Vayikra; Leviticus 1:1 –5:26 by Rabbi Denise L. Eger
With this week’s portion we begin a new book of the Torah, Leviticus. The opening verses of Leviticus teach us about the basic sacrifices to be offered upon the altar. In the closing passages of Exodus, Moses and Aaron have built and dedicated the Tabernacle in the desert. Now the Torah reviews the priestly duties and the peoples’ sacrificial duties as well. These opening verses in Leviticus reviews the basic necessities of the olah or burnt offering, mincha or meal offering, and the chatat or sin offering and the asham or guilt offering. Traditionally when children begin their religious studies, they begin with this section of the Torah.
And yet today we offer no sacrifice upon the altar. We as a people haven’t done so since the Romans destroyed the Temple in the year 70 C.E. So why begin a child’s study with obscure rituals that we no longer practice? This tradition of studying Leviticus first goes as far back as the ancient midrash.
"Rabbi Asi taught: Why do we begin children's [biblical learning] with Leviticus and not with Genesis? Because children are pure, and the sacrifices are pure. Let the pure ones come and study pure things" (Leviticus Rabbah 7:3).
Leviticus deals so much with the concept of spiritual purity. The sacrifices referred to in Leviticus according to the Biblical mindset purify the souls of those offering the sacrifices and help them to purify their lives of sin or transgressions. While we might not offer sacrifices to God on the altar, we still can look for ways to purify and cleanse our souls of behaviors and actions that hurt others and ourselves. It is important for our children to learn from a young age that the must take responsibility for their actions. And in truth many adults could do well to learn this lesson.
By studying the laws of Leviticus, even if they seam arcane, we can make the case that while in ancient days we healed our world of sins against God and our fellow human beings by offering sacrifices, today we need to heal the world of our errors and transgressions by not committing them in the first place! But recognizing that when we do err, when we miss the mark, when we need to purify our own spirits and most importantly take responsibility for our transgressions. We need to ask ourselves what is our service to God today? What can help purify and cleanse our spirits? What can set us on a right path toward wholeness? These are important lessons for both children and adults.
Another reason our tradition began with Leviticus is that almost half of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah are found in this book of the Torah. Thus Leviticus contains important information for us on the intricacies of Jewish life. The laws of Kashrut are found in Leviticus. The laws for keeping the four corners of the field for the poor are found in Leviticus. The holiday calendar has its beginning in Leviticus in parshat Emor. These are concrete practices and observances that help to form the core of Jewish identity.
Indeed there are passages in Leviticus that teach most important lessons such as: Love your neighbor as yourself. And yet there are other passages in Leviticus that are extremely troubling and are regularly misinterpreted and used for hateful and hurtful purposes to discriminate against gay and lesbian people.
But only by studying Leviticus rather than rejecting it outright can we make sense of this for ourselves along with future generations about who we are and who we ought to be as Jews. And all of this stands in relationship to what God really wants of us. Onward toward studying Leviticus with all of its passages, some of which will resonate with us and other passages of which we will say this no longer applies. But all of it is our inheritance and for this acknowledge our burden and for this we give thanks.
Posted by Lee at March 27, 2006 09:02 AM
