Sacrifices

The korbanot discussed in the parshiyot we are now reading consist of two paradigms: That of the olah and that of the shelamim. The olah is completely burnt on the Altar, and represents God as a "consuming fire." Man cannot approach Him without being destroyed by the light of His magnificence and power. The shelamim, on the other hand, represents the viability of a relationship between God and man, as it is consumed partially by the Altar and partially by man. The chatat is brought by a sinner, and represents his inability to maintain a relationship with God due to (and through) his sins.