It's so easy to ignore texts or let calls go to voicemail. Often, we're just too busy to answer the phone or we're focusing on an important task. Sometimes, though, it's someone important to us like a parent, child, significant other, or boss! How often can we ignore that call?
As we begin Vayikra, The Book of Leviticus, we say goodbye to the Biblical stories that we may be more familiar with. The foundational narratives of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and his siblings have passed. In Vayikra, the Israelites are well on their way to the Promised Land.
I've always loved animals. Even when I was a child, every single animal struck me as intelligent. They all had distinct personalities. I started feeling from an early age that it was my duty to take care of all the animals, and indeed, I did just that! As a child, I had two guinea pigs, one rabbit, one dog, three cats, and many fish.
The second chapter of Parashat Vayikra, begins "V'nefesh ki takriv korban mincha …" When a person [or soul] presents an offering of meal to the Eternal, the offering shall be of choice flour; oil shall be poured on it, frankincense laid on it." (Lev. 2:1) While the Hebrew word nefesh is understood in this context to mean a person, it also can mean "soul."
The Book of Leviticus assumes that offerings of animals and grain, sometimes accompanied by libations of wine or oil, are appropriate expressions of gratitude toward God and mechanisms through which one atones for sin.
Torah Commentary
A Modern Answer to God’s Call
Vayikra – Setting the Scene
Developing a Modern Prayer Practice Around Korbanot
When Sacrifice Tastes Like Chicken
The Power of Sacrifice, Then and Now
The Book of Leviticus assumes that offerings of animals and grain, sometimes accompanied by libations of wine or oil, are appropriate expressions of gratitude toward God and mechanisms through which one atones for sin.