Vayikra 1:4

4 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the olah (burnt offering); and it shall be accepted for him to make kapparah for him.

Vayikra 1:4 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 1:4

And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt
offering
According to the Targum of Jonathan, it was his right hand; but it is generally thought by the Jewish writers that both hands were laid on; so Ben Gersom and Aben Ezra, with whom Maimonides

---

FOOTNOTES:

F5 agrees, who says, he that lays on hands ought to lay on with all his strength, with both his hands upon the head of the beast, as it is said, "upon the head of the burnt offering": not upon the neck, nor upon the sides; and there should be nothing between his hands and the beast: and as the same writer says ^F6, it must be his own hand, and not the hand of his wife, nor the hand of his servant, nor his messenger; and who also observes ^F7, that at the same time he made confession over the burnt offering both of his sins committed against affirmative and negative precepts: and indeed by this action he owned that he had sinned, and deserved to die as that creature he brought was about to do, and that he expected pardon of his sin through the death of the great sacrifice that was a type of. Moreover, this action signified the transferring of his sins from himself to this sacrifice, which was to be offered up to make atonement for them; so Gersom observes; see ( Leviticus 16:21 Leviticus 16:22 ) . This denotes the translation of our sins from us, and the imputation of them to Christ, who was offered up in our room and stead, to make atonement for them, as follows:

and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him:
that is, the burnt offering should be accepted in his room and stead, and hereby an atonement of his sins should be made for him, typical of that true, real, and full atonement made by the sacrifice of Christ, which this led his faith unto.

F5 Hilchot Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 3. sect. 13.
F6 Hilchot Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 3. sect. 8. Vid. T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 93. 2.
F7 Ib. sect. 14.

Vayikra 1:4 In-Context

2 Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring a korban unto Hashem, ye shall bring your korban of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

3 If his korban be an olah (burnt sacrifice) of the herd, let him offer a zachar tamim (male without blemish); he shall offer it that he may be accepted at the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed before Hashem.

4 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the olah (burnt offering); and it shall be accepted for him to make kapparah for him.

5 And he shall slaughter (shachat) the young bull before Hashem; and the kohanim, Aharon’s banim, shall bring the dahm, and sprinkle the dahm around upon the Mizbe’ach that is by the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed.

6 And he shall skin the olah, and cut it into pieces.