Honey and leaven

[Rubystars]

Why are these not considered acceptable in this context?

http://biblehub.com/leviticus/2-11.htm

[muman613]

Rubystars,

I will make a personal observation concerning this, then I will look up the answer. BTW, the site you linked to is clearly coming from a Christian view.

Leaven, according to Jewish tradition, is symbolic of Arrogance and Self-Inflation. During the Passover holiday we are forbidden from eating any leavened products (this is called Chametz). We also must cleanse our homes and living spaces of all Chametz before the onset of the holiday. Honey on the other hand is symbolic of sweetness, goodness, and kindness. On the Rosh Hashanah holiday we dip apples in honey as a 'Simmon' (omen/sign) for good things. I think this is why Hashem forbids the mixing of Honey and Leaven in a grain offering.

So now here is what I find when I search the Jewish wisdom database:

http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/archives/vayikra60.htm

Any meal offering that you offer to G-d shall not be prepared leavened. For no leaven or honey may be offered as a meal offering for G-d (2:11).

What is objectionable about leaven and honey? Why are they any worse than the prescribed ingredients of the mincha – meal offerings, such as flour, oil, and frankincense?

One suggestion involves considering the symbolism of the components of the korbannot, and indeed the very nature of the korbannot themselves. As R. Hirsch points out, ancient idolaters believed that sacrifices were needed to appease the anger of judgmental and bloodthirsty gods. This contrasts with the fact that throughout the laws of offerings, G-d is referred to as Hashem (the merciful G-d) and not Elokim (the Attribute of Justice). The Torah teaches us that the offerings are a means to draw closer to G-d – the Merciful G-d.

At the same time there is a commandment to walk in His ways (Deut. 28:9), which is explained by Rashi (to Deut. 11:22) as meaning that one must show mercy to others like He shows mercy, and be generous as He is generous. One should bring korbannot that symbolize His ways and, by extension, the conduct of ways of which He approves.

Thus, as Hirsch points out, the main components of the Korban Mincha – the flour, oil, and frankincense (2:2) represent positive middot. The flour – from wheat – is the staple of the human diet. So the grain offering represents Hakarat Hatov – gratefulness, as well as the person’s acknowledgement that his life is in the hands of G-d. The oil signifies comfort and the frankincense denotes joy and satisfaction. By means of his offering, the owner demonstrates that these too are berachot (blessings) granted by G-d only.

However the Chinuch points out that leaven and honey have negative connotations. Man should not be sluggish, as represented by the slow leavening process of the dough. Nor should he be obsessed with the pursuit of pleasures, as symbolized by the honey.

Many thanks to Rabbi David Wapner of Beth Shemesh for helping me with ideas for the first D’var Torah above, and also for his numerous suggestions and words of encouragement on many occasions.

It is not exactly what I brought, but similar in that it looks toward the symbolism of the Honey and the Leaven...

http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/fleisher/archives/vayikra73.htm

Ch. 2, v. 11: "Ki chol s'ore v'chol dvash lo saktiru mi'menu isheh laShem" - Because any leavening and any honey shall you not burn for Hashem - In Breishis 3 we find that Chavoh was enticed by the snake to partake of the fruit of the eitz hadaas tov vora. In verse 6 it says that she saw that the (fruit of the) tree was good as good and a delight to the eyes. We thus see that having something look very appealing and being very tasty has its great drawbacks. Here our verse states that a meal offering that contains leavening, which obviously makes it rise and gives it a pleasing look, and honey, which is sweet and tasty, are likewise prohibited, shades of the primal sin.

Chabad states my position concerning the symbolism of leaven and honey:

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/in-depth/plainBody_cdo/AID/1482

No leaven... [shall be present] in any offering of G-d (2:11)

Leaven, which is dough that has fermented and risen, represents self-inflation and pride, and there is nothing more abhorrent to G-d. In the words of the Talmud, "G-d says of the prideful one, 'He and I cannot dwell together in the world.'"

(The Chassidic Masters)

No leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of G-d (2:11)

Ultra-sweet honey and ultra-sour leaven, are opposite extremes; G-d does not like extremes.

http://www.aish.com/tp/ss/ssw/248085191.html
Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

The Torah states:

    "Every meal offering that you offer to the Almighty do not make it chometz (leavened); for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, in any offering of the Almighty made by fire. With all your offerings you shall offer salt" (Leviticus 2:11-13).

Yeast and honey were not permitted in the offering on the altar. Yeast makes the dough rise higher, but it is an external additive. Honey makes things taste sweet, but it is also an external additive. Salt, on the other hand, brings out the flavor of the food, but only the flavor that is already there. This, says Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, symbolizes a basic principle in spiritual matters.

When serving the Almighty you should follow the model of salt. That is, utilize all the abilities and talents that you have to serve Him. Do not be like yeast that causes distortion of what is there. Do not be like honey that is very sweet, but is something borrowed from the outside. Be yourself, but make every effort to be all that you can be.

