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Vayikra (2026)

Shabbat Vayikra

Dvar Torah
The book of Leviticus opens this week with a prescription of the various offerings brought in the Tabernacle. While animal sacrifice is foreign to the modern eye and its reconciliation with contemporary Judaism is a subject of fascinating philosophical discussion – the foundations of the Temple service are a core tenet of our observance.

One such idea which is highlighted in this week’s portion is the universality of observance. In two places, the Torah show us that the privilege and obligations of our relationship with Hashem is not limited to a specific class of people.

When introducing the sin offering, the Torah focuses first on special cases – the sin offering brought by the High Priest and the Nasi (essentially the king) – only later describing the offering brough by commoners. The message is clear, in a just society accountability starts at the top, and nobody is exempt from admission and atonement.

Later, when introducing a sin offering brought in special circumstances (including withholding testimony) the Torah prescribes a sliding scale based on the wealth of the individual involved – starting from a bull for the rich and concluding in a simple flour offering for the poor. In this case as well, the Torah shows us that the expectations from our society are held for the rich and poor alike, while also being sensitive to the needs and capabilities of each individual.



“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalms 122)
It makes a difference

Shabbat Shalom!




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