{"id":44589,"date":"2018-11-25T14:12:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-25T12:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=44589"},"modified":"2022-06-19T22:33:01","modified_gmt":"2022-06-19T19:33:01","slug":"the-thanksgiving-sacrifice-no-leftovers-share-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-thanksgiving-sacrifice-no-leftovers-share-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Thanksgiving Sacrifice: No Leftovers – Share Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The sacrificial offering associated with giving thanks to God (<\/span>korban todah<\/span><\/i>) differs in crucial ways from other sacrifices mentioned in the book of Leviticus. Whereas other sacrifices of well-being may be eaten until the third day, this chapter tells us that \u201cthe flesh of [the] thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being shall be eaten on the day that it is offered; none of it shall be set aside until the morning\u201d (Leviticus 7:15). Whatever is left over until the following morning must be burned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does the Torah find the prospect of leftovers disturbing? Why must the thanksgiving offering\u2014of all sacrifices\u2014be eaten on the very day it is brought?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) offers one explanation: The Torah\u2019s purpose is to publicize the miracle the person is celebrating. The fact that a great deal of food must be consumed in a short time leads the thankful person to invite \u201crelatives, friends, and acquaintances to share in his meal and his joy.\u201d He will thus have the opportunity to tell them of the wonders and miracles that were done for him, and God\u2019s name will be publicly glorified (Abravanel, Commentary to Leviticus 7:11ff).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019d like to propose another (perhaps complementary) way of thinking about why the thankful person needs to invite others to share in his meal: The nature of gratitude is such that it is inherently outward-looking.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Gratitude, crucially, is not just a feeling. Many moral philosophers maintain that a core aspect of gratitude is the desire to respond, the urge to repay or pay forward the kindness we have been shown. Gratitude is the bridge between the realization of how much I have been given, and the commitment to be a giver myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What I am suggesting is that the laws around the consumption of the thanksgiving offering are intended to express and inculcate a core religious value: When one has been the beneficiary of God\u2019s kindness, one is expected to bestow kindness oneself. \u00a0Deep joy is meant to be shared. In this instance, it is not just one\u2019s family or friends who must be included, but also (and perhaps especially) those who are socio-economically vulnerable.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The simple requirement that there not be any leftovers from the thanksgiving offering thus teaches us a fundamental theological and spiritual lesson. We are not meant to rest content with being recipients of God\u2019s gifts but are asked to becoming givers ourselves. <\/span><\/p>\n

    God\u2019s gifts are meant to flow <\/span>through <\/span><\/i>us and not merely <\/span>to <\/span><\/i>us.<\/span><\/p>\n

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