Some additional insights :

http://www.torahaura.com/Bible/Learn_Torah_With/LTW_5761/LTW_5761_Tzav/ltw_5761_tzav.html
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/2697265/jewish/Honey-in-Jewish-Law-Lore-Tradition-and-More.htm
http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard_cdo/aid/1755/jewish/1-What-is-Chametz.htm

I hope this information answers some of your questions as to why Hashem would forbid such an offering.

[muman613]

http://www.torah.org/learning/olas-shabbos/5762/vayikra.html

Parshas Vayikra

Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann

Chametz and Honey - Why Don't They Belong?

At a recent dental convention (actually it was three dentists that got together in a living room to "talk teeth"), to the great shock of their dining-room attendant (the ba'alebusta), the vegetable platter she had prepared was left untouched. The plate of sweets and cakes, on the other hand, was completely devoured.

We all appreciate a good sweet. Give a person the choice between, say, a milchige truffle and a plate of kasha, and what's he going to choose?

When bringing a korban (offering), we are told we should give Hashem from our fattest and choicest animals. So what is wrong with adding a little honey? A touch of honey could turn our roasted offering into a marinate; our flour/meal offering into a sweetcake. Yet the Torah strictly forbids it (2:11). Similarly, the Torah forbids us to use yeast in our offerings all-year-round. For the most part, all flour offerings were kosher le'Pesach - even in Tishrei! Given the choice, most people would prefer a freshly-baked challah over a matzah (not to mention bagels and cream cheese). But the Torah insists: "For all types of yeast, and all types of honey, may not be offered upon the fires of Hashem."

The Sefer HaChinuch (117) explains the prohibition as follows: Generally, korbanos (sacrifices) are brought by someone requiring atonement. In what way does slaughtering an animal upon an altar grant forgiveness? The person bringing the offering should have the following thought: Since I have sinned, I should, in truth, be going through the process of slaughter and death in order to atone for my sins. Hashem, in an act of great compassion, has given me the opportunity to take an animal from my possessions, and offer it in my stead. The process of preparation for slaughter should thus be overseen by the person bringing the offering, in the hope that it will impress upon him the severity of his sin, and he will thus achieve full atonement.

This, he explains, is why the Torah forbids honey and yeast. Sin is rooted in one (or both) of two faults: Laziness and desire. The prohibition against yeast (and any sort of leaven) alludes to the sinner that if he desires to repent, he must acquire the trait of zerizus - enthusiasm and alacrity - unlike leaven which only occurs when dough is left unattended to rise. The prohibition against honey hints to the sinner that sin is also rooted in an unbridled preoccupation with satisfying one's desires. The repentant must recognize that learning to "saddle the sweet tooth" is also a critical ingredient in the recipe for teshuva.

Rabbi Shmuel, son of the famous Tzemach Tdedek, explains that the Torah alludes here to two character traits, each of which, if taken to extreme proportions, can be very harmful. "Leaven," he explains, is symbolic of the kind of person who is constantly bitter and angry at the world. Chametz, leaven, is of the same root as chamutz, sourness. This person walks around with a chip on his shoulder. He is always critical, and has a hard time seeing the good in anything. Life may not be a bowl of cherries, but for him, it often seems like a mouthful of sour cherries.

"Honey," by contrast, is symbolic of the person who is overly sweet and affable. Nothing ever phases them or gets them angry. They have a hard time seeing evil in anyone, and are in danger of measuring the wicked and the righteous with the same yard stick.

By forbidding both leaven and honey, the Torah teaches that one must learn to control his emotions, even positive ones, and not take things to extremes. There are times when it is appropriate to be "leaven," and times when it is appropriate to be "honey."

While this may not be the appropriate platform to talk pro-sports, it is no secret that both professional and amateur sports today are plagued with a most alarming drug problem. Athletes no longer rely solely on training and hard work. Today, athletic excellence has two critical factors: Your body and your barbiturates. Many athletes claim that without performance-enhancing hormones, they wouldn't stand a chance against their peers.

I am no budding athlete, nor do I take much of an interest in professional sports, yet I believe that from a moral standpoint, it is a sad reflection on the state of our society that great performance is no longer simply a question of "how you workout", but rather of "what you're taking," and how good you are at concealing it from the authorities. What's next? Genetic modification? Will we take a strand of hair from the best athletes of yesteryear, and fill our fields and stadiums with their clones? One shudders.

The Torah advocates bringing one's fattest and choicest animals for an offering. Only the best. Yeast and honey, however, are external catalysts, one which induces the leavening process, the other having the ability to make the sour sweet. Perhaps the Torah's message, in forbidding these items, is to allude to us that while we must indeed sacrifice to the Almighty our choicest and our best, it is the best we have to offer that Hashem wants, and not some doped-up, hormonally hyperactive mutation we've cooked up in a laboratory. While matzah and meat may not measure up to muffins and marinate, it is that which dwells in manþs heart that Hashem truly desires, pure and untainted.

Have a good Shabbos.

[Rubystars]

Thanks Muman