Parashat Vayikra: Let’s heed the call!

Wishing everyone – the Jewish nation and all of humanity – good health!

MARCH 26, 2020 15:09

MODERN MAN, who was accustomed to controlling the forces of nature, suddenly finds himself out of control (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) — MODERN MAN, who was accustomed to controlling the forces of nature, suddenly finds himself out of control

(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

This Shabbat, we begin reading the third book of the Bible, the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus.

It seems likely that in light of the situation around the world due to the spread of the coronavirus, it will not be possible to pray in synagogues while still following the directives of the authorities. We are obligated to take these directives seriously and follow them responsibly. Where told to do so, people should pray at home, thus preserving their own health and that of others.

Many of those who come to the synagogue every Shabbat and listen to the weekly portion being read will not be able to do so this Shabbat. Therefore, it is advisable to read the parasha from a Bible, while adding a special prayer for those who are sick – “Shabbat should afford you a respite from crying out in pain and you shall soon be healed.”

The Book of Leviticus deals mostly with halachot (Jewish laws) pertaining to the Temple: laws of sacrifices, purity and impurity, special laws for the kohanim (priests) and more. For this reason, our Sages refer to this book as “Torat Kohanim,” Torah of the Priests. But during the past few centuries, it has become customary to refer to the books of the Bible by the first words of each book, so this book is called Vayikra.

The midrash of the rabbinic sages from the first and second centuries on Leviticus is also called Torat Kohanim or Sifra, and it clarifies verses, examines them, and learns from them. Let’s see what the Sages learned from the first verse in the book of Leviticus.

“‘And He called (vayikra) to Moses, and the Lord spoke (vayedaber) to him from the Tent of Meeting’ – We are hereby taught that the voice was ‘cut off’ and would not be heard outside the Tent of Meeting. Could it be because [the voice] was low? It is, therefore, written (Numbers 7:89): ‘And he heard the voice’ – the distinctive voice described in Scripture (Psalms 29:47): ‘The voice of the Lord, in power; the voice of the Lord, in glory. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon…. The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire, etc.’ Why, then [if the voice is so powerful] is it written ‘from the tent of meeting’? We are hereby taught that the voice was ‘cut off’ and did not travel beyond the [the confines of] the Tent of Meeting” (Sifra, Dibura D’nedava, 1:2).

This midrash is briefly referred to in Rashi’s commentary on this verse: “The [Divine] voice emanated and reached Moses’s ears, while all [the rest] of Israel did not hear it.” If so, this was a unique and amazing phenomenon. An incredibly strong voice was heard by one person only: Moses. What was the meaning of this?

The founder of the Hassidic movement, Rabbi Yisrael “Baal Shem Tov” (Ukraine, 1700-1760), wrote about this with piercing wisdom. He said that the great voice, the voice of God, was heard in each person’s heart. There is no one who cannot hear God speaking to him, with His voice coming through Torah, through history, through various events, through reality. Man hears God, but it is his responsibility to listen and recognize the voice. Moses was on such a high level that he could hear God’s voice giving him the commandments of the Torah. Others, who could not recognize God’s voice, weren’t able to hear it.

How relevant this all is to our current situation, unfortunately. Modern man, who was accustomed to controlling the forces of nature, suddenly finds himself out of control. The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on humanity, and the support systems we became used to leaning on are suddenly unstable: the support of routine, of work, financial support, activities, science, public bodies, social support, and the support of leisure. World order has been so undermined, it leads us all to ask an important question: What support can we confidently count on?

The entire Bible, from its first page to its last, conveys this message: God speaks to man. Listen to Him! We are all going through an extremely challenging time, especially those who aren’t well. Let us be those who can recognize God’s voice through the events around us. Let us be those who learn the lessons we are being taught. Let us be those who comprehend that the coronavirus is not just a natural phenomenon but a call for repair and progress.

Wishing everyone – the Jewish nation and all of humanity – good health!

The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites.