Less culpable, harder atonement[1]
צו את-אהרן ואת-בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה וגו’
Command Aharon and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the Olah offering”…[2]
This week’s parsha begins with a discussion of the Olah offering. This offering is often voluntary, and can be used to atone for failing to fulfill positive precepts[3]. The offering is totally burned on the altar, not to be consumed by man. It’s entirely “elevated” to Hashem, and is thus called an Olah. One can ask why the parsha begins discussing the Olah offering when the Chatas offering, brought for certain severe sins, always[4] precedes an Olah[5].