Vayikra 5:11 · unit 1

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah · Passuk 5:11 · Unit 1 of 11

Complete Passuk

וְאִם־לֹא תַשִּׂיג יָדוֹ לִשְׁתֵּי תֹרִים אוֹ לִשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי־יוֹנָה וְהֵבִיא אֶת־קָרְבָּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטָא עֲשִׂירִת הָאֵיפָה סֹלֶת לְחַטָּאת לֹא־יָשִׂים עָלֶיהָ שֶׁמֶן וְלֹא־יִתֵּן עָלֶיהָ לְבֹנָה כִּי חַטָּאת הִיא׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Toras Kohanim (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura DeChovah, Section 10) · R’ Yehudah.

Sefaria — Toras Kohanim (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura DeChovah, Section 10)

Core Text — Toras Kohanim · Sifra DeChovah Sec. 10 · R’ Yehudah
וְהֵבִיא — רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: חֲבִיבָה מִצְוָה בִּשְׁעָתָהּ, שֶׁמִּיָּד הוּא מֵבִיא וְאֵין מַמְתִּינִים לוֹ עַד שֶׁיַּעֲשִׁיר.

“And he shall bring” — R’ Yehudah says: a mitzvah is precious in its time. He brings immediately; we do not make him wait until he becomes rich.

In the midrash: R’ Yehudah reads the imperative “ve-hevi” as requiring immediate performance. The poor man is not told to postpone the flour-chatas in the hope that he may later afford birds or an animal.

Type of Learning

Diyuk of “ve-hevi” favoring immediate performance — a mitzvah is precious in its time.

What Is Learned

A poor man’s flour-chatas is accepted at once. The court does not require him to postpone in hope of a higher tier. The mitzvah’s value lies in its timely performance; delay for the sake of a more expensive offering is not demanded.