What’s the most Jewish food eaten on Pesach?
Matzah Balls? Brisket?
What’s the most important food on Rosh Hashanah?
Apple dipped in honey? Round Challah?
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If you have a peek at the Book of Vayikra, which we start reading today, you might be fooled into skipping through it. The first two books of the Torah have lots of fun history and life lessons. But, now we will spend a couple of months navigating some very technical laws about the Temple, ritual purity, priestly rites, and various types of sacrifices. Oh, and sexual morality gets thrown in as well.
The parsha, as well as the book itself, focuses primarily on the laws of sacrifices. “Boring, technical, and ancient,” might be what you are thinking.
But, actually, if we think of the way Hashem envisioned Pesach and Rosh Hashana, it’s far different than our current imagination. In the Torah, Hashem instructs us to offer a lamb as a sacrifice on Passover. G-d tells us to offer sacrifices for each holiday. No matzah ball soup, no Challah, no Gefilte fish, no Falafel. Just barbecue lamb, goat, and bulls. And flat flour pancakes with olive oil. And, turtledoves. On the altar.
The Torah dedicates an entire book to these laws. It must be important. Today.
So, what is the Torah’s message embedded in the laws of sacrifices?
There are certainly many mystical and spiritual lessons we can learn from sacrifices. But, there is also a very simple – and relevant – message for each of us today.
The Torah was not given to angels in Heaven. It was given to fallible human beings who tend to focus on earthly endeavors. It would be very tempting to assume that our goal should be to distance ourselves from bodily pursuits – such as eating, intimacy, and attire. After all, we want to connect with a spiritual Creator.
“No!” says the Torah. G-d wants your food, intimacy, and clothing! The goal is not to abandon the material. Rather, the purpose of Creation and Existence is to infuse the physical with purpose and holiness.
The sacrifices and “technical” laws of the Book of Vayikra are G-d’s nod to our animalistic drive. G-d is not conceding that we remain animalistic. Rather G-d is proclaiming: “I believe in you! You have beastly and mundane desires. But, you can elevate them to meaningful and intentional acts of sanctity.”
Instead of skipping the mechanical details of Vayikra, let’s celebrate the G-d that is in the details.