Taste of Torah
A Bima-Ready D'var Torah 

29 Adar 5783
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Parashat Vayikra
Giving to Connect
Torah Portion: Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 43:21-44:23
Alternate Haftarah [Triennial]: Isaiah 43:21-44:8[i]

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Shalom!

At the end of last week’s parashah, the conclusion of the book of Exodus, we finished construction on the Tabernacle. We may be in the wilderness, but we have our priests, we have our garments, we have our sanctuary. So what’s next? As we begin reading Leviticus this week, the topic at hand is sacrifices.

Five kinds of sacrifices are outlined: the first three are voluntary offerings, and the last two are obligatory sacrifices made as part of repentance after committing a sin—whether deliberately or inadvertently.

These days, even the idea of literal sacrificial offerings is foreign to us. It’s been more than 2,000 years since Jews last offered sacrifices to God. But for centuries, it was the common, accepted, and expected way to worship. As strange as the practice of sacrifice might seem to us, it was how the ancients felt they could connect to and communicate with God. The Hebrew word for sacrifice, korban, reflects this fact; although korban does mean sacrifice, it comes from the same word root that means “to draw near.” The Israelites felt they could “draw near” to God by offering sacrifices.

So what is it about sacrifice that made it a way to draw near to God? Some of it is rooted in the nature of ritual in general. The prayers, choreography, and actions while conducting sacrifices must have been meaningful to the ancient Israelites. It was likely very significant, having this physical, tangible manifestation of connection. Offering the best of what they had may also have evoked pride, giving the Israelites a concrete way to show their devotion by making a meaningful gift to God.

Sacrifices offered to alleviate sin may also have provided comfort. According to contemporary Torah scholar W. Gunther Plaut, “people were often deeply disturbed if they caused harm by accident, ignorance, of oversight. A sacrifice could relieve the troubled conscience.”[ii]Think of how it must have felt: committing an offense—perhaps even inadvertently—and feeling terrible… then seeing the last of an offering consumed by the flame, and knowing with certainty, that your slate has been wiped clean in the eyes of God?

But perhaps one of the best ways of seeing how sacrifice could connect our ancient ancestors to our eternal God is looking at what was sacrificed. The answer? Things that the Israelites liked themselves, and therefore things they thought God would like. The offerings were always either food, incense, or both— things that smelled nice, things that tasted good. Multiple times when addressing sacrifices, the Torah talks about the sacrifices having a “pleasing odor.”[iii] When the offering is food, the pita needs to be made from “choice flour” (Leviticus 2:1).[iv] The animals offered as a sacrifice for meat must be “without blemish” (Leviticus 1:3).[v] Basically, when the Israelites offered sacrifices, they were doing something special for God as a way of honoring the connection between them.

We know how good this can feel. Think of the phrase “it is better to give than to receive,” and then think of the last time you gave someone a gift that they truly loved. A thoughtful item, meal, or experience selected to show how much we care, for which we are rewarded by their genuine appreciation. We also offer gifts for contrition, to make amends. How many of us have offered flowers, a heartfelt note, or taken concrete action as a means of apologizing to a loved one we’ve wronged? These are not things we do for everyone on the planet. This is something we do for those closest to us. Those to whom we draw near.

With this in mind, let us not focus on the strangeness of sacrifices, but rather on the commonality of connection. Whether it is between us and God, or between one human and another, relationships must be tended to and nurtured in order to thrive. In the ancient world, we honored and strengthened our relationship with God through sacrifices. After the Temple fell, we wanted to keep that connection, so we found a new way to draw near to God: through prayer.

​As the centuries have progressed, we have found other ways of connecting with God: mussar, Kabbalah, meditation, social action, and other practices. But as we seek spiritual connection, let us not lose sight of the purpose of these pursuits. This is not something we do solely for ourselves; this is something we do to maintain and grow our connection with God. This week, may we draw nearer to the holy through our actions and offerings.

Shabbat shalom!
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Rabbi Caroline Sim
ISJL Director of Rabbinical Services

Please share this message with family and friends; we also invite you to read this Taste of Torah from the bima or share it during digital services. As always, please be in touch. We particularly appreciate hearing about simchahs (moments of joy) like births, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations, as well as illnesses or other challenges in your family or community. ​

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[i] Haftarah for the first year of the Triennial Cycle as approved by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of The Rabbinical Assembly on April 30, 2014. See https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/2011-2020/triennial-haftarot.pdf
[ii] W. Gunther Plaut and Chaim Stern, eds., The Torah: A Modern Commentary (New York: UAHC Press, 2005), 381.
[iii] Specifically, I’m citing Lev 1:13, but there are numerous occasions where the same phrase comes up in the Torah.
[iv] This is also a phrase that appears multiple times in the Torah when discussing sacrifices.
[v] Again, this phrase also appears multiple times in the Torah when discussing sacrifices.

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