Immitating Hashem
The word vayikra
that begins this
week’s Torah reading, and is the name of the third
book of the Chumash, is distinguished by having a miniature alef
at the end of the
word. I have written about this
exceptional script/font in previous years.
I concentrated then
mainly on the traditional explanation that this small letter
was inserted in the Torah
to highlight the abject humility of our teacher Moshe,
with this character trait of humility
being the basis
for his extraordinary relationship with the Creator. The focus of the explanation regarding this
miniature letter was placed on Moshe. However,
if I may, I would
suggest another type
of interpretation in which
the focus is not on Moshe, the
recipient of G-d’s
words, but rather
is on G-d Himself, so to speak.
In the famous
vision of the prophet Elijah
as recorded for
us in the book of Kings, the Lord
illustrates to the
prophet and through
him to all of Israel
and mankind that
G-d is not
to be found in thunder and earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes and the other
majestic and awe-inspiring vagaries of natural sound.
Rather He is to be found in the still
small voice that constantly emanates from
Heaven.
G-d calls out to us in that
modulated whispered tone
of voice. He calls out to us with a small
alef, reduced in size
and volume. But
the loud voice
cannot maintain itself
for all times, whereas the small
voice that Elijah
heard still echoes
in our ears thousands of years later.
If one wants
to hear G-d’s
voice, so to speak, speaking
to one’s self,
then one has to strain to hear the whispered utterances, the nuances
of tone, the drama of almost silence
itself.
The rabbis of the Talmud
emphasized this message
and cautioned us:
“The words of the
wise are heard and appreciated when they are said with calm and softness.” In our world
of constant sound, the
dissonance of shouting
and disagreements dominate the sound waves
of the world. In such an environment it is difficult, if not almost
well nigh impossible, to hear the whispered voice
of Sinai, which
is broadcast daily
to the human
race.
One of the basic tenets of Judaism is to somehow attempt to imitate the traits, so to speak, of our Creator.
Therefore, if G-d speaks to us in a soft and calm
voice and manner,
then that should be the voice
and manner that we should
constantly employ when
communicating with others. King
Solomon in Proverbs
taught us that
shouting is the weapon of fools. The greatness of Moshe is emphasized in his ability
to hear the G-dly voice
speaking to him, while others, outside the holy precincts of the Mishkan/Tabernacle were
unable to do so.
In an expansive way, one can say that
those who cannot
hear the still
small voice of G-d, so to
speak, are really
deaf to the
spiritual demands that
the Torah places
upon us – they are outside the precincts of the holy structure of Judaism. My revered teachers in my student years emphasized to us that
high volume while
praying does not
always equal proper
intent and concentration. G-d
hears the silence
of our hearts.
We should all
attempt to hear
the softness of His communication, in His relationship to us.
Shabbat shalom Rabbi Berel Wein
Sin is a Constant Part of Human Life
Though
this parsha, like
much of the rest of the book
of Vayikra, is replete with
difficult detail regarding very
esoteric, spiritual and even mystical topics of Temple
service and animal
sacrifices, there is a basic
and important message
that the Torah
wishes to communicate to us amidst
this welter of detail. And,
I feel that this message
is the recognition that
sin is a constant part
of human life.
We are taught:
“…that there is no righteous person who lives
on this earth
without sin.” It is
one of the weaknesses that
we inherited from
Adam and Eve
and therefore is part of the
DNA of human existence. In recognizing this fact, the Torah, as is its usual wont,
deals with the reality
of human existence and not with
an imagined perfection of human behavior that has never
existed in human
history and will
never exist.
Unlike other monotheistic faiths, Judaism does not allow for pie-in-the-sky, super angelic portrayals of human
life. As King
Solomon states: “What
was is what
will be, and
there is really nothing
new as far as human
behavior is concerned under the sun.”
So the Torah
in this week’s parsha
takes it as a given
that people will
sin… and do so pretty
regularly.
Therefore, an antidote to sin must
be created so that people
will eventually improve
and find forgiveness for their sins
from a benevolent Creator.
