March 24, 2023 * Parshat Vayikra

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This Shabbat we begin the book of Vayikra, the third book of the Torah. After reading about the creation of the world and the stories of our ancestors in Bereishit followed by the epic tale, told over and over again in movies and plays and depicted in artwork across the century, of the second book, that of the exodus from Egypt, we could get pretty excited about this next installment. And this book doesn’t waste any time. From the first verse, it jumps into the action to describe the main purpose of the mishkan, that holy sanctuary built for God at the end of the previous book, and that is to connect with God through sacrifices.

Since we have not performed sacrifices since the year 70 CE and most of the Judaism that we practice today is based off of Rabbinic Judaism - the Jewish tradition instituted by the rabbis and recorded in the Talmud and books of Halakha (Jewish law) - one would think that the rabbis didn’t have much to say about the sacrifices. This is untrue. They have plenty to say. Let’s look at just one of the types of korbanot, sacrifices that are offered, the Shlamim offering. Ibn Ezra, a commentator who focuses on grammar and philology, very simply states, “The term shlamim is self explanatory,” (however, ironically, this will have to be further explained later on). The word Shlamim comes from the same shoresh or root as the word Shalom, which we know in this form to mean hello, goodbye, or peace. This type of sacrifice is often translated as a peace offering, as if to say, “Hey God, I haven’t been great, but I’m going to do better,” or as a sacrifice of well being as if to say “God, things have been going really well for me. Here’s a gift just to say that I hope things stay going really well for me.” This is apparently, according to a comment on a comment, what Ibn Ezra means, that this peace offering is for the continued peaceful existence of the celebrant.

Rashi, our French friend, suggests a different idea. He states that this sacrifice of well-being brings peace to the world, or at least harmony and a lack of envy to the altar, suggesting that this is a “happy priest, happy feast” sort of gift.

Chizkuni has another related word in mind, Tashlumim, again, from the same root, but perhaps this means payment, that is that the offering is actually fulfilling a vow that had previously been made. Rashbam also suggests that the word comes from Tashlumim, but instead of meaning payment, it means completion, as in the vow is now complete.

I’d like to offer one other explanation. That this well-being sacrifice is from the word Shalom and has to do with peacefulness, that it has more to do with the word “Shleimah” what we say when we wish someone a “refuah shleimah” a full recovery. I wonder what kind of sacrifice you bring to God for your own well-being. Is it doing a good deed? Is it giving to others? Is it creating something that puts art into the world? Is it listening to music? What do you give to God that benefits you? After all, this korban, this sacrifice, is one that involves a feast eaten by both the priests and the donor. How do you (or how will you!) bring your whole self to God? What can you do to work toward fullness, completeness? Bliss? Wholeness? I hope you’ll share with me.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Blatt

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Sing with Your Heart

Need some more music in your life? Check out Rising Song Institute from Hadar. They have a Spotify playlist for every Shabbat, most holidays, and even some for different Jewish vibes.

Parshat Vayikra Playlist

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Joel Wasser Memorial Scholar In Residence Weekend

Friday Night

6:30pm - Shabbat Services including Rabbi Goldstein's Presentation of:

“Looking for God in all the Wrong Places”

Is there a way to talk about God even for skeptics, agnostics, those who “don’t believe”? Can we move past the Old Man on a Throne in Heaven, but if we do, what do we replace it with, or do we even need a replacement?

Saturday Morning

9:30am - Shabbat Services including Rabbi Goldstein's Presentation of:

“The Power of Prayer” Hallelujah!”

Hear what the Baptists taught a Rabbi about how to pray. The tension between personal and and private prayer, and between traditional and creative prayer is real. Some traditions have an open, changing worship text. Some, like Judaism, still use ancient and fixed texts even in the most liberal movements. Some traditions value individual contemplation even over communal worship while some, like Judaism, mandate the group experience. What is “ideal” prayer? (A discussion of this topic will continue following Kiddush luncheon.)

Sunday Morning

10:00am - Rabbi Joel Wasser Memorial Scholar In Residence Program & Brunch/Lecture & Book Signing

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