…Moses by name]. Rashi to Vayikra 1:1. “Calling” is an expression of endearment. It is the expression employed by the ministering angels, as it says, “And one called to the other…” (Isaiah 6:3). Vayikra, Rashi is telling us, means to be called to a task in love. This is the source of one of the key ideas of Western thought,…
…half of the parsha deals with forbidden relationships and prohibited pagan practices. The Core Idea Until now the book of Vayikra has been largely about sacrifices, the laws of purity, the Sanctuary, and the priesthood. It has been, in short, about a holy place, holy offerings, and the elite and holy people – Aharon and his descendants – who are…
…halachot that originally confused the child are: lo tashchit peat zekanecha – do not destroy the corners of your beard (Vayikra 19:27) which was misread as “do not cut corners in front of an elderly person” and vehadarta pnei zaken – you should respect (glorify) seniors) Vayikra 19:32) which was misread as, “you should glorify the beard on your face”….
…change, to clarify when we must be constant and when we should adapt. Embodying the essence of Jewish resilience, this duality teaches the importance of evolving religious practices while maintaining a deep connection to heritage, a theme that has been prevalent in Sefer Vayikra so far. Following the Temple’s destruction, the Jewish people transitioned from sacrificial rituals to acts of…
…and stay far from those who do. [1] Jon Ronson, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, London: Picador, 2015, pp. 63-86. [2] Jennifer Jacquet, Is Shame Necessary? New Uses for an Old Tool, London: Allen Lane, 2015. [3] Rabbi David Zvi Hoffman, Commentary to Sefer Vayikra [Hebrew] (Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1972), vol. 1, pp. 253–255. [4] Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1946. [5] Another example…
…Bereishit 2:1-3 Read Shemot 23:10-12 Read Vayikra 25:1-24 Read Vayikra 26:34 The three great commandments of periodic rest – Shabbat, the sabbatical year and the jubilee year – [are] powerful forms of environmental education. On Shabbat we are commanded to renounce our manipulation of the world. It is a day that sets a limit to our intervention in nature and…
…you buy or sell to your neighbour, let no one wrong his brother.” (Vayikra. 25:14) “Brother” in these verses is not meant literally. At times it means a relative, but mostly it means your fellow Jew. This is a distinctive way of thinking about society and our obligations to others. Jews are not just citizens of the same nation or…
As we have discussed so many times already this year, leaders make mistakes. That is inevitable. So, strikingly, our parsha of Vayikra implies. The real issue is how leaders respond to their mistakes. The point is made by the Torah in a very subtle way. Our parsha deals with sin offerings to be brought when people have made mistakes. The…
…could not speak him to peace.” What might this mean? Rabbi Eybeschutz refers us to the command in Vayikra 19:17: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely reprimand your neighbour and not bear sin because of him. Lev. 19:17 This is how Maimonides interprets this command as it relates to interpersonal relations: When a person…
With parshat Tetzaveh, something new enters Judaism: Torat Kohanim, the world and mindset of the Priest. Rapidly it becomes a central dimension of Judaism. It dominates the next book of the Torah, Vayikra. Until now, though, priests in the Torah have had a marginal presence. This week’s parsha marks the first time we encounter the idea of a hereditary elite within…