Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Hashem calling to Moses, hence the name of the parshah – וַיִּקְרָא Vayikra, which means “called.” This call comes to Moses from the Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting, which is one of the terms used for the tent-like structure that serves as the portable temple for the Israelites in the wilderness, also called the Mishkan or Mikdash, the “Sanctuary” or “Tabernacle” in English. Hashem then instructs Moses in the laws of the korbanot, that is, the order of offerings that are to be brought to the Ohel Mo’ed, and much later to the Temple in Jerusalem. These instructions list the Olah, the “Elevation Offering” that is burned completely on the altar; the different types of Minkhah, or “Meal Offerings” prepared with fine flour, olive oil and frankincense; the Shlamim, or “Peace Offerings,” which were eaten by the ones who brought it, after some of parts were first burned on the altar and others were given to the kohanim, the priests; the different types of Hatat, or “Sin Offerings” brought to atone for transgressions committed by the either the kohen gadol – the high priest, or any individual within the community, or the entire community as a whole, or the king – though there was no king at that time; and the Asham, or “Guilt Offering” brought by one who is in doubt as to whether they did they did something wrong, or who has lied in order to defraud someone, or who has mis-used some aspect of the Sanctuary.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְ–הֹ–וָ–ה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ The Divine called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 1:1, 2 Parshat Vayikra
On the surface, this verse is the opening to a revelation about how to perform the sacrifices. But on a deeper level, the “Tent of Meeting” and the “Divine call” that emanates from there hints at something we can find in our own experience, right now.
Several years ago, I saw a video piece about the daily routine of a very old man – nearly one hundred years old. I don’t know who the man was or even what I was watching; I must have been in an airport or doctor’s office, somewhere that had a television on. It showed the old man’s daily routine, from the moment he woke up in the morning. He could hardly do anything for himself, but he had an attendant who helped him sit up, helped him use the bathroom, gave him a sponge bath, dressed him up in nice clothes, helped him to the kitchen, gave him coffee and breakfast, then took him out into the world. That’s about all I saw, but it filled me with a feeling of deep joy to watch. I asked myself, why am I so happy seeing this old man that can hardly do anything? Then I realized – it’s because even though he wasn’t able to do much for himself, he didn’t let that stop him. He could have been resigned to just lie in front of the television all day; he could have had his attendant bring him breakfast in bed. But no! He dressed up real nice, real snazzy. He ate at the kitchen table, he went out into the world and did things. He had a routine, a practice, and through that practice he enjoyed his life. There is such a crucial lesson here for our spiritual lives as well. It is so common for people go through their days taking care of physical things, without much attention to the spirit. But your inner life needs attention too, just like your outer life – only it’s not as obvious. If we don’t eat and breath, we die. But if we don’t have any spiritual practice, especially meditation in some form, we might be alive, but we’ll probably miss out on appreciating the miracle of aliveness. And even on the physical level, meditation slows our aging, sharpens the mind, and brings forth a sense of happiness and well-being. But, in order to have the motivation it takes to make meditation part of our lives, we need to hear the call. There is a hint in our opening verse: וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה - And called to Moses… There is an unusual phrasing in this first pasuk: God is calling to Moses, but unlike other times when God speaks, it doesn’t mention God’s Name; it is as if to say that this Divine Call is beyond all names, beyond words, beyond thought. Put another way, it is the call of silence, beckoning to practice, represented by the various offerings. Furthermore, the letter א alef in the opening word Vayikra is written smaller than the other letters. Alef is a silent letter, and it has the numerical value of one, hinting: through the practice of silence, we can come to know the experience of Oneness directly. It’s written small in a Torah scroll as if to say that the Oneness is hidden within all things, calling to us from the Ohel Mo’ed of this moment. The problem is, it’s much easier to hear all the other calls – the call of our mundane responsibilities, and innumerable other distractions. But if you want to hear the Call of the Divine, you’ve got to get up in the morning with the Divine in mind, even if you can barely move – “Modeh/modah ani lifanekha – I give thanks before you for this gift of being.” Like that old man, you’ve got to put on your special clothes – your tallit, your tefillin, or whatever signifies to you that you are coming into the Ohel Mo’ed of this moment to meet the Divine. And then, give yourself the gift of the nourishment you need from the deepest level of your being – the level of consciousness. This nourishment happens spontaneously when you let go of the ordinary activities of consciousness – the activities of dividing reality into different parts – aiming toward this and away from that, wanting this and judging that – and instead, say Yes to the call of the present moment, resisting nothing, feeling everything, even feelings of resistance. Because when you feel all feelings, when you don’t resist even the feelings of resistance, the Oneness of your own being can blossom. And in this inner Oneness is not separate from the One, all-embracing Reality we call the Divine. This opening to the fullness of feeling is the essence of meditation, represented by that tiny, silent letter aleph, the Oneness hidden within this moment.
Read past teachings on Vayikra HERE
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