Lev. 1:1 - 5:26
Précis: The title of the Third Book of the Torah, Vayikra (“And He called”) is usually translated as “Leviticus” in English, from its Septuagint (Greek) name, which in turn is based on the fact that much of the Book concerns ritual sacrifices performed under the auspices of the Levites.
The word generally used in English for the ritual offerings in the Temple is “sacrifice,” but there is a deeper meaning to be found in the Hebrew word, korban, from a root meaning “to draw closer.” The system of “sacrifices” (“korbanot”) was designed to allow the Israelites to “draw closer” to the Ineffable.
Lev. 5:21 “If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by dealing deceitfully with his fellow in the matter of a deposit or a pledge, or through robbery, or by defrauding his fellow, or by finding something lost and lying about it; if he swears falsely regarding any one of the various things that one may do and sin thereby...”
Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger discusses the connection between our conduct with others as it relates to our obligations to God (MyJewishLearning.com, 3/15/16).
This verse begins a discussion of various kinds of property crimes or criminal dishonesty. For example, if a person denied that he had borrowed money from someone, or tried to keep a pledge for a loan once it had been paid back, that person must make full material restitution to the victim of his or her crime, and add a fifth of the value of the property under consideration. But the text tells us that the individual must then atone to God for his or her misdoing.
Rabbi Akiva asks a great question: Why is a sin against our fellow also a “trespass against the Lord?” He explains that this particular set of verses apply to a relatively small number of cases: those when the creditor and the debtor are the only ones who know of the exchange (i.e., there were no witnesses). However, Rabbi Akiva continues, God sees everything and knows what’s going on in this world, and is the ultimate Witness.
Thus, we are reminded that in Judaism, there is no distinction between ethics and faith. In fact, how we treat each other is a direct measure of our faith.
To illustrate this point, Rabbi Loevinger tells a story:
Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach, bought a donkey from an Ishmaelite. His students found a precious stone hanging around the donkey’s neck! They told the rabbi, and quoted a verse to prove that God had made this miracle in order to reward the rabbi for his righteousness.
Rabbi Shimon replied: “I bought a donkey, not a precious stone!” — and went immediately to return it to the man who sold him the donkey. The story ends with the Ishmaelite, grateful and amazed at the rabbi’s honesty, blessing and praising the God of Shimon ben Shetach (Deut. Rabbah 3:3).
Few of us have the opportunity to return a surprisingly discovered precious gem. But we can remember that there is a Third Party who urges us to be our best selves at all times. To have true faith, one must be ethical to our fellow as well as to God.
