Parshat Vayikra

Sefer Vayikra, also known in English as “The Book of Leviticus”, is the third of the “Five Books of Moses” (Chamisha Chumshe Torah). Vayikra deals primarily with the rituals of the kohen (priest) and the services to be performed in the Beis HaMikdash (The Holy Sanctuary). Among these services are the many korbanos, offerings to G-d, for atonement, sin, thanksgiving, etc.

The korbanos were chukim, commandments given by G-d without any rational explanation. However, we can gain some insight into their spiritual elements by relating them to the word korov which means “to bring near”. In one sense, these offerings were meant to bring us nearer to G-d. As a kohen, I find this Sefer Vayikra personally fascinating. The Mishnah, in Pirke Avos (The Ethics of the Fathers), writes: “On three things does the world rest: Torah, Avodah (service to G-d), and Gemilut Chassidim (acts of lovingkindness).”

Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, we no longer offer korbonos, but our prayers can serve as a substitue if performed with the proper intention (kavanah). The study of Sefer Vayikra is only the beginning of understanding the nature of our service to G-d.

Parhsat VaYikra
Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26

Parsha Sefer Vayikra gets its name from the opening words; “vayikra”, which means “And He called.” The parsha discusses the five main korbanos brought by the people to the Mishkan (Tabernacle):

1. The Olah – a consumed offering placed on the Mizbeiach (altar).

2. The Mincha – an allegiance or gift offering. This was not an animal sacrifice, but an offering of flour brought by a poor person.

3. The Sh’lomim – a peace offering. This was a means of expressing thanks to G-d on a joyous occasion.

4 Sin Offerings

a. The Chatos – a sin offering which serves as an atonement for certain sins committed unintentionally by a person including the Kohen Gadol (high priest) and the king.

b. Korbon Oleh V’Yored – a special type of sin offering which varies with the wealth of the sinner. These offerings are required for the following offenses:

i) swearing falsely that one had not seen or not heard evidence needed for testimony.

ii) entering the Beis HaMikdash or eating consecrated food while ritually unclean.

iii) Failing to fulfill a vow.

iv) Confessing to a transgression.

5. The Oshom – a guilt offering which is required as part of the penitence for unintentionally using consecrated property or for retaining someone elses property by falsely swearing.

The opening word of the parsha is the best place to begin our analysis. If you look at any standard Chumash, you will observe that the final letter alef in the word vayikra is purposely written very small. This is precisely how it appears in the Torah scroll itself.

The sages write that this was done to teach us a lesson about modesty. By writing the alef in the word vayikra very small, the word could be read as vayekar which means “and He met”. The Torah is teaching us that Moses, in his great humility, wanted to lessen his status and importance. We could therefore interpret the verse to means “And G-d met Moses” instead of the traditional “And G-d called Moses”.

The Midrash teaches that Moses was chosen to lead the Jewish people out of bondage because of his great humility. Despite his ability to speak with G-d ponim el ponim which means “face to face”, he always remained humble. If Moses, our greatest Prophet and teacher, can remain humble in those circumstances, how much more so must we remain humble with our modest roles in life and blessings given to us by G-d!

The use of the word “sacrifice” as a translation of korbon is a bit misleading. In the twenty – first century, the idea of animal sacrifices is highly offensive. However, from the context of the times, in an era when some cultures engaged in Human sacrifice, animal sacrifices are not as extreme. Besides, being chukim, the Jewish people did not have any choice! The korbonos, as we have said, have a deeper meaning. Whether the person was rich or poor, everyone had an obligation to do his part and to reflect on G-d’s presence in the world. Even the poor person was required to bring an offering for G-d (as well as giving Tzedakah).

The destruction of the Second Temple has led to the discontinuation of the korbonos. Instead, as the gemara states, G-d relies on our prayers and mitzvos. Chesed or more specifically ahavas chesed (the love of doing righteous acts) is our way of coming closer to G-d in modern times. We may “sacrifice” some of our own precious time and money, but it is an investment in our spiritual future. Failure to perform acts of lovingkindness is in a sense denying the existence of G-d. According to the Torah, we were created b’tzelem elokim, in the image of G-d. This means that we are commanded to follow the positive attributes or middos of G-d. Just as G-d is merciful and kind, so should we perform acts of kindness and mercy.

