Maybe it’s because we changed the clocks, maybe because we are experiencing beautiful spring weather, but whatever the reason, lately two of my children have had difficulty going to sleep. We go through our bed-time rituals, we say “good-night” and then I go down stairs. Ten minutes have not even elapsed and one comes down the stairs, “Abba, I can’t sleep”, “Mommy, I had a bad dream”. My response is always the same, “It is hard to sleep while you are out of bed, walking downstairs and telling me that you can’t sleep. Now go back to bed.” “You haven’t been asleep long enough to begin dreaming let alone have a bad dream, now go to bed.” They sheepishly go back to bed. However the other night as I was going to bed, I checked on my children. As I turned off the television, I heard a muffled voice sobbing and calling “Abba”. I followed the voice and went to my son’s room. He was sitting up, holding his pillow and burying his face in the pillow, whimpering and calling Abba. This was not a little boy unable to sleep. He was having a bad dream. I walked in and whispered his name. He looked up and said that he had a bad dream and then he asked how I did I hear him calling me. I explained that is what dad’s do. We hear our children whisper our names in the middle of the night when they have a bad dream.
This week’s parshah, Vayikrah, supports the fundamental belief that ethical behavior towards our fellow person and ritual behavior towards God is inextricably linked. There is no separation. The parsha begins by reminding us of the ethical, treating others with dignity and respect. VaYiKRAh el Moshe -God called to Moshe Lev (1:1). ” Imagine, God calling out to a person before speaking. Imagine God treating a person with dignity and respect by calling out prior to giving instruction. How often do we just bark out orders? Intrinsic to “calling” is a drawing toward. We call people on the phone. Our children call out to us when they have a bad dream. In a personal manner, God and Moshe approached each other in order to transmit the law. In the Torah, the last letter in VaYiKRAh is written in a much smaller font. Numerous explanations are given regarding the small font of the final letter in the word VaYiKRAh. However one Chasidic commentary is particularly insightful. Because the letter is small, our eye is drawn to that letter as if it were a separate word. That diminutive Aleph in the Torah almost looks like a separate word. The meaning of Aleph means teach. Seeing this word in a smaller font suggests that in order to learn and to teach, means that each one must have some degree of humility. We are reminded that Moshe was considered among the most humble. In order for us to truly hear our names being called out we cannot be so far removed, the distance cannot be so great. We need to have humility.
After God “calls” out to Moshe, we read the list and the details concerning Korbonot-sacrifices. We learn about which animals should be sacrificed, how many, for which reason, who is obligated, and how to do it. Again God reminds of the purpose of “sacrifice”. The word Korbon (sacrifice) connotes “approach”. This is based upon the three-lettered Hebrew root KaReiV, which means approach. So we are making sacrifices as a means of approaching God. However, after reading this litany of detailed minutia, we might lose sight of the purpose of sacrifice. Korbon (sacrifice) is not only a means of approaching God; it is a means to approach our fellow man. The end of the Parshah reminds us of this. Nefesh Ki Techeteh U’Ma’Alah M’Al B’Adonai V’Chichesh Ba’Amito “God spoke to Moses saying: If a person will sin and commit treachery against God by lying to his comrade….” (Lev.5:21-25). Rabbi Akivah, in the Sifra, explains that cheating one’s fellow man is tantamount to committing treachery against God. R’Akivah explains that this is the case when the only ones who know of the financial obligations are the two parties and God. One who denies that he owed the other money is denying God’s omniscience. Even in a case where only God and the individual know that the individual is dealing unethically with another person suggests that such unethical behavior diminishes the relationship between the individual and God. Unethical behavior renders us impure and causes blemish to our character and to our spirit. We know that God only accepts blemish free offerings. If we are spiritually impure, because of unethical behavior, how can we hope to approach God?
The Parshah demonstrates that the Ethical and the Ritual are linked. Both aspects form a symbiotic relationship with each other. Together they form Torah. Separation of the Ethical and the Ritual leaves the individual and Torah incomplete. However, struggling and, hopefully, integrating both allows the individual to approach God as well as others through dignity and respect. The parsha reminds us that there are two aspects to our behavior, ritual and ethical. Both are linked together. There are two aspects in terms of our relationship to God. God calls out to Moshe, but Moshe has to hear the God’s call. The calling and the hearing are linked together. There are two aspects in any relationship. One talks and one must listen. One must listen to the words as well as the tone. In order for us to hear the muffled call of our children when they have a bad dream, we cannot be so far removed from them that we cannot hear them if and when they do call. In order for us to hear the soft whisper of God, our souls and our minds must already be opened up to that possibility. If we don’t have enough humility within us then we will be too focused upon ourselves that we won’t hear that call.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
No comments:
Post a Comment