One time when R' Akiva was up a tree ( he was fleeing from those who were over zealously guarding the honor of a sage ) he asked the following question : The pesukim that describe the daily avodah refer to the korban to be brought as a "keves echad", a single sheep. Why, if the word sheep is in the singular, does the Torah need to emphasize that it is one ?
Rav Chanina HaGadol answered Rebbi Akiva that the word "echad" here is actually derived from "meyuchad", or special, and alludes to specialness necessary for a korban to Hashem. It must be the nicest animal in flock. ( R' Akiva's question convinced R' Chanina that he was a budding scholar and therefor wasn't mocking the sages. He was promptly allowed down )
Since the reference to a singular sheep occurs in the daily avodah - we can learn an interesting lesson from this idea.
The sheep must be the nicest in the flock - not the world. For the Yom Kippur avodah, the animals must be world class - and perfectly cultivated for their tasks. For the daily worship, however, it is understood that you can't get the best every time. So this animal must be the best we can find at the moment.
Sometimes when we are davening or saying brachos, we are under constraints that prevent us from concentrating as we should. This idea tells us that Hashem isn't looking for the best teffila / bracha of our lives every time. He's just looking for the best we can do at the moment. If it sometimes seems that we don't have the ammunition to shoot for the stars, it's because we fail to realize that Hashem wants us to try, even with a BB gun.
Let's give it all we've got !
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I've read things on your page before and enjoyed them greatly. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the way you write. You have a beautifully simplistic way of explaining things. I have always been curious about my Old Testament "roots" and I like reading on your page so that I can gain understanding of them. When we are taught Old Testament things in our churches we mostly talk about the prophecies and don't relate the teachings to present day life. We save those teachings for the New Testament passages mostly. I have always believed that learning history, whether religious or otherwise, can help you understand the present and hope for the future.
P.S. Give Miriam and SR a big hug for me!
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