As an interesting example, the sages consider burglary a more serious crime than robbery. The reason is that a robber performs his act in public and doesn’t care who is watching. A burglar, however, sneaks around and breaks into a person’s home. He thinks nobody is watching but fails to notice that G-d is watching. Thus, according to the sages, he is denying the existence of the Almighty.

The story is told of a rabbi taking a ride with a wagon driver. While they were passing an orchard, the driver stops and overcome with hunger, decides to go and pick some apples. He instructs the rabbi to act as the lookout and warn him if he sees anyone approaching. The driver climbs up a tree and as he begins to pick an apple the rabbi shouts out, “Watch out, he’s looking!” The driver quickly climbs back down the tree, runs to the wagon, and quickly drives away. After a minute or two he stops the wagon and notices that nobody is coming after them. He asks the rabbi why he shouted that someone was watching. “Ah”, says the rabbi, “G-d sees everything and He was watching!”

The Torah, in describing the korbanos, uses the Hebrew word adam for man instead of the more familiar word ish. Rashi writes that the reason for this is that when the first man, Adam, presented a korbon to G-d, he made sure that it was truly his own and not stolen. The lesson, Rashi states, is that one should not steal in an effort to perform a mitzvah. To extend Rashi’s thought, we might say that one should not commit an aveirah (sin) in order to perform a mitzvah. If the Torah is being carried through the congregation, one should not push people aside just to perform the mitzvah of touching and kissing the Torah!

As an example, we learn at the end of the parsha that if a person swears falsely about being given a deposit, he/she must make a guilt offering. The Torah states that such a person commits a transgression against G-d. Denying a deposit is tantamount to denying G-d in the eyes of the sages. The gemara in tractate Bava Metzia states:

“Surely Rav Idi bar Avin has stated in the name of Rav Chisda: A person who denies a loan is still fit to testify; but a person who denies a deposit is not fit to testify.”

What the gemara means is that when a person denies a loan, that means that the person fails to repay the loan on time. The sages would prefer to believe that the person wants to repay the loan, but for some reason does not have the money available at the right time. On the other hand, a person who denies a deposit, who is not permitted by law to make use of it, must intend to steal it and is therefore unfit to testify in court. While the laws of bailees are a complex aspect of civil law, the Torah reminds us that how we act toward our fellow is just as important as how we act toward G-d.

