Vayikra

On Yom Ha’atzmaut we celebrated the establishment of the State of Israel, which became a reality, to a great extent, by our miraculous success in the War of Independence. In Hebrew that war has a few names – including, Milchemet Hakomemiyut. The word komemiyut is a mila yechida’it – a word that is found only once in the Torah. In this case, it is found in our parasha: “I am Hashem who took you out from the Land of Egypt from being slaves, and I broke the staves of your yoke, and I led you komemiyut” (Vayikra 26:13). I refrained from translating the word, and for good reason. One of the ways commentators and translators know how to explain a word is by comparing it to its other appearances in Tanach, including some in which the meaning is clear by context. Since we cannot do that for komemiyut, we will use other methods: context in our pasuk, analyzing the root, along, of course, with looking at our classical commentators.

In explaining the mitzva of yovel, the Torah says that the Land will not be sold for eternity and finishes up that this is related to the concept that we are “foreigners and citizens with Me” (Vayikra 25:23). The connection to “with Me” appears to be as follows: If you treat Me like one who fully belongs, then you fully belong; if you treat Me as an outsider, you too will be like outsiders.

The first half of our parasha is dominated by the special laws that apply to the kohanim. The heart of these laws is summed up: “It shall be holy for you, for I am holy, I am Hashem who makes you holy” (Vayikra 21:8). This follows Parashat Kedoshim, where the entire nation is commanded to act in holiness since Hashem sanctified the entire nation (ibid. 19:2). Thus, the kohanim have an even higher level of sanctity and expectations for appropriate behavior than the rest of the holy nation.

The parasha begins with mention of the death of two of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu (Vayikra 10:2-6). Reams of paper have been used to analyze the cause of their death. We would like to add an insight as well.

Sefer Vayikra is full of discussion of korbanot, both public and private. Many explain that the special status of Shabbat Hagadol has to with Bnei Yisrael’s preparations for the Korban Pesach, which they brought in Egypt right before their liberation came to fruition.

Many have tried to explain the sequential significance of “Should a woman give forth seed and give birth to a male” (Vayikra 12:2). A baraita seems to take things literally: “If the woman ovulates first, she will bear a male. If the male’s seed is first, she will bear a girl.” Rabbi Tzadok cites further support for this correlation from the pasuk, “These are the sons that Leah bore for Yaakov in Padan Aram, along with Dina, his daughter” (Bereishit 46:15). Still, it is hard to understand what the Torah is hinting at and what the various rabbis are saying.

This week the maftir is the section on the Para Aduma (Red Heifer). It is a good time to look at the place of logic and human intellect as a central part of our belief as Jews, and how the Para Aduma fits into the fabric of the mitzvot in this regard.

There are so many types of korbanot (sacrifices or offerings; it is a word that cannot be accurately translated along with its nuances). Some are private, and some are communal. Some are for sins, and some are to celebrate holidays. Some are to offer personal thanks, and some deal with complex personal situations of a variety of types (sota, metzora, nazir).