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The following if from RSRH" commentary on Bereishis
46:1<br><br>
1. Yisrael set out with everything that he had and he came to Be’er
Sheva, and he offered meal offerings [zevachim YL] to the God of
his father Yitzchak.<br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>We do not find elsewhere that our
patriarchs offered
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>zevachim</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. Like all<br>
the other descendants of Noach, they offered only
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>olos</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>.<br><br>
Whereas </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>olah</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>expresses complete personal
devotion to God,
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>zevach</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>is<br>
actually a family meal that is eaten by the
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>baalim</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. It consecrates the<br>
family’s home and table as a temple and an altar.
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Zevachim</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, which are generally<br>
called
“</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Shlamim</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>” express the loftier idea that God
comes into our<br>
midst. They are offered with the joyful awareness that
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Elokim b'dor tzadik<br>
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>(</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Tehillim
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>14:5): God is present
wherever a family is faithful to God and<br>
knows that it is upheld by Him.<br><br>
That is why </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Korban
Shlamim</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, the “peace
offering” of a family life blessed<br>
by God, is a distinctively Jewish offering. The idea of being
absorbed<br>
in God, being devoted to God, dawns also on non-Jewish minds. But<br>
the idea that everyday life can become so thoroughly pervaded by the<br>
spirit of God that one can eat and drink and, while doing so, behold<br>
God (cf. </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Shemos
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>24:11); the idea that all
our family rooms become<br>
temples, our tables altars, and our young men and young women
priests<br>
and priestesses – this spiritualization of everyday private life is a
unique<br>
contribution of Judaism.<br><br>
YL</font></body>
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