As the parasha begins detailing the various types of Korbanot/Sacrifices that would be brought, the Torah describes a person bringing a specific offering called an Olah [1], saying:

אִם־עֹלָ֤ה קׇרְבָּנוֹ֙ מִן־הַבָּקָ֔ר זָכָ֥ר תָּמִ֖ים יַקְרִיבֶ֑נּוּ אֶל־פֶּ֜תַח אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ יַקְרִ֣יב אֹת֔וֹ לִרְצֹנ֖וֹ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃

“If one’s offering is an Olah Offering . . . he shall offer it according to his will, before Hashem”.  (Vayikra 1:3)

Rashi points out an apparent contradiction; the verse says “Yakriv oto” – “he shall offer it” to teach you that even if the one who must bring the offering is unwilling, he is nevertheless forced to bring it. The words “Lirtzono” – “according to his will” on the other hand, refers to the will of the person bringing the offering and teaches us that the offering must be brought willfully and not through being forced. We are left therefore with a contradiction. How can a person be forced to do something that requires willingness on his part? Rashi’s resolution, sourced in the Gemara, presents a monumentally profound idea that penetrates to the core of who we are.

Let us examine Rashi’s words [2]:

Can it be (that they can force him to bring an offering) against his will? (To teach us otherwise) the verse says ‘in accordance with his will’. How can this be (how do we reconcile the part of the verse that teaches us to force him with the part of the verse which teaches that it must be of his own accord)? (The answer is) that they force him until he says “Rotzeh Ani – I am willing”( Rashi based on Torat Kohanim 3:15, Mishnah in Erchin 5:6).

In other words, the person really must bring the korban, but it also has to be willful on his part. As such, if he doesn’t want to bring it, the person is pressured until he consents to fulfill his obligation. He is forced until he says “ok, I want to!” You may very well be thinking that something sounds awfully wrong here. After all, if the offering needs to be brought on the person’s own accord, then pressuring him until he is forced to say “I want to” is not exactly considered willingness. His ‘I want to’ really means “I want you to get off my back already!”  This is not the only case that this concept is applied. The Mishna in Masechet Erchin gives other cases where this principle applies using the same language – ‘Kofin oto ad she yomar Rotzeh Ani’.

The question only deepens when we consider the following famous halachic principle, that if a person is forced to do a forbidden act, they are not held halachically accountable for the act because “Oness Rachmana Patrei” – The Torah does not hold one accountable for duress [3]. So, for example, if some evil person held a gun to a Jew’s head and said “break Shabbat or else my finger is getting itchy” and the unfortunate fellow saves his life and breaks shabbat, then he is not accountable; after all, he was forced!. Why then, in these cases does the duress not serve to make the offering a meaningless act?

The Rambam unravels the conundrum and resolves the contradiction with a famous exceptionally profound teaching [4]. He writes that the concept of duress only applies in cases where the person is being forced to do something which he is not obligated to do or is forbidden. In such a case, we say that the act was meaningless or invalid. When, however, a person’s Yetzer Harah (evil lower ego/desire driven inclination) overcomes him to do the wrong thing, it is considered as though the Yetzer Hara is the one holding his true self under duress! If he is subsequently forcibly ‘convinced’ into doing the right thing, he is in fact tuning into his true inner will to be good. So when he then says “Rotzei Ani – I want to” it is the voice of his Yetzer Tov, his soul, his internal and eternal G-dliness within, whose voice had been muffled until now by the overbearing blaringly loud force of his lower ego self. Now that the external duress has loosened the yetzer hara’s grip, the person is truly free to express his inner will. His true will. The offering is therefore considered to truly be a willful act, as deep down in the inner recesses of the soul, the person wants to do what is right – and from there resounded the words – Rotzei Ani. 

The Chazon Ish [5] explains this Rambam to be talking about any Jew, no matter how far off. Deep down, there is a Rotzeh Ani, a will to be good and do good, it is just sometimes a muffled voice.

What does this mean for us? In the complex inner battle of our body and soul we can divide our drives into two major categories; the lower ratzon (desire) of the Yetzer Hara and the higher ratzon of the Neshama. The Yetzer Harah desires honor, indulgence in bodily pleasures, is greedy for money and possessions, chases after the material and is selfishly numb to others needs. The Yetzer Hatov on the other hand, also desires. It is the higher ratzon which yearns to connect back to its source in Hashem, it yearns for Kedusha (Holiness), it calls out for goodness and righteousness. Any time we lose control, do something we know is beneath us or the like, it is because we have allowed our lower ratzon to get the better of us. In fact, we are taught that our lower desires are generally our default state [6]. To drive ourselves towards goodness actually takes an active restraining of the lower self, an active battle of overcoming.

The mishnah in Avot refers to this when it teaches “who is the strong one? The one who restrains/conquers his inclination“. The Tosfot Yom Tov explains that the mishna only referred to the Yetzer Hara as ‘his inclination’ without explicitly saying ‘his evil inclination’ and further refers to it as “his” to teach that the Yetzer Harah is our natural default drive in life, that we more naturally identify with first. Therefore, without an active projection of the voice of the soul, the true self, the “Rotzei Ani – I want” of goodness, we will revert to the default position and find ourselves no doubt doing that which we will later regret. Self growth, self discipline, self control – all require the active conquering of the lower nature. Passively sitting back and hoping all will be ok is not enough. There are many layers of externality that our true inner knowledge of good needs to penetrate before its voice is heard. This takes daily effort.

The overarching work of all spiritual growth in Torah is pealing away those layers that hide the deeper pure true essential self, and revealing it and projecting it. It is the G-dliness, the eternal power that lies within us but without great effort it will remain hidden and subjugated under the rule of the lower self.

Furthermore, we learn here a most wonderful message, that each of us have deep within our Jewish self a constant unwavering desire to do what is right, we just don’t hear it all the time. The more we internalize this idea, the more we will learn not to judge others so quickly, nor to give up on people or ourselves so quickly. Given the right keys to unlock the hidden desire for good, a person can change completely.

As Pesach approaches, we all seek to be freed from our own personal constricting Egypt. To leave Mitzrayim, the small self, is to uncover the rotzei ani of the soul, the true Jewish self. When we do, we will discover our true happiness, our true self-worth and the true purity which we have to shine into the world.

Shabbat Shalom

[1] An offering, where the sacrifice is burnt on the altar in its entirety as opposed to other offerings where parts are eaten by the Cohanim or the owner.

[2] Rashi on verse 3. The words in parenthesis are added to fill the gaps that are lost in translation from the original Hebrew.

[3] Bava Kama 28b

[4] Hilchot Gerushin 2:20

[5] Even HaEzer, 99:1.

[6] Tosfot Yomtov on avot 4:1