Torah Portion:  Vayikra;  Leviticus 1:1-5:26

This week brings us the first chapter of a new book of Torah, the beginning of the book of Leviticus, and the Torah portion Vayikra.  Many people, when reading the book of Leviticus, give a bit of a shudder.  After all, the portion is filled with details of the animal sacrifices held in the Temple.  It is a priestly book, and gives detailed instructions for the priests; it contains stories about skin diseases and household mold.  The entire book contains only one narrative section, which is a deeply disturbing story describing the consequences if the priests do something wrong.   Reading it today, it is sometimes difficult to understand how this book can possibly have meaning for us now.

However, the Book of Leviticus is perhaps the most powerful teaching we have regarding the power of ritual and community.  Reading through the laws of sacrifices, its easy to get caught up on the details of the “fat on the protuberance of the kidneys,” but we seem to skip over the fact that these sacrifices, these rituals, were critical components of keeping Judaism centered, focused, and meaningful for Jews for centuries.  The rituals described are not our rituals, but they remind us how powerful and transformative ritual can be.  The functions of the Holy Temple are not the functions of Temple Sinai, but Leviticus nevertheless reminds us that coming together to be in community is a gift, a blessing—and something we all need.  Dr. Arnold Eisen teaches in Taking Hold of Torah that Leviticus teaches us “about the everyday, our everyday included.  [It] aims to heighten and sanctify ordinary experiences.  It wants us to focus on the possibilities for love and good stored up in daily life….”  All of that in one little sacrifice?  All that and more—join us this Shabbat and find out how.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Annie