01 Apr PARASHAT VAYIKRA: POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE

The Torah in Parashat
Vayikra speaks about
the procedure for
offering sacrifices.
Describing a person who
brings a sacrifice to the Temple, the Torah
uses the term “Yakrib Oto” (“He shall offer it”
– 1:3), which Rashi (Rabbi Shelomo Yishaki
of Troyes, France, 1040-1105) explains to
mean that he brings it even against his will.
Meaning, if a person is required to bring a
sacrifice, but he refuses, the leaders force
him to bring the offering. Yet, Rashi notes,
the very next word in the Torah is “Li’rsono,”
which means “willfully.” Right after requiring
that the individual bring the sacrifice even
if he refuses, the Torah then stipulates that
sacrifices must be brought willfully, rather
than under coercion. To reconcile this
contradiction, Rashi explains, “Kofin Oto Ad
She’yomar Roseh Ani” – “He is coerced until
he says, ‘I want’.” In other words, the person
is subjected to coercive measures until he
decides to bring the sacrifice willfully.
What exactly does this mean? How can a
person be forced to do something willfully? Is
this not inherently contradictory?
The conventional explanation of Rashi’s
comment is that each person, deep down,
wishes to do the right thing. At the innermost
recesses of the soul each person experiences

a genuine desire and longing to fulfill G-d’s
will. Our inclination to sin is external to
our true, inner beings, the product of the
Yeser Ha’ra (evil inclination) in all its many
manifestations. When a person is coerced to
fulfill his obligations, what really happens is
that the external pressures are removed so that
his true, inner desire can be fulfilled. He is not
forced to act against his wishes, but rather to
eliminate the emotional blockades that have
prevented him from fulfilling his true wishes.
The Hatam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer of
Pressburg, 1762-1839) suggested a different
explanation of Rashi’s comments. We can
easily imagine a farmer, for example, who
commits a sin that requires offering a sacrifice,
but is very reluctant to do so. He has a large
agricultural enterprise to tend to, as well as
family and communal obligations, and he is
less than eager to take time off to journey to
Jerusalem and invest in an expensive animal as
a sacrifice. Plagued by guilt, he ambivalently
purchases an animal and prepares for his trip.
His townspeople, of course, hear about what
he is doing, and mock him.
“Hey,” they jeer, “you’re going to Jerusalem?
What do you expect to get out of it? So you
made a mistake, what’s the big deal?”
All along his trip, he meets people who
poke fun at him for being “so religious”
and bringing a sacrifice in the Mikdash. He

actually shares their skepticism, and feels no
desire whatsoever to make this trip. But he
figures he might as well go through with it,
and eventually, less than halfheartedly, the
man arrives at the Bet Ha’mikdash with his
animal.
But at the holy site of the Mikdash, his attitude
suddenly changes. He looks up and sees
the Kohanim, dressed in their magnificent
attire, diligently tending to the sacrifices and
other Temple rituals. He hears the beautiful,
inspirational music of the Leviyim, and sees
the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin, the greatest
sages of the time, convening to discuss the
most pressing and difficult Halachic issues.
The sight of the Mikdash and the flurry of
activity fills the visitor with awe. By now, he
is no longer reluctant. He feels overjoyed that
he came to the Mikdash, and happily gives
the Kohen his sacrifice. And he even decides
to extend his trip so he can spend more time
soaking in the special Kedusha of Jerusalem
and the Bet Ha’mikdash.
This is how a person can be coerced and
yet bring his sacrifice willingly. He might
require some coercion, but once he arrives at
the Temple, he offers the sacrifice willingly,
lovingly and joyously.
This insight of the Hatam Sofer underscores
the critical importance of placing oneself in
an atmosphere of positive peer pressure. As

long as the farmer was in his hometown or
on the road to Jerusalem, he was discouraged
from doing the right thing. But once he placed
himself in the Bet Ha’mikdash, his entire
perspective changed. Suddenly, fulfilling his
religious duties was the natural thing to do.
It was not even a question anymore. The
encouraging and spiritual aura of the Temple
aroused his heart and stirred him to lovingly
fulfill his commitments as a religious Jew.
It is critical for every Jew to ensure that he
is, at all times, in the right crowd, in the right
community, in the right neighborhood and
in the right surroundings. Peer pressure, as
we all know, is a powerful force that exerts
a very strong influence on a person and his
behavior. It behooves us all to ensure that the
peer pressure we are under is a positive peer
pressure – one which pushes us to remain
faithful to our tradition, to the study of Torah
and observance of Misvot. We must place
ourselves among peers who will encourage
us to do the right thing, to live the way we
are supposed to live. This is the peer pressure
that we want – the pressure to live meaningful
lives, lovingly committed to G-d and His
Torah, and eager to fulfill all His Misvot.