Vayikra 5774

And so we begin Leviticus/Vayikra.  It is a playbook on how to sacrifice animals to God.

In the coming weeks, we’ll read of bulls, rams, goats, turtle doves, and grain turned to smoke.  We’ll learn about washing entrails, and dashing blood on the altar.  We’ll study the different classifications of offering:  sin, burnt, purgation, expiation, and wholeness.  We’ll ponder the rules of kashrut, especially which animals cannot be eaten.  We’ll hear about ritual impurity after childbirth.  We’ll contemplate diseases of the skin and of buildings.

What does this have to do with us?  Why should we pay attention through the long slog of Vayikra?

The Hebrew word for sacrifice, l’hakriv holds a clue.  Its root, koof-resh-vet, signals its true meaning:  drawing near.

The ancients offered sacrifices as a way to draw near to God.  According to Arnie Eisen, “giving things of value to God is part of that effort, and so is giving up things of value to us. Both are instruments of drawing near, overcoming distance, making right what had been wronged” (JTS Torah Commentary).

While we no longer offer animal sacrifice, the human need to draw near to God remains.  We long to connect with the Source of the Universe.  We long to transcend our finite natures, and partake in the Great Mystery of Creation.  We do this through prayer.  We do this through silence.  We do this in song.  We do this in nature.  We do this through denial, and we do this through pleasure and beauty.  We do this by trying our best.

For the next 10 weeks, let this be our quest:  to remember that we are more than “To Do” lists, more than mere clusters of atoms.  Let us draw close to God, the Source of All.