Ziv: Parashat Vayikra 2


Each week, Gad Barnea or Sister Agnès de la Croix (from the Community of the Beatitudes) proposes a reflection on the portion of the Pentateuch that is read in the synagogue (parashat hashavua). This week the portion is from Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26 with the haftarah (additional reading) from Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23. They call their reflection “ziv” – a ray of light.

ziv vayikra2

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit

The book of Exodus ended on an unexpected and bizarre note. Toward the very end of the book everything seemed to be fulfilled: peace, obedience and holiness are evident in every act and intention of the children of Israel, and it seems that finally they have reached a state where God can truly” dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8). Of the people’s perfect obedience we read that “According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.” (Exodus 39:42–43). Of Moses himself we are told that “Moses did according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.” (Exodus 40:16). And indeed the divine confirmation arrives when “The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). However, we are immediately told that as close as this event is to perfection, we are still far from it. Even “Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35), and the divine cloud that covered the tabernacle would serve to guide the children of Israel throughout their journeys (Exodus 40:36-38) - a passage that is a better fit for the book of Numbers than the book of Exodus.

The book of Leviticus continues from this point. Moses is standing outside the tent and “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:1). In the Hebrew versions of this verse the word “And He called” (which is one word in the Hebrew, and serves are the Hebrew name of the book) is written with a small “alef” giving the word two different meanings. It can be read as “and He called” (VaYikra) and as “and He met” (VaYikr). Tradition explains that the small “alef” expresses humility, and a midrash describes how Moses, in his humility, wished that his calling would be similar to that of Balaam who was called (or met) by God with the expression VaYikr (Numbers 23:4). But God’s calling of Moses, as Rashi explains, was one of affection (unlike that of Balaam) and therefore, in order to accommodate Moses’ wish, they compromised on the small “alef”. Whatever the explanation, the small “alef” with which the book of the sacrifices and offerings begins, expresses the gentleness of the calling of God and the humility of heart that needs to guide every believer coming before God: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Shabbat Shalom.

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