Spirituality

WHEN

Torah Portion

IS THE LAST TIME

YOU NOTICED

How Modern Jews Can Relate
To Temple Sacrifices In Leviticus

THE SPLENDOR

OF FROST?

A SMILE?

CRETLS
R,&\
RENEWAL"

1

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A conversation with Rabbi Noach Orloweck,
Internationally renowned author
and lecturer from Jerusalem, Israel

m ch 19th
march
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66

Tradition

was expressed in life and death.
We personally planted and nour-
ished the grain; we brought animals
into the world and protected their
growth. We offered life back to God
as evidence of our trust and faith
that God would continue to take
liAT ithin the many and
care of us.
often glorious examples
Closer to the "ground of being" in
of biblical literature,
those days — closer to the realities
we are occasionally
of life — we struggled with the
stopped by eruptions of rather two-
uncertainties of existence. Most
dimensional, non-literary material.
importantly, we understood that the
Since entering the Exodus narra-
blessings we received from God were
tive, we've encountered chapters of
a direct response to our
laws, statutes and ordi-
actions, our labor. We ,had
nances that break the flow
to work for it.
of the story of the
The true meaning of the
Israelites' journey from
sacrificial cult, then, lies
Egypt to the Promised
not in the sacrifice itself,
Land. Of all the legal and
but in the work and labor,
ritual collections that inter-
the act and the deed that
rupt the narrative, none is
must precede it. It is the
as arresting as Leviticus,
work of preparing that
which we begin this week.
which we will offer that
It is largely composed of
causes the flow of blessing.
RA
BBI
ritual ordinances, which
For us today, our offer-
JOSEPH KLEIN
have warmed the hearts of
ings
to God are the inten-
Specia / to the
few, if any, literary readers.
tional
identity of our com-
Jewish News
As one scholar puts it,
mitment and our dedica-
"Faced with such an unap-
tion to our covenant with
petizing vein of gristle in the midst
God — a covenant that is defined by
of the Pentateuch, the natural reac-
justice, righteousness and lov-
tion of most readers is to simply
ingkindness. We present to God
push it quietly off the plate." (The
_those proper and commanded acts
Literary Guide of the Bible, 1987,
along with the values and beliefs of
edited by Robert Alter).
our religious identities. The product
Our reading this week is typical - of our hands, our hearts and minds
of much of the book. The text reads
is the presented offering that fulfills
with a tedious sameness and appears
our obligation within the covenant.
to have nothing whatsoever to do
Let us remember that Leviticus
with my life, my synagogue or my
opens with, " ... when you bring an
Jewishness. It has been close to 2000 offering ... " We are blessed by what
years since a levitical priesthood
we do 4nd by what we bring. It is, in
offered up sacrifices on behalf of the
this sense, perhaps not so different
people Israel. So what benefit is
for us as it was for the Israelites
there in reading about the burnt
coming to the Temple in Jerusalem.
offerings, the meal offerings, the
At least it ought not to be so differ-
whole offerings and the guilt offer-
ent. ❑
ings? Not only is it all so repetitive,
it is so primitive. Our sophisticated
Jewish culture has thankfully gone
far beyond all this.
Perhaps-, in our ritual sophistica-
tion, we have lost more than we have
Without the intermediary role of
gained. The biblical sacrificial system
the levitical preisthood, what
allowed those who participated in it
religious responsibilities now fall
a blunt and frontal intimacy with
upon the people Israel? What
God and food and nature. The harsh
modern offerings of heart, hand
reality of life and living was a daily
and mind might correspond to
confrontation. They directly experi-
the list of tangible offerings
enced nature in ways that automo-
described in the first five chap-
biles, refrigerators and heating sys-
ters of Leviticus? Why is the
tems have eliminated for us today.
Levitical sacrificial system no
The covenant between man and God
longer our form of worship?

Shabbat Vayikra:
Leviticus 1:1-5:26;
Isaiah 43:21-44:23.

Conversations

Joseph Klein is rabbi of Temple
Emanu-El.