Hayom Yom: 12 Adar II

The Torah portion dealing with altar offerings begins: "A man who offers (yakriv) of you an offering to G-d."1 The logical order of the words should be, "A man of you2 who offers, etc."

The Alter Rebbe answers:3 "A man who offers" - in order that a man become closer4 to G-d - "of you an offering to G-d" - he must bring the offering of himself. He must sacrifice his personal "animal," the desire for evil that is called the animal soul.5