Behar/B'hukotai 5772

In Biblical times, a person could be “promised” to the Temple—witness childless Hannah’s dedication of her unborn son Samuel for service.  In Parashat B’chukotai, we are offered a list of monetary equivalents of people’s service, delineated by age and gender.  Rather than work off a vow in the Temple, a person could contribute a cash equivalent:  50 shekels of silver for a male between twenty and sixty, 30 for a female of the same age; 20 shekels for a male aged five to twenty, ten for a female; fifteen shekels for a male over aged sixty, ten for a female. Despite this rigid hierarchy of worth, the passage ends with a softener:  “But if one cannot afford the equivalent, that person shall be presented before the priest, and the priest shall make an assessment; the priest shall make the assessment according to what the person can afford” (Leviticus 27:8).

The valuations exist within the patriarchal system, but it is still an affront to think that one person’s service is worth less than another’s.  We balk at the passage’s patently unequal view of human worth, even though we understand inherently that some people command more for their work than others.  Nonetheless, the passage offers a beautifully balancing coda, a sliding scale that acknowledges that all people have the yearning to serve, to be part of something holy and big and important.  This desire exists regardless of a person’s ability to spend time or treasure for a cause, and should not be denied.  Rather than fear that some will decrease their gift, Leviticus and the priest instead create a path for all to contribute.  Service is subjective, yet all are uplifted through it.