Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"… if a man of you would bring an offering near unto G-d…" (1,2)

 Not from theft

 It says, "Your sacrifice should be similar to the offering of Adam Harishon. Just as Adam Harishon who owned everything did not bring an offering from theft or from robbery, so you too….  do not bring an offering from theft or from robbery. (Vayikra Rabba)

 We must understand. Why do we have to learn the prohibition of bringing an offering from thievery from an allusion learned from the words? There is an explicit verse (in Yeshaya): "For I G-d love judgment, I hate robbery with burnt offerings".

 The Grand Rabbi, Rabbi Yechiel Epstein of Ozherov explained: The words do not refer just to robbery from others. It refers to that which our Rabbis ob'm say "One who enjoys This World without a blessing is as if stealing."

Just as one is not allowed to enjoy This World until he has recognized that everything was given to him from G-d, so too a sacrifice is not considered "yours" until the person realizes that it belongs to G-d and he thanks Him for it. This is alluded to: The words "would bring an offering"  "יקריב קרבן" add up in numerology the same as the words "one hundred blessings" - "מאה ברכות" .

SHABBAT SHALOM!!