Is There a Justification for Skipping Korbanot?

June 2 second from 2:36 There are many people – including yeshiva students and Talmideh Hachamim – who skip the section of Korbanot, which discusses the sacrifices offered in the Bet Ha'mikdash, and begin with Pesukeh De'zimra, from Hodu or from Baruch She'amar. The Hikreh Leb ( Rav Raphael Yosef Hazan, 1741–1820) considered the possibility that those who devote their days to Torah study are perhaps justified in omitting the Korbanot section. Since they spend their time immersed in Torah learning, they might be excused for saving time by skipping this part of the Shaharit prayer. However, the Hikreh Leb dismisses this possibility, writing that as this is part of the daily prayer schedule, there is no excuse for omitting it. We cannot emphasize enough the importance and value of reading the Korbanot section, whereby we access the atonement and blessings that the sacrifices in the Bet Ha'mikdash bring. This is true of all the Korbanot, but it is especially true of the Ketoret – the section dealing with the incense offering that was brought each day in the Bet Ha'mikdash. The Zohar (Midrash Ha'ne'elam, Parashat Vayera) relates that Eliyahu Ha'nabi once appeared to Rabbi Pinhas, and taught him that the public recitation of the section of the Ketoret has the power to protect against plagues. Rabbi Aha, the Zohar writes, once visited the town of Tarsha, and the residents informed him that a plague had been ravaging the town for seven days, and was increasing in severity. He instructed them to choose the forty most righteous men of the town, and divide them into four groups of ten. Each was to go to a different corner of the town and recite the section of the Ketoret. Afterward, Rabbi Aha urged them to visit those who were on the brink of death, and to read the verses that tell of Aharon ending a plague by offering incense (Bamidbar 17). Sure enough, these patients survived. Elsewhere (Parashat Vayakhel), the Zohar emphasizes the protective powers of the recitation of the Ketoret. It cites Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai's exclamation that if people recognized just how precious this text is, they would take each word and wear it as a crown on their heads. If one recites the Ketoret with proper concentration, Rabbi Shimon taught, he is spared from punishments both in this world and the next world. The Zohar further teaches that the Ketoret should be recited before the Amida prayer, because it helps clear the pathway to the heavens from the harmful spiritual forces that seek to sabotage one's prayers, ensuring that they reach the heavens. Some explain that the special offerings of the Nesi'im (tribal leaders) which they brought in honor of the consecration of the Mishkan were especially cherished by G-d because they included Ketoret. Moreover, Rabbenu Bahya (Spain, 1255-1340) writes that the moments after the offering of the Ketoret were the most auspicious time for blessings and prayers. This is why the Kohen Gadol would recite a special prayer for the people after offering the Ketoret on Yom Kippur, and why Moshe and Aharon blessed the nation on the day of the Mishkan's inauguration, following the offering of Ketoret. I witnessed the power of the Ketoret recitation firsthand. When my congregation's synagogue was being constructed, we encountered one problem after another. For reasons we do not know, Hashem decided to test us by making the process exceedingly difficult. Nothing was working. We consulted with the great Kabbalist Rav Mordechai Attieh, and he came with ten great scholars. They stood around the construction site and recited the Ketoret. Sure enough, after that point, we were able to move forward and complete the project. The power of the Korbanot section and the rewards offered by its recitation should incentivize all of us to do everything we can to ensure that we read this section each day.