Each week in synagogues
across the globe, Jewish people read a portion of the Torah. Jews believe that
the Torah, given to Moses by God, contains the law of God as revealed to Moses
and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Christianity
refers to these five books as the Pentateuch.
I like to think of the
reading of the Torah each week as the ultimate book club. Jews from all over
the word come together as a community to read, listen and then analyze just
about every word. This week’s torah portion is Vayikra. The book of Vayikra contains
the rules for the priests on how to perform sacrifices, which were an essential
part of early Judaism. The priests of ancient Israel were the class of male
individuals, who, according to the Torah, were matrilineal descendants from
Aaron (the elder brother of Moses), who served in the Tabernacle, Solomon’s
Temple and the Second Temple until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. At
first blush, one might wonder why is this relevant today? After all, for nearly
2000 years, Jews have not performed sacrifices. With this short reflection, I
hope you will see how relevant the Torah portion of Vayikra remains today in
2019.
The first line of this
torah portion states, “Vayikra el Moshe va-y’daber Adonai ai-lav may-ohel mo-ed
la-mor (“And [God] called to Moses and God spoke to him out of the tent of
meeting, saying…”). While God communicates
with people in the torah in different ways, we are told that God speaks to
Moses face to face. God does not use an angel, an animal, or a bush to speak to
Moses. This emphasizes God’s desire to connect with Moses on a personal level
to deepen their relationship. Are the rules of the sacrifices so important that
only God can communicate them to Moses?
 |
| Direct communication is more important than ever. |
The purpose of Vayikra
is not to overwhelm us with the rules of how to offer the sacrifices properly;
rather, the intention is to emphasize the importance of personal relationships.
See Rabbi Soshanna Gelfand’s Vayikra, the Book of Relationships in the Women’s
Torah Commentary edited by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein 2008. The rituals of Judaism
have changed over thousands of years, however, the importance of relationships
remain crucially relevant.
Healthy relationships
are a vital component of health and well-being. There is compelling evidence
that strong relationships contribute to a long, healthy, and happy life. Today
our most frequent form of communication is through text messages and email.
Direct communication is more important than ever. Meaning and context can be
misconstrued when using an electronic device. When we speak to someone face to
face, we can read their expressions, we can connect with them intellectually,
emotionally and spiritually. We can collaborate, work creatively and problem
solve.
One of the best things
about working at St. Francis College is connecting with my wonderful colleagues
and of course, seeing the faces of the St. Francis College students who, like
Moses, will become the leaders of the next generation.
Linda Werbel Dashefsky
Vice President of Government and Community Relations
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