Parshat Vayikra, 5785

Parshat Vayikra, First Aliyah

Vayikra, God called, to Moshe, then God spoke

Telling him in turn to speak to fellow Israelite folk

Giving instruction and direction regarding korbanot

Sacrifices, they’re so-called, of cattle, sheep, or goat

But “karov” really means to come close or to draw near

As we do when before the Tent of Meeting we appear

To offer up from herd or flock an unblemished male

Who’s handled by the Cohanim, instructed in great detail

Then before its slaughter, place a hand upon its head

V’samach yado, then away by Aaron’s sons it shall be lead

They do a sacrificial rite with directions so precise

In order to produce for God an odor oh-so-nice

“Reiach nichoach” throughout the Torah text repeats

Describing the effect on God of these ritualistic feats

It’s a lot to try to comprehend in this day and age

When in such killing and such burning we do not engage

Rashi* has this to say about engaging God’s olfaction:

The sacrificial odor gives God satisfaction

That God’s mitzvot or commandments were readily fulfilled

Performed by our ancestors just as God had willed

So as we open up this Sefer, filled with many laws and rules

We should remember that the korbanot were just one of the tools

That God gave us to establish human-Divine connection

But as we read on, we’ll come to see additional direction

For walking in God’s footsteps, living by God’s ways

Even as our present era differs from ancient days

This book is called the Priestly Code, yet it offers so much more

Let’s keep scrolling on to see what all it has in store!

*See 3rd Rashi comment on Vayikra/Leviticus 1:9