering) is the location in which the offering may be eaten. A korban chatat must be eaten (by the kohanim) within the confines of the courtyard of the mikdash yet a korban shelamim may be eaten quite a distance from the mikdash as long as one is within the walls of Jerusalem. The author of Nachalat Binyamin explains that this distinction reflects the very nature of the korban itself. The korban chatat is brought by a sinner who wishes to atone for his transgression. As a ba’al teshuva of sorts, he remains vulnerable to recurrence of his sin, and the presence of the kohanim in the mikdash as they consume his offering is a reminder that he, too, must remain, figuratively, within the nearly tangible presence of G-d. He cannot afford to stray too far from the mikdash lest he experience a lapse in his observance and repeat his sin. In contrast, the korban shelamim is offered by a Jew who is already motivated to draw near to his Creator. He, ostensibly, is capable of finding G-d even outside the confines of the mikdash. Thus, he may eat from his korban throughout the entire city of Jerusalem.