I think that the entire
Temple service as described for us in the book
of Vayikra is meant to emphasize to human beings
our innate weakness and to the omnipresence of sin in our
lives.
Knowing that we have sinned
is the beginning of redemption and holiness.
I believe that
this is part
of the great
message of Yom Kippur and why this
holy day retains its vibrancy and relevance even to Jews who are otherwise far distant from Torah observance and meaningful Jewish life. Deep down within us we are all aware that as
human beings, not
only are we prone to sin but, again in the words
of the Torah:
“Sin crouches at our doorstep.”
The Temple building itself, the priesthood and the Temple
service of animal
sacrifices, all combine to make the realization of sin a constant factor in Jewish life. In order for this to be effective, the Jewish people had to be aware of what lay behind the edifice, pomp, ritual, meat and wine that was generated by the Temple
and its services.
It is this
point that the
prophets of Israel
stress in their
condemnation of the
shallowness of understanding regarding the Temple service that so characterized the kingdom of Judah in First
Temple times. Being unaware of the underlying
message regarding the constant vulnerability
to sin and the necessity to counteract it, and merely
concentrating on the antidote
of forgiveness, which the Temple represented, was shortsighted and eventually led to the disappearance of the Temple
itself. The Torah
wanted us to attempt to eradicate the source of pain and not merely
become addicted to pain killers. I believe this
to be the subtle message
of this week’s
parsha and of the entire
book of Vayikra.
Shabat shalom Rabbi Berel Wein
Youth and their Holy Imagination
As all of you are aware that the first
word in this week’s Torah
reading is written
in a different fashion in the scroll of the Torah itself. Theword ‘vayikra’ is written
with a small ‘alef ‘at the end
of the word.
This has been
discussed widely over
the ages by the great commentators and thinkers of Israel, who
have derived many
important lessons from
this unusual writing
of the word.
I find a connection between
this small letter
and another idea
that the rabbis
advance regarding this third book of the Bible. It was somehow
traditional amongst many communities in Jewish society that this book of Vayikra should be the first book that children study when they begin their
biblical education. The
words of the rabbis to describe this educational advice were that
“let those that
are completely pure
study the laws
of holiness and purity.” In other words,
the laws and rituals regarding the service of the priests
and of the Temple and
of the sacrifices that were to be brought, either as donations or as atonement
for sins or omissions, are the core holy sections
of the Torah.
And since young children are still
not tarnished by the experiences of life and the maturity of physical
growth, they should begin their Jewish education by studying this part of the Torah. The
small
miniature letter at the end
of the word
signifies that this
section of the
Torah has a special connection to young children beginning their
education and their understanding of life.
Holiness
is not subject
to human logic
and understanding. It is removed
from our sphere
of rationality. The holy is not ordinarily found
in the everyday
world and mundane
activities of human society. Holiness
is an atmosphere created by goodness and devotion to the
Almighty and to its value system.
Holiness is something that human beings
must create. It is
short-lived and intangible, difficult to define
and yet it can be glimpsed and experienced.
The fact that
it is so inexplicable makes
its pursuit in this world
so difficult. All the sacrificial laws that appear
in this book
of Vayikra – laws that
are so difficult to understand and far removed from
our world and society – are tools
to be used in the pursuit of holiness.
Children
have the gift
of imagination and are not yet stifled
by the realities that surround us. They can imagine and see things
that we sophisticated but jaded adults
are no longer able to envision. To children, nothing
is strange, and nothing is impossible, and imagination and reality operate in the same sphere
of their personality and understanding. To children, legends are real and imaginary characters are their friends. These laws that
aim to direct
us to holiness, to reach for
the stars so to speak,
have meaning and
reality.
Later
in life, when
childhood curiosity and imagination has been rubbed
away by the harshness of reality,
these laws will become more difficult to understand and appreciate,
and the pursuit of holiness will
become far more
difficult. A small
letter at the end of the
word comes to remind us of this truth.
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Shabbat shalom Rabbi Berel Wein
