Vayikra: The Call to All of Us
He calls to us to elevate ourselves morally.

by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple

Ready to Return

The portion begins with God calling to Moses. He calls to every one of us, each in our own way. According to a Midrashic source, His Divine Presence sometimes finds it has to move away from man. Human sin leads Him to move up into the first of the seven heavens, and from there into the second, the third and even further away from the Earth.

What brings Him back is human righteousness. His message is tantamount to saying, "I yearn to return to you. Open a door by your deeds; make Me feel welcome in your midst."

As He calls to Moses to ascend the mountain, so He calls to us to elevate ourselves morally and bring Him down to be with us.

Agenda for Education

In Talmudic times, Jewish children began their Hebrew education with Vayikra, the third book of the Torah. Its subject-matter was meal, animal and bird sacrifices. What a choice of textbook for young children! But the sages said: "Small children are pure. The sacrifices are pure. Let those who are pure come and occupy themselves with things that are pure." (Leviticus Rabbah 7)

Yet Nathan Morris, in his history of Jewish education (The Jewish School, 1937, ch. 9), remarks, "With a little ingenuity, of which the rabbis had no lack, no less cogent 'reasons' could be discovered why children should begin with almost any other part of the Bible." He quotes Wilhelm Bacher, who thought the custom arose in Jerusalem in the schools set up for the children of the kohanim, but says that even if such schools existed, how could the custom be relevant in post-Temple times to non-kohanic families?

When the custom was first recorded, in the second century CE, there was no uniform practice, and various schools began with different Biblical books. Morris' own view is that after the destruction of the Temple there was a fear that people might get used to the absence of the Temple, priesthood and sacrifices, and the hope of restoring Jewish independence and rebuilding the Temple had to be emphasised. This justified teaching Vayikra, reinforced by the reference to acquainting pure children with pure thoughts.

Hertz comments, "We may well judge this Book by its influence in the education of Israel. As a result of its stern legislation, Israel's sons and daughters were freed from the ignoble and the vile - from all brutality and bestiality."

Modern curriculum ideas might question Vayikra as a textbook, but the fact is that the one subject that is too difficult for today's parents, teachers and society is morality. Because education is said to be about choice, pupils are taught to be open-minded. With what result? It has been said that "some people are so open-minded that their brains fall out."

Of course we must be tolerant of other people and respect them despite the choices they make. But the rabbis' choice of Vayikra tells us to stand up for what we believe in - truth, justice, peace, goodness, decency, modesty - and to give unambiguous guidance.

Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple AO RFD is Emeritus Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem, where he spends his time writing, delivering shiurim, and editing books for Targum Press. He also writes articles for various publications, including Hamodia.

Rabbi Apple's new book, a lavishly-illustrated history of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, is a lively story that links up with Jewish and Australian history. Don't miss out on your copy!