אַל־תִּֽירְאִי֙ כִּי־לֹ֣א תֵב֔וֹשִׁי וְאַל־תִּכָּלְמִ֖י כִּ֣י לֹ֣א תַחְפִּ֑ירִי כִּ֣י בֹ֤שֶׁת עֲלוּמַ֙יִךְ֙ תִּשְׁכָּ֔חִי וְחֶרְפַּ֥ת אַלְמְנוּתַ֖יִךְ לֹ֥א תִזְכְּרִי־עֽוֹד׃
Ne crains pas, car tu ne seras plus humiliée; ne sois pas confuse, car tu ne subiras plus d’outrage; car la honte de ta jeunesse, tu l’oublieras, le déshonneur de ton veuvage, tu ne t’en souviendras plus.
Akeidat Yitzchak
Rabbi Berechya in the name of Rabbi Ezra, explains the first verse in the book of Leviticus in Vayikrah Rabbah 7 by means of a parable. "Someone amongst you who wishes to offer a sacrifice etc." A king had two pastry cooks. The first one prepared a pastry for him which the king ate and enjoyed. The second one prepared a pastry for him also, and the king also ate that pastry and enjoyed it. It was impossible to tell which pastry the king had enjoyed more until the king asked the second pastry cook to prepare another pastry for him like the first one he had prepared for the king. We observe that Noach had offered a sacrifice to G'd which G'd had enjoyed. (Genesis 8,20-21 "He savoured the sweet odour") Israel too was asked to offer sacrifices on its holy days. (Numbers 28,4, "you shall observe to do, each day at its appointed time") Only when Moses commanded the Jewish people (Leviticus 6,2) "this is the instruction concerning the total offering"), did we find out that G'd preferred our offerings, as stated by the prophet Maleachi. (Maleachi 3,4, "and the gift offering of Yehudah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to G'd as in the days of old, in former times") "The days of old," refers to the time of Moses, and the "former times," refers to the years of Solomon. An alternative interpretation is that "the days of old," refers to Noach's offering, as Isaiah says in Isaiah 54,4, "this is like the waters of Noach for Me." The "former times" would then refer to the time of Abel, when idolatry was as yet unknown.