“Said Rav Assi: Why do young children begin [the study of Torah] with the book of Leviticus, and not with Genesis? Surely it is because young children are pure, and the korbanot are pure; so let the pure come and engage in the study of the pure. (Midrash Rabbah)
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (who later became the third Rebbe of Chabad) entered cheder on the day after Yom Kippur of the year 1792, eleven days after his third birthday. The child’s grandfather, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, instructed Reb Avraham the melamed to begin the first lesson with the opening verses of Vayikra. …(From the talks of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson)”
“Parashat Vayikra begins the Torah’s discussion of sacrificial law. In introducing the various sacrifices, the Torah refers to what happens “when adam (any “person”) presents an offering of cattle to the Lord” (1:2). In contrast, one who brings a sin offering or a guilt offering is described as a nefesh, a “soul” (5:1). Why is a person who brings the sin or guilt offering not referred to also as an adam “person”? The midrash, picking up on this variation in language, offers a parable that sheds light on the nature of sin and the way we respond to our own acts of wrongdoing:
[It is like] a king who had an orchard with beautiful figs. He set two guards in it, one lame and one blind. He said to them: “Guard the figs,” and he left them there and went on his way. The lame man said to the blind man: “I see beautiful figs.” The blind man said: “Bring them here, and we’ll eat them.” The lame man said: “But I can’t walk.” The blind man said: “And I can’t see.” What did they do? The lame man rode astride the blind man and they took the figs and ate them…The king came and said: “Where are the figs?” The blind man said: “Do I see?” The lame man said: “Can I walk?” The wise king placed the lame man astride the blind one and judged them as one. (Leviticus Rabba 4:5)”
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Navigating the Book of Leviticus
“If we were to compare the Book of Exodus to a “rock” (as in Mt. Sinai) and the Book of Numbers to a “hard place” (as in the “wilderness”), then the Book of Leviticus would be somewhere “between a rock and a hard place.” My sense is that for most Reform Jews, reading the third book of the Torah, Leviticus, is more a function of calendar than choice: a tough, unavoidable literary landscape with only a few rest stops or scenic overlooks. It’s just a territory we must traverse in order to get to the next major site on our annual pilgrimage through the Five Books of Moses.”
Where Does the Spirit of Sacrifice Take Us?
“As we now begin our study of the book of Vayikra (Leviticus), we start with two observations:
Even some fairly dedicated Torah learners find this the most difficult book of the Hamisha Humshei Torah (Five Books of Moses). As anyone who has worked with b’nai mitzvah students on writing divrei Torah (explanations of Torah) can attest, the focus of Vayikra on the sacrificial system leads to some quite canned and predictable b’nai mitzvah sermons in March and April. Typically they begin: “Our ancestors used to sacrifice their animals. We are not farmers or herdsman. Still everyone is called upon to sacrifice in their life…””
“Most haftarot are linked to the Torah reading by some thematic idea. In the case of this week’s haftarah, the association reflects contrasting messages. The Torah reading catalogues the variety of possible sacrifices which could be offered in the Sanctuary and Temple. The haftarah points up God’s demand for religious loyalty over the offering of sacrifices. (See 43:22-28) Still, sometimes looking at the prophetic message of the haftarah in its original prophetic context might yield a message which by coincidence has relevance to the liturgical calendar.
The first verse of this week’s haftarah serves as the last verse of a prophecy whose message uses the exodus from Egypt as its theme to inspire the exiled nation that an even greater redemption is in the offing: “Thus said the Lord who made a road through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, who destroyed chariots and horses, and all the mighty host. They lay down to rise no more. They were extinguished, quenched like a wick. Do not recall what happened of old or ponder what happened of yore! I am about to do something new, even now it shall come to pass, suddenly you shall perceive it. I will make a road through the wilderan ness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts shall honor Me, jackals and ostriches for I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to My chosen people. The people that I formed for Myself that they might declare My praise.” (44:16-21)”