This week we begin reading the book Vayikra which primarily deals with the various laws of the sacrifices that the Jewish People were commanded to bring. One of the sin-offerings that a person was commanded to bring was an offering for an unintentional sin. There are many conditions needed for a person to be obligated in offering a sin-offering, but our Sages point out that even a person who commits an unintentional sin is considered in a certain respect as a sinner.

Many times in life we may say or do something that hurts or offends someone else and our defense or rationalization is that we "did not mean it" i.e. it was unintentional. Although our culpability in these cases may be less than if we said or did something that was intentionally harmful, nevertheless we see from the Torah that a person needs to be mindful of even the unintentional consequences of their actions or speech. We may say things in jest or make a joke that is a bit insensitive but we need to pay more attention to our actions and words to make sure that we don't cause any unintentional damage as well.

May all of our sick brothers and sisters have a speedy recovery!

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath