Torah Thoughts on Parshas Tzav by Rabbi Moshe Schecter, Rebbe, FYHS
"זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה לָעֹלָה לַמִנְחָה וְלַחַטָאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַמִלוּאִים וּלְזֶבַח הַשְׁלָמִים" וַיִקְרָא ז':ל''ז
“This is the law of the Olah/burnt offering, the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and the inauguration offerings, and the sacrifice peace offerings.” Vayikra 7:37
At the conclusion of teaching all the laws of the Korbanos, the Torah enumerates all the Korbanos – "עֹלָה, מִנְחָה, חַטָאת, אָשָׁם, מִלוּאִים, שְׁלָמִים". In most kehillos on Yom Tov we sing a piyut named "קָה קֵלִי וְגוֹאֲלִי". The chorus of the song adds one Korban to the mix, the Korban Toda (תּוֹדָה). This is done even though it is a שְׁלָמִים, as it is unique for the ד' לֶחְמֵי תּוֹדָה, the four types of bread (10 of each = 40 in total) that were brought with it.
Nowadays, when we are yearning to bring these Korbanos, we can still have a connection to them, as is well-known, by davening or learning about these Korbanos. However, there is one more incredible way of bringing these Korbanos even though we are without the Beis HaMikdash. When a person says "שְׁמַע יִשְׁרָאֵל" daily, he is supposed to have in mind that he is even willing to give himself as a Korban for the sake of Hashem and His Torah. There is an incredible hint to this in "שְׁמַע יִשְׁרָאֵל". The first and last words are שְׁמַע...אֶחָד. Using these words as an acronym, we find:
ש-שלמים א-אשם
מ-מנחה, מ-מילואים ח-חטאת
ע-עולה ד-ד' לחמי תודה
Furthermore, just living with true אֶמוּנָה, with the message of "שְׁמַע יִשְׁרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד" is the equivilance of bringing all these Korbanos. May we soon merit to also bring these actual Korbanos in the Beis HaMikdash speedily in our time.