North And Hidden

The possuk in Vaykra about the korban olah says (1:11) וְשָׁחַ֨ט אֹת֜וֹ עַ֣ל יֶ֧רֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ צָפֹ֖נָה לִפְנֵ֣י י״י֑.  In our parsha, Tzav, in in Ch. 6 it says that one should slaughter the חטאת where the olah is slaughtered.  Again in Ch. 7 it says that the אשם should be slaughtered in the place of the olah. Why is it only regarding the olah that the Torah spells out explicitly that it should be slaughtered in the north side?  Furthermore, the first parsha of the korban olah is the cattle offering and there it doesn't mention that it should be slaughtered on the north side, only in the second parsha, that of the sheep or goat family, why?

The midrash (2:11) says וְשָׁחַט אֶת בֶּן הַבָּקָר וגו' וּבָאַיִל הוּא אוֹמֵר (ויקרא א, יא): צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה', אָמְרוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָקַד אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ הִתְקִין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שְׁנֵי כְבָשִׂים, אֶחָד שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית וְאֶחָד שֶׁל עַרְבִית, וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַקְרִיבִין תָּמִיד עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְקוֹרִין אֶת הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה', זוֹכֵר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲקֵדַת יִצְחָק, מְעִידַנִי עָלַי אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ, בֵּין גּוֹי בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין אִישׁ בֵּין אִשָּׁה בֵּין עֶבֶד בֵּין אָמָה, קוֹרִין אֶת הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה, צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה', זוֹכֵר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲקֵדַת יִצְחָק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה'. The slaughtering on the northern side is a reminder to the akedah.  Hence, the din is spelled out explicitly in the context of the olah which parallels the akedah.  That is why it is mentioned in the sheep family offering for it was an איל offered in place of Yitzchak (Meshech Chachma.)

What is the connection between the akedah and the shechita בצפון?  The Rokeach connects it to the terminology Chazal use when referencing the merit of the akedah, אפרו של יצחק צפון שם.  That is he related the word צפון, north to the word צפון, hidden.  This play on words can be found in the above midrash in the part that follows, דָּבָר אַחֵר, צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה', כְּנֶגֶד מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב שֶׁהֵם צְפוּנִים לְפָנָיו.  The Rokeach continues that this merit of Yitzchak counterbalances the מצפון תפתח הרעה that Yeshiayah prophesied about.  It is a nice play on words, but how does the merit of the akedah counteract the evil and how is this connected to the korbanot in the north?

The Bechai Vayikra (1:11) explains that the north side represents the middah of gevurah.  מצפון תפתח הרעה because that is where gevurot emanate from.  As we know, Yitzchak perfected the middah of gevurot for holiness.  Hence, the antidote, to counteract the gevurot expressed in a harsh manner of תפתח הרעה, is the akedah of Yitchak, which is the ultimate use of gevurah, to overcome one's innate desire to live because of the command of Hashem.  It isn't coincidence that there are two meanings to the word צפון. It is the middah of gevurah to be able to bring out the hidden powers of an individual.  To bring out the potential from within; not to hand out a free gift of external help is an expression of gevurah.  [That is why the Torah stresses that Yizchak dug wells, as discussed here.]  This is the meaning of why korbanot must be shechted בצפון.  When one brings a korban it isn't just a process of slaughtering an animal, it obligated introspection and for a person to dig into the depths of his soul.  The direction is reflective of the psychological, spiritual process that the person is experiencing. 

The aforementioned midrash says that when we recite the possuk of slaughtering the olah in the north, Hashem remembers the merit of the akedah.  Based upon this we add this possuk to the parsha of the tammid in korbanot (see Beis Yosef siman 1.)  Tefillot are in place of korbanot, just as the korban awaked such feelings of introspection, so too our prayers should put our focus on what is צפון בלב.

Well, I figure I might as well be seasonal here.  One of the simmanim of the Seder is צפון.  It is of course the time to hide the matzah but it time to open up the soul.  The matzah is hidden and then taken out at the end of the Seder.  As the Baal Shem Tov said (recorded in Yom Yom 17 Eyar) סיפר הצמח צדק תורת הבעל שם טוב: כתוב "כי תהיו אתם ארץ חפץ אמר ה' צבאות". כמו שהחכמים הגדולים ביותר אף פעם לא ישיגו את גודל אוצרות הטבע, שטבע השם יתברך בארץ, ש"הכל היה מן העפר", כך לא יכול אף אחד להשיג את האוצרות הגדולים הנמצאים אצל יהודים, שהם חפצו של הקדוש ברוך הוא.  Every one has a treasure chest in their soul that just has to be dug up.  The Seder is a time when one can access that treasure chest.