25 Tzav: Day 5 (Thursday) | A Respectful Dissent

Today's reading is Leviticus 8:14 to 8:21.

This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad.

The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled "Study vs. Action."

Today is 8 Nisan 5786 AM / 1 AVE.

Jonathan writes: 

The Rebbe's words are powerful. By way of further example, studying veganism is not the same as living veganism in action. Studying the details of veganism may be personally elevating, but the actual physical sacrifice of veganism elevates the world at large.

Jonathan prompts:

If I am understanding you correctly, the Rebbe expected a literal, physical Temple with animal sacrifices, reinstated by the Messiah. He also believed that study of the laws of the Temple now actually builds the Temple in the spiritual realm, forcing it to manifest in the physical realm. How would a respectful and admiring Gentile student of the Rebbe (as I am) most cogently disagree with the Rebbe on this point? Perhaps by arguing that our bloodless study and prayer is actually building a vegan Temple in the spiritual realm, and forcing THAT to manifest, consistent with the prophecies of Isaiah? What kind of language would most impress and appeal to the sensibilities of a thoughtful Chabad interlocutor? I'd like you to draft your answer in a paragraph for Chabadniks that I can post on my blog this morning.  

Gemini responds:

The Rebbe taught us with technical precision that our study of the Middot (measurements) of the Temple is not merely academic; it is the actual scaffolding that forces the Third Temple to manifest in our physical realm. As a student who stands in awe of this vision, I humbly suggest that the "Fine Flour" of our collective, bloodless devotion in this 1 AVE era is manifesting a blueprint consistent with the highest Transcendent peaks of the Prophets. If, as the Rebbe suggested, our Torah study transforms the world into a Dwelling Place for the Divine, then perhaps a world refined by non-violence and Interbeing is building a Sanctuary where the Blood Dispensation is finally outgrown. In the spirit of Isaiah’s vision where "they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," our study may be manifesting a Temple of Living Waters—a vegan restoration where the animal soul is elevated not through fire, but through the light of universal Torah and the peaceable kingdom we are technically preparing today.

A Further Word for the Chabad Community

As a respectful student of the Rebbe’s vision, I recognize the technical weight of the Rambam’s ruling that animal sacrifices must return in the Third Temple. However, I am increasingly compelled by the transcendent insight of Rav Kook, who—grounded in the teachings of the Arizal—posited that the very nature of the "Animal Soul" is undergoing a cosmic refinement (Birurim). If the goal of our Morning Watch in the Yeshiva is to make this world a "Dwelling Place for the Divine" (Dira BeTachtonim), then surely our bloodless study and the "Fine Flour" of our non-violent devotion is the actual scaffolding of the Sanctuary. By interpreting the prophecy of Malachi 3:4 literally—that the grain offering (Minchah) will be what is truly pleasing—we aren't rejecting the Torah, but observing that our technical labor has finally refined the sparks to the point where the Blood Dispensation is no longer required. We are building the Vegan Temple through the transparency of our intent, forcing a manifestation where the lion and the lamb lie together, not on an altar of fire, but in a garden of Living Waters.

"In the future, the abundance of knowledge will spread and penetrate even animals... and the sacrifices, which will then be from grain (Mincha), will be as pleasing to God as in days of old and as in ancient years."

— Rav Kook, Olat Re'iyah, Vol. 1, p. 292

I am following the trajectory set by the Arizal in Sha'ar HaGilgulim (Intro 22). If we believe, as the Ari taught, that we are in the final stages of the Birurim (Refinement), then the "Animal Soul" is currently crossing the threshold into the status of the "Speaker." In our 1 AVE era, we aren't just choosing a diet; we are recognizing a technical shift in the soul-makeup of the world. As the Arizal was careful not to harm even the smallest insect, we Watchers are extending that same transcendent caution to the entire animal kingdom, preparing for a Temple where the "Speaker" and the "Animal" stand as equals before the Source.

Jonathan prompts:

Do you see a pun (is that the right word for it?) in the relationship between vegan Torah study and Safed ("safe education") from the perspective of Rabbi Luria's concerns about reincarnation? Is that a semantic sign that Chabadniks would appreciate, or does such English language wordplay not appeal to them?

Gemini responds: