After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Sages declared that prayer had now replaced the sacrifices. In fact, the Sages were able to translate the Temple service and even the physical elements of the Temple into the synagogue and individual and communal prayer (See Orchard of Delights; pp. 265, for elaboration of this concept). In many places in the Torah the sacrifices are described as a “sweet smell to God.” Of course, we are not speaking of physical smell in relationship to the Divine, but rather as Rashi comments, that the good smell is that God commanded the Temple service and Israel fulfilled His will.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach teaches that nothing smells as good as a good prayer. This can be explained in the following way. We all know how good it feels when we have something on our mind or heart and we finally can express it to another person or through various means such as writing, painting, sculpting, song etc. Although we all seek approval, many times the very act of expressing ourselves is a truly cathartic experience not necessarily dependent on any particular reaction from others. The same is true with prayer. Although we would love God to fulfill all of our prayers, many times just expressing to God our most inner thoughts and feelings is a very fulfilling and liberating experience. This I believe is what Reb Shlomo meant when stating that nothing smells as good as a heartfelt, sincere prayer.
The end of parshat Toldot contains one of the most enigmatic and discussed incidences in the Torah – Jacob receiving Isaac’s blessing which had originally been intended for his brother Esau (See Orchard of Delights; pp. 100-104, for a deep analysis of this story). After an initial attempt by Isaac to determine who was standing before him to receive the blessing, the Torah relates that Isaac exclaimed: “And he [Jacob] came closer, and he [Isaac] kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, “Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which God has blessed! (Genesis 27:27).
The question that can be asked is what gave Isaac such a keen sense of smell? One way to answer this question is by understanding how much Abraham and Sarah prayed to have such a son like Isaac who would carry on the teachings of his father and mother. It is clear that with all of the tests Abraham was confronted with, the greatest one for both he and Sarah was they had no children. The Talmud asks why almost all of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs were challenged to physically bring children into the world. The Sages answer because God desires the prayers of the righteous. Since it is God’s will that people turn to him in prayer, when they do, especially the righteous, it is a “sweet smell to God.” Abraham and Sarah’s deepest prayer to have children was ultimately integrated into the very soul of Isaac. The good smell of their prayers was later manifest in Isaac’s ability to smell the very essence of Jacob. In fact, immediately after the above verse Isaac imparts his blessing.
Parenthetically, we are taught by tradition that the future souls of all converts were spiritually created through the marital union of Abraham and Sarah. Therefore, although it seemed on the surface that their prayers were not being answered, on a very high level they gave birth to more souls than they even imagined.
This week’s Torah portion records the birth of Isaac. It is also read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, as the Sages taught that Sarah was answered for children on this holy day. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah we read the awesome account of Akedat Yitzchak, the Binding of Isaac, as related at the end of this parsha. An angel of God stops Abraham from offering his son as he believed he was commanded to do and he offers a ram instead.
Here in a sense we are confronted with a very paradoxical idea. Not only does this incident symbolize the need to end human sacrifice practiced throughout the ancient world and its replacement with exclusively animal sacrifices, but paradoxically in this story prayer is replaced by an animal sacrifice, where as in the future animal sacrifices would be replaced by prayer, as discussed above.
To understand this better we need to explore Abraham’s relationship with prayer. This week’s portion describes how Abraham stood before God and tried to negotiate saving the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. The Torah relates that Abraham “approached God” (Genesis 18:23). Rashi informs us that this word relates to prayer. Many commentaries relate that this incident is actually the first recorded prayer. When God changes Abraham’s name by adding an extra letter hei, He tells him that his name means the “father of many nations.” From this incident was see that Abraham took this appointment very seriously and took responsibility for rectifying the entire world. This first prayer and its implications of responsibility and prayers for others is embedded deep in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people to this very day.
Additionally, a second incident occurs in this Torah portion when the king Avimelech took Sarah and almost had relations with her but God came to him in a dream and revealed that she was actually Abraham’s wife. As a result of Avimelech’s lack of discretion, God shut up the wombs of all of Avimelech’s kingdom. The Torah relates that Abraham ultimately prayed to God to heal the people. The more common name for prayer, tefillah, is used here for the first time in the Torah.
Abraham forged a new path of an intimate personal relationship with the Creator of the world, thus, it is highly paradoxical that animal sacrifices were commanded by God to play an extensive and important role in the Temple service. It is true that Abraham himself is recorded as bringing animal sacrifices to God, yet his unique contribution to human consciousness is his revelation of prayer as a means to communicate directly with the Divine. One way to answer this question is that at that time people’s consciousness were not ready for such an exalted ongoing relationship with God as practiced by Abraham. God knowing this commanded a certain type of service in the Torah that fit the needs of that time. Although not all commentaries agreed with him, Maimonides proposes this same idea more or less as the reason for animal sacrifices.
Yet many of the prophets, in the name of God, railed against animal sacrifices when they were emptied from their deeper meaning. Animal sacrifice which seems very distant from us in our day and age, when infused with deep spiritual intent and the full knowledge of its deep psychological and symbolic meaning for that age, were a very powerful and potent way to approach God. The Torah is eternal – we just need to learn how to translate the various elements of the service of the Temple to our prayers today, which is exactly what the Sages accomplished as discussed above.
With the destruction of the Temple animal sacrifices ceased and were replaced with prayer, which now serves as a “sweet smell to God.” Thus, in a sense we have come full circle. Only when Mashiach comes will it be revealed what will be the appropriate type of service to God in the Messianic era.
