Parsha Vayikra

Day 6 (Part 1): Leviticus 4:27-35

Friday 20 March 2026,

(Leviticus 4:27-31) 

Our study today begins with the commandments about the sin offering for an individual person "from among the populace."

(Leviticus 4:27) 

The phrase "among the populace" can also be translated as "people of the country." Though simple, this phrase indicates to us that Hashem considered Israel to be a country even while our ancestors were wandering in the wilderness (after the Exodus from Egypt and before entering the promised land of Canaan).

At this point of Leviticus, the Jews had received the full Torah at Mount Sinai. Beyond a list of "to dos" and "to don't dos," the Torah was given to the Jewish people as a covenant between Hashem and His chosen people. This covenant is like a ketubah (Jewish marriage agreement), Peace Treaty, as well as the document by which the nation of Israel should be governed.

(Deuteronomy 17:18-19)

(Leviticus 4:27)

We read that the sin offering for the individual is to be brought when a person from the nation of Israel (i.e. Hashem's elect) realizes that he or she UNWITTINGLY "incurs guilt by doing any of the things which the LORD commands ought not be done."

(Leviticus 4:28) 

The sin offering for an individual is to be:

A Female Goat (or Sheep, as we'll see below), without blemish.

(Leviticus 4:29-30)

As with all of the sacrifices and offerings that we have learned about so far, there is a step-wise process that must be followed when bringing the Sin Sacrifice:

 1. The sinner lays his or her hands on the animal's head, which indicates the person takes ownership of the animal and his or her sins that the animal is being offered to atone for.

 2. The Goat is slaughtered by the Priest at the North Side of the altar, which is the "place of the burnt offering."

 3. The Priest then takes some of the goat's blood and places the blood on the four horns of the altar with his finger.

As we learned previously, since the blood of the sacrifice is not dashed on the four sides of the altar, the letter het is not formed with the blood. Therefore, chai cannot be formed. This teaches us that sin separates. Sin does not lead to life, but  only death.

The placement of the blood with the Priest's finger hearkens to the finger of Hashem that both wrote the first set of Torah Stones and the same proverbial finger that would later write on the walls of the evil-rulers in the Babylonian exile. While Hashem does not have any form, let alone any body parts, His priests are anointed to be His main ministers of His will on earth. Thus, the placing of the blood with the Priest's finger indicates a precise fulfillment of a given will and judgment of Hashem.

 4. The rest of the blood of the goat is to be poured at the base of the Burnt Offering altar.

If we pay close attention and remember the lesson of the  sin offering for the chieftains, we can see that the steps for the sin sacrifice of the individual are the same. We noted previously that the steps for the chieftain are NOT the same as the steps of a sin sacrifice of a priest. We noted that this difference indicated that while Moshe did set the chieftains over the people to help him rule and judge, the chieftains did not have the same authority as the priests, let alone the high priest. The fact that the sin sacrifice of the common individual is the same as the chieftain indicates that (in Hashem's eyes), the chieftains are closer to common man than they are to the Priests or High Priest.

(Leviticus 4:31a.) 

As with other sin sacrifices, the fat is to be removed from the goat (in the manner described for the well-being offering in Leviticus 3) and is to be burned and turned into smoke.

It is interesting to note that the verse states, "He shall remove all its fat, just as the fat is removed from the sacrifice of well-being."

The verse could have said "remove the fat, just as the fat is removed from the sacrifice of the chieftains."

This is an important difference because the sin sacrifice of the individual is to be performed in the manner of a well-being OFFERING, which is not a sacrifice--i.e. the well-being offering is not sacrificed for sin. Too, we must remember our lessons of Leviticus 3. We noted the significance of the fat of the broad tail being offered (if a sheep was offered). The same applies here with the sin sacrifice. If a sheep is brought instead of a goat, the broad tail is burned and turned into smoke.

Previously, we stated that the significance of the broad tail being burned is that Hashem promised to make His people the head and not the tail if we keep His commandments. The fact that the tail too is sacrificed with the sin-atoning sacrifice solidifies that Hashem will forgive all sins and keep His promises when His people perform teshuvah and bring the sacrifices that He has ordained. Thus, may the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days so the sacrifices can be reinstated (as is promised in the writing of the Prophet Ezekiel chapters 40-48).

(Leviticus 4:31b.) 

We learn, again that it is the burning of the fat of the sin sacrifice on the Burnt Offering that allows for full forgiveness of sin and full expiation.

 EXPIATION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster):

     "a : the act of expiating something : the act of extinguishing the guilt incurred by something

      b : the act or process of making atonement for something

Meaning, it is the FAT, not the blood, that acts as the element of atonement.

Yes, the spilling of the blood is a necessary part of the atonement process, but Hashem explicitly states that when the fat is turned into smoke, then our sins are forgiven; then the priests have made expiation for us. We have learned previously that the burning of the fat is like a "ram in the bush" that staves off famine. The sacrifice burns up the fat of the animal so that Hashem does not have to burn up the fat of the people.

Blood, however, is never burned up and turned into smoke. Indeed, everything that is burned on the altar is considered "food" to Hashem (Leviticus 3:16). Since Hashem commands His people not to eat blood, so He Himself would not "eat" blood (i.e. would not have blood consumed on His fire altar).

Instead, the blood marks the altar, much like blood marked the doorposts of the Hebrews' houses on Pesach in Egypt. We learned previously, the blood on the altar for Burnt Offerings indeed pictures the Hebrew word for life/alive:

חַי

​

Here, Aaron (or the Priest) is like the Angel during Pesach.

The blood is like the blood on the doorposts, marking out the one bringing the offering for life.

(Leviticus 4:32-34)

In these verses, we learn about the process if the individual sin sacrifice is a sheep, instead of a goat. As with the well-being offering, the process of offering a female sheep for the sin sacrifice is the same as if one brings a female goat. The only difference is the exclusion of the burning of the fat.

If the offering is a SHEEP, the broad tail is to be offered as part of the fat offering that is turned into smoke on the Burnt Offering altar.

Again, the significance (arguably) is the reference of Hashem's promise to make His people the head and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13).

(Leviticus 4:35) 

We learn a new detail regarding the sin sacrifice of an individual from the house of Jacob: the fat of the sin sacrifice is to be place ON TOP of the fire on the Burnt Offering altar AFTER/ON TOP OF the Burnt Offerings.

Why is this detail important? The Burnt Offerings do not atone for sin. Burnt Offerings are pleasing to Hashem. They are like thanksgiving offerings that are offered twice daily. They are ALL GOOD and ALL PLEASING in the eyes of Hashem. Thus, the fact that these pleasing elements are to go before the sin sacrifice reminds us that before our sin, Hashem remembers and considers and accepts the good of His people. Too, that He accepts atonement sacrifices from a place of complete chesed.

These various differences will be important to remember in the second part of our day 6 studies.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Kimberly Davis