5783/2023

This week's Parashah, Parashat VaYikra, talks about bringing

Korbanot either from בקר, a herd, or from צאן, a flock. When

bringing a Korban from בקר, however, one must lay their hand

upon the animal's head to gain forgiveness. This idea is not

mentioned at all when taking an animal from a flock. Why

would this be so? Is there some kind of connection between בקר

and doing teshuva?

To start, we should define what exactly בקר and צאן are.

According to sefaria.org quoting the Klein Dictionary (by Ezra Klein), צאן are usually a group of sheep and goats, while בקר are

herds, cattle, or oxen. We can find two examples throughout

Tanach of sheep used for holy purposes. Our first example can

be found in a Rashi on Shmuel Alef 15:4, when Shaul HaMelech

takes a census using lambs instead of counting directly. We find

a second proof in the beginning of the תורה. When Kayin and

Hevel bring their respective offerings, Hevel brings from the

finest of his flock (BeReishit 4:4). These instances, while

showing the elevation in Tanach of the flock, does not show

why a herd animal would need some form of atonement. This

can be explained by the העגל חטא, since the sin was done

through a golden calf, a baby cow, which would be included in

the "herd" designation.

However, we find a seeming reversal of the cow's

impurity in the אדומה פרה, whose ashes would allow one to be

purified after touching a dead body. The cow became a creature

representing both the gravest sin, זרה עבודה, and the greatest

form of purification, the אדומה פרה. This represents two possible

states for man - spreading of sin, or spreading of purity. Our

ancestors made both the עגל and the אדומה פרה a reality, and in a

very real sense, we can too. צאן were always good, but בקר

improved on itself. Therefore, we lay our hand upon the בקר's

head, since we want to be people who will, over the course of

many trials and tribulations, be pure in thought and action in

our service to Hashem.