The Torah describes the sacrifices as ריח ניחוח לה׳--a sweet smell for God. Is the intent of this pasuk to teach us about God's sense of smell? The Chidushei HaRim offers a profound answer. The smell of something sweet is not the actual source of sweetness; the sweet scent is derived from something more fundamental. The smell of fresh baked bread is wonderful, but the fundamental thing is not the smell but the bread itself. This is an apt metaphor for sacrifices, explains the Chidushei HaRim. A sacrifice is merely a sweet smell. In and of itself, a sacrifice is not important. What's important are the actions of the person who brings the sacrifice. A sacrifice is meant to be a sweet smell, an indicator of the person's actions following the sacrifice, which are far more important.

It's critical, although not always easy, to recognize what parts of our lives are the more important aspects on which we should focus. Sometimes we mistakenly focus on the scent and forget about the actions which are meant to follow.

Last weekend our girls' basketball team won another championship and today our boys' team pulled off their second upset victory here at the Sarachek tournament. We are proud of their victories and even more proud of the dignity with which our student athletes carry themselves on and off the court. May the scent of victory continue to inspire all of us to focus on achieving greatness in all areas of our lives.