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. Many traditional commentators note that the Book is found in the
center of the first Five Books and intuit from its positioning the “centrality”
of its teachings to Jewish tradition.
The introduction to this Book in Etz Hayim reminds us that the “central
concern” of the ancient Israelites was “how
they were to express their loyalty” to Adonai. The answer from Vayikra:
they were “to be holy, for I Adonai Your God, am holy.” Etz Hayim also reminds us of the
importance of ritual: “…[S]omething in
the human soul responds to ritual, whether it be the formality of a traditional
wedding or the rituals of a sporting event…There is something comforting about
the familiar, the recognizable, the predictable. There is something deeply
moving about performing a rite that is older than we are, one that goes back
beyond the time of our parents or grandparents…There is power in the knowledge
that we are doing what generations of people before us have done in similar
situations.”
Yet, as noted in the introduction
to this Book in the Plaut Commentary, much of this “holiness” is
expressed in terms of rituals which ceased to exist with the destruction of the
Second Temple. 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.
With the end of the sacrificial
system, the instructions of Vayikra for
centuries remained an important area of study because of the belief that a
restoration of the sacrificial system would occur. As the synagogue became the center
of Jewish religious life, prayers were inserted seeking the restoration of
sacrifices at the Temple. These remain in traditional liturgy today, as a daily
reminder of our ancient ritual life and its core intent of drawing closer to God.
Lev. 4:22 “When a
chieftain incurs guilt by doing unwittingly any of the things which by the
commandment of Adonai his God ought not to be done, and he realizes his
guilt…he shall bring as his offering a male goat without blemish.”
The
wording of this verse is highly unusual. In other cases, the text usually states,
“If an individual sins.” Here, the text
assumes that a leader will sin.
One response,
offered by the Italian commentator the Sforno, is that leaders are more likely
to be observed sinning, and therefore must be more careful about their conduct.
Another interpretation is that a leader is more
likely to sin because of the temptation leadership offers.
The
verse includes a two-step process: a sin by the leader followed by recognition
by the leader that he has sinned. Traditions tells us that admissions of
wrongdoing are to be praised. It is
difficult to admit to ourselves our own errors, let alone admit them to others.
A failure to recognize one’s errors is today called narcissism. Symptoms include an excessive need for admiration, disregard
for others’ feelings, an inability to handle any criticism, and a sense of
entitlement. The term originated from Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love
with his own image reflected in a pool of water. Narcissists hate
criticism, and consider it “toxic," because criticism implies they are not
perfect and that they need to change.
Whether the narcissistic leader is in
the United States, Israel, Iran, China, or anywhere else in our world, it is precisely
the oppose of what our tradition demands.
