Vayikra

📜 The Story

The book of Vayikra, the third book of the Torah, opens with a special moment: Hashem calls to Moshe Rabbeinu from inside the Ohel Moed, the Tent of Meeting, and speaks to him. The very first word of the book, Vayikra, is written in the Torah scroll with a small letter aleph, and many explain this teaches us how humble Moshe was, even though he was the greatest prophet.

In this parsha the Torah teaches about the different offerings, korbanot, that were brought in the Mishkan. There is the olah offering, which is completely burned on the altar for Hashem, the mincha offering made of flour and oil, and the shelamim offering, which the kohanim and the person bringing it both get to eat, as a sign of joy and thanks.

The parsha also describes the chatat offering, brought when someone makes a mistake and wants to fix things and come close to Hashem again. The Torah gives different chatat laws for the Kohen Gadol, for the whole congregation, for a leader called a nasi, and for an ordinary person, because greater responsibility calls for greater care in making things right.

Near the end of the parsha, the Torah teaches about the asham offering, brought by someone who swore falsely or accidentally took something that was not theirs and wants to make it right. All these offerings teach us that it is always possible to fix a mistake and grow closer to Hashem.

Parashat Vayikra teaches us that the Mishkan was a place of closeness to Hashem, where every Jew could draw near with a whole heart. Even today, without the Mishkan, we learn from this parsha how important a good heart, pure intentions, and a constant wish to improve really are.