	Oceanside Jewish Center Weekly Parsha By Jonathan Wolf
	Sefer Vayikra, also known in English as “The Book of Leviticus”, is the third of the “Five Books of Moses” (Chamisha Chumshe Torah). Vayikra deals primarily with the rituals of the kohen (priest) and the services to be performed in the Beis HaMikdash (The Holy Sanctuary). Among these services are the many korbanos, offerings to G-d, for atonement, sin, thanksgiving, etc. The korbanos were chukim, commandments given by G-d without any rational explanation. However, we can gain some insight into their spiritual elements by relating them to the word korov which means “to bring near”. In one sense, these offerings were meant to bring us nearer to G-d. As a kohen, I find this Sefer Vayikra personally fascinating. The Mishnah, in Pirke Avos (The Ethics of the Fathers), writes: “On three things does the world rest: Torah, Avodah (service to G-d), and Gemilut Chassidim (acts of lovingkindness).” Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, we no longer offer korbonos, but our prayers can serve as a substitue if performed with the proper intention (kavanah). The study of Sefer Vayikra is only the beginning of understanding the nature of our service to G-d. Parhsat VaYikra Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26 Parsha Sefer Vayikra gets its name from the opening words; “vayikra”, which means “And He called.” The parsha discusses the five main korbanos brought by the people to the Mishkan (Tabernacle): 1. The Olah – a consumed offering placed on the Mizbeiach (altar). 2. The Mincha – an allegiance or gift offering. This was not an animal sacrifice, but an offering of flour brought by a poor person. 3. The Sh’lomim – a peace offering. This was a means of expressing thanks to G-d on a joyous occasion. 4 Sin Offerings a. The Chatos – a sin offering which serves as an atonement for certain sins committed unintentionally by a person including the Kohen Gadol (high priest) and the king. b. Korbon Oleh V’Yored – a special type of sin offering which varies with the wealth of the sinner. These offerings are required for the following offenses: i) swearing falsely that one had not seen or not heard evidence needed for testimony. ii) entering the Beis HaMikdash or eating consecrated food while ritually unclean. iii) Failing to fulfill a vow. iv) Confessing to a transgression. 5. The Oshom – a guilt offering which is required as part of the penitence for unintentionally using consecrated property or for retaining someone elses property by falsely swearing. The opening word of the parsha is the best place to begin our analysis. If you look at any standard Chumash, you will observe that the final letter alef in the word vayikra is purposely written very small. This is precisely how it appears in the Torah scroll itself. The sages write that this was done to teach us a lesson about modesty. By writing the alef in the word vayikra very small, the word could be read as vayekar which means “and He met”. The Torah is teaching us that Moses, in his great humility, wanted to lessen his status and importance. We could therefore interpret the verse to means “And G-d met Moses” instead of the traditional “And G-d called Moses”. The Midrash teaches that Moses was chosen to lead the Jewish people out of bondage because of his great humility. Despite his ability to speak with G-d ponim el ponim which means “face to face”, he always remained humble. If Moses, our greatest Prophet and teacher, can remain humble in those circumstances, how much more so must we remain humble with our modest roles in life and blessings given to us by G-d! The use of the word “sacrifice” as a translation of korbon is a bit misleading. In the twenty – first century, the idea of animal sacrifices is highly offensive. However, from the context of the times, in an era when some cultures engaged in Human sacrifice, animal sacrifices are not as extreme. Besides, being chukim, the Jewish people did not have any choice! The korbonos, as we have said, have a deeper meaning. Whether the person was rich or poor, everyone had an obligation to do his part and to reflect on G-d’s presence in the world. Even the poor person was required to bring an offering for G-d (as well as giving Tzedakah). The destruction of the Second Temple has led to the discontinuation of the korbonos. Instead, as the gemara states, G-d relies on our prayers and mitzvos. Chesed or more specifically ahavas chesed (the love of doing righteous acts) is our way of coming closer to G-d in modern times. We may “sacrifice” some of our own precious time and money, but it is an investment in our spiritual future. Failure to perform acts of lovingkindness is in a sense denying the existence of G-d. According to the Torah, we were created b’tzelem elokim, in the image of G-d. This means that we are commanded to follow the positive attributes or middos of G-d. Just as G-d is merciful and kind, so should we perform acts of kindness and mercy. As an interesting example, the sages consider burglary a more serious crime than robbery. The reason is that a robber performs his act in public and doesn’t care who is watching. A burglar, however, sneaks around and breaks into a person’s home. He thinks nobody is watching but fails to notice that G-d is watching. Thus, according to the sages, he is denying the existence of the Almighty. The story is told of a rabbi taking a ride with a wagon driver. While they were passing an orchard, the driver stops and overcome with hunger, decides to go and pick some apples. He instructs the rabbi to act as the lookout and warn him if he sees anyone approaching. The driver climbs up a tree and as he begins to pick an apple the rabbi shouts out, “Watch out, he’s looking!” The driver quickly climbs back down the tree, runs to the wagon, and quickly drives away. After a minute or two he stops the wagon and notices that nobody is coming after them. He asks the rabbi why he shouted that someone was watching. “Ah”, says the rabbi, “G-d sees everything and He was watching!” The Torah, in describing the korbanos, uses the Hebrew word adam for man instead of the more familiar word ish. Rashi writes that the reason for this is that when the first man, Adam, presented a korbon to G-d, he made sure that it was truly his own and not stolen. The lesson, Rashi states, is that one should not steal in an effort to perform a mitzvah. To extend Rashi’s thought, we might say that one should not commit an aveirah (sin) in order to perform a mitzvah. If the Torah is being carried through the congregation, one should not push people aside just to perform the mitzvah of touching and kissing the Torah! As an example, we learn at the end of the parsha that if a person swears falsely about being given a deposit, he/she must make a guilt offering. The Torah states that such a person commits a transgression against G-d. Denying a deposit is tantamount to denying G-d in the eyes of the sages. The gemara in tractate Bava Metzia states: “Surely Rav Idi bar Avin has stated in the name of Rav Chisda: A person who denies a loan is still fit to testify; but a person who denies a deposit is not fit to testify.” What the gemara means is that when a person denies a loan, that means that the person fails to repay the loan on time. The sages would prefer to believe that the person wants to repay the loan, but for some reason does not have the money available at the right time. On the other hand, a person who denies a deposit, who is not permitted by law to make use of it, must intend to steal it and is therefore unfit to testify in court. While the laws of bailees are a complex aspect of civil law, the Torah reminds us that how we act toward our fellow is just as important as how we act toward G-d.