We begin the reading of the book of Va-Yikra/Leviticus which goes into great detail about the sacrificial rites in the Sanctuary. How are we to relate to this ancient practice? The additional reading is on the theme of joy for Purim and the nigun is from a town in the Ukraine, that used to be called Nikoloyev. Thank you for your comments, both pro and con, about the changes in format in the newsletter.michael (michaelstrassfeld.com; mjstrassfeld@gmail.com)
A word of Torah:
This week we begin reading the book of va-yikra/Leviticus. Its first chapters go into great detail about the sacrifice of animals as a central practice of biblical Judaism. How can we relate to sacrifices/korbanot?
Arnold Eisen, the former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote: “What the Hebrew [for sacrifice] has in mind is drawing near. Giving things of value to God is part of that effort, and so is giving up things of value to us. Both are instruments of drawing near, overcoming distance, making right what had been wronged. We do this in human relations. We bring flowers as a way of saying we are sorry, give presents to celebrate birthdays…”
Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Habad Hasidism, took this notion to another level. He noted that it says adam ki yakriv mikem korban which could be read “when a person brings of him/her self a sacrifice (rather than “when a person among you brings a sacrifice,” Lev. 1:2). We offer ourselves as a sacrifice. We bring our thoughts, emotions and deeds and offer them to God. We do so desiring to be connected to the Holy One. We do so knowing that we can be honest with God. God is not hurt by what we have to offer. Unlike human beings, God is not affected by what we say. God is not defensive or disturbed by displaced anger. Unlike our fellow humans, who may think less of us if we confess our flaws and fears, God is unperturbed by the truth. In fact, God wants the truth because only through the truth can teshuva, the process of change, begin.
We offer who we are—all of who we are. It can also be a giving away and letting go especially of the negative. Thereby it can be a path of healing for that which is broken within us.
There is one more way to understand sacrifices. I remember a bar mitzvah boy who was challenged with this Torah portion. He suggested that even though the word sacrifice feels old fashioned, it still has some meaning in our society. In baseball, when a player hits a ball up in the air that is easily caught for an out but still allows a runner to advance—it is called a sacrifice fly. He is out but his teammate gets closer to being able to score a run. Why is it called a sacrifice fly? The batter gives up on a chance to improve on his individual batting average by getting a hit. Instead, he decides to help his team with a fly ball.
Last week, I focused on the freedom that comes from generosity. The korban/sacrifice is an aspect of generosity that allows you to come close by opening your heart between you and God, you and others, and you and yourself. It asks us to see beyond our self and connect to all that is in this world.
Intention/kavana for the week
Generosity is not only about helping other people and giving to them. Generosity can be directed to yourself. It involves letting go of the ideas that we have used to define who we are, but are actually keeping us stuck in old narratives.
What can you give away? What would it be like to no longer schlep that notion or idea with you after carrying it for so many years?
Song:
a Habad nigun from Nikoloyev
(a town in the Ukraine)
