According to a Midrash quoted in the Introduction to the book Ein Yaakov:
Ben Zoma says: We have found a more inclusive verse: “Shema Yisrael.”
Ben Nanas says: We have found a more inclusive verse: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Shimon Ben Pazi says: We have found a more inclusive verse: “One lamb you shall sacrifice in the morning...”
Rabbi Ploni stood up and said: The halakha is in accordance with Ben Pazi.
How can a ritual mitzvah, the daily tamid sacrifice, override the importance of belief in one God, and override love of our fellow, which Rabbi Akiva also called “a great rule in the Torah?”
It doesn't.
These are complementary statements in the spirit of “On three things, the world stands”:
On Torah that teaches us that the Eternal our God is one
On acts of loving kindness for the other, and
On avodah – service, which was once the daily sacrifice and now is prayer.
The anonymous rabbi rules that the halakha (Jewish law, but literally “walking”) is according to Ben Pazi because truly walking the walk demands that we be consistent and reliable.
People who were listening carefully may have noted that Ben Pazi did not actually quote today's reading, but rather an almost identical verse from Exodus 23. The difference is one letter, a ה, the Hebrew definite article.
Before explaining what I learn from the difference, one preliminary point: the details of holiday sacrifices appear here and not together with the other sacrifices in Leviticus because they were inappropriate in the wilderness when the Israelites lived outside of natural time, as we read in Haftarah: “Thus said the Eternal: I accounted to your favor The devotion of your youth, Your love as a bride— How you followed Me in the wilderness...” (Jeremiah 2:2)
Despite the hardships, life in the desert was out of ordinary time. Just before entering the Promised Land and returning to natural life, in which holidays are essential for religious life and strengthening the social fabric, the time has come to complete the system. But a building cannot be completed unless strong foundations have been laid.
The daily tamid sacrifice is the foundation.
The foundation was first laid down in when the Tabernacle was completed, in a verse with the definite article (“the”) which indicates that there one defined, acceptable path of service. This was the case in the Temple.
The verse without “the” seems particularly appropriate for our time.
There is no Temple and are no sacrifices but the commandments remain. Their purpose remains to bring us close through giving of ourselves, our time and our possessions. There are three paths open before: Torah, avodah, and loving kindness. Each of can find the path (or sub-path) that suits him or her. The important thing is to be consistent and reliable.
