“When one of you brings … an offering to G-d …”

(Vayikra 1:2)

“With verbal confession and submission … because Hashem does not desire fools who bring offerings without achieving humility first …” (Sforno)

The Torah teaches us how to achieve Divine favor and atonement. One way is through bringing sacrifices … A person who sinned would bring a sacrifice confess his sin repent and receive atonement through the sacrificial service (Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah; Ramban on Vayikra 1:9).

As Jewish people ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim we know there are conditions that must be met for a sacrifice to be valid. A blemished animal is not fit to be brought as a sacrifice. A sacrifice must be perfect as it states “A male unblemished you shall offer it up.” (Rav Shach ztz”l Rosh Amanah)

A children’s clothing catalog is pushed into my mailbox. The cover shows a little girl with golden hair wearing a stylish purple dress. She looks perfect.

She wears a lovely headband with a purple flower matching her dress. If I ever splurged on a headband like that my daughter would wear it for exactly five seconds before pulling it off. The little girl in the catalog has gorgeous curls not a lock out of place. My lively daughter’s hair is held forcibly by a thick ponytail and even so seems constantly struggling to break free.

Not to mention the room in the catalog. Painted lavender it boasts an antique-style chest of drawers and white roses. If my daughter were posing there’d be a half-finished Lego structure in the background knapsacks strewn on the floor or at least a humdrum trundle bed.

The world the media paints pictures of an excessively perfect life. All kitchens gleam chrome and soft wood. Children’s bedrooms have matching furniture down to the wall hooks blinds and of course the carpet.

In pictures sliced vegetables look like fine art. The baby always smiles; he never screams endlessly from colic.

I’ve never heard of a parenting expert who admits her methods often don’t exactly work. I’ve never heard of a laundry detergent that admits there are stains that its product cannot clean or a diet plan that admits not all of its members lose 50 pounds in 40 days.

No everything is always perfect exactly the way it should be captured on film from just the right angle filled with just the right words. For anything impossible — well there’s always Photoshop.

And we — small imperfect people — struggle to climb that imaginary peak where a picture has been painted for us of bright blue skies feathery clouds and endless sunshine. And we cannot understand why we fail.

But there is one sacrifice that is always kosher … a sacrifice no blemish can invalidate — when a person brings a korban to Hashem from his own self offering his soul on Hashem’s altar.

The sacrifice that Hashem desires is for a person to stand before Him submissively with a humble heart and a broken spirit.

I am not perfect. I am so very imperfect. Sometimes I think that all of my flaws my difficulties and my failures stand out in sharp contrast to the sparkling perfect world that surrounds me.

I thank Hashem every morning for all that He gives me anew each day. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t black holes in my life places within me that only Hashem and I know are very far from perfect.

When bringing a korban to Hashem — asking His forgiveness giving thanks to Him or even a simple prayer — all the glossy catalogs seem far removed. All the false inhuman expectations of perfection the unfair comparisons the confusion and frustration dissipate.

“Hashem” I say “only You see how far I am from perfection how many flaws I have and how sometimes life becomes so overwhelming. My spirit is not whole and it is not haughty. I am broken before You. Please Hashem accept my sacrifice.”

But when a person offers his own broken spirit as a sacrifice to Hashem even if his body is not whole his essence is whole and unblemished. This makes him worthy of being accepted on Hashem’s altar.

“You are perfect” the Heavens seem to answer me. “You are so fitting. It is only thus that your sacrifice can be accepted with love. Hashem has been waiting for you only you forever.

“There is no one more perfect than a small woman who feels so imperfect.”