…(the shalosh regalim) of Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot. Chapter 24 speaks about the Menorah, which was lit every day, and the show bread, which was renewed every week. The parsha ends with a story – one of the only two stories in the book of Vayikra – about a man who cursed during a fight. Question to Ponder What are…
…to ensure the spirit of the game. The “spirit of the game” in the Torah, is morality – “what is right”. Thinking More Deeply The Ramban developed the idea of naval bi-reshut ha-Torah (see His commentary to Vayikra. 19:2). He describes someone who keeps all the mitzvot and halachot, but who despite this is not moral, someone who doesn’t treat…
Transcript If you open the middle book of the Torah, it’s called Vayikra. And you open a sefer Torah, you will see the first word Vayikra, the aleph is written small. Now, what is that telling us? Well, it’s telling us something extraordinary. There are two words in Hebrew, which sound almost identical, but which are opposite in meaning. One…
…revolutionary: the supreme power intervenes in history in defence of the powerless. Shemot Vaera Bo Beshallach Yitro Mishpatim Terumah Tetzaveh Ki Tissa Vayakhel Pekudei Vayikra (Leviticus) In Vayikra, the book of Leviticus, God sets out the mystery and majesty of holiness, summoning the people with whom He covenanted to a life driven by its energy, lit by its radiance, transformed…
…seen as a commendable act? To understand this, we must consider overarching themes in the Torah. Firstly, that God owns the land of Israel. This is why He can command the return of property to its original owners in the Jubilee year, as stated in Vayikra 25:2. Secondly, ever since God liberated the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, they…
…their own land? The best way to approach an answer is through an important comment of the Ramban (Nahmanides) on this week’s parsha. Chapter 18 of Vayikra ends with a solemn warning about defiling the land. In short, it says that if you defile the land, you will be severely punished. The Ramban asks the following question: Reward and punishment…
…and communism to laissez faire capitalism. The Torah is not an economic theory or a party political programme. It is about eternity, whereas politics is about the here-and-now: the mediation of competing claims and the management of change. The Torah – especially Vayikra (Leviticus) chapter 25 – sets out the parameters of a society based on equality and liberty. These…
…at stake when the Torah establishes its ideal of a free society, as God says, again in Parshat Behar, Vayikra chapter 25, Ki li bnei yisrael avadim, avadei hame. “The children of Israel are My servants.” Said the Rabbis, quite correctly, velo avadim le’avadim, “and not servants to other servants.” In other words, God must militate against human slavery because…
…the ways of God to humankind. The Priestly Voice Vayikra is a book written almost entirely in the priestly voice, and therefore it uses concepts that we do not find in anything like the same measure in the wisdom or prophetic voices. The key verbs for the cohen, the priest, are lehorot, to teach, instruct, deliver a judgment, make a…
…all the Mosaic books, Vayikra, Leviticus, is the one most out of step with contemporary culture. Many find it difficult to relate to its concerns. It opens with an account of sacrifices, something we have not experienced for close to two millennia. Its preoccupation with ritual purity and defilement seems to come from another age… Yet Leviticus is a -…