VaYikra Leviticus (1:1-5:26)
OVERVIEW
This week we begin to read from the Book of Vayikra - "And He called". As with all the other books of the Torah, as well as the parashiyot, this name is taken from the first significant word. In English the book is called Leviticus, taken from the Greek meaning "about the Levites." Rabbinically, the book is referred to as Torat Cohanim, or the "Teachings of the Priests." Both these names are derived from the main theme of the book, which is sacrifices and other issues related to Israelite worship. In essence, the book is the guide for the Cohanim (Priests) and the Levites (members of the tribe of Levi) who were responsible for overseeing the Tabernacle and facilitating the worship of the Israelites.
Parashat Vayikra introduces us to the different kinds of sacrifices: the Oleh (a burnt offering), the Mincha (meal offering), the Zevach Shelamim (peace offering or sacrifice of well-being), the Chatat (the sin offering), and the Asham (Guilt offering).
IN FOCUS
Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the Eternal, he shall choose his offering from the herd or the flock. (Leviticus 1:2)
PSHAT
With little introduction, Leviticus dives in directly to the technicalities of sacrificial worship. In verse 3, the text begins to give the details of the Olah, the burnt offering that is consumed entirely on the altar. But first it states that only specific offerings are acceptable, from the herd (beef cattle) or from the flock (sheep or goats). The general term for "sacrifice," used here for the first time, is korban, which literally means "to draw near." In this verse, the root appears four times, being used both as a verb and a noun.
DRASH
The korban is "brought near" the altar, but ultimately, the purpose of sacrifice is to help us draw nearer to God.
The final chapter of the Book of Shemot tell us that the Mishkan - the Tabernacle - has been completed and has become dedicated as House of the Shechinah, the Divine Presence. God's home is now built and God's presence is now manifest among the people. So now what?
A house only becomes a home when people come to dwell there. And so it is with the dwelling place of God among the people. Even though the people of Israel have accepted the Torah from God at Sinai and entered into the covenant, now it is time to put all those words into practice. Now it is time to make the abstract relationship with God real.
How is this to be done? Through the bringing of korbanot, offerings that reflect the individual's desire to commune with the Divine Presence. In his great philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides suggests that the reason God commanded the offering of sacrifices was as a concession to the Israelites, who had just left slavery in Egypt, where sacrifice was entrenched as the dominant form of worship. God realized that it would be nearly impossible for the early Israelites to immediately turn their backs on this familiar pagan practice, so rather then prohibit it, sacrifice was integrated into Israelite worship.
Not all of his contemporaries agreed with Maimonides, but, whatever God's reason for commanding korbanot, there is no question that for the early Israelites, the offering of a korban was a profound act of faith. The korban was the medium used to draw nearer to God, and the extensive description of appropriate offerings in this week's parashah becomes the paradigm for all other efforts to draw nearer to God.
First, the Torah tells us, the offering is to be unblemished and of the best available. Our efforts to draw near God are to be a full effort, of pure motivation and complete. Anything less is inadequate and second rate. How would you feel if someone tried to gain your friendship or affections with gifts that were cast-offs or leftovers? What we offer is reflective of how we feel about the relationship.
Second, the offerings are to come from that which belongs to us. You cannot offer as a korban something that is borrowed or stolen. In his commentary, Rashi asks, "Why is the word 'adam ("man") used, instead of the more common word 'ish? He answers that this is to show that just as Adam, alone in the world, owned everything, and had not stolen anything from anyone, so too must a sacrificial offering completely belong to the one who offers it. We are to give of ourselves, of our hearts. Even the humblest offering given sincerely is more acceptable than a lavish offering given from a questionable source or motivation. It is the thought that counts. As it stresses in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Hayyim 1:1), "Better a little supplication with kavanah [intention or whole heartedness] that lots of it without kavanah."
Lastly, you are not only to give the offering, but you are also to give of yourself. That's really the point. As the classical prophets taught, it is not the korban that is drawing nearer to God - that is just the medium. It is we who try to draw nearer to our God through our offerings.
Since the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrificial offerings have ceased and prayer has replaced Korbanot as the primary mode of Israelite worship. Yet the nature of the offerings that are acceptable to God has remained the same. We no longer give animals or grains, but we do continue to give of ourselves. Anything less would be an insult to the One to whom we are trying to draw near.
DAVAR AHER
If his sacrifice is a burnt-offering... (Leviticus 1:3)
Why does the text begin with the Oleh (burnt-offering)? Because it is an atonement for sins committed by thought, which is the first step in any sin. A wealthy man must bring an ox for his burnt-offering, for he is highly opinionated and therefore his sinful thought is more offensive. A man of average means, being less arrogant, brings a sheep and a poor man, who is humble of spirit, brings a turtledove. (Tz'enah Ur'enah)
