Someone kept what was not his and lied. Before any offering, the Torah sends him to the owner.
The story
God speaks to Moshe about a person who sins and betrays God. Right away the Torah spells out what he does: he lies to another person. He denies a deposit left in his keeping, or robs that person, or exploits him.
וּמָעֲלָה מַעַל בַּה׳ וְכִחֵשׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֹ
Vayikra 5:21
Or he finds something lost and denies having it. He also swears falsely about one of these things. That is the sin, and the next verse opens the way back.
Then, when he has sinned and is guilty, he gives back what he took by robbery, or what he gained by exploitation, or the deposit, or the lost thing. He repays the original amount, adds a fifth and gives it to the person it belongs to.
לַאֲשֶׁר הוּא לוֹ יִתְּנֶנּוּ
Vayikra 5:24
After the return to the owner, the Torah turns to the offering. The person brings the kohen an unblemished ram from the flock, a guilt offering to God. The kohen makes atonement for him before God, and he is forgiven.
When a person has sinned and is guilty, he is to give back what he took by robbery, or what he gained by exploitation, or what was deposited with him, or the lost thing he found.
Words from the verse
וְהֵשִׁיבhe is to give back
אֶת־הָעֹשֶׁקwhat was taken by exploitation
אֶת־הַפִּקָּדוֹןwhat was left for safekeeping
What it teaches: Repentance
Admitting a mistake, putting it right and returning to the good path.
The Torah sees a lie to another person as a betrayal of God too, and yet, before the offering, it describes the repair made with that person. The one who sinned returns the property to its owner and adds a fifth. Repentance for hurting someone is a concrete act that reaches the one who was hurt.
A question to sit with
Is there someone you hurt whom you have not yet approached to set things right?
Questions about the story
How does the verse open its description of someone who lies to another person?
As harm to the whole community
As a betrayal of God Himself
As a private matter between people
Answer
b. As a betrayal of God Himself
The verse opens with sinning and betraying God, and right after that spells out the lie to another person.
What does the person pay to the one the thing belongs to?
Double the full amount
The amount, and nothing more
The amount plus a fifth
Answer
c. The amount plus a fifth
The Torah teaches that he repays the original amount, adds a fifth and gives it to the owner.
The lesson
The road to forgiveness runs through the person we wronged.
For this week
This week, try returning one thing that ended up with you (a book, a food container, a small debt), and add something of your own, like a thank-you note.
From the sources
The Mishnah in Yoma teaches that Yom Kippur atones for wrongs between a person and God, but for wrongs between one person and another, “Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases his fellow.” Atonement waits until the one who sinned makes peace with the one he hurt. Our verses, too, lead to atonement by way of the person wronged.
The verses are from Miqra according to the Masorah (Wikisource, CC BY-SA 4.0), via Sefaria, without the cantillation marks. On this site the four-letter Name is written ה׳.
