The Animal Within

"אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן לה' מן הבהמה; מן הבקר ומן הצאן תקריבו את קרבנכם"

Life is a struggle between the spiritual and physical. The goal of a korban - and our goal in life - is to elevate an animal which is חי to the level of מדבר - from אדם to בהמה. This is especially true after one sins and gives in to his base animalistic desires.

If one wants to be an אדם he has to be willing to sacrifice his "בהמה" (i.e. the animalistic aspects of his nature) - whether they are strong desires (בקר) or less so (צאן).

For an animal offering the Torah describe the מקריב as an אדם whereas for a meal offering the Torah describes the מקריב as a נפש.

Provided courtesy of rabbisilber.com