The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
Although Parshas Vayikra contains most of the Karbanos, the Karban Todah is found in Parshas Tzav, which is mostly about the Kohanim. R' Frand then asked - why was this Karban mentioned in Tzav and not Vayikra?
Before answering the question, R' Frand quoted the Gemara which sets forth the four categories of people who are obligated to bring a Karban Todah: (1) someone who recovered from an illness; (2) someone who traveled across the sea; (3) someone released from prison, and (4) someone who traveled across the desert. Rashi explains that these people bring a Karban Todah because a miracle was performed for them. But are these truly miraculous? Certainly all four categories had some element of danger, but is the recovery from surgery or the completion of a sea journey, miraculous?
R' Frand quoted R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld who explains that - yes these are miracles, but they are miracles of nature. He explains that there are many things that happen daily which are miracles, but because they are part of nature, we don't recognize them as miracles. This can include major events such as childbirth, or even the fact that a person is capable of producing speech.
The reason that the Karban Todah is mentioned in Tzav, which is dedicated to the Kohanim is to remind them that miracles are truly miraculous. R' Frand quoted Pirkei Avos which states that there were ten daily miracles in the Beis Hamikdash. Because the Kohanim saw and lived these miracles every day, they needed a reminder that these were miraculous and that they should thank Hashem for them.
R' Frand mentioned a Shayla that was once asked to Rav Shach by a young couple who had been married for a year and then had a baby girl. They wanted to know whether they should make a Kiddush. He answered them - if you had been married for 7 years without children and then had a baby, would you be asking the same question?
R' Frand next quoted the Rabbeinu Bechaye who cited the Gemara about the four categories of people who are obligated to bring a Karban Todah, but then also mentioned a Chassan and Kallah, quoting a pasuk in Yirmiyah. But why would they bring a Karban Todah?
R' Frand first quoted the Imrei Emes who cited the famous Gemara that making a Shidduch is as difficult as Kriyas Yam Suf - a miraculous event.
R' Frand said a second answer that a person is half a person before meeting one's mate, much like a sick person who is not whole when ill.
R' Frand quoted R' Shamai Gross who states that there are two forms of Todah - those brought because there is an obligation and those brought voluntarily. And a Chassan and Kallah who find each other is a miracle in nature and can count themselves in the category of bringing a voluntary Todah.
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