[Jewish] [Mindful Torah] Poetic Commentary on Parshat Vayikra

[Rabbi Steven Nathan]

 This week we begin the third book of the Torah, Vayikra/Leviticus with
the reading of parshat Vayikra (each book of the Torah and the first
parasha/portion of that book always bear the same name). Vayikra means
“and he (God) called.” It is easy for us to hear the call of the Divine
when reading about the journeys of the patriarchs and matriarchs or the
ordeals of the slaves and their exodus from Egypt. But to hear God’s
call in the description of sacrifices is not an easy task! And yet
Vayikra is about more than just sacrifices and laws. At the core of
Vayikra is the sacrificial system that is meant to connect the people
with the Divine. In the first third of this parashah, which is what is
read in many congregations this Shabbat, we read first of the Olah, the
burnt offering, or literally “that which rises up.” These were
sacrifices in which the entire animal, after being ritually slaughtered
was burned on the altar. This differed from other sacrifices where part
of the animal was saved as a sacred meal for the priests and the
worshipers.
Most communal sacrifices were olot – burnt offerings. The community
would give the priests beasts and birds that belonged to them and watch
them as they were sacrificed to God on the altar, watching the smoke
rise up to God with a reyakh nee’khoah – pleasant odor. The minchah, or
grain offering then followed the olot. Here, grain was mixed with oil
and spices and presented either in a cooked or uncooked form to the
priest. It was then burnt on the altar. However, the text makes clear
that no leaven and no honey may be used in the minchah offering. We do
not know if this is in any way connected with the later rabbinic
association of leaven with pride, hubris, and ego, but this is
certainly a connection that I possible interpretation. The following
poem is broken up into seven portions. Each portion corresponds to one
of the seven aliyot (individual Torah readings) read this Shabbat
according to the breakdown of the Conservative movement in the USA.
Shabbat Shalom,
Steven

Hearing the Divine Call
Aliyah 1I hear God’s call bring my sacrificemy selfperfect unblemished
but
I am not perfectI am filled with blemishes imperfections faults sin
still
I mustfindwithin perfectionGodlinessholiness
from that placeiImust sacrificeoffergiveto God
aliyah 2my offeringgoes up in flamesbefore my eyes
Iam consumedmy soul aflamethe smoke my soul our soulthe soulrises
returns to it’s source
the scent of teshuvah is in the airpleasing Godthe divine smile
radiatesinto my heart
aliyah 3more sacrificemore violenceblooddestruction
the smells the soundscacophony
I want to run
how could God desiresuch sacrifice
how could God not
true sacrificeis not easy simple prettytrue sacrificeof the selfbefore
Godis difficult painfulyet necessary
I want to run
from the painfrom the noiseto somewhere pleasant somewhere safe
somewhere simple
if only it really existed orthank God it does not
aliyah 4sacrifice continues I do not run I do not hide my eyes my heart
my soulfrom what is real
the priest conduit between us and Godtakes our offerings and kills
themmy flocks my birds my possessionsare no more
were they everrealreally mine
no
they were Godsas they still are
still
each time i seeone rise in smoke to God i feela piece of my self die
with it and rise back to God
in my heart I hear God sayingwelcome home
aliyah 5no more deathof animals of the selfit is finished
I have given all I can to God for now
then suddenly I smell something sweet something pleasantmingled with
the acrid smell of sacrifice
like fresh bread baking the smell of home or hearth of safety of
security
this is something i can live with I can enjoyI hopeit will neverend
aliyah 6that wondrous smelltempting mehunger desire arising within meI
am ready to eat to devour the bread staff of lifesource of my
sustainance
but wait
the smell is changingfrom sweet to acridpleasant to noxioussoothing to
burning
the bread is burningturned to smokeon the altar
whyI wanted itwe all did
but of courseit is notfor usit isfor God
I am in painmy desire unfulfilled
I mourn the lossof something I never had that was never mine
then i rememberthis is whatit’s all about
life
gain and losspain and pleasurecriticism and praiserecognition and
invisibility
all illusions never real never minelike the breadthey are here bringing
joy that is not real joy they are gone bringing pain that feels all too
real
what is realwhat is herealwaysis simply God
aliyah 7and so I offer to God my meal my grain my source my soul
I do not bring leavened bread ego self selfishness pridefor it is no
more if it ever was
I do not bring merely the sweetness that hides the pain that is real
like honey masks the bitterness we are meant to taste
I simply bring what is real all that i am no judgements no facades no
illusionsjust all that I am that is part of you part of God part of the
world
a particle of the smoke rising from the altarof life returning to the
sourceof life
I hear the call the my heartI see the smoke rise to God my soul rejoices
and together we allsing praise to the One halleluyah






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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 3/19/2010 03:06:00 PM
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