Korbanos awaken hidden love

במד' על כל פשעים תכסה אהבה.

In the Midrash: "Love covers over all transgressions" (Mishlei 10:12).

The Sefas Emes opens with the verse that love has the power to cover and atone for all sins — the key to understanding the korbanos.

דעיקר הקרבנות הי' לעורר האהבה הגנוזה בנפשות בנ"י.

For the essential purpose of the korbanos (offerings) was to awaken the love that is hidden within the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

The deeper function of the offerings is not transactional but to arouse the latent ahavah for Hashem buried in every Jewish soul.

וזו האהבה קיבלו בשעת קבלת התורה שעלי' נאמר אין עבירה מכבה תורה.

And this love they received at the time of kabbalas haTorah, about which it is said: "no transgression extinguishes Torah."

This deep love was implanted at Sinai; because it derives from the Torah itself, no sin can fully extinguish it.

וע"י הכהן מתעורר אהבה זו בכל יום כמ"ש ובער עלי' הכהן כו' בבוקר בבוקר.

And through the Kohen this love is awakened every day, as it is written: "and the Kohen shall kindle wood upon it... every morning" (Vayikra 6:5).

The Kohen's daily kindling of the altar fire is the means by which this hidden love is rekindled in Bnei Yisrael each morning.

ואמרו חז"ל וערך עלי' העולה ראשונה עלי' השלם כו'.

And Chazal said: "and he shall arrange the olah (burnt-offering) upon it" — the olah should be first, "complete the offerings upon it," etc.

Chazal derive that the olah is given a certain primacy on the altar, completing the other offerings.

אע"ג דבכ"מ חטאת קודם לעולה דעולה דורון ובעוד שמחוסר כפרה לא שייך דורון.

Even though in most places the chatas (sin-offering) precedes the olah — for the olah is a gift (doron), and while one still lacks atonement a gift is not appropriate.

Normally the sin-offering comes first because one must first achieve atonement; only then is a freewill "gift" offering fitting — one does not bring a present while still in disgrace.

אבל בכללות בנ"י לעולם אהבת המקום להם ובהם.

But regarding the totality of Bnei Yisrael, the love of the Omnipresent for them and within them is everlasting.

On the level of the whole nation, Hashem's love is constant and never depends on prior atonement — it is always present.

ולכן עולה ראשונה לכל הקרבנות.

Therefore the olah comes first among all the korbanos.

Because that love is ever-present at the national level, the olah — the offering of love and devotion — is fittingly placed first.

לכן צריך כל איש ישראל להכניס עצמו בכלל ישראל ויהי' לו חלק בזו האהבה.

Therefore every Jew must include himself within the whole of Klal Yisrael, so that he will have a portion in this love.

Since this unbreakable love resides in the nation as a whole, each individual gains access to it by binding himself to Klal Yisrael.

וכן כתוב שמע ישראל ה' אלקינו ה' אחד.

And so it is written: "Hear O Yisrael, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One" (Devarim 6:4).

The Shema is the declaration by which a Jew joins himself to all of Yisrael and to the oneness of Hashem.

ועי"ז היחוד שאדם מכניס עצמו בכלל ישראל סמך לי' ואהבת את ה' אלקיך בכל לבבך כו' נפשך שבכלל ישראל נמצא זו האהבה תמיד:

And through this unification — that a person includes himself within Klal Yisrael — it is juxtaposed: "And you shall love Hashem your God with all your heart... and all your soul" (Devarim 6:5), for within Klal Yisrael this love is found always.

The command "and you shall love Hashem" follows directly upon the unification of Shema, because only by joining himself to the whole of Yisrael does a person tap into the constant, ever-present love for Hashem.

Summary: The deeper purpose of the korbanos is to awaken the hidden love for Hashem implanted in every Jewish soul at Sinai — a love that no sin can extinguish. Though normally the sin-offering precedes the burnt-offering, the olah of love comes first because Hashem's love for Klal Yisrael as a whole is constant and unconditional. Each individual accesses this everlasting love by including himself within Klal Yisrael, which is why "and you shall love Hashem" follows the unifying declaration of Shema.